Statement by the EU Special Envoy to Somalia on the killing of senior journalist Mohamed Ibrahim Rageh

Europian Union Envoy to Somalia
Press release
Tuesday, April 23, 2013

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The EU Special Envoy to Somalia, Michele Cervone d'Urso, condemns the brutal assassination of Mohamed Ibrahim Rageh, senior journalist and reporter of Radio Mogadishu and Somali National Television (SNTV), on 21 April in Mogadishu. He expresses his sincere condolences to the family, colleagues and friends of Mohamed Ibrahim Rageh.

Rage is the fourth journalist to be killed in Somalia this year. It follows a macabre series of targeted attacks against media workers over the last two years and it sadly shows that Somalia remains one of the most dangerous countries for journalists to operate in. The EU Special Envoy calls upon the Government of Somalia to take immediate action to improve security of media workers and to operationalise the announced Task Force on the investigation of the killings of journalists and bring the perpetrators to justice.

In carrying out their task in informing the Somali public, journalists are actively participating in the building of a free and democratic Somali society. Failure to protect media workers puts at risk the freedom of expression, one of the fundamental Human Rights, and therefore impedes Somalia's reconstruction. The European Union stands ready to support the Government of Somalia in guaranteeing the safety of journalists and addressing press freedom violations as a whole.

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