Press Statement
Somalilandsun – on May 10 2014 Somaliland authorities have arrested the owner and founder of “Haatuf and Somaliland Times Mr. Yusuf Abdi Gaboobe and the Chief Editor Mr. Ahmed Eggeh.
the two journalists have appeared before a Hargeisa court with heavy guarded by hundreds of policemen and vehicles for the mentioning of the libel case filed by top government officials.
The court also heard the testimonies of the Minister of Interior Hon Ali Mohamed Waran Cade and the Minister of Energy and Mineral Hon Hussein Abdi Dualeh who failed the stand to give evidence in the libel case.
Judge Feisal “Dhago Dhago” the chief magistrate of Hargeisa district courts used Penal Code for their arrest and ignored Somaliland Press Law .On 7 April 2014, the shutdown order against the independent daily newspaper Haatuf was implemented by Somaliland police after being issued by Marodi Jeeh Regional Court in Hargeisa. A week later Hargeisa’s Marodi Jeeh Regional Court ordered to all three telecommunication companies banned news websites of Haatuf’s sister paper http://www.somalilandtimes.net/
SOLJA strictly condemning Somaliland government actions against the freedom of speech and expression in general and the media houses shutdown in particular as well as the latest arrest of the two journalists.
We are also calling for the international community, human right organizations, press freedom activists and international media to press Somaliland government to stop immediately all forms of arrest of journalists and media houses shutdown.
Somaliland Journalists Association (SOLJA)
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Somaliland Journalist Association (SOLJA)
Hargeisa main Office
www.ururkasolja.org Email: soljajour@gmail.com
