The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has today strongly condemned the killing of Ahmed Farah Ilyas , a TV journalist who was shot dead by gunmen on Tuesday 22 October in northern Somalia.
“We condemn in the strongest terms the murder of Ahmed Farah Ilyas which serves as a reminder of the dangerous environment our Somali colleague operate in every day, said Gabriel Baglo, IFJ Africa Director. “We call on the new government to show its determination to halt the violence targeting media , fueled by intolerance against independent reporting.”
According to the National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ), an IFJ affiliate, Ahmed Farah Ilyas, 27, widely known as Saakin, who worked as a reporter for Universal TV, was gunned down in a targeted attack in the Las Anod district of Sool region.
He was heading back home from work when unknown armed men opened fire on him, killing him on the spot. Security forces who arrived at the scene of the crime recorded that he was killed by "unidentified gunmen".
NUSOJ also condemned the killing in a statement which underscored the deterioration of the journalists’ safety in Somalia and described the lack of action on the part of the authorities as amounting to “conspiracy” against journalists.
“We condemn the killing of Ahmed Farah Ilyas. Journalists are being targeted for their work, and they are performing their duties under the most trying times,” said Omar Faruk Osman, NUSOJ Secretary General. “We demand authorities to unveil the conspiracy and expose the perpetrators of the crime.”
The IFJ backs NUSOJ’s call of drastic action after Ahmed Farah Ilyas became the sixteenth murder of journalist in Somalia since the start of the year.
“This is well past the time for words without action,” added Baglo. “ The new government must show real commitment to tackling violence against journalists. This case has to be immediately and thoroughly investigated. In the meanwhile, we send our deepest condolences to the bereaved family.”
For more information, please contact IFJ: +221 33 867 95 86
The IFJ represents over 600.000 journalists in 134 countries.