The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today called for the release of journalist Houssein Ahmed Farah, detained in Djibouti.
« The Party-State monopoly of the media landscape is a handicap to freedom of expression in Djibouti, » said Gabriel Baglo, IFJ Africa Office Director.
« We call on authorities to immediately release the journalist, a way to promote freedom of expression, » Baglo added.
Houssein Ahmed Farah, journalist with opposition radio La Voix de Djibouti, broadcasting from Europe has been arrested on Wednesday August 8 by the police and detained at the police central station in the capital city.
Farah appeared before M. Abdoulkader Abdallah the Deputy Public Prosecutor 3 days after his arrest and was then transferred to the prison of Gabode where he is held in custody.
On Saturday August 11, the President of Djibouti Journalists Association M. Kenedid Ibrahim Houssein and the Secretary General of the East African Journalists Association (EAJA) M. Omar Farouk Osman moved to the police central station where they met with Colonel Abdillahi Hassan the superintendent and discussed with Houssein Ahmed Farah before his transfer to the prison.
According to Colonel Abdillahi Hassan, “M. Farah handed out membership cards of the Movement for Democratic Renewal, apolitical party dissolved since three years with no legal existence in the country. Colonel Abdillahi reported that Farah denied the charges against him.”
Joining the Djibouti Journalists Association the IFJ calls for the release of Houssein Ahmed Farah as charges against him justify neither his arrest nor his detention.
For more information contact the IFJ on +221 33 867 95 86/87
The IFJ represents more than 600.000 journalists in 134 countries