FESOJ Condemns TV Journalist Slapped in Face by Police Officer amid COVID-19 Awareness Campaign in Mogadishu.

Federation of Somali Journalists condemns in the strongest possible terms for the continued harassment against journalists in Somalia, after a police officer publicly slapped on the face a TV reporter who is also a cameraman for the independent Television SBC on Thursday morning around 11:30am local time during recording a COVID-19 awareness campaign organized by the Ministry of Information ,Culture and Tourism in the Hamar-Jajab neighborhood in Mogadishu.

A Journalist Abdullahi Mohamed Shiekhdoon told FESOJ in the course of his job duties while photographing COVID-19 awareness campaign and distribution of face masks he was surprisingly slapped in the face by a woman wearing casual cloths and argued that he took a picture of her which he said was totally incorrect. He said he still can’t explain why he was assaulted as he was doing an invited activity and allowed to take pictures.

SBC Director General Mohamed Dek who spoke FESOJ over the phone said they were “deeply saddened by the physical assault of their journalist by the Hamar-jajab District Police Commissioner Rahma Salad known as Rahma Sandhere and request an investigation into the incident.”

FESOJ sits down with the police officer Rahma Salad Mohamed he was personally involving in the case and she categorically denied that she had intentionally assaulted the journalist but admits that she had turned away her hand the ongoing video recording .

FESOJ is concerned about the safety of journalists covering on COVID-19 pandemic, and strongly condemns the harassment against a journalist Abdullahi Mohamed Shiekhdoon .

“We condemn the assault on Abdullahi Mohamed Shiekhdoon who was attacked just for doing his job,” FESOJ Secretary General Mohamed Ibrahim Moalimuu said. “We call on the authorities to investigate the attack and hold to account the official who was involved.”

FESOJ worries increasing harassments & attacks against journalists & media houses in Somalia. On Monday 18 May, armed officers from NISA raided the premises of the privately-owned Somali Cable TV in Mogadishu and which a journalist and cameraman were tortured.

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