International Press Institute
Saturday May 28, 2022
The IPI global network calls for the immediate and
unconditional release of Somaliland journalists Mohamed Adbi Sheikh Mohamed of
MM Somali TV and Adijabar Mohamed Hussein of Horncable. The two journalists
were sentenced to 16-month prison terms on May 23 by a court in Hargeisa for
reporting on a prison fight at Hargeisa Central Prison.
On April 13, 2022, Mohamed and Hussein were among 15
journalists arrested and detained for reporting on a prison fight at Hargeisa
Central Prison in the capital of Somaliland, a self-governing but unrecognized
state. On April 19, 12 of the journalists were released but Mohamed, Hussein,
and Abdirahman Ali Khalif of Gobonimo TV remained in detention. In court
proceedings on May 23, 2022, Khalif was acquitted while Mohamed and Hussein
were sentenced to 16 months each in prison.
The court found the duo guilty of the ‘’publication of false
news’’ under Section 215 of the Somaliland Penal Code which covers “Subversive
or Anti-National Propaganda” and Section 328 of the same code on “Publication
or Circulation of False, Exaggerated, or Tendentious News Capable of Disturbing
Public Order”.
The basis upon which the two journalists were charged and
eventually sentenced remains unclear. In a statement, Abdalle Ahmed Mumin,
secretary-general of the Somali Journalists Syndicate (SJS), said the case
intends to “cause fear and send a chilling signal to the journalists’
community”. The Human Rights Center in Somaliland said “the actions taken by
the journalists do not reflect the crime they are allegedly accused of” and
“the judgment far exceeds the scope of their actions while at that prison where
the reporting took place”.
“Authorities in Somaliland should release Mohamed and
Hussein immediately and refrain from using the law to silence critical
journalism”, IPI Deputy Director Scott Griffen said. “The role of independent
media is essential to democracy. The Somaliland government must ensure press
freedom, and allow journalists to do their work without fear of legal
harassment.”
These latest imprisonments of journalists follow several
cases this year where different courts in Somaliland sentenced journalists to
prison. On March 28, Ahmed Jama Hersi was sentenced to one year in prison after
he was arrested over a critical publication on Facebook. Abdimalik Muse Coldon
was handed a two-year jail sentence on May 23 for propaganda- and
insult-related offences.