International

Al-Shabab journalist sentenced to death

Published

8 years ago

March 4, 2016

Authorities in Sudan have sentenced Hassan Hanafi a former journalist to death for the part he played in helping al-Shabab kill five other reporters.

Hassan was sentenced to death after assisting the Islamist militant group to identify and fish out potential targets many of whom where journalists between 2007 and 2011.

The AFP reports that when giving his verdict, the judge of the Somali military court Hassan Ali said evidence showed that Hassan “played key roles in the masterminding and execution of the murder of several journalists.

After working for Radio Andalus in the Somali capital of Mogadishu, Hassan enlisted as the mouthpiece for al-Shabab.
The BBC Somali’s Mohammud Ali says, “While he was working for al-Shabab, Hanafi would call up journalists and threaten them with death if they refused to join the militant group.”

According to the Committe to Protect Journalists, more than 25 journalists have been murdered in Somalia since 2007.

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