Saturday, July 20, 2013
The United Nations said it was concerned by Somalia legislation
containing "extremely broad" measures restricting the rights to freedom
of expression.
Somalia last year managed to form a formal central government for the
first time since the 1990s. But the new government of the African
country has so far struggled to establish a solid footing beyond
Mogadishu because of threats from terrorist group al-Shabaab and
separatist campaigns along the eastern coast.
Rupert Colville, spokesman for the U.N. High Commissioner for Human
Rights, said additional concerns stemmed from draft legislation on media
laws in the country. He said he was concerned by legislation requiring
media agencies to adhere to Islamic principles.
"We are particularly concerned that the draft legislation contains
vague language and extremely broad categories that could easily be used
to curtail freedom of expression," he said in a statement Friday.
Jeffrey DeLaurentis, deputy U.S. envoy to the United Nations, said
members of the Security Council expressed concern Thursday over Somali
national security challenges.
"We also discussed the significant progress the Somali government has
made, as well as the challenges it still faces, particularly in the
areas of security sector reform, management of public finances and
strict compliance with sanctions measures," he said in a statement.