Somalia: Shabelle journalists arrested

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has condemned in the strongest terms possible the arrest and continued detention without charge of the director of Shabelle Media Network, Abdirashid Omar Qase and the station's news editor, Abdi Mohammed Ismail who were taken into custody by members of the National Security Agency of the Transitional Federal Government (TFG). The journalists were arrested on Sunday, 27 March 2011, in relation to a story that was aired concerning the failure of the President, Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed, to tour areas captured from the extremists group, Al-Shabaab.