Legal Action Against Minister and Ministry of Information, Posts, Telecommunication of Transitional Federal Government of Somalia

MOGADISHU, Somalia, January 31, 2012/African Press Organization (APO)/ -- The Executive Committee (EC) of the National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) is dismayed and perturbed by the statements made by the Minister of Information, Posts and Telecommunications of Transitional Federal Government Abdulkadir Hussein Mohamed through a press Release Referenced: 14/PR/CO/12 with respect to NUSOJ's annual report on the state of press freedom in Somalia.

The said Press Release by the Minister of Information, Posts and Telecommunications of Transitional Federal Government is unfounded, baseless marred with malice, lacks an iota of truth and amounts to defamation.

National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) is an independent body of professionals comprising of principled Journalists who are committed to the universal ideals and virtues of Journalism. The Union and its members have not instigated any claim against its current legitimate officials and in furtherance to the latter, there is no pending case filed by the union against any official of the union for misappropriation of funds or for any allegations whatsoever.

NUSOJ is a reputable and respected journalist movement that fights for the rights of journalists, press freedom, freedom of expression and labour rights of media workers. The union and its legitimate leadership is a recognized and respected entity, which is collaborated and cooperated by the international journalists' community, regional journalists' community, freedom of expression society and trade union movements.

The Executive Committee (EC) categorically states that the top officials of the union are an integral, respectable, honourable officials and members of the Union. No official has been involved in any wrong nor has he been indicted for any offence in a court of law of competent jurisdiction. Moreover there are no Orders originating from Somalia or any part of the globe barring their movements. The Legitimate leaders of the union are law-abiding citizens, patriotic and loyal to their country, the Rule of Law and to fundamental human rights and liberties. Furthermore the entire leadership of the union is committed to see justice administered to all and to unearth all forms of human right violations by any State and non-State actor.

Even after being beseeched, the Minister of Information, Posts and Telecommunications of Transitional Federal Government Abdulkadir Hussein Mohamed and the relevant Ministry have failed to apologize, retract their defamatory statements and remarks or by owning up the commission of the tort; NUSOJ is therefore filing a legal action for defamation against the Minister and the Ministry holding them responsible jointly and severally for any resultant accrued expenses.

The Minister and the Ministry are the first official and institution within the Transitional federal Government (TFG) ever taken to court of law. Subsequently there to, NUSOJ as a union is solemnly grateful for its partners in helping wage this legal battle against the Minister and the Ministry who have been waging relentless war against the union and its officials so that they destroy and dismantle the union.