Somalia’s autonomous region of Puntland clampdown on Press continues with the detention of an online news…
Somalia’s autonomous region of Puntland clampdown on Press continues with the detention of an online news correspondent, Horseed Media reports.
Omar Saeed Mohammed, a correspondent for Horseed Media and Somali Cable TV, was arrested in the state’s capital of Garowe on Sunday evening by Security forces without legal warrant.
He was taken to a detention facility, where individuals accused of terrorism are held.
Officials have declined to explain reasons behind his arrest, but local journalists believe it is linked to critical posts on his social media accounts on the rise of inflation and corruption in the regional state.
Omar Mohamed, who is also a board member of Media Association of Puntland (MAP), becomes the second journalist arrested by Puntland authorities within a month over critical posts on social media.
In July, an online journalist was similarly arrested in Garowe following criticisms on Puntland President Abdiweli Gaas via Facebook. He was released after three weeks without charges.
There have been increasing cases of arrests and harassment of journalists in Puntland, often on the orders from Office of the President.
Local activists and Journalists claim the arrests are attempts to silence the free Press from reporting the truth on the ground.
Horseed Media
