Somalia
Somalia is still one of the most dangerous countries in Africa for journalists. According to World Press Freedom Index, in 2020 the country is ranked 163 out of 180 in total. Within the last 5 years, Somalia is standing between 170 and 160, which means that journalists are still putting down their freedom to inform the nation.
The World Press Freedom Index(WPFI) is an annual ranking, which is used to show the level of the press freedom in different countries around the world. The WPFI is made and published by Reporters Without Borders(RSF). This is non-profit organization, which operates independently from the government. By publishing the WPFI, the organization is showing where in the world the freedom of expression is violated and try to increase public awareness and influence for making a change.
Somalia is an example where the expression of freedom is affected. The political violence and corruption are influencing the freedom to inform. There is a pressure on journalists to stay quiet. They are spreading only the information that is fitting the government. Journalists who refuse to censor themselves are easy target of bombings or shootings by Al-Shabaab militants (the killers of media people). Other practises are to be captured, tortured and their media to be closed by the authorities. According to RSF, for the past 10 years, around 50 journalists are being killed in the country.
The Freedom House is another NGO, which is making research on democracy, political freedom, and human rights. Their mission is to expand the democracy and the freedom of expression around the world. They also stated that journalists in Somalia often face harassments, fines, detentions, and violence from state and nonstate people.
An yearly survey is made by this NGO — Freedom in the World report. It measures the degree of civil liberties and political rights. This survey shows that Somalia is scoring 7 out of 100 and it is marked as “not free.” Only in 2019 there are 25 unresolved cases of journalists’ murders and 15 cases of online harassment via the online platforms.
Further, in September 2019 the information minister Ali Hassan Ahmed “Sabareey” made a statement. This was about denying the rights of journalists. However, the National Union of Somali Journalists (promoting and protecting the freedom of journalists in Somalia), Media Association of Puntland (promoting press freedom in Puntland state of Somalia), and RSF claimed that they were concerned about this. With this claim a series of events happened. Journalists were arrested, assaulted, and pressured, which made the minister to drop out his statement.
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Yoanna Kostakieva is a student in American University in Bulgaria, studying Business Administration and Journalism and Mass Communication. She thinks that freedom is the most important thing people have the right to have.
