Press freedom and freedom of expression has deteriorated in Somalia in 2022/2023 and has shown large number of violations and media crackdown against Journalists, media workers in Somalia as a result of their normal duties. Somali federal government has announced new orders on October 8, 2022 in which it has banned the coverage of Al-Shabab news and programs relating to the on-going war against the Al-Shabab in the country and further said that neutrality could not be applied to the war situation.
Somali ministry of information official who held press conference at Villa Somalia has ordered Journalists to drop out any news and program relating to Al-Shabab group and further warned against the independent media in covering the news of the militants on social media. Secretary-general of SMSJ network Abdalla Mumin and Farah Moalim, the chairman of the network and other Journalists had held press conference on 11 Oct 2022 where they have protested against the new orders imposed by the ministry of information of Somalia and its affect to the Journalists. According to this annual report, SMSJ has documented several cases where Journalists were arrested as a result of reporting about Al-Shabab attack at a hotel in Kismayo town and elsewhere in the country. While some other Journalists were detained for reporting about AL-Shabab militants attacked government army base.
The level of violations and threats to press freedom has deteriorated in Somalia in 2023 when section of Journalists were barred from even covering and reporting floods in parts of Mogadishu caused by torrential rains and destroyed some of tarmac roads of Somali capital while some coverage on how floods and the rainfall affected the vulnerable communities camped at IDPs locations inside and outside Mogadishu
This annual report between 2002/2023 highlighted that there is an upsurge of violations and abuses against journalists working in Somalia, making the country’s press freedom worsened one according to SMSJ network record and documentation between the reporting period. In Somalia, impunity for violations of journalists’ press freedom included arbitrary arrests, intimidation, death threat, and torture. According to the annual report 2022/2023, incidents of violation against the media increased dramatically.
The majority of violations targeted journalists comes from as result of their daily duties including covering election-related feature stories, news and programs demonstrations, protests, covering corruption, injustice, security, Al-Shabab issue and other programs In all these incidents, the Somali Mechanism for JournalistSafety (SMSJ) recorded numerous incidents of detention, arrest, blockage from work, threats and intimidations from various local law enforcement agencies.
Police and other security agencies such as NISA carried out brutal attacks against press freedom, including physical assaults against reporters, violent raids on media outlets, arbitrary detentions, inflicting damage on press equipment, frequent harassment, and intimidation aimed at silencing the free press since 2018, Somalia Annual Press Freedom Report – 2022/2023 by the Somali Mechanism for Journalist Safety (SMSJ) found that there is an increase in the number of Somali journalists killed, Somalia’s fatalities represent more than half of all journalists murdered in Africa.
In the period between June 2022 to June, 2023 SMSJ has recorded 63 cases of detention/arrest, 4 cases of murder, 25 cases of torture, 2 cases of Radio shut down, 8 cases of injury and other violations during the reporting period from June 2022-June 2023.
The SMSJ further underlines continuous assault, threats against the press and while there are not enough efforts by the federal government and regional states and other groups in ensuring that Journalism is not crime and a call for ending impunity against freedom of press and information access in order for citizens to obtain reliable, worthy and valuable information that motivate them to hold the leaders of their constituencies and government institutions more accountable and transparency while information will further encourage citizens to engage government and call for universal suffrage, security, justice, good governance job creation and other alarming issues in Somalia that require solutions as part of state-building.
On Dec 2022. Police forces of self-declared Republic Somaliland have stormed and shut down Independent SOMNEWS TV station based in Hargeysa city where the police took away the equipment of the station after the TV reporters covered news about demonstrations against Somaliland administration in Las’anod district of Sool Region. In addition, Somaliland police forces attacked MM Somali TV based in Hargeysa city, the capital of Somaliland in an effort to curb media freedoms. Somaliland was the scene of three such attacks including an attempt to shut down MM Somali TV.
The court in Hargeisa found no incriminating evidence against the television station but, nevertheless, the Ministry of Information of Somaliland imposed a hefty fine of US$10,000 in response to an unsubstantiated allegation and fake claims that the broadcaster had illegally operated in Somaliland.
The fine was intended to put MM Somali TV out of business. Somaliland has issued a directive on April 2023 in which it has ordered the suspension and closure all social media including Facebook, Youtube and Twitter accounting belonging to some individuals who criticize Somaliland government. The orders were issued from the regional court of Marodi-Jeh Region in Hargeysa city.
The individuals use to publish information and news about the prolonged war between Somaliland troops and local armed forces in Las’anod town, the provincial capital of Sool Region. According to local Journalists in Somaliland, there has been an increase of pressure against Journalists working for independent media stations in Somaliland on the coverage and dissemination towards the crisis in Las’anod town which is against press freedom and other laws of the country.
