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FREE JOURNALIST JAILED FOR COVERING PROTESTS

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Free journalist jailed for covering protests

Kilwe Adan Farah, a freelance journalist, has been in detention in the Puntland regional state of Somalia since 27 December 2020, when he was arrested after covering protests against government mismanagement of the local currency. He was charged with five offences, including “publication of false news and bringing the nation or the state into contempt”. Five days later, on 3 March, he was sentenced by a military court to three months in jail, despite the court noting that no evidence was presented before it to prove any of the allegations. The authorities must drop all the baseless charges against Kilwe Adan Farah and immediately and unconditionally release him.

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Authorities in Somalia’s Puntland regional state have escalated their crackdown against journalists, including intimidation and arrests, as the country heads towards presidential and parliamentary elections. Kilwe Adan Farah, and 3 other journalists -Ahmed Botan Arab, Abdifatah Abdullahi Farah and Ahmed Botan - have been arbitrarily arrested in Puntland’s capital Garowe and the sea-side town of Bosaso in the past two and a half months in what is a worrying development for media freedom in the region as the country inches towards an election, which has been delayed.

Amnesty International has previously reported on violations of freedom of expression and media freedom in south central Somalia. As the country prepares for its upcoming elections, it is important for the authorities at both regional and federal levels to protect, promote and respect freedom of expression and media freedom.

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Somalia: US must not abandon civilian victims of its air strikes after troop withdrawal

07 Dec 2020, 05:11pm

Map showing confirmed cases of US airstrikes that have killed and injured civilians in Somalia from April 2017 to March 2020 © Amnesty International/Basemap sources: HOTOSM, UNDP

Amnesty warns troop withdrawal does not necessarily mean end to military action US has carried out dozens of air strikes each year, killing and wounding civilians The US military must not wash its hands of its international legal obligations towards civilian victims of US air strikes in Somalia, Amnesty International said, following a Pentagon announcement that troops will be removed by January 2021. Following weeks of speculation about the change in policy, the US Department of Defence issued a press release on 4 December saying US Africa Command (AFRICOM) would: “reposition the majority of

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US military confirms civilian casualties from shadowy war in Somalia

27 Apr 2020, 04:48pm

The US Africa Command (AFRICOM) has acknowledged the killing of two Somali civilians and the injury of three others in an air strike. Amnesty International today said this acknowledgement was a “welcome glimmer of transparency” as it called for accountability and reparation for the victims and their families. In its first quarterly Civilian Casualty Assessment Quarterly Report, AFRICOM reviewed 91 air strikes it carried out in Somalia between 1 February 2019 and 31 March 2020. Out of 27 alleged civilian casualty incidents in that period the report “closes” 20 incidents and leaves seven open

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Somalia: fresh evidence of US airstrikes killing civilians

31 Mar 2020, 11:59pm

Map showing confirmed cases of US airstrikes that have killed and injured civilians in Somalia from April 2017 to March 2020 © Amnesty International/Basemap sources: HOTOSM, UNDP

Teenager and 53-year-old farmer latest civilian casualties in USA’s secret air war More than double number of airstrikes so far this year compared to 2019 AFRICOM ‘doesn’t seem to care about the fate of the numerous families it has completely torn apart’ - Deprose Muchena Two recent US airstrikes in Somalia killed two civilians - and injured three more, with US military forces failing to investigate the deaths and instead describing the victims as “terrorists”, revealed Amnesty International today. Amnesty is calling on the US military to acknowledge the possibility of civilian deaths from the

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Somalia: journalists 'under siege' in spate of killings and censorship during Farmajo presidency - new report

13 Feb 2020, 03:39pm

Journalists shot dead by police and killed in car bomb attacks, others have been forced to flee the country Amnesty International concerned about suppression of media freedom ahead of this year’s elections ‘From barely surviving explosive-wired cars, being shot, beaten up and arbitrarily arrested, journalists are working in horrifying conditions’ - Deprose Muchena A surge in violent attacks, threats, harassment and intimidation of media workers is making Somalia one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a journalist, Amnesty International said today. In a new report – “We live in

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Somalia: three victims of US airstrike were farmers not Al-Shabaab - new investigation

01 Oct 2019, 01:00am

Three men hit in their vehicle as they were returning home from their fields US has labelled men ‘Al-Shabaab terrorists’ without providing evidence Killings part of an airstrike surge under Trump, which has seen at least 131 US drone and manned aircraft attacks in Somalia ‘No thought is given to the civilian victims or the plight of their grieving families left behind’ - Abdullahi Hassan An investigation by Amnesty International has revealed that three men killed in a US military airstrike in Somalia in March after being targeted as “Al-Shabaab terrorists” were in fact civilian farmers with no

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Urgent Action: Detained critics must be released

Between 17 April and 1 May, Somaliland authorities arbitrarily arrested and detained 3 people for social media comments.

UA 90/19 issued 27/06/2019

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US: Department of Defense must investigate civilian casualties caused by airstrikes

02 May 2019, 03:06pm

Responding to the United States Department of Defense report to Congress on civilian casualties from US military operations, Daphne Eviatar, the Director of Security With Human Rights at Amnesty International USA, said: “The latest report is a welcome step for accountability for civilian casualties as a result of US operations, but many more are required, to both acknowledge the full scale of the damage and for the survivors still struggling with the aftermath. “The Department of Defense unfortunately still significantly undercounts civilian casualties caused by US-led operations, as

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USA must 'lift veil of secrecy' on civilian deaths from airstrikes - Congress reporting deadline tomorrow

30 Apr 2019, 12:57pm

Congress 1 May reporting deadline looming Recent research shows more than 1,600 deaths in Raqqa and at least 14 in Somalia from US-led operations ‘We hope to finally see an honest assessment of the devastating impact that US lethal strikes have had’ - Daphne Eviatar Ahead of tomorrow’s 1 May deadline for the United States Department of Defense to report back to Congress on civilian casualties from US military operations, Daphne Eviatar, the Director of Security With Human Rights at Amnesty International USA, said: “We hope to finally see an honest assessment of the devastating impact that US

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USA makes first admission over civilian deaths in airstrikes in Somalia

05 Apr 2019, 06:02pm

US had previously denied there had been any civilians deaths after 100-plus attacks against al-Shabaab targets in past two years ‘We still need new investigation procedures and all cases of civilian casualties we have documented re-investigated’ - Daphne Eviatar Responding to an admission by the USA’s Africa Command (AFRICOM) acknowledging that a US airstrike on 1 April 2018 killed two civilians in Somalia, Daphne Eviatar, Amnesty International USA’s Security With Human Rights Director, said: “AFRICOM’s acknowledgement of civilian casualties is an important step forward from their previous

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