AUGUST 18, 2007
Posted September 7, 2007
Abdi Moalim Aden, Radio Hiraan Voice
HARASSED
Elmi Mohammed Waare, Radio Hiraan Voice
Sawda Hussein, Radio Hiraan Voice
IMPRISONED
Authorities in the central Hiraan province capital of Beledweyne detained two reporters and an executive of private Radio Hiraan Voice over coverage of a press conference of Gov. Yusuf Dabageed, according to local journalists.
Reporters Mohammed and Hussein, also correspondents of leading independent HornAfrik Radio in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, were arrested after Dabageed accused them of not reporting his comments to HornAfrik, Waare told CPJ. Dabageed, freshly appointed to office, had announced the integration of militia from a local clan into the provincial security forces in a move to shore up support, he said.
Director Aden was also arrested the next day and held overnight on the same accusations, the journalists told CPJ.
Mohammed and Hussein were released without charge after two days of detention following local protests, but the station remained off the air for the duration of the detentions, according to Aden. The governor later apologized for the arrests, according to news reports.