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| A murdered Journalist being buried in Somalia |
Police in Somalia have stormed the
Mogadishu headquarters of the independent radio station, Shabelle, forcing it
off the air.
The authorities said they were taking back possession of the
building, which belonged to the government.
The radio station is well known for being critical of senior
officials.
The move is the latest in a series of attacks on independent
journalists by the government and the Islamist group, al-Shabab, media
activists say.
The station had previously been ordered to leave the building.
Radio Shabelle reported on its website that police forced their
way into the studio and beat journalists.
Witnesses told the AFP news agency that radio employees were
seen being loaded into trucks.
A police officer said that the raid had "nothing to do with
Radio Shabelle's current activities," the agency reported.
The Somali interior ministry says that the building housing
Radio Shabelle was previously occupied by the national airline, and so should
revert to the government.
Radio Shabelle says it was occupying the building, which is near
Mogadishu's airport and in a secure area, legally after an agreement with the
previous government.
The Reporters Without Borders organisation, which campaigns for
freedom of information and helps journalists, says journalists working in
Somalia face "extreme dangers".
Eighteen journalists were killed in Somalia in 2012 alone, the
organisation says, and 10 Radio Shabelle journalists have been murdered since
2007.
Reporters Without Borders gave its annual international press
freedom award to Radio Shabelle in 2010.
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