HARGEYSA, Oct 21, 2006 – President Dahir Rayale Kahin of the republic of Somaliland has pardoned 600 prisoners to coincide with the end of Ramadan, the prosecutor-general said on Tuesday.

Detainees to be freed include 44 women and 12 men jailed for protesting last month against the alleged torture of Sheikh Mohamed Sheikh Ismail, arrested last year on suspicion of being involved in terrorist activities.

"All those who were sentenced for 6 months or 3 months for taking part in the demonstration ... will be released," Somaliland prosecutor-general Hussein Dhere told reporters.

But prisoners serving jail terms for terrorism, murder and rape would not be released, he added.

The end of the Muslim fasting month is due to be celebrated in Somaliland on Sunday or next Monday.

It was not immediately clear how many prisoners are serving time in the northern enclave which declared independence from Somalia in 1991 when warlords ousted dictator Mohamed Siyad Barre, plunging the country into chaos.

Local media said last month's protest in Somaliland's capital Hargeysa was sparked after several Web sites published pictures purported to show the torture of Ismail by interrogators.

The government has denied any wrongdoing.

However, opposition parties and some clerics have called on an independent committee to be formed to investigate the case.

Despite its relative stability compared to the rest of Somalia, the killings of four foreign aid workers in recent years has raised fears Somaliland -- which is not recognized internationally -- is becoming a base for terrorists.

Last October, authorities said they arrested several al Qaeda suspects accused of trying to disrupt a parliamentary poll.

Source: Reuters

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