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Mogadishu,(insidesomalia.org)-After several hours in Somali government’s detention center four journalists work for Local Fm radio called “ voice of peace” have been freed on Thursday night-editor said
The journalists were detained after a number of soldiers from TFG have stormed into their radio station where there they have been arrested.
The soldiers have also suddenly ordered that radio to be shut down.
After he regained his freedom the news editor of Voice of peace radio Shafi’iMohyadin has told Sabelle that they have been freed with an order from Somali police commander-in-chief Abdi Hassan Awale.
Clutching AK-47 rifles, three policemen stormed into the newsroom of Mogadishu-based Radio Voice of Peace, the station's director Mohamed Ali Irole told Reuters.
"They ordered the staff to close down the radio," he said.
President Abdullahi Yusuf's interim government -- Somalia's 14th attempt at restoring central rule since the 1991 fall of a dictator -- accuses most local radio stations of siding with Islamists waging a bloody insurgency against it.
Since relocating to Mogadishu at the start of 2007, the government has raided and temporarily closed most of the nine privately owned radio stations in Mogadishu at some point.
Station owners say the administration is muzzling the press.
"They raided us because last night we reported live on the fighting between insurgents and the police around K4 area," Irole said, referring to a clash in Mogadishu.
"I suspect that is the only reason why we were raided and five of our staff including the news editor were arrested."
Officials were unavailable for comment.
On Thursday, Islamist fighters killed two policemen in heavy fighting in Mogadishu, and shot dead another in the south-central town of Baidoa, seat of the Somali parliament, witnesses said.
Source: Shabelle Media Network
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