Somalia: Information Minister Urges Media to Uphold High Standards

Excerpt from report by Somali Banaadir radio on 2 February

[Presenter] The minister of information of the Transitional Federal Government [TFG], Ahmad Abdisalam, national security committee, heads of independent media houses, held a special meeting at police HQ in Mogadishu. Hasan Salad aka Hasan Laki has the details:

[Hasan Laki] The deputy prime minister, who is also the minister of information and youth, Ahmad Abdisalam, officials of national security committee and media houses in Mogadishu, today held a meeting at the police HQ.

The meeting discussed various issues affecting the media. The participants discussed how they could co-operate. The meeting started at 10 o’clock this morning and took a long duration. The minister, who later addressed the media, said the media houses are needed to work according to international media laws. He assured the media they would not face any problem from the national security agency. The Transitional Federal Government [Words indistinct] the Ministry of Information will be responsible. He said this would prevent the harassment of media houses.

The minister said harassment of journalists sometimes happened in the country’s regions where some journalists have been beaten and detained [passage omitted].

Originally published by Radio Banaadir, Mogadishu, in Somali 1700 2 Feb 08.

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