Somalia Press Lobbies Raise Concern Over Proposed Information Bill

Tuesday August 20 2024

The Lower House of Somalia’s Parliament in a session in Mogadishu. Lobbies have expressed concern about the Official Information Bill (OIB), which has already been approved by the Council of Ministers and sent to the Federal Parliament for approval. PHOTO | COURTESY

By ABDULKADIR KHALIF

Press freedom lobbies are expressing concern over Somalia's proposed new information law, which they say will hamper their work.

The Official Information Bill (OIB), which has already been approved by the Council of Ministers and sent to the Federal Parliament for approval, is designed to control the dissemination of information to the public. But lobbies say there has been no consultation to get their input accepted.

The National Union of Journalists (Nusoj), along with the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), Reporters Without Borders (RSF), the African Freedom of Information Centre (Afic) and the Federation of African Journalists (FAJ), warned in a statement that the bill threatens to undermine the country's democratic foundations.

They argue that it contains proposals that will restrict access to information and hamper the work of journalists in investigating and holding government officials to account, a duty they say is protected by Somalia's constitution and international human rights standards.

They also argue that the law will undermine transparency by shielding government officials from explaining decisions.

The lobbyists want the Somali government to withdraw the bill so that it can be fully reviewed by relevant stakeholders to ensure that the law promotes transparency and is in line with the African Union Model Law on Access to Information.

“The Bill introduces overly broad and vague exemptions on confidentiality that effectively obstruct access to critical information, without clear harm or public interest tests,” the proclamation stated.

“These exemptions unjustifiably limit the flow of information, violating the public's right to know.”

The government has argued that the law is necessary to prevent state secrets from being leaked to the public, particularly in relation to plans to counter the threat posed by al-Shabaab. It also argues that it needs to restrict the sources of government information to ensure that important documents do not fall into the wrong hands.

However, advocacy groups argued that the bill was drafted in secret, without public or stakeholder consultation, which they say calls into question the legitimacy of the proposed law and risks fostering a culture of secrecy within Somalia's public sector, potentially leading to corruption.

“This clandestine approach not only undermines the bill’s legitimacy and national support but also risks entrenching a culture of secrecy within Somalia’s public institutions and enabling corruption to flourish if it is adopted,” the media promoters stressed.

The bill was seen as vague and lacking in clear definitions, especially the provisions outlining national security.

“The Bill’s ambiguous definitions allow these provisions to be exploited as a pretext for withholding information, posing a significant threat to transparency and public accountability,” it was stated.

“This could easily be misused to shield government activities from scrutiny, eroding the fundamental right to information and enabling potential abuses of power.

The warning about the lack of world-standard legislation comes as Somalia remains one of the most dangerous places in the world to work as a journalist and for media houses to operate.

For more than three decades, dozens of journalists and reporters have been killed in the course of their work, media houses have been looted or closed, and many have had to flee Somalia for their safety.