By Mohamed Ibrahim

Mogadishu (Sunatimes) Defense lawyer Osman told FESOJ that the sentence was so quick and done without enough evidences.  He accused the justice system in Somaliland of being bullying, when the prosecutors are close to the government.

“The court denied bail to release Jama and immediately jumped into the wrong verdict by sending an innocent man to prison, putting him at the back of pickup truck with handcuffed, which is a humiliation,” Osman said.

Anouncing the court verdict Judge Ali Sudi Diriy said on Saturday that Jama was also fined six million shillings, which is equivalent (US$900).

Relatives told FESOJ that Jama spent the last two nights in to the Hargeisa Central Prison, where the living condition is not fit for the journalist.

 Now other Journalists operating at four newspapers in Hargeisa, Ogaal, Yool, Hargeisa star and Sahafi face pending criminal defamation charges brought by the state prosecutor,.

“Violating the rights of the free press and attacking the freedom expression, while Somaliland seeks international recognition for its democracy, is something unacceptable to the international ears,” said the deputy chairman of the Federation of Somali Journalists Mohamamed Ibrahim Nur.

 “We urge the Somaliland Authorities to respect the press freedom and immediately reverse the decision against the journalist on appeal.”  Ibrahim said

FESOJ office Mogadishu

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Mohamed Ibrahim

+25261-5540001

[email protected] 

[email protected]

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