Twitter suspends Somali journalists’ union leader’s account

The micro-blogging site Twitter Saturday suspended the account of Mohamed Moalimu who leads a faction of the journalists union, NUSOJ.

Moalimu who confirmed the suspension to Goobjoog News directed blame at his rival, Omar Farouk who leads another faction of NUSOJ but also accused Twitter of ‘suppression of freedom of expression’.

Moalimu, a former BBC journalist before being elected NUSOJ secretary General in 2016 traces today’s suspension to some developments in April.

“Indeed my account has been suspended. I received a notification last month from G-Mail telling me that my account had been hacked from Netherlands,” Moalimu said. “But after following the instructions given, I was able to have my account restored.”

“Farouk claims that NUSOJ is his own company property yet it is a national entity,” added Moalimu. “I will proceed to sue him.”

“I have not violated any rules by Twitter, said Moalimu. “This is a move by Twitter to suppress freedom of expression.”

The National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) which bears two identities depending on who you talk to has been muddied in leadership battles for years now. The Farouk led faction is recognised by International Labour Organisation (ILO) and International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) while the Moalimu side was endorsed and approved by the government and the High Court in Somalia. A UN Human Rights expert last year proposed to mediate the two factions.

Goobjoog News could not immediately reach Farouk for a rejoinder.

According to Twitter, an account can be suspended if it is suspected to be spammy, or if Twitter suspects the account may have been hacked. It can also suspend an account it is involved in abusive behavior.