Hassan Mayow Hassan

Radio Shabelle

January 1, 2009, in Afgoye, Somalia

Hassan, 36, a Radio Shabelle correspondent since 2006 in the town of Afgoye, 19 miles (30 kilometers) south of the capital, Mogadishu, was shot dead by a government soldier when he entered the town at around 10 a.m., local journalists told CPJ. Hassan was stopped by government troops who accused him of collaborating with Islamic insurgent groups before one of the soldiers shot him twice in the head, the journalists said eyewitnesses told them.

According to a Radio Shabelle editor, Abdi Nasir, Hassan was en route to a news conference when he was killed. Hassan produced many reports on the humanitarian situation in the region, including critical stories about the army's harassment of civilians in the area, the journalists said.

"If there is any evidence of wrongdoing by a government soldier or officer, we will investigate," then-Minister of Information Ahmed Abdisalam told CPJ. Hassan is survived by a wife and five children.

Medium: Radio

Job: Broadcast Reporter

Beats Covered: Human Rights, War

Gender: Male

Local or Foreign: Local

Freelance: No

Type of Death: Murder

Suspected Source of Fire: Military Officials

Impunity: Yes

Taken Captive: No

Tortured: No

Threatened: Yes

Related Articles:

• Letter from Mogadishu: Working where violence is normal , January 20, 2009
• Somali radio broadcaster killed, January 1, 2009