Mohamed Garane

By Tom Rhodes/CPJ East Africa Consultant

"He's free! He's free!" a friend of mine from Somalia's capital, Mogadishu, shouted down the phone line on Sunday. For a fleeting second I did not know whom he referred to, given the high number of journalists imprisoned in the Horn region of Africa--but then it dawned on me: Abdiaziz Abdinuur had finally found justice. The 25-year-old freelance reporter was arrested on January 10 in Mogadishu for the most incomprehensible alleged crime: conducting an interview.

By Nicole Schilit/Journalist Assistance Associate

An increase in press freedom violations last year created a surge of need among journalists, driving a record number of assistance cases for CPJ's Journalist Assistance Program in 2012. More than three-quarters of the 195 journalists who received support during the year came from East Africa and the Middle East and North Africa, reflecting the challenges--including threats of violence and imprisonment--of working in these repressive regions. Here are some of the highlights of our work over the last year:

By Tom Rhodes/CPJ East Africa Consultant

Exiled Somali journalists living in Nairobi were struck with disbelief this week when daily newspapers published a statement by the Department of Refugee Affairs ordering all Somali refugees to move to refugee camps. "The refugees, particularly those living in urban centers, are contributing to insecurity in the country," the statement read. The acting commissioner for refugee affairs, Badu Katelo, said aid agencies including the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) must stop providing aid to those outside the camps. 

By Maria Salazar-Ferro/CPJ Journalist Assistance and Tom Rhodes/CPJ Africa Program

Veteran Somali radio journalist Hassan Mohamed, 45, died early yesterday morning in Eastleigh, a Nairobi suburb. He had fled Mogadishu in 2010, having been threatened, kidnapped, and shot twice. One of hundreds of Somali refugees in Kenya, many of them journalists, Hassan struggled to support himself and survive worsening diabetes-related ailments, despite relentless support from Somali colleagues and friends, including CPJ. His death highlights the plight of exiled journalists in East Africa.

New York, March 5, 2012--The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the murder of a former Somali journalist who was shot on Sunday in the semi-autonomous region of Puntland. The victim, Ali Ahmed Abdi, had recently resigned as a manager for a news outlet that has come under attack by Al-Shabaab insurgents.

Assailants shot Ali in the head near his home in the north-central town of Galkayo in the semi-autonomous republic of Puntland at around 9 p.m., local journalists told CPJ. The attack occurred in Galkayo's northern district of Is-Raac.

Al-Shabaab insurgents claimed responsibility for the murder through a broadcast on their station, Radio Andalus, the following evening, and accused the reporter of being a "spy" for the Puntland government, local journalists told CPJ.

After working for the community station Radio Galkayo for three years, Ali had recently quit his position as head of programs to pursue further education in Uganda, local journalists told CPJ. Ali also contributed to the local pro-government news website Puntlandi and to a community radio station that was based in Canada.

Local journalists said Ali was targeted for comments reported on Radio Galkayo and in Puntlandi. Radio Galkayo is considered one of the few outspoken critics of the insurgent group Al-Shabaab, which has fought the Puntland administration since 2007.

An active member of civil society in the Muldug region of Puntland, Ali wrote a column for the Puntlandi website called "Decide your future in Muldug" and led a youth group under the same name.

By Tom Rhodes/CPJ East Africa Consultant

Hassan Mohamed, nicknamed "Jaeyl" by his colleagues, used to be a jack-of-all-trades for Somalia's first independent broadcaster, HornAfrik. He was a journalist, a producer, and a librarian. He was even a dramatist. His most powerful professional role was keeping HornAfrik running when most senior staff members fled the country, fearing for their lives.