Mogadishu city, Saturday, November 2, 2024: The Somali Media Association (SOMA) has concluded a one -day Panel Discussion marking the International Day to End Impunity for crimes against journalists on November 2, 2024 focusing on raising awareness and advocacy for ending the violence against Somali journalists and media,
With the assistance of IMS/Sida Sweden has organized panel discussion on marking the IDEI event to protect media freedom and freedom of expression, end impunity and protect safety of journalists in Somalia.
“The roundtable one-day panel discussion event is related to the IDEI event, its history and the challenging situation the Somalia media and journalists are facing” Mohamed Osman Makaran, SOMA Secretary-General explained. He added the main themes to be covered include “Protecting Journalists in Crises and emergencies”, raising the concern over the impunity for crimes against journalists in Somalia
The panel discussion event was participated by 30 selected persons, including the SOMA member media owners, managers, and journalists of independent media outlets and the civil society activists and lawyers.
Before beginning the panel discussion session, Nafisa Hirsi Ogle, female journalist and gender rights activist and head of the SOMA Training Department briefly presented to the participants the background of the event, pointing out the date for the IDEI was chosen to observe the assassination of two French journalists, Claude Verlon and Ghislaine Dupont on November 2, 2013.
“The UN General Assembly established the day on November 2, in commemoration of the 2013 assassination of two French journalists in Mali and the offenders remain at large to this day.” Nafisa Hirsi Ogle explained. She pointed out that since 2006 more than 1,700 have been killed for reporting news and brining information to the public, and nine out of ten cases unresolved.
Furthermore, she described the significance of remembering the IDEI event is to bring attention to the crimes against the media workers, urging governments to check the violence against the journalist and bring the offenders to justice.
The four panelists for the panel discussions were consisting of Abdifatah Adan Hassan, Spokesman of the Somali police, Mohamed Abduwahab, Director of Radio Risaala, Dini Mohamed Dini, former Chairman of the Somali Civil Society Organizations and Mohamed Omar Ga’al , Somali judge, while Nafisa Hirsi Ogle moderated the panel discussion proceedings
The panelists have evaluated, discussed and debated on the IDEI event, the challenges and how to address the impunity for offences against the journalists and the media in Somalia.
During the one-hour and half -long panel discussions, the following main themes have been raised and debated on including the need to understand the role of journalists and the police when reporting from the locations where incidents happen, the perpetrators to be detained and bring to justice. The journalists were advised to register abuses against them at the nearest police station for further process investigation of the case.
The panel discussions stressed the need to strengthen both journalists and the police understanding of the media law, although it needs some parts to be amended, and improve the integration between the police, and journalists to strengthen communication channel for connection whenever necessary.
Furthermore, it was also suggested the security forces should be made accountable to have court permission to keep journalist in detention more than twenty-four hours and refrain from using excessive force in intimidating and threatening journalists to limit their freedom of expression, access of information and safety.
As result, the panel discussion has highlighted the significance of intensifying the continuing efforts to improve Press Freedom and freedom of expression and the rule of law by improving journalists’ safety and ending impunity in Somalia.
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