Somaliland police arrests a pro-govt. journalist

Somaliland police in Hargeisa arrested a pro-government journalist, Mohamed Yusuf Bakayle, without a warrant of arrest. The arrest was confirmed by the Somaliland Journalists Association (SOLJA) yesterday, July 27.

The police apprehended the journalist at Summertime Restaurant late in the evening on Friday and he has been moved to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID).

SOLJA condemned the arrest which they claimed didn’t follow the legal procedures. “There was no warrant of arrest, and no one is aware of any allegation that could have warranted his arrest and detention,” said Yahye Hanas, Director of the Journalists Associations, on Twitter.

Reports from friends of the detained journalist surfaced online and indicated that he may have been arrested for a Facebook post criticizing a Djiboutian singer, Awale Aden, who is a friend to the son of the president of Somaliland.

Government and police are yet to make any statement regarding the arrest of this journalist.

Although the Somaliland Constitution clearly guarantees freedom of speech as well as that of the press, this would not be the first time a journalist is arrested or a media outlet is proscribed for disseminating information criticizing the government.

Earlier this year, Hargeisa Regional Court had placed a local newspaper called Foore on a publication proscription of one year.

Amnesty International condemns the prosecution of government critics

Over the past three months, authorities in Somaliland appeared to have stepped up their attack on dissenting voices by shutting down media houses, and arbitrarily arresting and prosecuting individuals perceived as critical of government policies and officials, Amnesty International said recently.

Joan Nyanyuki, Amnesty International Director for East Africa, the Horn and the Great Lakes pointed out that:

The increase in harassment and intimidation of government critics we are witnessing underscores the intolerance that the current government displays towards diverse opinions and their lack of regard for human rights protections.

“The authorities are using the vaguely worded, outdated criminal offenses in the penal code of 1962 to crackdown on freedom of expression. The problematic provisions in the penal code must be repealed and aligned with the constitution so that the authorities fully respect, protect, promote, and fulfill the freedom of expression in Somaliland,” Joan Nyanyuki ended on this note.