"We are deeply concerned about the six-year jail term given Mire, director of Horseed Media in Bosaso without any inquiry on the charges against the journalist. Associated Somali Journalists (
ASOJ) is strongly
condemning the jail sentence put by
Puntland state high
court on
Abdifatah Jama
Mire, Director of
Horseed Media as unlawful and and
unacceptable verdict.
"We are deeply concerned about the
six-year jail term given Mire, director of
Horseed
Media in
Bosaso without any inquiry on the charges
against the journalist. this is illegal move taken by the court in
Puntland." said
Dahir Abdulle Alasow, the
president of
ASOJ. "This is total violation against the
free media in the region."
Alasow said we knew
that
Puntland authorities have been pressuring
the activities of the free press in the region but what is so surprised
is that how such long term jail sentence could be happened without any
investigation on the allegation against the
Horseed
Media director.
"it was said that Mire was arrested for interview
with rebel leader, but what i can not make out is that how this could
be a crime and cause the journalist to face jail term."
Alsow added.
On Friday, 13 August
2010. the police commissioner in
Bosaso Colonel
Abdisalam Aflaw,
ordered the arrest of Mire with the accusation of interviewing the
leader of the rebel group fighting against
Puntland
government in
Galgala area near
Bosaso.
Seven
other media workers from the radio station were also arrested, but they
were later released.
Puntland, which is a semi-autonomous
region in northeast Somalia, has been engaging war against with a
radical
Islamist group linking to Al-
Shabaab in southern Somalia
Somalia: ASOJ condemns Puntland jail sentence on a radio journalist
"We are deeply concerned about the six-year jail term given Mire, director of Horseed Media in Bosaso without any inquiry on the charges against the journalist.