The Somali transitional government today restricted transmission of a radio station and arrested two journalists after it broadcast a report claiming Ethiopian troops had entered the country, officials said.
Gunmen loyal to President Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed stopped transmission of the Shabelle radio station, the only Mogadishu-based channel that broadcasts in the temporary seat of government in Baidoa, about 250 kilometres (155 miles) from the capital, at about 10:00 am (0700 UTC) on Sunday, they said. The channel continued broadcasting to others parts of Somalia.
Sources said the gunmen carried out the orders given by Agriculture Minister Mohamed Hassan Nur Shatigudud after the radio station aired the claims about Ethiopian troops. “We are demanding that the government allows our transmission in Baidoa and immediately and unconditionally releases our journalists,” said Shabelle Media Network Chairman Abdulmalik Yusuf Muhamoud. “This is gross violation of human rights and it is an exercise that undermines freedom of expression in Somalia,” he added.
(Source: Radio Netherlands/Weblog)