The administration argued that the radio Station, which was recently established by local journalists, was airing songs and music which are forbidden by Islamic religion. The radio was airing these songs as people were celebrating Eid Al-Adha Al-Mubarak. The Islamic administration also threatened to kill all journalists at the radio station if they do not respect their decision. A week before the closure some elements of the Al-Shabaab Group in Kismayo phoned the radio station and threatened that they will take action against the radio and its staff.

-Closing a radio Station for airing songs and music has no validation in Islamic religion. This is serious repression of freedom of expression and is the opposite of what Islamic religion calls for, said Omar Faruk Osman, left, NUSOJ’s Secretary General. -Radio Markabley was founded by journalists to serve their people and the Islamic administration in Gedo must allow the radio to recommence its operations without repressions and threats, Omar Faruk added.  -Once they shutdown the only Radio in the region, they automatically silenced the people in the region and the administration will bear serious consequences .

In a separate attack, on 9th December 2008, two journalists working for the Somali Broadcasting Corporation (SBC) were badly beaten by soldiers from Puntland Intelligence Service (PIS) in Bossasso, according to Mowlid Haji Abdi, Director of SBC. The journalists Ahmed Nur Ibrahim and Said Abdullahi Jama who were covering how local people were celebrating the Eid festival in Bossasso neighbourhoods were attacked by PIS soldiers after they were identified as SBC journalists. The journalists were beaten with guns. Their equipment was taken away and the two journalists were taken to PIS headquarters where they were detained for 3 hours.

NUSOJ denounces this attack against journalists as well. Lack of answerability for PIS to do anything to anybody is intolerable. There must be accountability for severe human rights violations committed by PIS soldiers who were granted unlimited freedom and power in the name of counter-terrorism  NUSOJ Secretary General said.
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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.
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National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ)
KM4 Area, Hodan District, Mogadishu, Somalia,
e-mail: newsletter@nusoj.org, Telephone:         +252-1-859944       
website: www.nusoj.org