1.7.1. Journalists’ main syndicates, protection and remedies

There is a significant number of professional associations and trade unions that represent the interests of journalists in Somalia.701 Some indicative examples include the Federation of Somali Journalists (FESOJ), which is a national union of professional journalists in Somalia, with headquarters in Mogadishu and with a mandate to monitor, investigate and report violations of press freedom and human rights of journalists.702 Another organisation is the National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ), founded in 2002 as an association called Somali Journalists Network (SOJON) with the aim to promote and protect freedom of the press and the interests of journalists.703 NUSOJ monitors, investigates and provides information on violations of media freedom and journalists’ human rights. It also organises national solidarity actions with journalists who have been targeted.704 The Somali Journalists Syndicate (SJS) is described as an independent trade union of journalists that aims to protect their human rights.705 The SJS provides legal support to journalists in legal proceedings, as well as advocacy for legal reform.706 There are also women’s journalist associations, such as the Somali Women Journalists Rights Association (SOWJRA)707 and the Somali Media Women Association.708

In September 2020, a special prosecutor for crimes against journalists in Somalia was appointed by Somalia’s Attorney General, with a mandate to investigate and apprehend individuals who were involved in the killings and harassment against journalists.709 In September 2024, the International Press Institute (IPI) reiterated the request they had shared together with the Somali Journalists Syndicate (SJS) for accountability for the killings of journalists dating back to 2016 and highlighted that according to their research there had been no progress in these cases or any prosecutions.710

Following the Consultative Forum on the Safety and Security of Journalists held in Mogadishu in September 2022 organised by the National Union for Somali Journalists (NUSOJ), journalists in Somalia developed and adopted the National Action Plan (NAP) for the Safety of Journalists in Somalia, with the aim to create a safe working environment for journalists and address ‘impunity’ against journalists.711 The NAP is implemented at a federal level and is a multi-stakeholder initiative supported by the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS), different media houses, the Federal Government, UNESCO and the International Labor Organisation.712 No additional information on the implementation of the NAP could be found.