Tuesday, August 13, 2013
Abdalle Ahmed Mumin was born in Kismayo, Somalia in 1984 and got a bachelor's degree in social sciences from the University of Somalia in the capital Mogadishu. Before beginning his media career, he worked as an English teacher and youth activist. In 2001, he began writing articles for a local newspaper, mainly focusing on social affairs. He also spent time working at several radio stations.
Today Mumin is a freelance journalist based in the capital and passionately involved in activism around media freedom and human rights.
His photograph was taken at a protest held by Somali journalists against the detention and killing of their colleagues. The reporters stand or sit with strips of tape across their mouths, on which they have drawn a large X. The demonstration followed the arrest of a reporter who interviewed a woman raped by government forces. Police officials had claimed the interview was "false" and aimed only to discredit government institutions. In 2012, 18 journalists were killed in Somalia while more than 28 were wounded, making the country one of the most dangerous places on earth to work in the media.
