MOGADISHU (Somaliguardian) – Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud accused veteran journalist Abdalla Mumin, who had been arbitrarily arrested several weeks ago, of propagating Al-Shabaab’s ideology and justified his arrest amid growing criticism over government’s crackdown on media.
In a recent interview with Al Jazeera TV, Mohamud said a government directive that Mumin had challenged citing concerns that it would muzzle free media was against “propagating Al-Shabaab agenda and propagating false information”. He denied that it was intended to stifle press freedom.
But the directive issued in October banned journalists from reporting claims by Al-Shabaab and stories about the insurgents as the group increased attacks at the time.
In a press conference, Abdalla Mumin said at the time that the directive would suspend day-today operations of Somali journalists and was putting their lives at risk by covering one-sided reports.
He said if government officials were protecting their lives by driving bulletproof vehicles in Mogadishu’s green-zone, journalists could not afford such self-protection examples, especially when they were facing threats from all warring and disputing sides in the war-torn Horn of Africa nation.
Asked about how Mumin propagated Al-Shabaab’s ideology, the President said “if he objected and rejected the directive what does it mean?” in a sheer attempt to justify his detention.
As he continued to justify the arrest of Abdalla Mumin, Mohamud said “he refused the directive” and “if he objects the directive that means he is taking free hand to propagate the idea of Al-Shabaab.”
Rights groups, Somali journalists and press freedom activists accused Somali authorities of detaining Mumin twice in just a few weeks and of banning him from traveling overseas to seek medical treatment for an acute kidney illness he has been suffering.
But the Somali leader, who appeared embarrassed by the questions exposing human rights record of his 6-month-old government, said if the claims are right the journalist should go to the country’s courts.
For years, Somalia has failed to establish an independent judiciary and the country’s courts have been tainted by incompetence, corruption and nepotism.
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