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Somali journalist jailed for Facebook posts on COVID-19

Abdiaziz Ahmed Gurbiye has been sentenced to jail for criticising the Somali government’s response to the COVID-19 outbreak on social media

A Somali journalist is poised to serve a six-month jail term over Facebook posts that were found to be critical of the government’s handling of the outbreak of COVID-19.

Ahmed Gurbiye occupies the roles of chief editor and deputy director of the Mogadishu-based independent Goobjoog Media Group.

He was accused of publishing false news and insulting the political administration and the judicial body.

Having been tried and convicted by a court, Gurbiye has been moved to Mogadishu Central Prison to serve his sentence.

The journalist’s trial dragged on for months, with his lawyers accusing the court of relying on an outdated penal code to convict their client.

Critical posts

Gurbiye has been a fierce critic of the government’s response to the COVID-19 outbreak in Somalia and has often used his social media handles to air his views.

In April, he took to Facebook to allege that the government was not on top of developments and was mismanaging the health crisis.

He also alleged that President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed Farmajo was keeping back for his personal use a ventilator donated to a local hospital.

In a separate post, the journalist alleged that corruption among public officials was the reason for the lack of drugs at the same hospital.

The outspoken media man later took down the posts, but was arrested on 14 April after responding to a summons to appear at the Hodan Police Station in Mogadishu.

HRW condemns detention

Meanwhile, Human Rights Watch has condemned Gurbiye’s arrest and detention. In a statement, the group said the treatment of the journalist restricts the codes of freedom of expression.

It also criticised the charges levelled against Gurbiye, describing them as vague and a violation of all international human rights treaties.

“These vague offences are found in outdated provisions restricting free expression in the country’s criminal code,” Human Rights Watch said.

“The charges violate Somalia’s obligations under regional and international human rights treaties that protect people’s right to criticise government officials and state institutions.”

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) also called for the journalist’s immediate release.

“Somali authorities should immediately and unconditionally release journalist Abdiaziz Ahmed Gurbiye and guarantee that the media can cover and comment on the COVID-19 pandemic without facing jail time,” a CPJ statement said.

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Source
BBC News
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