72-year-old German imprisoned for Somaliland pornography

72-year-old German imprisoned for Somaliland pornography

Gunter Bischoss handed four year sentence for making pornographic films with local women in Somaliland.

Middle East Online

Preying on Somali poverty? HARGEYSA - A court in the northern Somali state of Somaliland on Thursday sentenced a German national to four years in prison for making pornographic films with local women. Gunter Bischoss, 72, has lived in the semi-autonomous region since 1993 and is married to a woman from Somaliland. He was arrested last year on charges of making home sex videos with several women. "This man was found guilty of committing crimes against religious ethics and morality by shooting pornographic movies and pictures with women from Somaliland," Judge Abdirashid Mohamed Mohamoud said. "This court therefore sentences him to four years in prison and a fine of 10,000 US dollars," he said. "After serving his prison term, he will be deported from Somaliland and never allowed back again." The verdict was delivered at a regional court in Mandhera prison, a desert fortress outside of the Somaliland capital Hargeysa where the British forces used to hold Italian prisoners of war during World War II. A previous hearing in Hargeysa had attracted demonstrators and the suspect was transferred for security reasons. "The evidence in this case has been exaggerated and I will appeal the verdict to the Supreme Court," Bischoss told reporters. A 32-year-old woman from Somaliland who was among several women featuring in the home movies found on Bischoss' laptop was also sentenced to a year in prison and a fine of around 900 dollars.