Human rights center shows concern on media freedom in Somaliland

Hargeisa, (Somaliland.com) – The Human Right Center has today condemned Somaliland government on its continued effort to gag the media in Somaliland.

The rights group now wants the administration of President Muse Bihi to implement the media bill which safeguards the interest of media houses and journalists in the country.

17 Journalists have been arrested by security agencies in Somaliland in the first four months of 2019. This number worries human rights groups in the country. In 2018, 27 journalists were arrested for cases related to their work as told to local media by Mubarak Abdi Ismail, a lawyer and human rights advocate, working at the Human Rights Center.

Article 32 of the Somaliland constitution protects freedom of expression. The constitution upholds the universal declaration of Human Rights and in article 10, sub-article 2 of the constitution. However, despite the constitutional guarantees, the Somaliland government has arrested and prosecuted people for statements they said or posted on social media.

Human rights center, HRC, which is an organization that advocates for the rights of vulnerable people, women, victims of human rights abuses and freedom of expression has said it has worried about the current state of the freedom of expression in the country.

The government has prosecuted journalists and other media practitioners on the penal code act which outdates the new constitution of Somaliland.
The human right center now wants the government to fully implement the media bill which safeguards the interest of media houses and journalists across the country.
Somaliland has become a difficult environment for journalists, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists, CPJ, which has documented the use of arrests and media suspensions to silence journalists.

Mubarak Abdi, HRC