Ross Hynes, High Commissioner for Canada to Somalia (Kenya)
Canadian High Commission
P.O. Box 1013
00621 - Nairobi, Kenya

August 13, 2007

Dear High Commissioner,

I am writing on behalf of Canadian Journalists for Free Expression (CJFE), a non-profit, non-governmental organization that works to promote and protect press freedom and freedom of expression around the world.

CJFE is saddened to hear of the death of two prominent Somali journalists, Mahad Ahmed Elmi and Ali Sharmarke, on August 11, 2007.

Mahad Ahmed Elmi, the host of a popular radio show for the radio station HornAfrik, was shot and killed early in the morning on his way to work. Ali Sharmarke, one of the three founders of HornAfrik, was killed in a car bombing as he was leaving Elmi's burial later that day.

HornAfrik, the first independent radio network in Somalia, provides coverage and access to international and domestic exposure unavailable through other Somali media. Since it opened in 1999, it has faced constant intimidation for criticizing both the government and Islamic militants in Somalia.

In 2002, Sharmarke and his founding colleagues, Ahmed Abdisalam Adan and Mohamed Elmi, were awarded the International Press Freedom Award by CJFE. All three men fled Somalia in the early 1990s to come to Canada as refugees, but later returned to start HornAfrik. The award recognized the radio station for its work in the face of intimidation and threats in a society where there is no one to protest to and no protection of press freedom.

Already this year six journalists have been killed in Somalia, making it the most deadly country for journalists in Africa. CJFE calls on the Kenyan government to urge the government of Somalia to make the safety of journalists its top priority and conduct a thorough investigation into both these murders.

Yours Sincerely,

Arnold Amber, CJFE President
Cc: Peter MacKay, Minister of Foreign Affairs