MOGADISHU, Somalia, 28 May, 2019 – Somali Journalists Syndicate (SJS) calls Somali government for the immediate and unconditional release of Goobjoog TV and Radio reporter, Ali Adan Mumin who was arrested on Tuesday morning in Mogadishu.
According to colleagues, On Monday around 3.30pm the police brought a letter of summon to the journalist ordering Mr. Mumin to appear at the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) on Tuesday morning, where he was informed his arrest upon arrival.
The police summoning letter dated on May 25, 2019, which SJS has seen a copy of it states that the “CID received complaints against the journalist”. The letter neither mentioned who brought the complaints nor explained what the complaints were about.
Goobjoog Media Director, Hassan Mohamud Mohamed told Somali Journalists Syndicate (SJS) the CID Commander, Omar Abdi Elmi informed journalist Mumin that he was sued by the Ministry of Education without giving any further explanation. He was then put in the cell.
“We have visited the CID headquarters and we were told that officials from the Ministry of Education ordered the arrest of our colleague Ali Adan Mumin,” director Hassan told (SJS). “They also informed us that he will remain in jail until investigations on his case starts without giving clear time and date.”
According to Director Hassan Mohamud Mohamed, in February the journalist filed a complaint case at the Somali Attorney General’s office against an official at the Ministry of Education identified as Muse Arale who beat and threatened to shoot the journalist on 22 December 2018 inside inside Yaasiin Osman School, near Daljir Dahsoon monument, where Mumin was on reporting assignment after a deadly car bomb blast occurred there.
In a video clip captured the same day, the official Arale could be seen pushing the journalist while trying to grab his pistol. The journalist’s complaint at the Attorney General office is still pending.
“It is unfortunate that the Somali Attorney General office did not summon the alleged official at the Ministry of Education and that the police did not investigate the violence against the journalist filed,” SJS said in a statement. “Instead, the police at the CID came up with a scheme to sue the journalist.”
Furthermore, journalist Mumin has been the subject of online harassment and threats due to his critical reporting. In mid this month, people believed to be pro-government online trolls have mocked the death of the journalist while others even called for the arrest of the journalist after he reported about students protest in the capital.
Somali Journalists Syndicate (SJS) is concerned about these threats and online harassment against the journalist. We call for the unconditional release of the journalist and immediately begin investigation to the threats against journalist Mumin and bring perpetrators to justice to ensure the journalist’s safety.
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*Some corrections reflect within paragraphs 6 and 7 to show the exact location of the 22 December 2018 incident.