Somaliland – Arbitrary arrest and detention

Somaliland – Arbitrary arrest and detention of two journalists, human rights defenders Mr Ahmed Saleban Dhuhul and Mr Sayid Osman Mire

Two human rights defenders, Mr Ahmed Saleban Dhuhul and Mr Sayid Osman Mire have been detained following their arrest on 13 July 2009 in Hargeisa, Somaliland, for allegedly inciting clan violence. Ahmed Dhuhul is a member of the executive committee of Somaliland Journalists Association (SOLJA) and Sayid Mire is the Chairperson of SOLJA's third assembly general. Both men work for Radio Horyaal, the only privately–owned radio station in Somaliland.

On 13 July 2009, Ahmed Dhuhul and Sayid Mire were arrested by police agents while at work at Radio Horyaal in Hargeisa. The police reportedly did not have an arrest warrant and the men were not charged with any crime, which is illegal under the Somaliland National Media Law. At their first court hearing on 21 July, Ahmed Dhuhul and Sayid Mire's lawyer insisted that the trial must be based on the National Media Law, as endorsed by the Somaliland Parliament, rather than criminal law, a request that the judge accepted. However, the journalists were refused bail and are currently awaiting the second hearing of their trial in police custody at the Criminal Investigation Department's headquarters (CID). Two days later, on 15 July 2009, the local independent Horn Cable TV (HCTV) was banned.

The arrest of Ahmed Dhuhul and Sayid Mire and the ban on HCTV came after the journalists and HCTV had broadcasted incidents relating to clan violence on the border between the Gabiley and Awdal provinces in west Somaliland. On 10 July, President Dahir Rayale Kahin had invited elders from Gabiley to the presidential palace to discuss the ongoing tribal dispute. The talks reportedly failed and inter-tribal violence broke out on 11 July.

Following Ahmed Dhuhul and Sayid Mire's arrest, on 14 July Somaliland police stated that they had arrested Ahmed Dhuhul and Sayid Mire because Radio Horyaal's coverage of the meeting had misrepresented events and incited the violence. On 16 July 2009, the President's office circulated a statement urging caution when reporting on the clan conflict and accusing certain media of inciting violence. However, according to SOLJA, the only report that Radio Horyaal had made was that there "was no positive conclusion" to the meeting.

Front Line believes that the arrest of Mr. Ahmed Saleban Dhuhul and Mr. Sayid Osman Mire is related to their legitimate human rights work, in particular their reporting on inter-tribal tensions in Somaliland. Front Line is concerned that their arrest, in addition to the banning of HCTV, may form part of a media crackdown in Somaliland in the run-up to presidential elections in September.