A senior United States senator has criticized the Somaliland government’s stance on media freedom.
Senator Jim Risch a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee said the continued attacks on the media in Somaliland is eroding the democratic ideals the country has been building over the years.
Speaking just a day after the Somaliland government banned the British Broadcasting Corporation from the country, Senator Jim Risch who is one of the US leaders behind the effort to establish a relationship between Somaliland and the United States said that it is unacceptable to suppress the independent press.
In a tweet while reacting to the action against the BBC, the Senator said: “Somaliland can and should be a stronger partner to the US, which is why I proposed the bill examining ways to do that. But it is unacceptable for it to continue undermining press freedom especially as it tries to distinguish itself from the region on its democratic record.”
Media watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) also hit out at the Somaliland government for its action to ban BBC.
“The ban on the BBC in #Somaliland is completely arbitrary. RSF denounces an unprecedented decision and a grave escalation of the crackdown on journalists in the self-proclaimed independent state,” RSF stated in a tweet.
There has been a continued attack on the media in Somaliland over the last few months.
in April, several journalists were arrested as they reported on the protests at a prison facility in Hargeisa. They were incarcerated for several days. In June, some reporters were arrested while covering street protests called by the opposition leaders to push the government to hold presidential elections in November.
Journalists are now living in fear in Somaliland with political tensions also growing.
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