Somali Military Court Acquits Radio Journalist Mohamed Abdiwahab Nuur

In response to a Somali military court’s decision Wednesday to acquit radio journalist Mohamed Abdiwahab Nuur of charges of murder and being a member of the militant group Al-Shabaab, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement:

“We are glad that the military court affirmed Mohamed Abdiwahab Nuur’s innocence of trumped-up charges after nearly five months of unjust detention, and we welcome his freedom,” said CPJ sub-Saharan Africa Representative Muthoki Mumo. “Authorities should now provide guarantees that Mohamed can live and practice journalism free from state harassment.”

Mohamed, also known as Abuuja, was detained on March 7 by Somalia’s national intelligence agency and held without contact with his family after officials accused him of murder and being a member of Al-Shabaab, according to CPJ’s reporting.

Mohamed, an editor with the privately-owned Radio Hiigsi, was tried in a military court on August 3, and today the military court acquitted him of all charges, according to his lawyer, Dahir Mohamed Ali, and Somali Journalists Syndicate secretary-general Abdalle Ahmed Mumin, both of whom spoke to CPJ via messaging application, and news reports.