Somali officials asked to release jailed radio station chief in semiautonomous Puntland region

NAIROBI, Kenya – NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — The head of a radio station in Somalia's semiautonomous region of Puntland is calling on officials to release a jailed radio station manager.

Reporter Abdifatah Jama Mire was sentenced to six years in jail on Saturday after being arrested Friday and charged with supporting terrorists and inciting violence. Mire is the head of station that had interviewed the leader of a militia that has battled government forces recently.

Mohamed Muse Ahmed, the executive director of Horseed Media, said Monday that interviewing a person, even a militant, does not constitute supporting terrorists or inciting violence.

Reporters Without Borders said the jail sentence constitutes a "flagrant and deliberate" violation of press freedoms.