Official letter from Somali attorney general office that was addressed both to the ministry of information and the ministry of posts and telecommunication to immediately suspend over 35 Somali news websites in the country, pending investigations.
The letter which was signed by Dr, Mohamoud Abdi Haji Adan, the Acting Attorney General says that the order resulted from complaints filed against the said websites and the letter added investigations are underway.
Violent news websites have been emerging that sponsor violent and unprofessional conduct, which target innocent civilians and organizations with negative coverage in exchange for money, an activity carried out under the banner of the Somali journalism.
Last week, the National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ)and Somali Independent Media Houses condemned the brutal culture in the media and called them as spoilers, a move supported by the Somaliland Journalists Association (SOLJA) and the Somali media fraternity. Both organizations insisted that the continuity of actions in the Somali media might drive the profession to total collapse citing the safety of the innocent journalists at stake.
Among the targeted in the joint statement were Dahir Alasow and Omar Faruk Osman, who own dozens of news websites to blackmail, threaten, slander and extort civil leaders, business community and government officials and donor organization, a culture that threatens the security and the safety of the media practitioners in general.
The suspension coincides with the parliamentary debate over the media law, which many lawmakers accused the media for violating the ethics. The media bill passed its second reading and a third reading a waits, followed by endorsement of the media bill, after which the Somali presidents sings, will come into effect.
It’s the first time, the Somali government orders the suspension such large numbers of news websites