MOGADISHU, Somalia 20 September – Veteran Somali journalist Mohamed Aweys Muudey, who fled his homeland seeking refuge, was killed on Friday night, 18 September, in Darmstadt, a town in Germany’s South Hesse region, after suffering fatal stab wounds, the Somali Journalists Syndicate (SJS) said, citing a police statement.
A joint statement issued by the Darmstadt Public Prosecutor’s Office and the South Hesse Police Headquarters said Mohamed Aweys Muudey, 68, an asylum seeker from Somalia, was attacked with a knife inside his communal accommodation. Authorities said a 28-year-old suspect has been arrested and remains in police custody.
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Muudey had left Somalia in pursuit of safety and protection, only for his life to end in a violent attack abroad. His killing has drawn renewed attention to the vulnerability of journalists who continue to face risks even after going into exile.
Before reaching Germany, he spent several years imprisoned in Ethiopia, where he had been arrested in 2014 while seeking protection. He was later pardoned.
Muudey was widely regarded as a veteran journalist in sports and music coverage, remembered in particular for his live reporting on Somalia’s inter-regional tournaments during the 1980s. Before the civil war, he worked for the state-owned Radio Mogadishu.
During the early 1990s and again in the late 2000s, Muudey worked with Radio Banadir, among the first independent radio stations in Mogadishu. Colleagues told SJS that he later fled Somalia and sought asylum in Germany.
“We are saddened and shocked by the news of the killing of journalist Mohamed Aweys Muudey, popularly known as Boqorka Bartamaha, in Darmstadt, Germany, on Friday night. We mourn his death and extend our condolences to Muudey’s family following this shocking and violent death. “The stabbing of Muudey in Germany, one of the safest countries in Europe, reminds us that journalists are not necessarily safe even when they are in exile,” said SJS President Mohamed Ibrahim.
“As the Darmstadt Police and the Darmstadt Public Prosecutor’s Office have announced a full investigation into the case, we urge the authorities to conduct a thorough and transparent investigation into the circumstances surrounding Muudey’s death and to ensure that justice is served,” added Mr. Mohamed.
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