The UN’s top human rights official has condemned the trial and sentencing of a Somali journalist, and the alleged rape victim he interviewed, as “deeply disturbing” and a blow to “the fight against impunity”in rape cases.
The journalist, Abdiaziz Abdinur Ibrahim, and the victim, an unidentified 27-year-old woman, were both sentenced on Tuesday to one year in prison. They were charged with making false accusations and “insulting a government body.”
“This is a terrible blow to freedom of expression in a country where independent journalists have also been regularly targeted and killed,” Navi Pillay, the UN high commissioner for human rights, said in a statement on Wednesday.
“I am very concerned about the impact the penalization of the woman alleging rape could have in the fight against impunity in sexual violence cases, especially given the reports of increasing sexual violence in Somalia.”
Human rights groups have described the trial as politically motivated, accusing the court of covering up rampant sexual abuse of women by the Somali security forces.
“They fabricated a story to hurt the government,” the judge, Ahmed Aden, said in court.
‘Attack on press freedom’
Ibrahim’s arrest followed increasing media attention on reported sexual abuse by Somalia security forces. Earlier in January, Universal TV – a local television station – and Al Jazeera separately published stories about allegations of rape in the city’s crowded camps for displaced people.
Ibrahim had not been involved with either story, does not work for either organisation, and had not published anything of his own investigation before he was detained. The National Union of Somali Journalists called the trial an attack on press freedom.
The United States also criticised the trial, with the State Department saying it “sent the wrong message to perpetrators of sexual and gender-based violence.”
During the trial, the judge refused to hear the testimony of three witnesses who planned to appear in defence of Abdinur and the woman.
Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, the president of Somalia, told Al Jazeera on Sunday that while his government “is the only government that has proven” it is dedicated to improving the lives of women in Somalia, he will not directly interfere in the ongoing court case.
“I don’t have the right to interfere in the judicary system… my interference into the judiciary system, will never help the rule of law in Somalia,” Mohamud said in an interview.
Paris-based Reporters Without Borders ranks Somalia 175th out of 179 countries surveyed for its 2012/2013 World Press Freedom index.
Source: Al Jezeera

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1 COMMENT

  1. for all the haters that want Somalia to be down here is a heart attack for you:

    arms embargo will be lifted :http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/somalia/9851837/US-wants-end-to-Somalia-arms-embargo.html

    the time has come for Somalia to secure its borders. somalia is no longer a failed state:
    http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/2013020…

    those mooriyanis who are sentencing poor IDP women will also brought to justice soon. mark my words

  2. Rape is nothing new to Somalia, the rebels who fought in Mogadishu raped with impunity, tribes raped rival tribe's women. The invading rebels committed attrocities nothing new. The girl that came forward is a brave girl that must be saluted' becouse most of Somali women would rather keep a rape to themselves since community will reject them if they come forward. The so called Mahamoud government dont want the story to come out since they are getting money from the West and the West will not continue to support Mooriyaan killers now with different uniform. They took off the Macawis and put on Militart uniform instead.

  3. “insulting a government body.”

    No Mr Hassan Mahamoud…

    – Buying 190votes to become a President = insulting government body!
    – Not abiding by the Road-Map Constitution = insulting government body!
    – The presence of Ethiopian soldiers without mandate = insulting government body!
    – Presidential security forces raping 1700 women = insulting a government body!
    – Presidential NISA Security forces assassinating 18 journalists = insulting government body!
    – The Illegitimacy of the road-map government = insulting the government body!
    – Arresting a rape victim = insulting the government body!
    – Arresting the interviewer of the rape victim – insulting the government body!

    A government by the people for the people is a government whose BODY is one with it's people.

    Hassan Mahamoud's Road-Map government is neither by the people nor for the people. This Replacement-Provisional-Government[RPG] that is recognized by the USA bought it's way into office through a corrupt SELECTION process which was neither Halaal nor even Kausher. It is then no surprise that the government body is at odds with the people it is claim to represent. For 22 years Somalia(former Italian colony) has experienced 17 international conferences to establish a semblance of normality and assign them a president that is both responsible and accountable to the people of his failed state. Hassan Mahamoud is a long line of Transitional Federal government[TFG] and Replacement-Provisional-Government[RPG] Make believe governments each exponentially more hapless then the prior.

    The only internationally sponsored activity that gives the [RPG] a limited legitimacy and the only agenda on every somali's lips is the dialogue process agreed in point:6 of the 2012 London conference Between:

    Somaliland—&— Transitional Federal government[TFG]–or–Replacement-Provision-Government[RPG]

    – Hassan Mahamoud has denied this agreement and he is violating his power as head of state when he fails to honor the past agreement between the international community that is the donor body and the TFG. Agreements that are binding on Hassan Mahamoud's government since they are the Replacement of the TFG.

    – By shear past agreement Somaliland was distinct from the TFG & who ever replaces it!

    When Hassan Mahamoud makes bold claims against the sovereignty of somaliland he is committing an act that is gross insult to the government body of Somalia-Federal-territory and also his neighboring country of Somaliland-Republic.

    If a Mother who is a rape victim, her husband and the journalist that reported the story are to be charged with INSULT to the GOVERNMENT BODY then HASSAN MAHAMOUD should also share a prison cell with them.

  4. This misguided Indian women needs to take a long hard look at India and how women are raped every 3 seconds. After saying that, the rape in mooryan regions is increasing by the day and we somalis need to act.

  5. According to Somali Dhaqan (culture), women is forbidden to confess rape and by saying many Somali women believe that she will damage her credibility or her family reputation as well as be stigmatised by the Somali society if she confesses rape. It is unfortunate to arrest a woman who come forward to culture that woman is difficult to express her view and I believe the situation is worse than what we see and hear. having said that rape does not only occur in Mogadishu but it happens everywhere in Somalia. We're asking International Community also to condemn what happened in Somalia's semi-autonomous region of Somaliland today where Many women put them behind bars for no reason.

    • I guess prostituting yourself to more nations for right old gang-a-bang train on your "so called" nation is something to celebrate?

      It only looks like you are becoming a UN-trusteeship in reality while only pretending to be a democracy at best.

      Enjoy.

      • Haha Buuxiye that's a clear signal to the secessionist to tell them their time is up and that the British have putted all their eggs in one basket —->Mogadishu.

        Don't tell me you wouldn't of made a big deal out of it had this been Hargeisa because we all know how much you love the few backpackers that are there now.

        • You ignorant AID-FUND thief Road-Map President is beyond useless and there is nobody to check his policies… In addition to CIA you now want the MI5 what next Mosaad office in Muuqdishu?

          Believe me they are going there to protect their own security because of the terrorists that have been breeding like rats in Muuqdishu since 1993. They cannot simply deport all the Hawiye from their countries so they are going to Hawiye Heartland where the cancer is.

          You can translate that into what ever makes sense to you but you still have ZERO sovereignty and you are heading for a joint EU&UN Trusteeship if this last attempt at governance fails!!!

          we can all see what is at the END of the ROAD-MAP… stop pretending to be blind, situation is not going away!

          • Keep ranting like the mad man we know you are while your dream is being laid to rest as we speak

  7. Do not they know that human being is capable any crime! It takes even time and hard work to proof whether woman is raped or not raped in the developed world, I wonder how could judge who is from where justice is alien proof that what happened or did not happen to that woman. He is giving green light to Somali men and silencing women and girls to come foward, because its saying to them its your fault . It is shame and mockery of justice!

  9. Emotions aside, this case has to be investigated carefully. If this incident took place for certain, justice must be served and the perpetrators must be brought to justice, but if this is a fabrication of the often out of control of the so-called "MEDIA" which is basically a marauding gang that spreads falsehood, bent on character assassination and mongers hate, it needs to be dealt with severely in court of law and they must be disbanded and outlawed until credible schools are erected to provide decent training for viable journalism.

  10. I've realized that the world media are like a bunch of scavengers always looking for the weak meat.

    If they really were an independent journalist they would of not ignored the plight of Somaligalbeed http://www.eurasiareview.com/07022013-ethiopian-a… but instead we know they are not but are owned by billionaires who tell them what is off limits and whats not.

  11. All you deluded secessionist for once stop sniffing your own ass and cut the BS.

    Cases of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), as well as domestic violence, are increasing in camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Hargeisa http://www.irinnews.org/Report/94775/SOMALIA-SGBV…

    4000 woman raped in Sland in 2011 http://sabahionline.com/en_GB/articles/hoa/articl…
    http://www.amnesty.org.uk/news_details.asp?NewsID… 2004 Zamzam Ahmed Dualeh, aged 16 raped by six police officers from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) officers and tortured on the orders of the VP at that time

    I can go on and on stop acting all holy pretending this is just a Mogadishu only problem.

    matter of facts look at this pic about London UK http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/44818000/gi…