A/HRC/10/85 page 15 • In Merca, three unidentified gunmen allegedly attacked an NGO vehicle on 15 October, killing the driver and injuring three staff. • In ICU-controlled Belet Weyne, the Chairman of the Hiran Regional Council of elders, Dacar Hersi Hoshow, was killed on 7 October by two unknown gunmen. The incident led to violent street demonstrations and closure of businesses in town. • In December, after the announcement of the withdrawal of Ethiopian troops, at least four women were killed by unknown gunmen for allegedly having had relationships with Ethiopian soldiers. 47. Freedom of expression: Journalists in all parts of Somalia, including “Puntland” and “Somaliland”, continued to face severe threats and intimidation by the authorities and by armed opposition groups. In South Central region, the parties to the conflict apparently try to stop the press from reporting anything that might be perceived harmful to their interest or favourable to their opponents. Authorities in Hargeisa apparently resort to administrative measures as well as arbitrary arrests and detentions to obstruct the work of the journalists and there were some instances affecting journalists in Garowe prior to the elections. 48. The 2008 annual report of the National Union of Journalists of Somalia (NUSOJ) stressed that, despite the decrease in killings of journalists in Somalia in 2008 compared to the previous year, Southern Somalia still remains the most dangerous area for journalists to work independently. Two journalists were murdered with complete impunity in Kismayo. The murder of the vice-president of NUSOJ, Naster Dahir Farah, shocked all the media workers in Somalia. In “Somaliland”, 30 journalists and media staff reportedly were arrested and released without trial. More than 30 journalists received death threats, in many cases, by individuals allegedly acting with the consent of politicians. 49. Sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV): Traditionally, these violations are seldom reported. However, Somali NGOs working with SGBV-victims indicated to the United Nations that this type of violence occurs on a daily basis by different controlling authorities, as part of the conflict, e.g. during cordon and search operations, or in other circumstances, often in IDP camps. Women and young girls are doubly affected, since they have no effective justice and support system to turn to and the traditional conflict resolution mechanisms at the clan level do not provide them with the necessary protection. This is because SGBV is treated more as a civil dispute than a criminal matter in Somalia. 50. A gruesome example of SGBV is the stoning to death of a young, allegedly teenaged, woman, on 27 October, at the Veko stadium in Kismayo, which was covered internationally in media. She was given a death sentence by the local court for adultery in application of sharia law. The victim, who had been raped by three men allegedly linked to the ICU, was reported to be mentally ill. During the public execution, two onlookers, including one child, were reportedly killed and three injured, when a police officer opened fire. The two other victims had tried reportedly to stop the stoning.