Reporters Without Borders condemns the deportation of journalist Jamal Othman from Puntland state

Reporters Without Borders condemns the deportation of journalist Jamal Othman from Puntland state

 Reporters Without Borders has condemned the decision of the Puntland regional state government to deport journalist Jamal Osman and another producer from Channel 4 International Television.

The organization said that the journalists went to Puntland to cover piracy problems and asked: “Do the Somali authorities have a grudge against Jamal Osman, a correspondent for Channel 4?” This is the second time that this journalist of Somali origin has been deported from Somalia during the past 14 months.

Jamal Osman and his companion were arrested when they landed at Growe Airport, the capital of Puntland, on February 18, and were returned to Britain the next morning, although they had a letter dated February 15, in which the Puntland Information Minister allowed them to come to the state.

Journalist Jamal Osman said that shortly after his arrest, he was taken to a hotel run by the Puntland Intelligence Agency, and then transferred to the agency's office where he was interrogated for about three hours. He said that Information Minister Mahmoud Aidid Durar tried to calm the situation, but he did not succeed in doing so, noting that he told him in a phone call that the order to arrest him came from the higher authorities in Puntland.