TV journalist stabbed to death in Mogadishu, two others assaulted

A TV journalist was stabbed to death Monday night in Mogadishu’s Hodan district in what sources said may have been connected to his reporting of the murder of a school teacher.

According to a statement by a group of five media organisations in Somalia, the journalist, identified as Said Yusuf Ali was stabbed four times outside a shop in Sey Biyano area in Hodan district. The incident happened at around 7.30 pm local time.

“He covered a story on the murder of a school teacher in Afgoye on Monday before he left the TV to his home at 2.p.m,” said Mowlid Mohamed Urur, the director of Kalsan TV, a privately owned television where Said Yusuf Ali worked.

The murder of Ali, 30, comes a day after the World Press Freedom Day marked on May 3 when media organisations and journalists in Somalia warned of ‘grave’ situation of media freedom in the country.

“This murder is the latest in a series of attacks against journalists and media professionals in Somalia. The killing comes against a backdrop of rising threats, intimidations and harassment by the Somali government,” a statement from the media organisations read in part.

“It is extremely worrying that almost all of the attacks against Somali journalists have gone unpunished.” The killer was arrested by police awaiting prosecution according to the statement.

TV journalists assaulted

Meanwhile, Shabelle TV journalist Safiya Aden Osman and cameraman Abdulkadir Ga’al were assaulted and injured by Waberi District police according to a separate statement from the media organisations.

“A group of police and district officials assaulted and injured Safiya and beat her cameraman Abdulkadir while covering a protest by a group of internally displaced (IDP) women who complained against mismanagement of food distribution cards in Waberi District,” the organisations said in a statement.

According to Safiya, the officers hit her with a metal object resulting in head injury. She was admitted to the hospital while bleeding and was later discharged. The officers also confiscated the journalists’ equipment,” the joint statement read in part.