Commentary

Mandera, Somaliland, March 3, 2007 (SL Times) – In a Kafkaesque turn of events, Haatuf journalists were finally brought to what was supposed to be a trial on March 1, 2007. The choice of the word “supposed” is deliberate because no trial actually took place. For one thing, the attorneys of the defendants did not show up. But more importantly, the venue of the trial was a government security grounds, the Mandera Police acadamy which lies between Hargeisa and Berbera.

The defendants were Yusuf A. Gabobe (the editor of Somaliland Times), Ali Dini (the editor of Haatuf) and Mohammed Omar Sheikh (Haatuf correspondent in Awdal).

The defendants were asked by the judge how come their attorneys were not present. The defendants explained that their attorneys were not present because there was not much to defend, something that the court made clear when it refused to use Somaliland’s Press Law and insisted on applying Somalia’s Penal Code to the case.

The court took some testimony from some witnesses who worked for the government, then adjourned.

Even in the darkest days of Siyad Barre’s rule court trials did not take place in police grounds.

Source: Somaliland Times