RWB condemns the targeted killing of independent Somali journalist, Yusuf Keynan

Reporters Without Borders strongly condemns the targeted murder of Somali independent journalist Yusuf Keynan in Mogadishu on 21 June. Police said he was killed by a bomb placed under the seat of his car that was triggered by remote control. Kenyan worked for privately-owned Radio Mustaqbal and for Ergo, a UN humanitarian radio station based in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi. Somali organizations that defend journalists denounced his murder and urged the authorities to bring those responsible to justice. The UN’s Special Representative for Somalia, Nicholas Kay, also deplored “the killing of another young, talented Somali journalist” and urged the government to act quickly to identify the perpetrators and bring them to account. “Media workers must be able to conduct their important work in a safe and secure environment," he said. In the absence of any claim of responsibility, investigators cannot rule out the possibility that Keynan was killed by the Islamist militia Al-Shabaab, which has stepped up its attacks in Kenya and Somalia of late. Somalia is ranked 176th out of 180 countries in the 2014 Reporters Without Borders press freedom index. (photo : REUTERS/Feisal Omar)