Somalia
Four journalists sentenced despite protective lawPosted Mar 25 2007
The regional court of Hargeisa, the capital of Somaliland, passed prison sentences on the publisher of the privately owned daily Haatuf and three of its journalists on March 5. They were sentenced for allegedly defaming the government, the president and his family in a series of articles about corruption and nepotism. Haatuf publisher Yusuf Abdi Gabobe faces two years in prison. The three others, editor Ali Abdi Dini, investigative reporter Muhammad-Rashid Farah and correspondent Muhammad Omar Sheekh, were each sentenced to two years and five months.
Somaliland's 2004 Press Law bans prison sentences for press offenses, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. The regional court instead tried the four journalists under Somalia's 1962 Penal Code, a decision upheld by the Somaliland's Supreme Court. The court also ordered the closure of the paper and fined Haatuf Media Network. Despite the order, the paper continues to operate.