The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the shooting attack on a
Somali photographer in Mogadishu and calls on authorities to thoroughly
investigate the case and ensure the perpetrators are brought to justice.
Farhan Suleiman Dahir works for the state-run Radio Mogadishu, whose
journalists have been targeted several times in recent years.
"Journalists like Farhan
Suleiman Dahir are consistently targeted in Somalia with little follow-up by
authorities," said CPJ East Africa Representative Tom Rhodes. "We
call on the Somali government to do its utmost to investigate and ensure the
attackers are brought to justice or there is no hope that the cycle of impunity
will be broken."
Two gunmen shot Farhan in the Hodan district of the capital on
Friday evening as he was returning home from work, according to news reports and four local journalists who spoke to CPJ.
The assailants fled the scene before police arrived, the same sources said.
Farhan was taken to a local
hospital where he is receiving treatment for injuries to his arms, chest, back,
and head, local journalists who visited him in the hospital told CPJ. Doctors
removed a bullet from the journalist's skull and another from his kidney. He is
in critical condition, the sources said.
Farhan, a photographer forthe
websites of Radio Mogadishu and the state-run Somali National Television, often traveled with military convoys
to cover clashes between government troops and Al-Shabaab militants, the local
journalists said. They told CPJ they suspected that Al-Shabaab militants had
targeted Farhan because he worked for state-run media. The journalists said
they did not know if Farhan had received any threats before the attack.
Both Radio Mogadishu and Somali
National Television report to the Ministry of Information. Abdirahman Yusuf,
director of the outlets, did not immediately respond to CPJ's calls or emails
requesting comment.
Farhan started working for
Radio Mogadishu in January 2013, local journalists said. Prior to his work with
the radio station, Farhan contributed to several news websites.
Militants suspected of being
affiliated with Al-Shabaab have targeted state radio reporters in recent years,
according to CPJ research. Three Radio Mogadishu journalists have been
killed since 2009, CPJ research shows.
In April 2013, two gunmen shot dead
Radio Mogadishu and SNTV reporter and producer Mohamed Ibrahim Raage just outside his home in Mogadishu,
according to news reports.
Somalia is the deadliest
country in Africa for journalists, according to CPJ research.
CPJ is an independent,
nonprofit organization that works to safeguard press freedom worldwide.
Media
contacts:
Sue
Valentine
Africa
Program Coordinator
Kerry Paterson
Africa
Research Associate
Email:
kpaterson@cpj.org
Peter
Nkanga
West
Africa Representative
Email:
pnkanga@cpj.org
Tom
Rhodes
East
Africa Representative
Email:
trhodes@cpj.org
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