Radio Journalist escapes ‘assassination bid’

A Radio journalist for one of the broadcast media houses in Garowe, capital of Puntland Regional State of Somalia escaped assassination Thursday evening when armed men attacked him.

 
Abdifatah Gedi, editor-in-chief of Radio Daljir and the director of the branch of this station in Galkayo survived tonight from assassination attempt after group of men armed with pistols shot him several times at the entrance of Radio Daljir headquarters in Garowe. Some of the bullets reportedly went through Gedi’s shirt but fortunately he escaped uninjured.

 
Puntland security services who immediately arrived at the scene confirmed the incident. The police pursued the assailants in order to catch them, but the armed assailants absconded.

 
The National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) is deeply concerned that 2012 has seen increased violent attacks, including deadly violence, on media professionals. NUSOJ terms this attack as an ‘assassination bid’.

 
“The shooting of Abdifatah Gedi is the latest in a long line of deadly attacks and threats on journalists in this year,” said Omar Faruk Osman, NUSOJ Secretary General.
“We call upon Puntland authorities to defend media freedom, by seeing that all attacks on journalists are investigated and the perpetrators held accountable for their crimes,” said Abdirisak Omar Ismail, NUSOJ Supreme Council President.

 
” We surprised how still Puntland administration didn’t take care rights of Journalists, because we are a ware of the many Journalists fled to Puntland with out security and we call the administration to keep the security of journalists said Abdiweli Hassan Gooni, NUSOJ Coordinator of Puntland.

 
The attempt t the life of Abdifatah Gedi comes one day after Abdi Jeylani Malaq, known as Marshaale, who worked for Universal TV as a television actor and producer, was murdered in Mogadishu.