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| Africa Horn |
| Puntland arrests broadcast corp. chief |
| 2008-05-10 |
| Authorities in Somalia's autonomous region of Puntland have detained a broadcast corporation chief for inciting political unrest. Eyewitnesses said police on Friday arrested Mowlid Haji Abdi the director of Somalia Broadcasting Corporation (SBC) -which operates radio and television stations- in an early morning raid in the port town of Bosasso. "Policemen raided the station this morning at around 9:45 am (0645 GMT) and arrested the director. They told us they had orders from the local authorities," AFP quote a staff member as saying. Puntland officials said Abdi's arrest was due to broadcasts that appeared to spread instability in the region, which split from Somalia proper in 1995. "The media house he runs is creating instability through its broadcasting," said an official on condition of anonymity. Press rights watchdogs pushed Puntland to release Haji Abdi, accusing the authorities of harassing the media with the Paris-based Reporters Without Borders asking the regional authorities to explain the incident. "We demand unconditional and immediate release of our colleague from Puntland authorities," said Omar Faruk, the secretary general of the National Union of Somali Journalists. Faruk accused Puntland police of using 'all forms of harassment and intimidation to journalists' to prevent accurate and independent reporting of current events. |
| Posted by:Fred |