Omar Faruk Osman, the Secretary General of National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ), has asked Twitter to “monitor Somalia elections closely.”
NUSOJ’s Secretary General made this request on January 9, 2021 while responding to the decision by Twitter to suspend President Donald Trump from the platform permanently.
On Saturday, the world woke up to news that Twitter had thrown Trump out of its platform.
Twitter said that its decision was informed by the fact that President Trump would continue inciting American voters to violence if allowed to continue posting on the platform.
Osman commended the decision by Twitter.
The Secretary General said, “Free speech and free expression are non-negotiable rights and vital factors in any elections.”
Nevertheless, he said that “hate speech and incitement to violence” do not constitute free expression.
For this reason, the NUSOJ Secretary General urged Twitter to keep a close eye on elections in the East African country.
Currently, Somalia is caught up in a compelling electioneering period.