Hassan is the second journalist to be assassinated in Somalia this year, after reporter Ahmed Mohamed Shukur was killed in a landmine blast on September 30.
According to NUSOJ’s statement, Hassan together with three other media workers, -Feisal Omar Hashi, a stringer for Reuters, Abdulkadir Mohamed Abdulle for VOA Somali and M24 TV and Bile Abdisalan Ahmed, a camera assistant-, left their offices to investigate an explosion at the building of the Ministry of Education, Culture and Higher Education in Mogadishu on 29 October . The second bomb, which killed Hassan and injured the three media workers among others, was detonated after people had gathered at the scene.
NUSOJ Secretary General Oman Faruk Osman said: “It is with a heavy heart that we again have to witness the violent death of yet another journalist in the space of just 30 calendar days. We condemn this outrageous and cowardly attack in which all the victims are innocent people including journalists who went to the scene to report on what happened.”
IFJ Secretary General Anthony Bellanger said: “The IFJ is deeply saddened by the killing of Hassan, the second journalist murdered in Somalia this year. We urge the government to immediately launch an investigation and to bring the perpetrators to justice.”
“Nine out of every ten killings of a journalist remain unpunished. This is why on the occasion of the International Day to End Impunity for crimes against journalists, we are calling on governments, journalists and media groups to support a new convention,” he added.