New York, June 6, 2016-Somali authorities should thoroughly investigate the killing on Sunday of journalist Sagal Salad Osman and bring those responsible to justice, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.
The 24-year-old journalist, who worked as a producer and presenter for the state-run Radio Mogadishu, was leaving her university campus in the Hodan neighborhood of Mogadishu when three gunmen shot her in the head and the chest, killing her, police Major Nur Ali told Reuters . The gunmen fled the scene, according to news reports.
“Somalia has long been among the worst offenders for allowing the killings of journalists to go uninvestigated and unpunished,” said CPJ Deputy Executive Director Robert Mahoney “Sagal Salad Osman’s death comes as a painful reminder of that legacy of impunity, and we call on Somali authorities to bring her killers to justice.”
The motive for the murder was not immediately apparent, and no one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, according to news reports. Members of the state-run media are often threatened and attacked by militants in the region, including Al-Shabaab, CPJ research shows . CPJ could not immediately determine if Sagal had received threats prior to Sunday’s attack.
At least four journalists and one media worker affiliated with Radio Mogadishu have been killed in direct relation to their work since 2010, CPJ research shows.
Somalia is the deadliest country in Africa for journalists, according to CPJ research .
