Nairobi, October 9, 2012-Security agents in the semi-autonomous region of Puntland shuttered private broadcaster Horseed FM on Saturday morning and ordered Internet service providers in the region to block the station’s website, according to local journalists.
“The strength of a free and democratic state lies in its diversity of information and its tolerance for critical views,” said CPJ East Africa Consultant Tom Rhodes. “We call Puntland authorities to recognize these principles and immediately reverse their decision to silence Horseed FM and its website.”
Officials raided Horseed FM in the port city of Bossasso and forced it off the air without specifying whether the closure was temporary or permanent, local journalists told CPJ. Police Chief Osman Afdalow showed Horseed FM Director Abdikani Hassan an unsigned and unstamped letter ordering the closure that he said came from the police chief of operations in Garowe, the capital, local journalists and news reports said.
No official reason was given for the closure, Mahad Mussa, executive director of the station’s parent company Horseed Media,told CPJ.Mohamed Abdirahman,the president’s press adviser, told CPJ he was not aware of the closure but would be investigating.
According to local journalists, authorities also ordered local Internet service providers to block Horseed Media’s website, the first time such a directive has been issued. The site is currently blocked in Garowe, but is available in other areas of Puntland, Mahad told CPJ.
Local journalists told CPJ they suspected that a series of critical broadcasts Horseed FM had aired in September could have triggered the closure. Horseed FM had claimed that President Abdirahman Mohamed Farole was considering postponing the presidential elections scheduled for January 2013. According to local reports, Farole plans to extend his leadership for an additional year, corresponding with a new draft constitution that allows elected leaders a five-year presidential term.
The president threatened to prosecute the critical media last month after hundreds gathered in the streets to protest the postponement plans, according to news reports. In a meeting last month, the president announced that he would not tolerate “so-called websites and media who are supporting Puntland’s enemies,” news reports said. This week, Mohamed Aidid, the newly appointed Information Minister, warned the media against interviewing opposition leaders who were critical of the government’s policies, Mahad told CPJ
Authorities in Puntland have harassed Horseed FM in the past. In August 2010, Abdifatah Jama, the station’s deputy director, spent two months in prison for airing an interview with the head of an insurgent group. Two months later, unknown assailants threw a grenade at the office, injuring one of the station’s technicians, news reports said.
· For more data and analysis on Somalia, visit CPJ’s Somalia page here.
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CPJ is a New York-based, independent, nonprofit organization
that works to safeguard press freedom worldwide.
Contact:
Mohamed Keita
Africa Advocacy Coordinator
Tel. +1.212.465.1004 ext. 117
Email: mkeita@cpj.org
Tom Rhodes
East Africa Consultant
Email: trhodes@cpj.org
Faroole is determined to alter the course of the future of the Puntland province.
– Faroole failed to secure a presidential candidate he can control in Somalia
– Faroole failed to secure a prime minster he can control in Somalia
– Faroole is faces with the abandonment of the Federal system and it's ridiculous charter.
– Faroole's puntland governaship ends Jan2013
Prior to Jan 2013 Faroole is intent on securing another term as governor of puntland province. This is certain to cause a civil war within the province where almost everyone carries a form of fire arm as the result of proceeds from piracy and hostage ransoms.
All Media outlets will be suppressed to prevent leaks of the vast inhumane extrajudicial killings taking place and that are bound to reach astronomical levels buildup to Jan2013.
Puntland province is headed for a blood path. It is the responsibility of Sheikh Hassan and his minster Shirdoon to immediately dispatch at least 2000 Amisom troops to prevent the impending carnage.
This coupled with food shortages as a result of droughts will create a humanitarian catastrophe in the puntland province.
what do you expected old empty tactics this idiots never learn.
it will all work out for the best, Somalia is changing for the best and a lot of the war lord that call them self president in the region will be knocked off, their is only one somalia and one president. The sooner ya get this the better, so no need for election.
Which part of Somalia are you from? Right now the roadmap is getting the acts of Capital
Mogadiscio together to put the acts of the Roadmap signatories under the TG jurisdiction.
No more renegade defacto mini scandal enclaves such as Puntland, Jubbaland(Azania)
Alshabab/Aswj etc. etc. In the end, there would be Somaliland Hargeisa and Somalia Mogadiscio.
With this, all foreign forces, Amisom, Ethiopia/Kenya forces should leave Somalia Soil asap.
Cheers.
LOL
Just because Sheikh Hassan & Siciid Shirdoon have been SELECTED does not mean Amisom is leaving anything soon.
1. The Security of the Somalia State will be contracted to AU – Amisom until 2020.
2. The Economy of the Somalia state has been contracted to UN – JFMB until 2020
3. Somalia population is 80% somali ethnicity
4. Government is SELECTED by 270 people including former warlords, shabab and Khad dealers.
The Sovereignty of a STATE is determined by 4-things… Security, Economic-zone, Population and own government.
Somalia changed it's constitution because the population is not 100% Somali ethnicity, the Jareer, bantu, barawani and non somali ethnicity is about 20%.
IT Makes NO sense to Call Somalia by such a name. Similar to Djbouti Somalia must respect it's non somali population and change the name.
– SomBantua
– SomaJareeria
– SomaBide
I don't really care HOWEVER it is no longer politically correct to call Somalia by this name. IT is racist and it is bias against the non-somali bantus.
After Somaliland(100% ethnic somali) Republic gain IC recognition, Somalia mnust change it's State name.
It looks here your losing control,what is somali?somali is anyone who speaks somali language,have somali heritage or culture it does not matter what region of somalia They come from,muslim.This how should be define SOMALI.
Somali constitution was changed not becuase The percentage of somali ethnicity, but it need new constitution which can also be changed if needed in The future.
No one knows how you understand Things or maybe it’s too complicate for you.somalia state it needs rebuild from scrach.so,it requires assistance.once somali state stand up own feet Than Things will change at speed of light.
You must be joking,”somaliland region 100% ethnic somali”,This is not true, how about all The(half is@q habashis live somaliland region).
Seriously whats your problem lol this article has nothing in common with what your waffling about either you forgot to take your medication as usual or need a stronger dose ??.
I beg to differ Somalia-Italia will continue to be engulfed in wars unless it begins to lift the shroud of racism and prevents the ethnic cleansing it is subjecting to the non-somali community of Swahili speakers from Moqadishu to the Bajuni islands. The Bajuni people and other Bantu population among somali people must be given the opportunity to decide their own faith and join to other swahili speaking population in the horn.
Viva Juba-Bajuni-province of Kenya 🙂
You are seriously mistaken and unless someone speaks on behalf of the Bantu people of Somalia they will be ethnically cleansed out of the Juba-Valley. This racist and fascist approach is not the way to create a diverse state.
– Somalia's security depends on 20,000 Bantus
– Somalia's Health sector depends on the hundreds of Bantu Doctors
– Somalia's economy will be run by a Joint Financial Management Board [JFMB] answerable to UN under Mahiga who is a bantu.
There is a slow process to Give the Bantu Minority the upper hand and to control Somalia by the time The 20,000 Amisom troops leave sometime in 2020. We should support the empowerment of the Bantus or at least give them a chance to become part of Kenya.
1925 the Juba was annexed from British-Kenya and added to Italian-Somalia i SAY it is time to return Juba to Kenya 🙂
LOL, that is just your evil wishful thinking. The war is over in the South, Somalis in the South have matured, and no longer want to use gun to be heard, but actually stop and negotiate with one another through words and peaceful means. I know it pains you to see the largest tribes getting along, but, you need to face reality sometime. As for the bantus, they are the ones who claim they came from other countries namely Mozanbique being one of them, so if they are not happy living with us they are more then welcome to go back to where they were brought from during the slave era.
Pirateland decided to close Horseed Media after HM published damning reports on Farole's connections to foreign mercenaries that killed many Somalis in that region in the name of training. Farole got exposed and the Pirate boss, did not appreciate that.
Farole is a known crook and the head of all organized criminal activities in that region including piracy. I missed my favorite Melbourne taxi driver…Farole can you take me to Heidelberg?