<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss version="2.0" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/" xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" xmlns:sy="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/syndication/" xmlns:slash="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/slash/" xmlns:georss="http://www.georss.org/georss" xmlns:geo="http://www.w3.org/2003/01/geo/wgs84_pos#" > <channel> <title>Somaliland Human Rights – Somaliland.com</title> <atom:link href="https://www.somaliland.com/tag/somaliland-human-rights/feed/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" /> <link>https://www.somaliland.com</link> <description>News and Info About Somaliland and The Horn of African Countries: Djibouti, Somalia, Ethiopia, Kenya and Eritrea</description> <lastBuildDate>Mon, 08 Jul 2019 09:59:13 +0000</lastBuildDate> <language>en-US</language> <sy:updatePeriod> hourly </sy:updatePeriod> <sy:updateFrequency> 1 </sy:updateFrequency> <generator>https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.1</generator> <image> <url>https://i0.wp.com/www.somaliland.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/cropped-Flag_of_Somaliland.svg.png?fit=32%2C32&ssl=1</url> <title>Somaliland Human Rights – Somaliland.com</title> <link>https://www.somaliland.com</link> <width>32</width> <height>32</height> </image> <site xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">152653665</site> <item> <title>Hargeisa court sentences a popular journalist, Abdimalik Oldon, for three & half years in prison</title> <link>https://www.somaliland.com/news/somaliland/hargeisa-court-sentences-a-popular-journalist-abdimalik-oldon-for-three-half-years-in-prison/</link> <comments>https://www.somaliland.com/news/somaliland/hargeisa-court-sentences-a-popular-journalist-abdimalik-oldon-for-three-half-years-in-prison/#comments</comments> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Staff Editor]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Mon, 08 Jul 2019 09:52:22 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Featured]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Somaliland]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Amnesty International]]></category> <category><![CDATA[COldoon]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Freedom of Speech]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Muse Bihi Abdi]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Somaliland Human Rights]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Somaliland President]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.somaliland.com/?p=5374</guid> <description><![CDATA[Hargeisa, July 8, (Somaliland.com):- Hargeisa Regional Court on Monday has sentenced Abdimalik Muse Oldon for.]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[ <p><strong>Hargeisa, July 8, (Somaliland.com):-</strong> Hargeisa Regional Court on Monday has sentenced Abdimalik Muse Oldon for three and half year in prison on defamation charges for his Facebook posts critical to Somaliland government and a private school.</p> <p>On April 17, Somaliland police detained Abdimalik Muse Oldon (Coldoon), a well-known independent journalist and blogger, from Burao city, in Eastern Somaliland.</p> <p>Mr Oldon is charged for:</p> <ol class="wp-block-list"><li>Criticizing President Muse Bihi and his administration and</li><li>Investigating the “Controversial Abaarso School”.</li></ol> <div style="height:20px" aria-hidden="true" class="wp-block-spacer"></div> <p>Human rights activists on social media criticized the sentence and demanded his immediate release. Some reminded the government that “Freedom of Speech” is one of the most important pillars of democracy which Somaliland’s historic struggle was based on against the oppressive Siyad Barre regime.</p> <p>On the other hand, the Somaliland Journalists Association immediately condemned the court’s ruling on Oldon saying that he deserved justice. “We are calling on the government to protect the constitution and hence journalists said Yahye Sheekh, Deputy Chairman of Somaliland Journalists Association (SOLJA). </p> <figure class="wp-block-embed-twitter aligncenter wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Hargeisa regional court sentenced Journalist Abdimalik Muse Coldoon in 3years and half in prison today, <a href="https://twitter.com/solja_org?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@solja_org</a> is very disappointed and concerned over this judgement. <a href="https://t.co/4LEAMR9lmC">pic.twitter.com/4LEAMR9lmC</a></p>— Yahye Xanas (@YahyeXanas) <a href="https://twitter.com/YahyeXanas/status/1148137667831443457?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 8, 2019</a></blockquote><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> </div></figure> <figure class="wp-block-embed-twitter aligncenter wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Hargeisa regional court sentenced Journalist Abdimalik Muse Coldoon in 3years and half in prison today, <a href="https://twitter.com/solja_org?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@solja_org</a> is very disappointed and concerned over this judgement.</p>— SOLJA (@solja_org) <a href="https://twitter.com/solja_org/status/1148139217819721728?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 8, 2019</a></blockquote><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> </div></figure> <p>Last month, Amnesty International urged Somaliland government to immediately and unconditionally release Abdimalik Muse Oldon and other detained youth over their social media incidents.</p> <p>“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,” said Joan Nyanyuki, Amnesty International’s Director for East Africa, the Horn and the Great Lakes.</p> <p>These arrests and suspensions make a total mockery of the Somaliland constitution which explicitly guarantees the right to freedom of expression. Joan Nyanyuki, Amnesty International’s Director for East Africa, the Horn and the Great Lakes</p> <p>“These arrests and suspensions make a total mockery of the Somaliland constitution which explicitly guarantees the right to freedom of expression.”</p> <p>Amnesty International interviewed Oldon, his family members and lawyers during a fact-finding mission to Hargeisa between 15-24 June 2019 and attended one of the court hearings for the journalist. The organization found that all four men were targeted for expressing critical views.</p> <p>It is not the first time that Mr. Abdimalik is apprehended by the Somaliland government. In 2017, he spent more than three months in Hargeisa prison after returning from Mogadishu, covering the Somalia election events at that time.</p> <p>On April 8, 2017, Hargeisa regional court sentenced him for two-year jail term after Somaliland government accused him of violating the sovereignty of the Republic of Somaliland and offending the prestige of Somaliland leaders. But fortunately, Somaliland president Mr. Ahmed Siilaanyo paroled him after community groups pleaded the president to intervene and preserve the freedom of speech.</p> <p>The president Muse Bihi Abdi promised tolerance calling on law enforcement bodies to practice restraint.</p> <p>In late February, at the concluding session of the ruling party’s central council convention in Borama, the President promised tolerance to criticism and to freedom of speech.</p> <p>“We bow to the independence of the Somaliland justice system, We accept that we, the ruling party and the government, should be more tolerant to criticism and to freedom of expression,” he said.</p> ]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>https://www.somaliland.com/news/somaliland/hargeisa-court-sentences-a-popular-journalist-abdimalik-oldon-for-three-half-years-in-prison/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>1</slash:comments> <post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">5374</post-id> </item> <item> <title>HRC Statement: Somaliland freedom of expression in peril.</title> <link>https://www.somaliland.com/news/somaliland/hrc-statement-somaliland-freedom-of-expression-in-peril/</link> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Staff Editor]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Tue, 21 May 2019 13:48:04 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Featured]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Somaliland]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Freedom of Speech]]></category> <category><![CDATA[HRC]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Somaliland Human Rights]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.somaliland.com/?p=4576</guid> <description><![CDATA[Human Rights Centre (HRC) expresses serious concern over a worsening situation of freedom of expression.]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[ <p>Human Rights Centre (HRC) expresses serious concern over a worsening situation of freedom of expression in Somaliland. </p> <p>Politicians, journalist and social media users are in prison for statements they made or posted on Facebook. </p> <p><strong>Mohamed Sidiq Dhame</strong>, the youth wing leader of the opposition Waddani party, was arrested on 1st May 2019 from his home without a court warrant, according to family members and authorities who spoke to HRC. Mohamed was arrested for a Facebook post criticizing a State of Emergency imposed by the president of Somaliland on three districts of Sanaag region. According to the Deputy Police Commissioner who spoke to the media on 2nd May 2019, the Facebook post of Dhame was “inciting” and “insult to the leadership of the nation.” </p> <p>Dhame was remanded on 4th May 2019 by Hargeisa Regional Court on seven days in prison pending a police investigation. Upon expiration of the seven days’ remand period, Dhame has not been brought to court again. According to article 47 of the Criminal Procedure Code, an accused person who is in pre-trial detention should be brought to court every seven days. </p> <p>On 9th May 2019, <a href="https://www.somaliland.com/news/somaliland/somaliland-arrests-mp-who-questioned-18th-may-as-the-independence-day/">police raided the dwelling-house</a> of <strong>Mohamed Ahmed Dhakool</strong>, a member of the House of Representatives of the Parliament elected from Sool region. </p> <p>The arrest of the member of parliament (MP) was conducted without a court warrant.</p> <p>His arrest is related to a statement he made in which he “opposed” the celebration of the 18th May, which is the commemoration of the day Somaliland declared the restoration of independence in 1991. The Police said the MP made “anti-national statement and opposed the existence of Somaliland.”</p> <p> He was brought to court on 10th May. The court refused to remand him and stated that his immunity bars prosecution. The Standing Committee of the House of Representatives refused to remove his immunity and called on the government immediate release.</p> <p> Article 49(1) of the Constitution states “no member of the House may be detained, and no action may be taken against him for any matter which he learned or raised at the House or on which he expressed his opinion.” </p> <p>Article 79 of the Constitution states that members of the parliament “cannot be brought before a court, nor imprisoned until they are stripped of their privileges for the responsibilities that they hold for the nation.”</p> <p> “A majority vote of two-thirds of the total membership of the House” can remove the immunity of the member of the Parliament. According to article 49 of the Constitution “If the House is not in session, consent for the action taken against the member must be sought from the (Permanent) Standing Committee of the House of Representatives.” In this case, the Standing Committee rejected the request to remove immunity. <br></p> <p>Despite the decisions of the court and the Parliament, the government still holds the member of the Parliament in police custody. </p> <p>On 13th May 2019, the police of Las Anod arrested Abdirahman Keyse Mohamed, a journalist with Bulsho-TV. </p> <p>During the arrest, Abdirahman sustained injury caused by the debris of gunshots fired on the grounds by a police officer who was conducting the arrest. Abdirahman was arrested for interviews with members of the public about the arrest of Mohamed Ahmed Dhakool, the member of parliament arrested in Hargeisa.</p> <p>Other people arrested for expressing an opinion include Jamaal Abdi Muhumed arrested on 18th April for Facebook post criticising the police,</p> <p> <strong>Abdimalik Muse Oldon </strong>who has been arrested on 17th April for Facebook posts, and <strong>Abdirahman Aar </strong>who has been arrested on 14th May 2019 in Hargeisa for wearing outfits of Somalia flag. All are still in detention. </p> <p>On 8th May 2019, <strong>four men</strong> were arrested in Las Anod for Facebook posts allegedly criticizing the executive secretary of Las Anod local municipality. </p> <p>They were released on 12th May 2019 without charges. </p> <p>According to article 32 of the Constitution “every citizen shall have the freedom, in accordance with the law, to express his opinions orally, visually, artistically or in writing or in any other way.” </p> <p><strong> Human Rights Centre calls on the government of Somaliland:</strong></p> <p>1. To release all those arrested for statements they made or posted on social media platforms;<br> 2. To respect freedom of expression and tolerate different opinions.</p> <p>Yasmin Omar Haji Mohamoud<br> Chairperson of Human Rights Centre Somaliland<br> Mobile: +252 (0)634472011<br> <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="http://www.hrcsomaliland.org/?fbclid=IwAR1k8SWI3lDV6PlIJ3aovuXzqMNbdJMCLyinExBdWhLvn02bbqIt7RBzWR0" target="_blank">http://www.hrcsomaliland.org/</a></p> <blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow"><p><strong>Read also: </strong><br><a href="https://www.somaliland.com/news/somaliland/somaliland-arrests-mp-who-questioned-18th-may-as-the-independence-day/">Somaliland Police arrests MP who questioned 18th May as the Independence Day</a> </p></blockquote> ]]></content:encoded> <post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">4576</post-id> </item> <item> <title>Somaliland Police Arrest Abdimalik Coldoon, Well-known Journalist and Activist</title> <link>https://www.somaliland.com/news/somaliland/somaliland-police-arrest-abdimalik-coldoon-well-known-journalist-and-blogger/</link> <comments>https://www.somaliland.com/news/somaliland/somaliland-police-arrest-abdimalik-coldoon-well-known-journalist-and-blogger/#respond</comments> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Staff Editor]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Thu, 18 Apr 2019 03:03:12 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Featured]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Somaliland]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Freedom of Speech]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Somaliland Human Rights]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.somaliland.com/?p=3810</guid> <description><![CDATA[Somaliland police have detained Abdimalik Muse Coldoon, an independent journalist and blogger, at Burao city.]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[ <p>Somaliland police have detained Abdimalik Muse Coldoon, an independent journalist and blogger, at Burao city on Wednesday evening, April 17, 2019.</p> <p>His family has confirmed in Social Media that he was arrested while he was driving his car at Burao central market.</p> <p>His sister Sacdiya Coldoon has written on her Facebook account that “Police put Abdimalik in the custody”. She claimed that the police tortured him by butt-stroking and beating him with sticks at his head. No other reliable sources have confirmed these allegations and no one is allowed to see him right now.</p> <p>Other reliable sources confirmed that hours later he was tranafered to Hargeisa prison.</p> <p>Mr. Abdimalik Coldoon returned two months ago to Burao from the territories of Somali regional state of Ethiopia where he was hiding five months away from Somaliland jail.</p> <p>In a TV program recently aired on HoryaalTV, Togdheer regional police commissioner Mr. Ahmed Ali Shabel confirmed that the police were in search for the capture of the popular journalist. Although the governor of the Togdheer region Mr. Hamse Mohamed Abdi dismissed the existence of any warrant of arrest against Mr. Coldoon.</p> <p>There is no clarification about the crimes this journalist is accused of. But there are two controversial topics, local press doubted that are the reasons behind his arrest. They are the topics that Mr. Coldoon was recently meddling in: </p> <ol class="wp-block-list"><li>Criticizing President Muse Bihi and his administration and</li><li>Investigating the “Controversial Abaarso School”.</li></ol> <div style="height:22px" aria-hidden="true" class="wp-block-spacer"></div> <p>It is not the first time that Mr. Abdimalik is apprehended by the Somaliland government. In 2017, he spent more than three months in Hargeisa prison after returning from Mogadishu, covering the Somalia election events at that time. </p> <p>On April 8, 2017, Hargeisa regional court sentenced him for two-year jail term after Somaliland government accused him of violating the sovereignty of the Republic of Somaliland and offending the prestige of Somaliland leaders. But fortunately, Somaliland president Mr. Ahmed Siilaanyo paroled him after community groups pleaded the president to intervene and preserve the freedom of speech.</p> <p>Coldoon’s supporters on social media criticized the arrest and demanded his immediate release. Some<strong> </strong>reminded the government that “Freedom of Speech” is one of the most important pillars of democracy which Somaliland’s historic struggle was based on against the oppressive Siyad Barre regime.</p> <p>On the other hand, the Somaliland Journalists Association lately condemned Coldoon saying that he deserves punishment. “We are calling on the government to protect the nation’s sovereignty and to prosecute Coldoon to the fullest extent of the law so that other journalists think twice before committing unlawful acts,” said Mohamed Abdi Jama, Chairman of Somaliland Journalists Association (SOLJA). Which Mr. Coldoon blamed the Association as a double-standard, government-affiliated association and not representing the interests of the free press.</p> <p>The president Muse Bihi Abdi promised tolerance calling on law enforcement bodies to practice restraint. </p> <p>In late February, at the concluding session of the ruling party’s central council convention in Borama, the President promised tolerance to criticism and to freedom of speech. </p> <p>“We bow to the independence of the Somaliland justice system, We accept that we, the ruling party and the government, should be more tolerant to criticism and to freedom of expression,” he said. </p> <div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter"><img data-recalc-dims="1" fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" width="1024" height="682" data-attachment-id="3811" data-permalink="https://www.somaliland.com/news/somaliland/somaliland-police-arrest-abdimalik-coldoon-well-known-journalist-and-blogger/attachment/d4zebs9xkaaju-a/" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.somaliland.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/D4ZEBS9XkAAjU-a.jpg?fit=1024%2C682&ssl=1" data-orig-size="1024,682" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="D4ZEBS9XkAAjU-a" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.somaliland.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/D4ZEBS9XkAAjU-a.jpg?fit=300%2C200&ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.somaliland.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/D4ZEBS9XkAAjU-a.jpg?fit=1024%2C682&ssl=1" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.somaliland.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/D4ZEBS9XkAAjU-a.jpg?resize=1024%2C682&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-3811" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/www.somaliland.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/D4ZEBS9XkAAjU-a.jpg?w=1024&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/www.somaliland.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/D4ZEBS9XkAAjU-a.jpg?resize=300%2C200&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/www.somaliland.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/D4ZEBS9XkAAjU-a.jpg?resize=768%2C512&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/www.somaliland.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/D4ZEBS9XkAAjU-a.jpg?resize=350%2C233&ssl=1 350w, https://i0.wp.com/www.somaliland.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/D4ZEBS9XkAAjU-a.jpg?resize=600%2C400&ssl=1 600w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure></div> <p>A Journalist Abdimalik was a champion for the unprivileged members of Somali society and shares their stories with a global audience with the view to positive change and empowerment. He has earned the respect of a generation due to his selfless fundraising efforts and his discussing of social issues that are considered taboo in Somalia, such as people living with HIV/AID and FGM.</p> <p>Even though Somaliland’s Constitution clearly protects the freedom of speech and the press but this is not the first time that activists, journalists, poets or editors are arrested for disseminating information which the government claims it as against the sovereignty of the Republic.</p> <p></p> <p>Read also: <br><a href="https://www.somaliland.com/news/somaliland/police-defy-presidents-tolerance-call-of-police-restraint/">Police Defy Somaliland President’s Tolerance Call of Police Restraint</a> <br><a href="https://www.somaliland.com/news/somaliland/court-acquits-somaliland-poet-after-44-days-in-police-custody/">Court Acquits Somaliland Poet after 44 days in Police Custody</a> </p> <p><strong>Somaliland.com</strong></p> ]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>https://www.somaliland.com/news/somaliland/somaliland-police-arrest-abdimalik-coldoon-well-known-journalist-and-blogger/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> <post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">3810</post-id> </item> </channel> </rss>