Somali al-Shabab journalist executed by firing squad

Hassan Hanafi Haji, a Somali journalist who helped al-Shabab kill five fellow reporters, was executed on Monday morning by firing squad.

The journalist, who had joined al-Shabab was convicted and sentenced to death on March 3, for ordering the murder of five of his fellow journalists between 2007 and 2010.

A Somali journalist who helped al-Shabab kill five fellow reporters has been executed by firing squad.
BBChttps://t.co/umbSUtajlU

— Chika Oduah (@chikaoduah) April 11, 2016

Hanafi was arrested in Nairobi by Kenyan authorities in August 2014, before he was handed over to Somali authorities on request, the same year.

He has previously been featured in an audiovisual document issued by the Somali government, having been involved in the murder of several journalists while working for Radio Andalus, al-Shabab’s mouthpiece in Somalia.

Somalia is considered one of the most dangerous countries in the world for media professionals. Since 2007, 47 Somali journalists have been murdered in the country.

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) places the country 172th out of 180 countries in its 2015 rankings of press freedom.