Detained journalists freed in Jowhar

Two journalists working for a local radio station in Jowhar, 90 km north of the Somali capital, Mogadishu, who were arrested by armed men last week have been released, one of the journalists told IRIN on Monday.

Abshir Ali and Abdighani Shaykh Muhammad said they were arrested on the orders of local leaders who were unhappy with a report that was aired about the Somali peace process. "We were picked up from our premises on Thursday morning by security people," Abshir said, adding that the local leaders had "taken exception to a report we carried on Wednesday about the IGAD [Inter-Governmental Authority on Development] meeting on Somalia [in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi]. We reported that IGAD had asked faction leaders to return to the [peace] talks."

After their arrest, the radio had gone off the air "in protest and remained off the air" until the two were released, Abshir said.

The journalists spent "48 hours in jail", Abshir added. "We were told we would be charged, but then released without charge on Saturday morning. This was pure intimidation of the independent press," he said.

This was not the first time that Abshir had been detained by the authorities in Jowhar for a report on the Somali peace process. "I was arrested for 14 hours in February, also on a report about the peace process that they [local leaders] found to be not to their liking," he told IRIN.

Abshir added that Jowhar radio was "now back on the air, and we are doing our normal reporting".