Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps his Department is taking to help support a credible investigation by authorities in Somalia into the shooting of journalist Ahmed Omar Nur.

The UK welcomes the arrest of the two soldiers allegedly involved in the shooting of Ahmed Omar Nur and calls for a thorough investigation by the police. Freedom of expression is a fundamental human right and journalists must be allowed to do their jobs without fear and intimidation. The UK is defending media freedom in Somalia by supporting protection for Somali journalists, including by providing media training that focuses on improving relations between journalists and security forces. We continue to urge the new Somali Government to amend the 2020 Media Law to enable the media to report independently without risk of retribution.