Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF) in a letter to Hassan Ali Khayre, Prime Minster of Somalia to express alarm at continuing harassment of journalists in Somalia by security agents, unidentified non-state actors and government officials that has long perpetuated a cycle of violence and fear, severely limiting the freedom of the press.

PPF Secretary General Owais Aslam Ali in his letter, urged the government of Somalia to ensure safety of media practitioners in Somalia and to hold to account those involved in violence against media professionals

According to National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ), between January 25 to April 1, 2017 there were five incidents of violence in which total eleven journalists and one media outlet were attacked in Somalia. The attacks included five incidents of physical assault and one incident of censorship.

Violations are part of a pattern of attacks that journalists in Somalia have had to endure over the years and this is the reason why the country has been described as one of the most dangerous places to practice journalism. Somali ranks at the top of Impunity Index, which spotlights countries where journalists are murdered regularly and their killers go unpunished.