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Militants imprison radio journalist

A Somali radio journalist was seized on 21 February by Al-Shabaab militants, report the National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ), the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and other IFEX members.

Ali Yusuf Adan, a correspondent for Radio Somaliweyn in the southern region of Wanlaweyn, was arrested by Al-Shabaab and is being held in prison in the coastal town of Merca. Adan was arrested shortly after he filed a story about Al-Shabaab militants who killed a man because he was late for mandatory prayer.

Al-Shabaab has regularly targeted journalists using censorship and edicts to control the flow of information, forcing many into exile, reports NUSOJ. But other journalists are still working under these harsh conditions. Al-Shabaab has also forced at least five broadcasters off the air in recent months and banned music across southern Somalia, says CPJ.