Abdalle

Somalia, CAHR, May 2023 to September 2024

I am a journalist and the secretary-general of the Somali Journalists Syndicate. I am also a human rights defender.

Human rights activism is in my blood because I grew up in a displacement camp in Mogadishu, Somalia’s capital in early 1990s where I witnessed all sorts of human rights violations including the killing of civilians, rape of women and stealing of food aid by the powerful armed militia. It was in this camp where my younger brother was shot dead and I lost my right arm as we were shot by the powerful militia men under the warlords who ruled the city then. My mother also died as a result of blood pressure when she was in childbirth as there was no lifesaving healthcare in the displacement camp.

As I grew up. I always hated the anarchy and injustices that led to the unbearable human rights violations against the minority community and the vulnerable members of the society. I was determined to fight those injustices and ensure that the powerful perpetrators are held to account for their crimes. I decided to become a journalist.

My role as a human rights defender is to investigate and expose human rights abuses and bear witness to acts and through this, I believe that I am assisting victims of human rights violations to gain the justice and redress they deserve. Accountability is a key tool in achieving justice and lasting peace. It can prevent new violations of human rights from occurring. If the perpetrators of human rights violations get away with impunity, they will not fear to commit violations again in the future – and others will be encouraged to commit similar violations themselves. That is why my colleagues and I are on the frontline to report what is happening in Somalia.

But doing so means risking our lives. Journalists and media practitioners in Somalia face incredible physical danger. It’s the most hazardous place in Africa to work as a media professional: Bombings and gun attacks by the militant group al-Shabaab have killed so many of my colleagues over the years. The intolerant and corrupt government officials also target journalists and critics by arresting them and shutting down media houses. Only last year, authorities detained 84 journalists and two were killed across the country. Journalists covering human rights abuses by state security forces and officials were particularly targeted.

In 2015, I escaped death and ran into exile when my car was attacked by gunmen from the militant group al-Shabaab in Mogadishu because of my coverage on the death of the group’s commander. On 11 October 2022, I was detained for expressing concern against an illegal directive by the ministry of information to ban independent media coverage on the ongoing conflict between the government forces and the militant group. Just before that, the national intelligence officers raided my office. I was held in an underground prison and arraigned in the court for charges related to opposing government orders and bringing the nation into contempt. I spent 44 days in jail through a degrading and inhumane treatment and experienced both physical and mental torture at the hands of the Somali national intelligence agents. I am still remembering women detainees who whispered to me about the rape and sexual abuses they were subjected to by state security forces, children taken out from streets without the knowledge of their families and men I met who told me about how they were tortured.

Somalia has one of the worst draconian media laws in Africa. These include provisions that threaten human rights, including freedom of expression, media freedom and could criminalize reporting and give the government overly broad powers and oversight over media organizations. It also imposes criminal penalties that are vaguely worded and could give law enforcement authorities wide scope for misinterpretation and abuse. These include the provision prohibiting reporting on issues conflicting with “national interest”, “false information”, “incitement to violence and clannism” and “dissemination of propaganda”.

The growing pressure against Somali journalists and lack of access to information call for concern. It’s sad that journalists are now fearful in their country and are resorting to either self-censorship or leaving the country. When journalists are blocked, threatened and their access to information denied, it will entrench a culture of impunity. Providing and presenting information to the general public, particularly on human rights violations promotes redress for the victims or to seek justice regarding perpetrators through legal action.

I tried every way I could think of to improve my country and help end human rights violations. But a major challenge still remains: the culture of impunity and lack of accountability for human rights abuse. At CAHR, my mission is to build my skills in advocacy and gain new knowledge and skills about human rights practices. This means I am going to reinvigorate my capacity as a journalist and a human rights defender so that I will be able to give a fresh boost to my work, expand my network and support my colleagues and the human rights defenders back home.

In order to ensure accountability and end the human rights violations, we all have a responsibility. We must break the silence and call out heinous crimes, including attacks against journalists.