FM Radios Including Shabelle and Aljazeera TV are Shut Down

[Castro]

Aweys Osman Yusuf

 

Mogadishu

 

At least three FM radios and a TV outlet were ordered to close their stations today.

 

A decree issued by the security department of the Somali government ordered the Shabelle Media Network, Horn Afrik, IQK and Aljazeera TV stations in Mogadishu to be shut down.

 

The decree says, "From today 15 January, 2007, the above-mentioned radio and TV stations are to halt their broadcasting operations as soon they receive this decree. The managements of the media are being informed to come to the government security department that lies in Bar FIAT in Mogadishu on Tuesday."

 

All radio stations including Shabelle Radio instantly went off air.

 

The news comes as all local and foreign journalists were busy covering the events in Somalia. In the past the Islamic Courts have closed down some of the local FM radios in the country after they broadcast music and songs.

 

The government did not specifically justify why the free media in Somalia was shut down.

AllAfrica

[Castro]

A media blackout is the only way this puppet regime can hide the heinous crimes it commits against the people.

[NGONGE]

It’s unlikely to have anything to do with press control and more to do with official sanctioning of the press. Get them to come down, register and pay some fees is what the plan is I think. I know this government is a bit on the slow side but surely, even they know that the press can’t be suppressed in this day and age. Not with the advent of satellite TV, the net and good old BBC World Service.

[Castro]

^ Is that why the US clamped down on the press in Iraq shortly after the invasion? You know, bomb Al-Jazeera, kill their correspondents so they would come "register and pay some fees"?

 

Ngonge, cut it out.

[NGONGE]

^^ Heh

Again, it makes no sense at all. If anything your example proves its futility. The Americans picked on Al Jazeera for a specific reason. But even then they still could not stop it from broadcasting. We live in the satellite TV age, saaxib. This curbing of the freedom of the press won’t wash. I still think it’s about taxes more than control (even though I’m sure they’ll try).

[Castro]

^ Taxing Shabelle News will fund the reconstruction? How much could they tax them? Saaxib, you're right, this is a futile effort but that does not make it any less ominous.

[Castro]

Here's your BBC service saaxib. They'll shaft it soon enough.

 

BBC Somali Service almost banned in Somalia

 

SomaliNet) As we reported earlier today, Somalia’s fledging interim government closed three radio stations and Al Jazeera TV office in Mogadishu today. The government saw these stations as foes and the letter sent to them did not say much. Owners of the radio stations and Al Jazeera representatives are expected to go to the national security office tomorrow morning for further instructions.

 

A government insider told SomaliNet that these stations were jeopardizing the government’s efforts to secure Mogadishu by fuelling and magnifying the actions of few bandits in the city. The source said BBC Somali Service became another faction in the past several years and was originally on the list to be shutdown. However, the government decided to give the service more time and to watch its actions more closely.

 

BBC Somali service was once banned in north eastern Somalia known as Puntland by then president of Puntland and current Somalia president, Abdulahi Yusuf who is now in Mogadishu.

 

The interim government also shut down Shabelle Radio’s office in Baidao last year.

 

The Islamic Courts were not different when they were in power. They closed one station in Jowhar and told Mogadishu reporters not to be neutral on the current conflict. One of the courts leaders told reporters to leave Mogadishu and go to Addis Ababa or Baidao if they wanted to remain neutral.

 

No one knows where the line between free to report and national security will be drawn by the interim government.

SomaliNet

[NGONGE]

^^^ Fair enough. I take it all back.

 

ps

Have they done it all Radio Stations or only the ones they deem troublesome?

[Garaad Bari]

WY NOT IF THESE RADIO STATIONS ARE BROADCASTING HATERED AND ENEMOSITY AMONG THE SOMALI PPLE. AND IT IS OBVIOUS THEY WERE INDEED. BBC SHOULD ALSO BE BANNED 2, IT IS THE WOREST AFTER ALL.

 

SOMALIS NEED TO REALIZE IT IS BEST INTEREST FOR ALL OF US TO FIND STATBLE SOMALIA.

[Castro]

Originally posted by NGONGE:

Have they done it all Radio Stations or only the ones they deem troublesome?

Ngonge, as you said earlier, it will be near impossible to keep a lid on events occurring on the ground. Even if they shut down all of the media outlets, "news" will seep out somehow.

 

One of the main goals of this media blackout is to deny any atrocities that the government is sure to commit "disarming" the population. If there are no official news outlets, it's easier to say anything and everything is a rumor.

[Wisdom_Seeker]

Don’t want the truth to escape hah?

 

No wonder we barely hear anything about Puntland.

[Caano Geel]

So where is Duke's response/explanation for this?

[Wisdom_Seeker]

Ha, duke doesn’t know how to explain the bombing of the innocent nomads. I doubt he will have an acceptable explanation for this one.

[Suldaanka]

It’s unlikely to have anything to do with press control and more to do with official sanctioning of the press. Get them to come down, register and pay some fees is what the plan is I think.

They surely were too specific in that if they were about registering and paying fees. They overlooked the Puntland Media which is operating without a hitch.

 

This is a targeted step to shutdown anything they think opposses the occupation or they think will report the crimes that are being committed on daily basis against the people of Banadir Region.

 

I wouldn't be surprised if they also shutdown the Communications Companies in an attempt to crack down Internet Websites as well.

 

It reminds of what happened in Addis Abeba in mid 2005 when Meles ordered all foreign media including VOA and BBC to shutdown their offices and also began to close all sort of communications for one whole week till he finished his "Red Terror" against the CUD opposition party. At the end of that week, all of CUD's elected members including its opposition leader were put behind bars, including over 15,000 dissident supporters. Countless numbers were killed or unaccounted for till this day.

[Fiqikhayre]

What a double-standard you preach Suldaanka! We forgetting ourselves?

 

What about the abused Press in your region! Atleast in Puntland there's a corporate media where as in your clan fiefdom such thing doesn't sadly exist in your dictionary!

 

Go deal with your own shortcomings before you embark preaching morally because to preach you have to first to act on what you preach and be doing it yourself before you criticise!

 

What Somalia today needs is a responsible media that can advocate for peace but not shady media outlets that report in favour of a group without balancing on what they report!

 

I say 'Yes' to tabloid and trash media but not in a state like Somalia atleast not until the three months of Emergecy/martial laws ends or expires!

 

The government has to disarm the population and they will do it after the disarmenent programme is over then we can have trash media, deal?