Hiiraan Online
Sunday, January 10, 2016
BOSSASO (HOL) – Unidentified attackers have beaten up and wounded a Somali journalist in northern Somalia on Friday, the latest in series of attacks against media workers in the horn of Africa nation.
Hussein Hassan Adde, a reporter for the Puntland TV based in Buhodle town is recovering from head injuries sustained during the attack at a hospital in Lasanod town.
Witnesses told local media that the unidentified men have beaten the reporter with woody sticks, metal objects, leaving him for dead.
“I received no complaint nor did I receive any death threats – I don’t know who to blame.” the reporter told local media from his hospital bed.
His mother Khadra Mohamed said that she was told that her son was lying dead, expressing relief to have found him responding and barely speaking before they took him to the hospital.
“My hope got restored when I saw him lying on the ground but moving and trying to sit up.” She said.
No group has claimed the responsibility for the attack which is seen as an assassination attempt against the journalist.
According a recent CPJ report, Somalia is the most dangerous places media workers operate. Dozens of journalists have been killed in the past few years, forcing many to flee the horn of Africa nation where political parties vying for Somali politics, government and militants are often blamed for journalists’ deaths.
CPJ says 30 journalists have been killed with impunity in the last 10 years alone. Very few perpetrators have been so far been charged with the cold-blood murders which sent shockwaves across media industry.