MOGADISHU (Somaliguardian) – Somali Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre said on Saturday his government would continue crackdown on journalists defying a media gag order in an attempt to change public opinion.
Speaking at a ceremony held to commemorate well-known officials killed during recent clashes with Al-Shabaab, the Premier described independent Somali journalists as “propagandists”.
“The government will not accept.. that propaganda is disseminated in Mogadishu and anyone who wants to distribute propaganda in Mogadishu should go to their [Al-Shabaab] territory,” Somali Prime Minister said.
“The government has taken action against them and will continue crackdown on” those that defy a directive by the Ministry of Information ordering media not to cover reports on Al-Shabaab, he added.
Explaining the motive behind the renewed media crackdown, Barre continued to add that “we want to change the international public opinion and that of the region” about ongoing military operations against Al-Qaeda-linked militants.
In his comments illustrating the new media gag order, the Premier stressed that journalists will not be allowed to cover reports on areas recaptured by militants, setbacks by ongoing army offensive and claims of victory by insurgents. He warned that those who dare to propagate such information will be recognized as Al-Shabaab members.
Last week, Somali authorities rearrested a well-known media activist and journalist Abdalla Ahmed Mumin after he had criticized a government directive banning independent media from reporting stories on Al-Shabaab. He warned that the move could completely stop independent media operations in Somalia.
Somali Journalists Syndicate (SJS) called on the international community to impose targeted sanctions on the Deputy Minister of Information Abdirahman Yusuf Al-Adala, whom it accused of orchestrating Abdalla Mumin’s arrest and being the “lead oppressor of the press freedom” in Somalia.
Africa program coordinator of Press Freedom, Angela Quintal, said Somali officials “involved in Abdalle’s victimization & persecution may have forgotten that tough sanctions against individuals accused of rights abuses are increasingly embraced by the international community.”
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