UIC shuts down radio station and arrests journalists

The Union of Islamic Courts (UIC), which controls the capital, Mogadishu, and much of south-central Somalia, shut down the HornAfrik radio sub–station in Kismayo, an official of HornAfrik, based in Mogadishu, told IRIN on Friday.

"At around 6:00 PM [local time] yesterday [Thursday], a group of armed men from the Islamic courts closed down our sub-station in Kismayo," HornAfrik managing partner, Ali Iman Sharmarke, said. "As I am speaking to you, the radio is off the air in Kismayo," he added.

According to Sharmarke, the UIC accused the radio of incitement to violence.

Other sources in Kismayo said the radio had been targeted for perceived bias against the UIC and being "in favour of the previous Juba Valley Alliance [JVA]".

"I hope this is not an attempt by the courts [UIC] to intimidate and muzzle the private press," said a member of a civil society group.

"If it is, it will be a big mistake on their part and will cost them dearly in public opinion," he added.

The UIC took Kismayo on 25 September without a shot being fired after the leader of the JVA, Col. Barre Hiirale, who is also defence minister in the Transitional Federal Government (TFG), left a day earlier.

The radio station was covering "sporadic" demonstrations by women khat traders who were protesting against a ban of the popular narcotic by UIC authorities on Monday. "These are women who have no other means to make a living and they are upset by the order [to ban the selling of khat]" a local journalist told IRIN.

Hours after it took control of Kismayo the UIC announced the ban on selling khat during the month of Ramadan.

Ibrahim Shukri, the UIC spokesman in Kismayo, confirmed the closure of the radio station and accused it of propagating "false and harmful information.

We have taped the reports inciting people to violence and we warned them on a number of occasions to desist from broadcasting false information that could lead to violence."

Ahmed Muhammad Aden, the manager of the only radio station in Kismayo, told IRIN that three of his reporters were detained by Islamic court supporters. "They picked up three of our reporters at 10:30 am local time,” he said.

The three - Zahra Abdi Ahmed, Aden Muhammad Salad and Leyla Sheikh Aden - were all released "immediately".

Shukri said: "They were picked up by unauthorised people and once we heard we released them."

Ahmed denied any bias in the radio’s reporting.

"We simply reported the women’s demonstration and what they told us, nothing more."

Sharmarke said the radio station was in contact with the UIC leadership in Mogadishu to resolve the problem. "I am hopeful that we can come up with a suitable resolution that will see the radio station back on the air very soon."

ah/mw