Islamist group frees journo
2009-04-20 12:16
Mogadishu - Somalia's hardline Islamist group Shebab has released a journalist arrested last week and accused of "spreading false information" about the group, colleagues said on Monday.
Muhidin Hassan Mohamed, correspondent for the private Shabelle radio, was arrested on Thursday, a few hours after the broadcast of a report alleging that Shebab fighters were extorting money from local people at roadblocks around Baidoa, 250 kilometres northwest of the capital.
He was let out of prison on Sunday, but remained under house arrest, after offering a forced admission regarding mistakes in his report, according to a colleague who requested anonymity.
Muktar Mohamed Hirabe, director of the Shabelle radio station, confirmed the release.
"We warn journalists that spread baseless information that they will be sent to prison," Sheikh Hassan Derow, a Shebab leader, said at a press conference after Mohamed's release.
Somalia has been gripped by civil war since 1991, and is one of the most dangerous countries in the world for journalists, according to media watchdogs.