STATEMENT OF CONDEMNATION
UDHIS Party’s London Branch Office would like to add its voice in condemning the unlawful, wholesale arrests of more than 27 journalists in Hargeisa on 15th January 2012 by the authorities in Somaliland and describes the sweeping and heavy-handed tactics used by the arresting Police officers against the detainees as vicious and despicable act of brutalities perpetrated under the direct orders and supervision of President Ahmed M. Siilanyo.
This unlawful imprisonment of the said 27 Journalists in Hargeisa on Sunday is the latest in a string of similar incarcerations in which dozens of journalists were rounded up and detained without charges or trial. According to the Chairman of Somaliland Journalists Association, Mr Hassan Mohamed Yusuf, dozens of journalists have been subjected to similar arrests over the past year and half. Some of them still in prisons and held without trial for more than 45 days.
Most of the 27 journalists arrested on Sunday worked for Horn Cable TV, a locally based privately owned satellite Channel. But they also included individuals working for various other media houses and independent press outlets, such as Waaheen, Jamhuuriya, Hadhwanaagnews and others.
At least 6 of the detained journalists and reporters are females, including two senior TV Presenters working for HCTV Nimco Samriye and Hodan Cajabi and according to reliable sources these female journalists have been beaten badly by the police and sustained numerous physical injuries as well as other forms of verbal abuses and violations of their basic human and statutory rights.
Such unlawful violation of journalists basic human rights, physical abuses, including beatings, certainly bear the hallmarks of repressive and systematic all-out crusade against the freedom of press and media and we at UDHIS London believe such actions by Siilaayo’s administration are totally unacceptable and should not in any circumstance be tolerated.
We therefore demand the immediate and unconditional release of all imprisoned journalists, the restoration of their personal dignity and professional integrity as well as offering apologies and whatever due compensations with respect to the physical violence and other wrongdoings perpetrated by the police during carrying out these arrests.
Furthermore, we believe President Siilanyo mistreatment of journalists since taken office is one of arbitrary and very much in contrary to the pledges made during the election campaign, particularly with regard to press and media freedom. This is in fact rather regrettable given the positive role played by the private media during Siilanyo’s election campaign.
However, the incident on Sunday is a clear indication that Siilanyo eventually came out of his shell as a media-hostile leadership with high-handed tactics far exceeding his predecessors.
Finally we appeal to the International Community, international agencies and defenders of human rights and protection of journalists, including International Press Freedom Canada, IFEX House of Clearance USA, Article 19, Journalists Without Frontiers, Amnesty International, UN Commission for Human Rights Geneva etc. to exert pressure on Somaliland authorities to help secure the immediate and unconditional release of all journalists currently held unlawfully by Siilanyo’s administration.
Yassin Mohamed Ismail.
UDHIS London UK
