Mustafa Haji Abdinur who works with the Agence France Press (AFP) as a correspondent in Mogadishu and as editor-in-chief of the independent radio station Radio Simba, receives the award for his dedicated and fearless work that has seen him through difficult and dangerous situations. Since the beginning of the year, six journalist colleagues of Abdinur have been killed in Somalia.

“This is a high moment for us at NUSOJ and we are busting with excitement. But it is also a lesson to all of us that despite the difficult and dangerous situation our members work, with dedication we can still do a good job as journalists and change the world. We are proud of him,” said Omar Faruk Osman, right, the Secretary-General of NUSOJ, which had nominated Abdinur for the award.

Abdinur is one of the very few journalists still working in Mogadishu.

“I am very happy. I never thought I deserved such a prestigeous prize as the International Press Freedom Award. I convey my gratitude to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) for recognizing me as a courageous journalist. I also thank the Agence France Presse (AFP) for putting me in the frontline to cover the conflict in Somalia. I also thank the National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) for nominating me to become the first Somali journalist to receive the prestigious CPJ press freedom award,” Abdinur said. 

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For further information, contact:
National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ)
Taleex Street, KM4 Area, Hodan District,
Mogadishu, Somalia, tel/fax: +252 1 859 944,
e-mail: newsletter@nusoj.org  
Internet: http://www.nusoj.org

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National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) is a national union representing Somali journalists to promote and protect freedom of the press and the interests and rights of journalists. It is a member of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), International Freedom of Expression exchange (IFEX), Federation of African Journalists (FAJ) and Eastern Africa Journalists Association (EAJA). NUSOJ is partner with Reporters without Borders (RWB).