Somaliland Journalists Association (SOLJA) is strongly condemned the storming, take over and closure of Haatuf Media Group head office in Hargeisa on the afternoon of Monday.
SOLJA is against the armed police officers with complete anti-riot who ordered reporters, editors & other staff out of the premises and shut down the main doors to the media giant that owns and prints Haatuf a Daily Newspaper in native Somali language and Somaliland times a weekly English language paper that is favorite of most foreigners in the country.
As despotic, tyrannical and retrospective of the gains made in the freedom of press together with the regulations governing the media industry in the last few years in reconstructing the country.
It is obviously clear that the current regime negates the fundamental rights and freedoms spelt out in the Bill of Rights in a very unique way that never experienced before. Recurring suppression of freedom of press that is regularly unleashed against our members must come to an end. Without healing of the wounds inflicted as a result of the closure of previous media outlets namely HCTV and HUBAAL we are again being subjected to intimidation and coercion that grossly prejudices our obligations notwithstanding due process of the legal systems established in the country. Also we asserted that the manifest in the Government’s action of forcefully taking over private property is disrespect to Laws & morality generally.
SOLJA advises the state to explore meaningful alternatives instead of resorting to intimidate & use force to invert the gains achieved so far during the post reconstruction of the nation and further counseled authorities to quash its orders of shutting down Haatuf altogether before masses turn against the rulers.
Thanks
Mr. Hassan Mohamed Yusuf
Chairman
Somaliland Journalists Association (SOLJA)
Can you believe that this man is living in double standards? He is an employee of the very government he is criticizing, drawing more than 5 mil a month. That bespeaks for itself. What a shame!
He is a bogus front man for a sham once called SOLJA.
What the stupid chairman forgot is the right of the victims who has been defamed and humilated in the public arena by Mr. Gaboobe’s lies. No body in his right mind will call Haatuf a respectable giant media. This so called chairman didn’t even mention the victims of Gaboobe for the last 20yrs, but he knows very well how huminize and protect criminals like Gaboobe. One of the first tenant about journalism is to look both sides of the arguement. If Gaboobe is so great why did you kicked him out of your organization.
Cilmi
SACAD MUUSE hidden agenda EXPOSED. The’ve been doing this for years with the help of their printed Media like HAATUF. In every government of Somaliland (current+previous)they always had the top jobs and the most but at the same time critic of the government to cover-up their asses.
How come the Somaliland media is always criticising SILANYO, HERSI,INA HASHI AND NOW THIS MINISTER.
The shutting down of media outlets is always a bad thing and shows Somaliland in a negative light around the world. But Somaliland journalists are probably the worst journalists in the free world today. These un-trained hacks have no idea about the basics of journalism – the right to reply, evidence-based reporting, objectivity and balance, corroboration of information from at least two sources. In fact most of them have no idea of the difference between opinion and news reportage. In Jouranlism that is an unforgibale sin. They publish whatever comes to their mind. So here is a challenge for SOLJA members: Where is the evidence of corruption from these two minsisters?
Idiot, do not criticize these wonderful journalists who are doing an excellent job. .. They are on site and witness the daily occurrence so to report the truth.. Stupids always bad mouth instead of appreciating..