Somalia: Journalist released hours after conviction by a court

MOGADISHU- Hours after their conviction by a court in Mogadishu, a renowned Somali journalist was released with the judge slapping him with a two-month sentence over security-related charges in a case that drew the attention of the media advocacy groups and human rights teams. 

In an interesting twist of events, Abdalle Ahmed Mumin, the Secretary General of one of the media advocacy teams, was set free on Monday hours after his conviction. He was arrested in October 2022 following a crackdown on journalists purportedly "publishing" Al-Shabaab propaganda. 

He spent five months in jail, forcing rights groups to organize demonstrations against the government of Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, who had pledged transparency and human rights freedoms in the Horn of Africa nation which is struggling with instability. 

"When I was taken to Mogadishu central prison, officers refused to jail me granting my immediate freedom," he said on Twitter.

"I went straight to my office to conduct my daily routine. I will continue to be on the forefront of defending press freedom and human rights in Somalia," he added.

Mumin is the secretary-general of the Somali Journalists Syndicate [SJS], which had vowed to appeal the ruling, calling it "a pure travesty of justice." The SJS President Mohamed Ibrahim said: "This afternoon Abdalle has been released by the prison chief, saying that he has already served this sentence despite the verdict."

Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and the international press had asked the courts to drop the cases unconditionally much to the disgust of the government of Somalia. They accused the government of persecuting him due to his strong advocacy for freedom of expression. 

"Continuing his prosecution not only casts a chilling effect on media freedom and journalism, but it also significantly contributes to the closing civic space in the country," they said in a joint letter to Somalia's attorney general in December.

The government of Somalia had warned media houses against publishing materials deemed to be Al-Shabaab propaganda, noting that whoever publicizes Al-Shabaab will be subjected to court. Al-Shabaab militants have lost significant territories in rural central and southern Somalia since July 2022. 

GAROWE ONLINE