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Hargeysa,
Somaliland, December 19, 2009 (SL Times) – Somaliland human rights
organizations and the union of Somali journalists (USJ) issued last week
a report accusing the government of Somaliland of corruption and human
rights violations.
The report was revealed in a gathering at Hargeysa’s Imperial hotel on
the occasion of the anti-corruption day (Dec.9th) and human rights day
(Dec.10). The participants included Somaliland Journalists Union (USJ),
the human rights organization (SOOHIRA-net), members of parliament,
Sultan Nasir Sultan Abdi Ismail, journalists and other distinguished
guests.
Addressing the topic of corruption, the Director of the human rights
organization SOOHIRA-net, Mr. Suleiman Ismail Bullaale (Xuquuq) said,
“We have corruption in this country as documented by international
organizations who work against corruption. Somalia was one of the
countries with the worst record, and although we are independent from
Somalia, the report included us. Another example is the extension of the
president’s term, a third one is that one of the opposition parties
spent $150,000 on bribes while it is estimated that the ruling party has
spent 3-4 times more than that amount in bribery. If we look at Sheikh
Bashir School, the government sold the land adjacent to it to
businessmen, whereas the school needs more land to expand. If the people
do not oppose the government’s corruption, there will be nothing left.”
The Chairman of Somaliland Journalist Union (USJ), Mr. Abdillahi
Muhammad Dahir (Cakuuse), too, denounced the government’s corruption. He
said the right to demonstrate is a basic right and called attention to
the fact that President Dahir Rayale Kahin continues to ignore the press
law that was passed by parliament.
Somaliland’s prominent journalist Hassan Said Yusuf who was jailed many
times by the government for simply carrying out his journalistic duties
also warned about corruption in government circles. He said, “the
minister of finance is defending the government’s corruption even today;
members of government have become partners in corruption.”
Parliamentarian Ibrahim Jama Rayte condemned the government’s corruption
and was specifically critical of the emergency security committees and
called them illegal.
The secretary of Kulmiye (Kayse Hasan Ige) and the chairman of UCID for
the Hargeysa region participated in this event and warned against the
evils of corruption.
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