16th journalist shot dead in Somalia

By godfrey Olukya 24-10-2012

Another journalist has been shot dead in Somalia.

Ahmed Saakin Farah, 25, has been shot in the town of Las-Anod, in Sool region controlled by Somali land authorities.

This brings the number of journalists shot dead in Somalia in the last 6 months to 16.

The National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) has condemned the murder of the Journalist.

‘Gunmen have shot dead one of our colleagues called Ahmed Saakin Farah who has been working with Universal Television in the town of Las-Anod,’said one of the journalists in Somalia, Farouck Musa.

No arrest has so far been made by police which said is hunting for the killers. However, it is alleged that authorities of the town in which the journalist was killed is notorious for jailing journalists with more than 20 journalists arrested since this year begun.

The National Union of Somali Journalists has said in a statement that it condemns the heinous murder against their colleague in the strongest terms possible and call the Somaliland authorities to probe and bring the perpetrators to justice. The union also sent it”s sympathies and condolences to the families and friends of late Ahmed Saakin.

The secretary general of the national union of Somali journalists, Mohamed Ibrahim said,’Something must be done to stop the
killing of journalists in Somalia.We condemn the assassination act in the strongest terms possible and call for the Somaliland authorities to immediately investigate the murder against our colleagues and bring the perpetrators to a courts of law.’

Before being shot dead, Ahmed Saakin had reportedly been arrested several times by the Somaliland police and freed without charges.

END