Nasteh Dahir Farah, 28, right, Vice President of the National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ), was assassinated on Saturday, 7 June 2008, in Kismayu, Southern Somalia. The Somali journalists community condemned the assassination, and received immediate moral support from throughout Eastern Africa. (13-JUNE-08)

Based on a report on NUSOJ´s own website , this article has been edited and prepared for republication here by HRHF / Niels Jacob Harbitz.

Since then, further support has come from journalists from all over the world. International media support organizations, press freedom and freedom of expression agencies have called for safety measures, and been joined by the United Nation and the European Union.

United Nations
The Director-General of UNESCO, the only United Nations agency with a mandate to defend freedom of expression and press freedom, condemned the killing of Somali journalist Nasteh Dahir Farah, Vice President of the National Union of Somali Journalists and a reporter for the BBC, on the evening of 7 June, and called on the authorities to bring the culprits to trial.

“I condemn the murder of Nasteh Dahir Farah,” the Director-General declared. “The loss of Nasteh Dahir Farah is particularly tragic in view of his commitment both to his profession as a reporter and to his fellow professionals, whom he sought to help through his work for the National Union of Somali Journalists. I call on the authorities to do all they can to bring to justice the culprits of this heinous crime against democracy and against Somali society as a whole.”

The top United Nations humanitarian official for Somalia has expressed his shock and disappointment at the latest killing of a journalist in the strife-torn nation, the deadliest place in Africa for the media to work. “Nasteh Dahir Farah, was fatally shot on Saturday 7 June, by unknown gunmen. Mr. Farah had been working for the BBC and the Associated Press. He was also the vice chairman of the National Union of Somali Journalists” said Mark Bowden, the UN Humanitarian and Resident Coordinator for Somalia. “It’s a tribute to the dedication and courage of journalists such as Mr. Farah, that despite the fact that members of the media are frequently targeted, harassed, arrested and killed in Somalia, he continued his work. Sadly, his dedication cost him his life. We extend our condolences to his family, colleagues and the wider Somali civil society

European Union
The European Union member states in Nairobi strongly condemn the murder Mr. Nasteh Dahir Farah. “The EU sends its sincere condolences to the family and colleagues of this renown journalist. Mr Nasteh was also the vice chairman of the National Union of Somali Journalists, an organization which plays a very important role in defending the role of journalists in Somalia” said EU statement issued from French Embassy in Kenya.

The EU member states fully supports the freedom of expression for journalists  in Somalia and salutes their dedication and courage to their work, in spite of the difficult conditions. The EU members states calls on all parties to respect their work and physical integrity.

International Journalists, Press Freedom and Free Expression Community
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) condemned the shooting of this leading journalist and union leader and called for “action not words” from the international community to protect journalists and to take urgent action to restore the rule of law.

“Once again a leading journalist has been struck down in appalling circumstances,” said Jim Boumelha, IFJ President. “It’s time for action not words from governments to address the crisis in Somalia and to protect our people.”  “There could not be more brutal nor convincing evidence of the need for an urgent international response,” said Boumelha. “We mourn the loss of a brave union leader, but we also demand action to secure the safety of all of our colleagues in Somalia.”

As NUSOJ is a member of International Freedom of Expression eXchnage (IFEX), its Executive Director, Anne Game wrote condolence to the leadership of its affiliate. “We are so sorry to hear about the brutal slaying of your colleague and friend Nasteh Dahir Farah on the weekend” She said. “Who knows what to say, we see how often these situations play out and as you know there is usually no follow up and impunity continues to be one of our major hurdles. What is good to know is that NUSOJ will not forget and that your organization (NUSOJ) will continue to pay tribute to Nasteh. Please accept our condolences, and extend them to the staff and friends of NUSOJ and his bereaved family”.

Reporters without Borders, which is partner organization of the National Union of Somali Journalists, expressed shock and dismay at the murder of Nasteh Dahir Farah, NUSOJ Vice President. “We share the dreadful grief that has struck the family and colleagues of Nasteh Dahir Farah. The list of dead just goes on growing while the authorities take no steps to curb the violence which targets journalists”, the worldwide press freedom organisation said. “This apathy is disgraceful given the fact that the Somalia is Africa’s deadliest country for journalists,”

The New-York based International Press Freedom Organization, Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) calls for a thorough investigation into the June 7 killing of Somali journalist Nasteh Dahir Farah Dahir, vice chairman of the National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ). CPJ mourns the loss of our colleague, Nasteh Dahir and sends our deepest sympathies to his family, friends, and colleagues,” said CPJ’s Africa Program Coordinator, Tom Rhodes. “We call on Kismayo officials to do everything in their power to track down and bring to justice Dahir’s murderers.”

The International News safety Institute (INSI), non-governmental organisation dedicated to the safety of journalists and media staff and committed to fighting the persecution of journalists everywhere, wrote to NUSOJ condolences on the loss of Nasteh Dahir Farah.

Sarah de Jong, INSI Deputy Director said “I am filled with sadness and anger to see yet another courageous journalist assassinated. I met Nasteh last year in Hargeisa where he participated in the safety training and I remember not only him but all the journalist who came for the training and I remember well the feeling of relaxation that slowly came to the group when they realised they were in a safe place – away from their homes for a couple of days, away from the daily risks and threats, and the eagerness they showed to learn about assessing the risks around them, to learn about first aid. And here we are today and I ask myself if there was anything the training could have done to prevent this cowardly murder. No. The training cannot stop those that hunt and kill journalists”. “We will remember him always and my thoughts are with Nasteh’s family, his friends and his colleagues” Sarah added.

The National Union of Journalists of Great Britain and Ireland (NUJ) sent condolence to the family and colleagues of Nasteh Dahir Farah by calling it “tragic weekend for world journalism and media freedom”. NUJ General Secretary, Jeremy Dear, expressed his deep sadness at the loss of Nasteh and passed on his condolences to his family, friends and colleagues. NUJ called on the Somali authorities to actively seek and bring to justice his killers. “This underlines the need for strong international action to halt the global crisis of violence against media workers” he said.

Media Support Organisations
The National Endowment for Democracy (NED), which has been supporting National Union of Somali Journalists for many years, said in a statement “It is with great sadness that we at the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) have received the news of the death of a friend and partner, Nasteh Dahir Farah, Vice President of the National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ)”.

“In 2005, Nasteh was elected Vice President of NUSOJ, the culmination of many years of commitment to the profession and to the Union. He was known for his professional neutrality when reporting on the armed conflict, his detailed investigations into attacks on media freedom and his compassion for the families of fellow journalists killed during the course of their work” said Dave Peterson, Senior Director, Africa Program, National Endowment for Democracy. “There have been attacks on journalists and media houses in Somalia in recent years and most of these crimes remain unsolved. A culture of impunity has become the norm in these attacks on members of the media, making their profession one of the most dangerous in Somalia” he added.

Mark Whitehouse, Director of Media Development of the International Research Exchange Board (IREX) said “IREX expresses its condolences to the family of Nasteh Dahir Farah, to his colleagues in the media and civil society community in Somalia, and to his colleagues at the National Union of Somali Journalists”.

“His death is a reminder of the challenges faced everyday by journalists in Somalia as they face violence from those attempting to silence the voice of independent media” he said. “This senseless killing may have silenced this one voice, but his tireless work for free expression in Somalia will be continued by his colleagues and his role on bringing professional media and freedom to Somalia will be remembered.”

Journalists Community in Eastern Africa
The Eastern Africa Journalists Association (EAJA) has condemned in the strongest terms possible the brutal killing of the National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) vice-president Nasteh Dahir Farah. ““It is with sadness that we have learnt of the death of our colleague and friend Nasteh. But this culture of impunity and violence against journalists in Somalia must come to an end. We therefore appeal to the UN Security Council, international community and neighboring countries to move in and decisively reinstate law and order on Somalia. We cannot condone such barbaric acts targeted against the life of a journalist” said Dr Muheldin Ahmed Idriss, EAJA President. “We believe Nasteh was assassinated because he is a journalist,” he added.

“As we moan and denounce this assassination in the strongest terms possible, we are alive to the fact that there is no authority in Somalia that can bring to justice such killers or to protect journalists, which is why we are asking the international community to decisively move in restore Somalia. We cannot continue burying our heads in the sand while journalists are killed and maimed by enemies of the truth in such a lawless state,” Dr. Muheldin added.

“As we moan and denounce this assassination in the strongest terms possible, we are alive to the fact that there is no authority in Somalia that can bring to justice such killers or to protect journalists, which is why we are asking the international community to decisively move in restoring Somalia. We cannot continue burying our heads in the sand while journalists are killed and maimed by enemies of the truth in such a lawless state,” Dr. Muheldin added.

Media Institute of Kenya condemned the killing and sent condolences to NUSOJ. David Makali, Director of Media Institute in Kenya said “On my and media institute’s behalf, I wish to express our utter shock at the egregious murder of Nasteh Dahir. We salute him as a gallant fighter in the struggle for freedom of press and expression”.

“This depressing news of Dahir’s death should remind us to take every precaution in our daily work to avoid the traps laid by our tormentors. It is our sincere hope that NUSOJ and our colleagues everywhere standing for the freedom of the press will soldier on and renew their devotion to a cause that is eternally worthy. This killing should remind the international community that there is an urgent need to attend to the situation in Somalia” David Makali declared.

The Uganda Journalists Union (UJU) joined the world journalism fraternity to condemn, in the strongest terms possible, the assassination of Somali Journalists’ leader, Nasteh Dahir Farah. “Somali journalists are human beings that must be protected like the rest of the journalists in the US, Europe, Asia and Africa,” said Stephen Ouma Bwire, General Secretary Uganda Journalists Union.

The Kenya Union of Journalists (KUJ) has learnt with utter shock and dismay of the brutal attack and killing of the Vice-President of the National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ), Nasteh Dahir Farah. “We note with utter dismay that yet another murder is a journalist who is the messenger of truth in as many months in the troubled Somalia. We are aware that gangs and criminals who would want to perpetuate anarchy have turned the barrels of their guns onto innocent and unarmed journalists with much abandon in the troubled country of Somalia. It is a high time the world community moved in to stop this madness,” said KUJ chairman Tervil Okoko.

“This is not only barbaric but also primitive and unforgivable. We have lost a colleague and a friend who would have otherwise been going around his duties feeding the world with information. However, we as journalists will not allow the barrel of the gun to silence us. We must move on even with greater determination and vigilance. We must protect the truth even if it means paying with our own lives,” Okoko added. “At this juncture, we join our brothers and sisters at NUSOJ, Nasteh’s family members, friends and relatives in mourning the death of the slain leader”.

The Rwanda Journalists Association (RJA) condemned in the strongest terms possible, the seemingly well-coordinated murder of the Vice President of the National union of Somali Journalists, (NUSOJ), Nasteh Dahir Farah, and called on the international community to bring to book the killers of Farah with immediate effect.

In a press release issued in Kigali, the President of Rwanda Journalists Association , Mr. Gaspard Safari said the killing is yet another pointer to the sad situation that the media in Somalia finds itself in.

“We cannot tolerate a situation like this. The killing is targeted and  intended to suffocate the media in Somalia. Impunity breeds criminality. The killers of Farah must be sought out and prosecuted. As Rwandan media, we join our colleagues from all over the world in condemning this barbaric act”, Safari said in a release copied to all media in the country. “For Africa to stand by and simply watch as Somalia degenerates further into political hopelessness is tantamount to conspiracy and complicity. Inaction is no option and the criminal murder of Farah is testimony to this”.

The Burundi Journalists Association said in statement that it has been deeply shocked to learn the death of the NUSOJ Vice president Nasteh Dahir FARAH in such circumstances.  In a press release issued on last Thursday in Bujumbura, Burundi Journalists association called upon belligerents in Somalia to fully respect the International Law.

“Belligerents in Somalia may remember each time they are carrying out such a barbaric act that war will end one day in Somalia; and both national and international justice shall work and point out the killers of innocent people not involved in the war .They may think about all those famous war chiefs who are nowadays arrested and sentenced throughout the world”, said Moïse GAHUNGU, Executive Secretary of Burundi Journalists Association. The Burundi Media Family sent condolences to NUSOJ, Farah’s family, relatives and friends.

Trade Union Movement
The American Center for International Labor Solidarity (Solidarity Center) stood together with the global labor movement to mourn the loss of Nasteh Dahir Farah, the Vice President of the National Union of Somali Journalists, (NUSOJ), an affiliate of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ).

“The murder of Vice President Nasteh,” says Ellie Larson, Solidarity Center Executive Director, “is an indication of just how threatening advocates for the free trade union movement are to authoritarian institutions. When that advocate is a journalist, he or she is the voice for thousands who are repressed. That journalist has the power of words — words that tell the story for workers all over the world. Mr. Farah told that story. He honored his profession and, at the same time, he honored the trade union movement.”

As a top leader of his national union, Nasteh knew full well the dangers he faced. He had assisted in investigations of attacks against media freedom. His last case sought to provide assistance to the widow and children of murdered journalist Hassan Kafi Hared.