Somalia: Government releases 2 detained journalists from jail

Somalia authorities have released two journalists who were arrested in Mogadishu on Public incitement charges have been released from jail on Wednesday, Horseed Media reports.
Awil Dahir Salad and Abdullahi Hersi, working for the London-based Universal TV were detained last week after airing a Political program in which members of the Federal Parliament slammed the government over lack of competence.
Intelligence officers also shut down the television’s office in Mogadishu and it is not clear whether the office has been allowed to continue with its duties.
Earlier on, Speaker of Somalia’s Federal Parliament Mohamed Osman Jawari called for the release of the journalists.
The arrests prompted strong protests from media rights advocates, the U.S., UN and the European Union representatives.
Government officials accused the journalists and the private television station of spreading false information against the government and insulting officials, an accusation which was strongly denied by the TV owners.
Somalia is regarded as one of the riskiest countries in the world to be a journalist. More than 30 journalists have been killed in the country since 2007, according to Reporters without Borders.
Horseed Media