On 21 August 2006, gunmen killed the driver of a car carrying three members of the National Union of Somali journalists (NUSOJ) from the southern city of Baidoa to Mogadishu on 4 August.
Three gunmen killed Madey Garas in an ambush as he drove NUSOJ Secretary General Omar Faruk Osman, two other NUSOJ officials and their two bodyguards to the Somali capital.
The human rights defenders encountered a checkpoint manned by three armed men about 45 km from Baidoa – the seat of the weak interim Somali government. According to the human rights defenders, there is no recognized authority in the region so the car did not stop. As they passed the checkpoint, the NUSOJ bodyguards took out their guns and the three gunmen opened fired on the car; killing the driver immediately
NUSOJ official, Fahad Mohamed Abukar was slightly injured in the exchange of fire that ensued between the men at the checkpoint and the bodyguards. The three gunmen eventually fled.
The union officials had been on their way to a meeting with members of the Supreme Islamic Courts council. The supreme Islamic Courts Council controls Mogadishu and much of southern Somalia.
The NUSOJ was set up in 2002 in Mogadishu to defend journalists and press freedom countrywide. Members of the NUSOJ have been frequently targeted by members of the militia in Somalia due to their work reporting on human right abuses and protecting journalists.
The union reports on urgent cases, by investigating alleged abuses and alerting international organizations and media, as well as writing reports on media conditions in a country ruled by warlords and Islamic militants.
The NUSOJ has also trained up to 25 members of “Press Freedom Protectors”, which is a mechanism whereby members collect information about attacks and persecution of national and international journalists, which is then brought to the attention of the national authorities. This process has been supported by international media organizations.
Journalists are frequently targeted in Somalia – in 2006 they have been victims of murder, arbitrary arrests by authorities, death threats, unfair trials, physical violence and ill treatment, and other forms of harassment.
Omar Faruk Osman and Mohamed Barre Haji, President of the Supreme Council of the NUSOJ, were previously attacked in September 2005, when unidentified militiamen threatened them. Following this they went into exile for a short period.