Osman Mohamud

Osman Mohamud
Born c. 1965
Nationality Somali
Other names Buurmadow
Occupation clan elder
Known for 2011-2012 imprisonments, Amnesty International prisoner of conscience

Osman Mohamud (often known as Buurmadow; born c. 1965[1]) is a clan elder from Somaliland,[2] a self-declared republic that is internationally recognized as an autonomous region of Somalia.[3]

Biography

Mohamud is known for his efforts at mediating regional conflicts, particularly among clans in northern Somalia.[4]

On 17 November 2011, he was arrested in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), visiting his wife who resides there while returning from a pilgrimage to Mecca. The government never offered formal charges against him, prompting Amnesty International to issue an alert on his behalf;[1] the group later speculated that UAE had arrested him at the prompting of Somaliland authorities.[5] Mohamud was released on 5 January 2012.[6]

Upon returning to Somaliland on 15 March, Mohamud was arrested at the airport in Hargeisa. After forty days of detention, the local government charged him with what it termed "anti-national activity of a citizen abroad”, "subversive or anti-national propaganda" and "continuing offence" in response to a comment he had made while in the UAE criticizing a trip to China by President Ahmed Mahamoud Silanyo of Somaliland. On 8 July, these charges were dismissed and replaced by a charge of "insulting a public official", of which the judge found Mohamud guilty.[5] Mohamud was subsequently sentenced to one year in prison for defamation, according to local law based on the colonial period Italian Somaliland penal code.[2] Amnesty International responded by declaring Mohamud a prisoner of conscience, detained "for exercising his right to freedom of expression".[5]

On 18 July, the Somaliland government pardoned Mohamud, apparently in response to international pressure, and he returned to his home in Hargeisa.

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Somali Man Detained in United Arab Emirates". Amnesty International. 5 January 2012. Retrieved 25 July 2012.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Somalia: Somaliland clan elder sentenced to one year for defamation". Garowe Online. 8 July 20122. Retrieved 25 July 2012. Check date values in: |date= (help)
  3. ↑ Abdikarim H. Abdi Buh (30 June 2010). "Somaliland’s Quest for International Recognition and the HBM-SSC Factor". wardheernews.com. Retrieved 25 July 2012.
  4. ↑ "Hargeysa court sentences prominent elder to one year jail term". Horn Portal. Retrieved 25 July 2012.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 "Somaliland: Release prisoner of conscience". Amnesty International. 12 July 2012. Retrieved 25 July 2012.
  6. ↑ "Somali Man Released in United Arab Emirates". Amnesty International. 5 January 2012. Retrieved 25 July 2012.