Hargeisa (SD) – Members of Somaliland’s civil society organizations met today in Hargeisa to discuss the situation facing independent media freedoms.

The meeting of the civil society organizations was held at the headquarters of the Somaliland Journalists Association (Solja), items discussed included the government’s recent shutdown of some media outlets and the growing crackdown on independent media.

At the end of the meeting, the chairman of Solja Mohamud Abdi Jama Huto. issued a statement addressing the meeting of civil society organizations, outlining three points of agreement.

The chairman of Solja said in a press release:

Members of the country’s civil society organizations meeting at the SOLJA office today issued a joint statement on the state of media freedom in the Republic of Somaliland.

The members of the civil society organizations agreed on these three points.

1. The Supreme Court to review its decision of both Universal TV and Star TV.
2. The release of Abdirahman Yusuf, the owner of Astan TV, who was illegally detained and is been held in an inappropriate place for 10 days, and to expedite the hearing of his case, which the Marodi-jeex Regional Court this morning order to postpone his case for seven days.