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Friday, June 19, 2015

Amazing news of the arrest of Ali Omar Ader, AKA Adan the Somali criminal involved in my kidnapping. Finally Justice will be served! #Karma
— Nigel Brennan (@thedirtyhostage) June 12, 2015
It’s incredibly difficult to achieve justice in cases where journalists are kidnapped by militant groups, as these organizations often operate in countries where the rule of law is weak, if not non-existent. Somalia is fairly exemplary of this condition; the country ranked second on the Committee to Protect Journalists’ 2014 Impunity Index, which measures the frequency with which journalists’ murders go unpunished in countries around the world. Of 27 journalists who have been killed in Somalia since 2005, there has only been one conviction.
The arrest of one of the suspects in Amanda Lindhout’s kidnapping is an important step towards ending impunity in this case; however, Ali Omar Ader did not act alone, and Somalia remains one of the most dangerous countries in the world for journalists. It ranks 172nd out of 180 countries listed on Reporters Without Borders’ 2015 World Press Freedom Index.
CJFE urges the Somali government to take concrete steps towards creating an improved climate for press freedom in the country, as well as ending impunity for crimes against journalists.
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- • CJFE welcomes release of Canadian journalist Amanda Lindhout and Australian Nigel Brennan
- • CJFE marks one-year anniversary of journalists' kidnapping in Somalia
- • CJFE calls for the release of journalists in Somalia
Alexandra Zakreski is CJFE’s International Programs Coordinator.
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