ITUC - Africa/CSI - Afrique

Route Internationale d’Atakpamé
Centre FOPADESC Agoè – Nyivé
B.P. : 4401 – Tel. : 00228 225 07 10
Fax : 00228 225 61 13
LOME - TOGO
Email : info@ituc-africa.org
Web : www.ituc-africa.org

The Office of the President
Somalia

O/R.: 364/2011/SG/RB

Dear Sir,

ITUC –Africa’s protest against ongoing actions in regards to Somali Journalists.

The African Regional Organization of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC-Africa), with its mission of protecting the rights of peoples and workers on the continent, strongly condemns the ongoing systemic and systematic altercation and abusive actions in Somalia against the members of the National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ). This growing numbers of attacks was reportedly carried out again on the 23rd of this month when persons suspected to be armed, robbed the headquarter office of NUSOJ, carting away office equipment and documents.

ITUC-Africa calls on the Somalia authorities to take the urgent, needed and necessary steps to investigate this crime and to prosecute and sanction persons found culpable. We wish to add that the African Trade Union Movement will not take kindly to situations where innocent, lawful, independent and democratic trade union organizations and their officials are hounded and harassed in the course of carrying out their duties and responsibilities to their members and communities.

Journalists and media persons are change agent needed to promote cohesion, stability and progress as the information they provide the general public helps in shaping actions for the general good of society and so therefore, they are vital for modern societies.

In the same vein, ITUC-Africa found very worrying the report from the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) that persons suspiciously linked to the attack have retorted to verbal threats of officials of NUSOJ to eliminate them should they continue to demand that the crime to investigated. This development we are monitoring very closely as we take the threats seriously. Again, we ask that the relevant Somalia authorities act responsively and decisively by investigating and prosecuting persons behind these attacks.

ITUC –Africa solicits the intervention of the Somali State and demands that Journalists are granted a conducive environment, which is free, fair and democratic for them to effectively carry out their mandate to the State. The State owes citizens and legitimate organizations the responsibility to provide protection and safety for them to operate in liberty and full freedom and we demand that this right be fully accorded NUSOJ.

Issued from Lomé, Togo, 24th May, 2011.

CC: The President
Minister of Labour