MOGADISHU (RBC) The National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) demands the release of the Somali Journalist held in communicado at the CID detention facility following unpublished interview on rape victims.

The police detained Abdulasis Abdinur Ibrahim alias Abdiasis Koronto who works for Dalsan and Ergo Radios last Thursday January 10, 2013, after he was accused of interview a woman who said was allegedly raped by five government soldiers.

The police initially detained the victim, her husband, the woman who put in contact with the journalist to the victim and the journalist and started interrogations, though they later released the victim. Three other journalists were interrogated over this issue, one of them, Abdiasis Mohamed Diiriye of SIMBA and Ergo Radios was held more than 24 hours without charges at the NSA detention center.

The National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) has received credible information that the police has finally won to convince the rape victim to recant of her interview after several days of interrogations, though her husband and the other woman who put in her in contact with the journalist, who was also said to have been the victim’s sister, refused to accept the police offer and therefore still remain in custody, though there are reports of putting both on pressure to accept the deal, in order to try the journalist, which if becomes true, could damage the public trust of the Somali police.

The Somali journalists are annoyed by the police brutality against the Somali Journalists and called the manner the police handled the case “Unacceptable” and demand the immediate release of the journalist.

“It is not a crime to report a rape story or to interview a rape victim.” NUSOJ said, “The police should have arrested the criminals and bring them to court.”

The National Union of Somali Journalists is worried about how the future reporting of investigative stories should look like, if the messengers are being targeted for these important stories, the public want to know.

Source:- RBC Radio

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