Hargeysa, Somaliland, January 27, 2007 (SL Times) – Lawyers defending Haatuf journalists who have been held in detention since early this month by Somaliland’s CID said, the Chief of CID Suleiman Muse Hassan has denied visitation to their clients. The lawyers were told by the CID chief when they went to visit their clients that they were not allowed to see them, and were told to leave the CID grounds.

Muhammad Saeed Hersi and Arab Ali Abdi, lawyers representing the Haatuf journalists informed Somaliland Times by telephone that they were obstructed by the chief of CID when they tried to pay a visit to their clients yesterday (Friday) at the CID headquarters. They said, “the CID chief, personally came out of his office when he saw us inside the CID compound making our way to our clients, Yusuf Abdi Gabobe editor of Somaliland Times/Chairman of Haatuf Media Network ( HMN) and Ali Abdi Dini editor of Haatuf daily newspaper.” The two journalists were being held for the past 24 days since their arrest for publishing articles in the daily Somali language Haatuf newspaper which exposed the misappropriation of public funds and property by Somaliland’s first lady, Huda Barkhad Adan.

The lawyers added that Suleiman Muse told them even though they were lawyers representing the detained journalists, nevertheless, they were not going to see their clients and to immediately remove themselves from his compound.

The two lawyers representing the Haatuf journalists, Muhammad Saeed Hersi and Arab Ali Abdi emphasized that this is the second time they have been denied to see their clients. They pointed out that from the time Haatuf’s correspondent in Awdal region, Mr Muhammed Omar Sheekh was arrested almost two weeks ago in the regional capital, Borama, and was held for three days in Borama central police station and was then transferred to Koodbur police station in Hargeysa, they have been denied access to him by the Koodbur commanding station officer, Abdi Ali. Neither was his family, including his wife and children, were able to see him since he was brought to Koodbur police station.

The lawyers, Muhammad Saeed Hersi and Arab Ali Abdi, said we applied for a court order which permits us as his lawyers to have unrestricted access to his person. This court order was issued to us by the Hargeysa Regional Court. Yet, the Koodbur police station commanding officer, Abdi Ali paid no attention, whatsoever, to this court order, and up to this very day continues to deny us access to see our client, Muhammad Omar Sheekh. They lawyers continued, “We were also told by his family that on more than three or four occasions they were denied to deliver his meals to him.”

Muhammad Saeed Hersi and Arab Ali Abdi, lawyers of the detained journalist, Muhammad concluded by saying, ‘up to this date, he has not been formally charged by the police, and we don’t even know what crimes he is being detained for, even though he has been in police custody for more than two weeks”.

Source: Somaliland Times