Somali journalist arrested after story on rape

Police in Somalia have arrested a journalist who wrote a story about a woman who said she was raped by government security forces, prompting an outcry from groups supporting human rights and media freedom.

Human Rights Watch is demanding the immediate release of Somali journalist Abdiaziz Abdinur Ibrahim, a freelance journalist who was arrested by police on Thursday after interviewing the woman. The woman who said she was raped was also briefly arrested and questioned by police before being released.

Tom Rhodes of the Committee to Protect Journalists said it is not a crime to interview someone, whether the allegations are true or false.

Rape is rampant in Mogadishu, where tens of thousands of people who fled last year's famine live in poorly protected camps. The government troops are often blamed.

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