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Kulmiye Party's Polacy Of International Human Rights Day 2009 Motto Embrace Diversity // End Discrimination

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Hargeysa (Somalilandpress)- Today, the 10th of December 2009 We are commemorating the Historic Occasion of the International Human Rights Day, the first day Governments and states world wide gathered to adopt and sign the First Historic Document, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on December 10, 1948. The adoption of this document had neither been a past time fallacy nor an intellectual folly, but a genuine product of the saddening human experiences observed as awfully unbearable which was meant to prevent the recurrence of the past tragedies driven by the understanding of Human communion of interests and guided by the conscientious duty discharge of collective responsibility, In response to the violations of human rights and underlying philosophies.

 

Though during 61 years period that have elapsed from that day today, many of the problems that had prompted Human kind on the adoption of the universal declaration had not been over-come and continue to prevail to reign unabated particularly in those parts of the globe our country includes on top the list countries where very little is known about the very concept of Human Rights, very little have ever been done and so much remains to be done beset by many problems, barriers, and obstacles of inherent socio-cultural and latent by virtue of the processes of governance at work of mismanagement, abuses and misrule of along period , which we had been helplessly exposed. To overcome the ill effects and impacts is not an easy matter but requires lifetime efforts and a more phased out period to be satisfactory coped with.

 

At a time Sound judgment ought to alert human conscience to the urgent calls of responsible leadership in Somaliland to quit the scene or act in time to act when the alarm bells in response to their malpractices still ring sincere in words of respect and honorable gratitude and on the conscientious belief that the root causes of our demarche and travail are deeply embedded in our recent past history. Inept system of governance that our country and people were subject to, whose hangovers are still lingering in the minds, made the standard norm and the yardstick loosing the distinction and demarcation between virtues and vices had ended up in the impasse of the inopportunely bleak times we had been groping through for quite a long period. Kulmiye party takes the decision to avail itself the opportunity, on the historic occasion of the 61st Anniversary of International Human Rights Day 2009 to adopt the following declaration:

 

In response to the bold challenges putting themselves to fore in this regard, where there are pressing needs, urgent calls for bold initiatives for a start to be made, Kulmiye Party sets itself to shoulder the tasks to take the lead towards addressing cardinal issues pertaining to it. In this regard Kulmiye Party’s Policies shall be governed by the guiding principle of constituting a Modern Society in a Modern Somaliland State with modern institutions founded upon solid democratic Values and ethical standards where the Basic Human Rights, Fundamental Freedoms and Liberties of all citizens, at individual and group levels, are upheld guaranteed, strictly observed, fully respected and genuinely protected from usurpations, neglect, abuses, violation without infringement as enshrined in Somaliland Constitution and in full compliance with International Human Rights Standards, conventions, covenants and declarations regulated within an Institutionalized Framework of the Rule of Law.

 

Kulmiye Party’s Policy programs shall prioritize the protection, preservation, guarantee and promotion of the basic Human Rights and fundamental freedoms of Most vulnerable, often neglected and discriminated but important sections of the Society, including Women, the Children, the Disabled, Minorities, the IDPs, Refugees and the migrant workers and strives for the guarantee of their deserved protection from social discrimination and exclusion from political decision making participation social and economic development rights pursuit on the understanding these issues as the basic pillars and fundamental prerequisites for the development of good governance and democratic society with a participatory regulatory frame work (that occupies a fitting place with deserved status amongst its contemporary nation states at the age of globalization).

 

Kulmiye Party in support of the current year 2009 Human Rights Motto, has availed itself the opportunity to declare its open policy to combat and struggle to eradicate all ills and evils, in all their forms, that in principle and in practical actions that impede, hinder, infringe, allow the continued persistence or contributes to the prevalence of Human Rights abuses and violations of any citizen rights and any human who happen to be in Somaliland for any peaceful purposes anytime and combat believes and practices that prevent or disillusion the enjoyment and peaceful exercise of such rights.

 

The Initiation, development, legislation and enforcement of policy programs towards that end and disbanding and repealing laws that are currently in force known to infringe or jeopardize the basic rights and fundamental freedoms of citizens, individually and in groups. This shall be coupled by a programmatic socio-economic and political reform and transformation to address widespread disparity and deep rooted traditions, inequities and inequalities.

 

Shall enforce the rule of law to combat violations and abuses, corruption and infringement of Human Rights at every level and ensure transparency and accountability and introduce a system of holding perpetrators accountable for misdeeds committed and violations according to acceptable standards whereas victims shall be compensated commensurate for physical injuries and/ or damages on personal dignity.

humar rights

Many Thanks,

 

Ahmed Mohamed Silanyo, Chairman, Kulmiye Party

 

Source: Somalilandpress

Somaliland & drought: the tale of one elderly.

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Balli Hiile, 9 December 2009 (Somalilandpress) The town of Balli Hiile lies about an hours drive south east of Burcao in eastern Somaliland. Miles and miles of monotonous semi-desert landscape surrounds the village, nothing but acacia trees, termite mounds and small prickly shrubs scatter the land.

Somaliland forms the north western part of Somalia. Declaring its independence from the south in 1991, the region has been striving for international recognition of its independence ever since. Despite a fledgling democracy, its own currency and remaining relatively stable, its claim has never been recognised.

Like the rest of Somalia, Somaliland’s people are in the midst of the worst drought they have seen in a decade. Water points are drying up, animals are dying and with them, thousands of people’s way of life is disappearing too.

For ten years, the inhabitants of Balli Hiile have been noticing this change in the weather. “80% of the village has left because the rains haven’t come” our guide, Fardus who works with Oxfam in Somaliland, tells us. Many of them will have walked 100km with their animals to the Ethiopian hinterlands in search of rain and something for their livestock to eat.

“Those who have left will pass information down the roads from village to village, sending news if they’ve found rain and pasture”, she says.

Only those not able to move and help are left behind. One of those is Abdilahi Ahmed Ali.

Abdilahi is 80 years old and has lived in Balli Hiile since 1958.

“When I look at the landscape now, I think of hungriness”, he says, looking out at the parched land surrounding him. “When I was a boy, the village was full of green, we had the best quality fodder.”
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The community told us that this year, the rains have failed completely, allowing nothing to grow and decimating the livelihoods of a village that relies solely on its livestock for survival. “Each family will lose livestock”, says Abdilahi. “Last year we lost about 40% of our animals, this year we’re hoping it will be no more than 20%.”

Oxfam’s partner HAVOYOCO has been working with the community in Balli Hiile to conserve soil and water by rehabilitating water points and rebuilding crumbling berkads, large holes dug into the ground in which water can be stored.

“We nearly died a while ago,” says one local stallholder in the village. “We had food, but no water to cook it with.” When the community was at crisis point earlier this year, Oxfam though its partner trucked in water to keep people alive.

Despite the devastation of his village and its way of life over the past ten years, Abdilahi still has hope. “We are expecting rain, all we need is rain”, he says.

But if the rains continue to fail and more animals die, many of Balli Hiile’s inhabitants will be forced to give up their way of life and flee to the towns to beg for money and food.

But Abdilahi was adamant that he will not leave his home and the place he loves. “The only thing I can do is lie down here, I’m not going anywhere. I prefer to die in my house.”

soure:HPost

Somalia: Al-Shabaab’s Encirclement Strategy

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HARGEISA, 9 December 2009 (Somalilandpress) – A closed source in the Horn of Africa reports on al-Shabaab’s strategy at the current juncture of the conflicts in southern and central Somalia. According to the source, Harakat al-Shabaab Mujahideen (H.S.M.) is preparing to launch an offensive in the central regions to gain the kind of dominance over them that it has achieved in the Jubba regions in the south over the past month by displacing its former ally Hizbul Islam (H.I.). The source reports that local observers and politicians had expected H.S.M. to carry its fight against H.I. to Mogadishu next. The move to an encirclement strategy, according to the source, would repeat what H.S.M. did in the Jubba Valley by “creating safe areas on its flanks.” H.S.M. would then turn to Mogadishu.

Regarding the prospects for the success of H.S.M.’s strategy, the source notes that the group will face strong opponents in the central regions [presumably Ahlu Sunna wal-Jama’a in Galgadud and H.I. in Hiraan] and that Ethiopia will likely intervene; but the source adds that, at the very least, H.S.M. is likely to be able “to capture Hizbul Islam territories up to Beledweyne.

Significance :

The source’s intelligence will be analyzed in terms of how it enlightens H.S.M.’s overall strategy. If the intelligence is accurate, then it reflects a set of judgments and decisions by H.S.M. on how it can most effectively gain political dominance in southern and central Somalia. The strategy of encircling Mogadishu, rather than going for an immediate confrontation with H.I. there, indicates patience and prudence on H.S.M.’s part, which in turn indicates that H.S.M. is confident that it need not bring along the baggage of rivalrous allies as it prepares for a stepped-up campaign against the African Union peacekeeping mission (AMISOM) and forces of the Transitional Federal Government (T.F.G.) in Mogadishu. Phase One of H.S.M.’s overall campaign is to consolidate armed opposition to AMISOM and the T.F.G. under its command. If it is successful, H.S.M. will have placed itself as the only alternative to the T.F.G. in the southern and central regions.

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The intelligence casts doubt on frequent current claims by analysts and officials supporting the T.F.G. that H.S.M. has lost popular legitimacy and is weakening, and that its fight with H.I. indicates a collapse of the armed opposition and, therefore, presents an opportunity for the T.F.G. to expand its power in the regions, where it has no present control.

Conflict within an alliance can cut two ways. It can reflect disunity and disaggregation in some cases, yet in others it indicates the achievement of dominance by one faction over the others, leading to consolidation and, consequently, to a stronger opposition than existed prior to internecine strife.

As for loss of popular legitimacy, one must ask, as many Somali intellectuals do: Why, if H.S.M. is so unpopular and is weakening, are there not insurrections in the territories that it controls? Southern and central Somalia is a country awash in arms. Sub-clans have not disappeared. H.S.M. appears to be able to hold and administer territory, and could not do so without some support and acquiescence among local populations.

Whether or not H.S.M. will be able to carry through successfully its encirclement strategy remains unclear, with uncertainty residing in the source’s observation that H.S.M. faces “worthy opponents,” yet itself is formidable. What is apparent is that H.S.M. does not perceive itself as weakening, but, rather, as strengthening to the point at which it is willing to bid for monopoly over armed opposition. Is theirs a sober judgment?

H.S.M. has overreached before and has over-valued its power; yet it has also had periods of success, starting in late 2007 when it adopted its first strategy of encirclement that led to its current control over much of southern and central Somalia. The encirclement strategy is more in line with its sober than its intoxicated side. H.S.M. is taking a risk, but it appears to be a well-calculated risk. The strategy does not appear to be a product of desperation or a last-stand mentality, any more than it appears to be the work of irrational exuberance.

The source’s intelligence should be taken seriously, because, if it is accurate, it indicates that H.S.M. is thinking strategically and is neither over-valuing nor under-valuing its power. As the source puts it, “This is the most logical maneuver before dealing with Hizbul Islam in Mogadishu.”

Report Drafted By: Dr. Michael A. Weinstein, Professor of Political Science, Purdue University

Tougher International Action Against Pirates Can Make The Seas Safe Again

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HARGEISA, 9 December 2009 (Somalilandpress) – Piracy along the Somali coast has seen an unprecedented increase in the last year. According to the BBC So far, there have been 147 incidents in the waters off the Somali coast and in the Gulf of Aden, compared with 63 for the same period last year. A total of 533 crew members have been taken hostage. Furthermore, according to the BBC again, the IMB (The International Maritime Bureau) also says the pirates appear to have “extended their reach, threatening not only the Gulf of Aden and east coast of Somalia, but also the southern region of the Red Sea, the Bab el Mandab Straits and the East Coast of Oman”.

The pirate’s are becoming bolder with every ransom paid to them and their attacks have now escalated into kidnapping and demanding ransoms from individuals as well as multinational vessels. At present an international search is under way for a British couple Paul and Rachel Chandler who were captured by Somali Pirates whilst in their yacht heading to Tanzania from the Seychelles. The combination of the Chandlers ordeal, their desperate appeal for help and the greed of the Somali pirates has firmly placed Somali piracy in the international media spotlight.

Whilst the Pirates and their financial backers may be enjoying the limelight and comfortably living off their ill gotten gains, the majority of the worlds businesses are counting the painful cost of it all. As a result of the pirate attacks, many ships have changed routes and those that have been brave enough to continue using the pirate infested routes through the Gulf of Aden have been forced to pay higher insurance premiums in order to receive basic insurance cover. This has inevitably caused an international rift between insurers and shipping companies who feel that the insurers are using the piracy scare as a method of generating more revenue from what is already a costly and heavily recession hit industry. Since the majority of the worlds consumer goods are transported by sea, the hike in insurance premiums for the shipping companies will be passed on to their clients who will in turn pass it on to their customers. This is already happening in most of the worlds developed economies as the consequences of Somali piracy is been bitterly felt through a rise in food and fuel prices. In addition to this, neighbouring East African Countries such as Kenya where just over a million Refugee Somali nationals live, the proceeds of piracy has lead to a sharp rise in property prices and land costs for ordinary citizens as pirates use their ill gotten gains quickly to buy land and commodities before they are captured.

The pirates have argued unconvincingly that their main motivation comes from a need to protect Somalia’s waters against illegal fishing and dumping of waste from foreign vessels. Whilst this may have been true at first and could have attracted support from international environmental groups such as Friends of the Earth and Greenpeace, it has proven to be a very feeble justification as a result of the extortionate ransom demands made by the pirates. The fact is that most of these pirates are nothing more than common criminals and gangsters who use their knowledge of the sea to make trade difficult for the rest of the world.

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The impact of these pirate’s criminal activities is been felt socially and politically by the Somali community in the Diaspora who the western right wing press immediately blame for their activities. Peaceful, law abiding Somalis who already are politically and socially marginalised by poverty, racism and social exclusion are now in most parts of the Western world, been used as scapegoats for the crimes of greedy thugs who they have never met or have any relations with. At a Somali cafe in Bristol many made their feelings clear. “I do not know who they are but these pirates seem to be making life difficult for us at school,” a young secondary school student said. “I hope they realise that their actions are leading to some of us Somali students in Bristol been bullied and taunted.” A father of four jumped in and added, “I do not feel safe letting my children play outside anymore because I am afraid that they may get into fights with other non Somali children. With every pirate attack we lose strength as a community and we are more open to attack from the general public who seem to think we are robbing them of their benefits in the UK and robbing them of their trade in the sea.” With Britain experiencing one of the greatest economic downturns in the country’s history and a huge shortage in social housing and school places, the Somali community is already been blamed for creating a huge pressure on the public purse without contributing anything of value to the British economy and society. The painful consequences of Somali piracy in East Africa has been to further add to the stigmatisation and marginalisation of a Somali Community already facing great difficulties and prejudice in the West.

Of course one sympathises with the poverty faced by Somali’s living in the war torn Country but what they are doing is absolutely wrong. The real enemies of the Somali people are not the multinational vessels carrying millions of dollars worth of goods or the poor private amateur sailors wanting to see the world in their yachts but the many failed Somali governments who, had they been functioning properly, would have been able to collect taxes from the users of their territorial waters as well as grant fishing permits to those who were willing to pay a fair price for them.

Tougher international action is needed against Somali Pirates in order to make the seas safe again but sea patrols by international navies is not enough as this will only artificially delay the solving of this piracy epidemic of the Somali coast.

Piracy and its damaging threats can only realistically be eliminated by addressing its root causes which are poverty and state failure on the in land. Furthermore, in line with the European Parliament recommendation, an independent investigation into war crimes and human rights violations in Somalia need to be carried out to bring closure to those who feel that they have been wronged by successive but equally poor governments of Somalia and to bring the perpetrators of misery, abuse and corruption which might have lead to the piracy epidemic, to justice.

Liban Obsiye
Bristol, UK
libanbakaa@hotmail.com

Mogadishu Hotel Bomber Identified as a Dinish Citizen

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Copenhagen, 9 December 2009 (Somalilandpress) – The Mogadishu hotel suicide bomber who disguised himself as a veiled woman and blew himself killing 22 people including four transitional government ministers has been confirmed to be from Denmark.

A Press release from The Danish Security and Intelligence Service (PET) said that the suicide bomber was a Somali citizen who came to Denmark at the age of five. The man who PET did not want to identify was considered to be in his early 20s and was a resident of Copenhagen. Sources say the man’s parents who are Danish Nationals are currently living in the Danish capital Copenhagen. According to reports from TV2 of Denmark the man traveled to Somalia 18 months ago with his wife and a child, the whereabouts of the wife and child is currently unknown.

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The Mogadishu hotel bombing took place during a graduation ceremony that was being held for Banadir University graduates at Shamo hotel. Twenty two people and four Transitional Government Ministers were killed. The four ministers that died were Minister of Education, Minister of Health, Minister of Culture and Minister of youth and sports that was critically wounded at the scene and later died in Nairobi hospital.

SomalilandPress

Somali Immigrants Face "Hardship" In Mozambique Jails

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MOGADISHU, 8 December 2009 (Somalilandpress) – Twenty four Somali nationals who are jailed in Mozambique (for being illegally in the country), have expressed concern over hardship they are facing in the prison.

They said they do not get enough food to make them survive in the prison, adding that they are also tortured frequently. The prisoners added that they have also been denied to perform their prayers.

Feysal Hashi Muhammad, who is among the prisoners, said that he was captured while heading for a refugee camp in Mozambique. He said the human traffickers who facilitated their trip did not take them directly to the camp, but instead they handed them (the Somali illegal immigrants) to the police.

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Among those facing the hardship in Mozambique are children, who because of Somalia conflict decided to join the Somali illegal immigrants travelling to Mozambique.

The concern of these Somalis comes as many other Somali refugees remain in the jails of Mozambique. Most of the Somali immigrants were arrested while heading for South Africa.

By Abdinasir Mohamed
Somalilandpress
Mogadishu-Somalia
Email: abdinasir4@gmail.com

Nine Suspected Al-Shabab Members Charged In Kenyan Court

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Nairobi, 8 December 2009 (Somalilandpress) – Nine suspects arrested last week on suspicion of being members of Somali terror group Al-Shabab were arraigned before Mombasa court this afternoon.

The suspects were charged with being in Kenya illegally and being in possession of illegal weapons. Reports say the arrests point at the serious and direct threat posed on Kenya by the Al-Shabab group that operates freely in the neighboring lawless Somalia.

The suspected Al-Shabab operatives were arrested last Wednesday in Kipini in Lamu. None of the men could speak English or Swahili. Authorities later recovered an arms cache of assorted weapons hidden in the Indian Ocean. Among the weapons recovered were rocket launchers, rocket-propelled grenades and several AK47 assault rifles.

Interrogations of the suspects bore no fruit due to the language barrier. Sources tell NTV the suspects were moved to Mombasa on Thursday night under heavy security.

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This is believed to have led to a major operation in Nairobi where several people were arrested over the weekend. The Kenya government has now increased its surveillance of Kenya’s border with Somalia following the attack and capture of a Somali town close to the border by the Al-Shabab.

‘’ We have beefed up security within our borders stretching from Malindi, Lamu up to Kiunga’’ a police officer who asked not to be named told NTV.

NTV says that Al-Shabab has also claimed responsibility for an attack last week that killed three cabinet ministers and 17 medical students and their lecturers at a graduation ceremony in Mogadishu. Al-Shabab is on Washington’s list of groups involved in terror activities’’

By Abdinasir Mohamed
Somalilandpress
Mogadishu-Somalia
Email: abdinasir4@gmail.com

Rise In Mental Health Disorders Worries Somaliland Officials

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Hargeisa, 8 December 2009 (Somalilandpress) – Health officials in Somalia’s self-declared independent region of Somaliland have expressed concern over a rise in mental illness, which they attribute to post-war trauma, joblessness, drug abuse and khat use.

“Mental health problems have increased in Somaliland because of several reasons; that is why in October 2008, the Ministry of Health and Labour established a new department to deal with mental disorder coordination,” Mustafe Hussein Hirsi, the mental health coordinator in the ministry, said.

He said public and private hospitals across the region had recorded an increase in mental disorders, “for example, here in the Hargeisa Group Hospital, we had 140 patients in 2008 and now we have 180 patients”.

Hirsi said Somaliland public mental hospitals lacked adequate facilities to handle the caseload.

“Berbera Hospital was built in the late 1920s as a jail; the patients were held in small rooms without air-conditioning or a fan yet it is in a coastal climate area,” Hirsi said.

Mental hospitals also receive limited support from donors, he said.

“[The] World Health Organization [WHO] gives us the drugs but we do not get any other support except personal donations by members of the public; for example, today, Abdillahi Mohamed Dahir, chairman of the Union of Somaliland Journalists, gave us some money raised by Somaliland’s diaspora in Bristol in the UK,” Hirsi said.

He said aid agencies had displayed little interest in supporting efforts aimed at alleviating mental disorders.

“Aid organizations, both international and local, often work on HIV/AIDS and female genital mutilation but it is rare to see organizations who are interested in helping this community of the mentally challenged, who are suffering everywhere in the country,” Hirsi said.

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The International Day of Persons with Disabilities is marked every 3 December. This year’s theme was “making the [UN’s] Millennium Development Goals disability-inclusive”.

WHO said it was holding a three-month training programme in Hargeisa for health workers dealing with mental health issues.

“Health workers from Somaliland, Puntland and south-central Somalia are attending that training,” said Mohamed Mahamud Ali, WHO medical officer.

Officials of the mental health department of Hargeisa Group Hospital said the workshops undertook practicals in the hospital, under the guidance of a visiting WHO psychiatrist.

Omar Elmi Dihod, one of the few psychiatrists in Somaliland, said the increase in mental disorders was higher in males than females because of post-war trauma, khat consumption and stress.

“I worked for Hargeisa Group Hospital’s mental sickness department between 1991 and 1998, where I met a number of teenagers who had different kinds of mental sicknesses,” Dihod said. “But when I researched their backgrounds, I found out that when they were in refugee camps in eastern Ethiopia they used to chew khat a lot to prevent insect bites, and for this reason, they got mental sickness.”

Some of the mental patients have been in hospital for so many years that they have lost touch with their relatives, citing the case of Fadumo. “This woman, named only Fadumo, no one knows who brought her to hospital or where she is from but we know that she was admitted in 1970s, she has yet to recover,” Hirsi said.

Source: IRIN

Somaliland: A Way out of the Electoral Crisis

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Hargeisa, 8 December 2009 (Somalilandpress) – The stalled electoral process has plunged Somaliland into a serious political crisis that presents yet another risk of destabilisation for the region. If its hard-won political stability collapses under the strain of brinkmanship and intransigence, clan leaders might remobilise militias, in effect ending its dream of independence. The political class must finally accept to uphold the region’s constitution, abide by the electoral laws and adhere to inter-party agreements such as the electoral code of conduct and memorandum of understanding signed on 25 September 2009, so as to contain the crisis and permit implementation of extensive electoral reforms. International partners and donors should keep a close watch on developments and sustain pressure for genuinely free and fair general elections in 2010.

President Rayale’s third term of office should have expired on 15 May 2008. The election that was to have been held at least one month earlier has been rescheduled five times, most recently for 27 September 2009. The new National Electoral Commission (NEC) has yet to set a sixth date.

The latest delay was ostensibly caused by the unilateral decision of the previous NEC not to use a voter registration list tainted by massive, systematic fraud. This prompted both opposition parties to declare an election boycott and suspend cooperation with the commission. The resulting impasse triggered yet another crisis. Publicly the political elite sought to blame the NEC, its technical partner, Interpeace, and each other, but the crisis was one largely of its own making.

The recurrent rescheduling of elections and the fraud-tainted voter registration process are symptoms of deeper political problems. While President Rayale and his ruling party have benefited most from more than a year and a half of additional time in power, all the political stakeholders are in some way responsible for the selection and continuation of an incompetent and dysfunctional electoral commission, rampant fraud during voter registration, frequent skirting of the constitution and failure to internalise and institutionalise democratic practices.

The crisis was defused in late September, when the parties – under strong external and internal pressure – accepted a memorandum of understanding (MOU) agreeing to a change in the NEC’s leadership and composition, use of a “refined” voter registration list and delay of the elections to a date to be determined by the NEC, with input from independent international experts. The MOU brought the parties back from the precipice, but it is a vague document that must be complemented by additional measures to prevent new crises.

Somaliland has made remarkable progress in its democratic transformation, but political wrangling and wide-scale attempts to manipulate the political process have corrupted governing institutions and undermined the rule of law. Democratic participation, fair and free elections and effective governance need to be institutionalised and made routine, or non-violent means to resolve political crises could be replaced by remobilisation of militias, with significant risk of violent conflict.

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Improving the political culture will necessarily be a long-term, internal process, but as a start the institutions that manage elections – the NEC and the office of the voter registrar – need to be professionalised and depoliticised and the electoral laws and agreements adhered to strictly by both political parties and voters. International partners should encourage and support the government and parties to do the following:

– Civil society and international supporters must shield the new, inexperienced NEC from political pressure as it organises the presidential elections, and the NEC itself must actively resist succumbing to manipulation. The new commissioners must focus on preventing electoral fraud, working with international experts to develop a calendar for the vote, identifying problems with the current voter registration list and developing solutions for extensive duplicate registrations. The NEC also should be given the resources to hire adequate staff.

– All parties have agreed to the need for a revised registration list. The problem is that the list clearly still contains too many duplicate records and is not trusted by the political parties. Priorities for the new NEC should include hiring a competent, impartial permanent registrar and complementing the list with alternative methods and mechanisms for voter verification and fraud prevention, such as using indelible ink to identify those who have voted, limiting polling hours and imposing driving prohibitions to prevent parties and clans from transporting people to multiple locations. The emphasis should be on improving the process of updating the database and transferring the capability to do so to the Somaliland staff.

– Because of concerns for its accuracy, the registration list should not be used to determine the number of ballots and ballot boxes for particular areas, since that could lead to ballot stuffing where there was greater registration fraud. Agreement is needed on the number of boxes and ballots to be sent to the polling stations.

– Unconstitutional extensions of mandates must stop. Separate elections should be held for both the House of Representatives and district councils in 2010. More contentious will be renewal of the Guurti, presently the non-elected, clan-nominated upper house of the parliament. The constitution provides its members should be selected every six years, but does not stipulate how. Renewal has not happened since 1997, and the procedure needs to be defined urgently.

– The constitutional provision limiting the number of political parties able to compete in legislative and presidential elections to three has resulted in the monopolisation of power by the parties and leaders who were in place when the constitution was adopted. A new law clarifying how these three parties are to be chosen and permitting changes, coupled with a permanent system for the registration of new and independent political associations, should be adopted to encourage competition and accountability in political life.

– The new NEC, with donor support, should identify established, reputable local NGOs to prepare pre-election voter education and civic awareness campaigns. Materials should be developed for schools, and the education ministry should require classes on democratic practices. Clerics should be enlisted to raise awareness of election laws.

– Local NGOs, with foreign technical aid, should help train party and civil society observers to detect fraud, resist political and clan pressures and carry out nationwide election monitoring, partnering where possible with international monitors.

You Can Download Full Report Here: Somaliland A Way Out Of The Electoral Crisis

CPJ’s annual prison census 2009: In Sub-Saharan Africa, 9 out of 10 detained without charge

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New York, 8 December 2009 (Somalilandpress) – On December 1, a total of 25 journalists were imprisoned in Sub-Saharan Africa in retaliation for their journalism, and nearly 90 percent of these journalists were detained without charges in secret detention facilities, according to an annual census of the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). Countries as wide ranging as Eritrea, Iran, and the United States were on the list of nations who had imprisoned journalists without charge.

With at least 19 journalists behind bars, Eritrea by far leads the list of shame of African nations that imprison journalists. Eritrea holds this dubious distinction since 2001when the authorities abruptly closed the private press by arresting at least ten editors without charge or trial. The Eritrean government has refused to confirm if the detainees are still alive, even when unconfirmed online reports suggest that three journalists have died in detention. CPJ continues to list these journalists on its 2009 census as a means of holding the government responsible for their fates. In early 2009, the government arrested at least six more journalists from state media suspected of having provided information to news Web sites based outside the country.

Eritrea’s neighbor, Ethiopia ranked second among African nations with journalists in jail. Four journalists were held in Ethiopian prisons, including two Eritrean journalists who are detained in secret locations without any formal charges or legal proceedings since late 2006. The Gambia, with its incommunicado detention of reporter Ebrima Chief Manneh since July 2006, and Cameroon, which has imprisoned the editor of a newspaper since September 2008, completes the list of imprisoned journalists for Sub-Saharan Africa.

Worldwide, a total of 136 reporters, editors, and photojournalists were behind bars, an increase of 11 from the 2008 tally. The survey also found that freelancers now make up nearly 45 percent of all journalists jailed across the globe.

China continued to be the world’s worst jailer of journalists, a dishonor it has held for 11 consecutive years. Iran, Cuba, Eritrea, and Burma round out the top five jailers from among the 26 nations that imprison journalists. Each nation has persistently placed among the world’s worst in detaining journalists.

At least 60 freelance journalists are behind bars worldwide, nearly double the number from just three years ago. CPJ research shows the number of jailed freelancers has grown along with two trends: The Internet has enabled individual journalists to publish on their own, and some news organizations, watchful of costs, rely increasingly on freelancers rather than staffers for international coverage. Freelance journalists are especially vulnerable to imprisonment because they often do not have the legal and monetary support that news organizations can provide to staffers.

“The days when journalists went off on dangerous assignments knowing they had the full institutional weight of their media organizations behind them are receding into history,” said CPJ Executive Director Joel Simon. “Today, journalists on the front lines are increasingly working independently. The rise of online journalism has opened the door to a new generation of reporters, but it also means they are vulnerable.”

The number of online journalists in prison continued a decade-long rise, CPJ’s census found. At least 68 bloggers, Web-based reporters, and online editors are imprisoned, constituting half of all journalists now in jail. Print reporters, editors, and photographers make up the next largest professional category, with 51 cases in 2009. Television and radio journalists and documentary filmmakers constitute the rest.

The number of journalists imprisoned in China has dropped over the past several years, but with 24 still behind bars the nation remains the world’s worst jailer of the press. Of those in jail in China, 22 are freelancers. The imprisoned include Dhondup Wangchen, a documentary filmmaker who was detained in 2008 after recording footage in Tibet and sending it to colleagues overseas. A 25-minute film titled “Jigdrel” (Leaving Fear Behind), produced from the footage, features ordinary Tibetans talking about their lives under Chinese rule. Officials in Xining, Qinghai province, charged the filmmaker with inciting separatism.

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Most of those imprisoned in Iran, the world’s second-worst jailer, were swept up in the government’s post-election crackdown on dissent and the news media. Of those, about half are online journalists. They include Fariba Pajooh, a freelance reporter for online, newspaper, and radio outlets. Radio France International reported that she was charged with “propagating against the regime” and pressured to make a false confession.

“Not long ago, Iran boasted a vigorous and vital press community,” CPJ’s Simon added. “When the government cracked down on the print media, journalists migrated online and fueled the rise of the Farsi blogosphere. Today, many of Iran’s best journalists are in jail or in exile, and the public debate has been squelched alongside the pro-democracy movement.”

Cuba, the third-worst jailer, is holding 22 writers and editors in prison, all but two of whom were rounded up in Fidel Castro’s massive 2003 crackdown on the independent press. Many have seen their health deteriorate in inhumane and unsanitary prisons. The detainees include Normando Hernández González, who suffers from cardiovascular ailments and knee problems so severe that even standing is difficult. Hernández González was moved to a prison hospital in late October.

With Eritrea as the world’s fourth-worst jailer, Burma is the fifth with nine journalists behind bars. Those in custody include the video-journalist known publicly as “T,” who reported news for the Oslo-based media organization Democratic Voice of Burma and who helped film an award-winning international documentary, “Orphans of the Burmese Cyclone.” Journalism is so dangerous in Burma, one of the world’s most censored countries, that undercover reporters such as “T” are a crucial conduit to the world.

The Eurasian nations of Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan placed sixth and seventh on CPJ’s dishonor roll. Uzbekistan is holding seven journalists, among them Dilmurod Saiid, a freelancer who exposed government agricultural abuses. Azerbaijan is jailing six reporters and editors, including investigative journalist Eynulla Fatullayev, a 2009 CPJ International Press Freedom Awardee. A seventh Azerbaijani journalist, Novruzali Mamedov died in state custody in August, after authorities denied him adequate medical care.

Here are other trends and details that emerged in CPJ’s analysis:

· About 47 percent of journalists in the census are jailed under antistate charges such as sedition, divulging state secrets, and acting against national interests, CPJ found. Many of them are being held by the Chinese, Iranian, and Cuban governments.

· In about 12 percent of cases, governments have used a variety of charges unrelated to journalism to retaliate against critical writers, editors, and photojournalists. Such charges range from regulatory violations to drug possession. In the cases included in this census, CPJ has determined that the charges were most likely lodged in reprisal for the journalist’s work.

· Violations of censorship rules, the next most common charge, are applied in about 5 percent of cases. Charges of criminal defamation, reporting “false” news, and engaging in ethnic or religious “insult” constitute the other charges filed against journalists in the census.

· Internet and print journalists make up the bulk of the census. Radio journalists compose the next largest professional category, accounting for 7 percent of cases. Television journalists and documentary filmmakers each account for 3 percent.

· The worldwide tally of 136 reflects a 9 percent increase over 2008 and represents the third-highest number recorded by CPJ in the past decade. (The decade high came in 2002, when CPJ recorded 139 journalists in jail.)

· The United States, which is holding freelance photographer Ibrahim Jassam without charge in Iraq, made CPJ’s list of countries jailing journalists for the sixth consecutive year. During this period, U.S. military authorities have jailed numerous journalists in Iraq—some for days, others for months at a time—without charge or due process. U.S. authorities appear to be using this tactic less frequently over the past two years.

CPJ believes that journalists should not be imprisoned for doing their jobs. The organization has sent letters expressing its serious concerns to each country that has imprisoned a journalist. Over the past year, CPJ advocacy helped lead to the release of at least 45 imprisoned journalists.

CPJ’s list is a snapshot of those incarcerated at midnight on December 1, 2009. It does not include the many journalists imprisoned and released throughout the year; accounts of those cases can be found at www.cpj.org. Journalists remain on CPJ’s list until the organization determines with reasonable certainty that they have been released or have died in custody.

Journalists who either disappear or are abducted by nonstate entities, including criminal gangs, rebels, or militant groups, are not included on the imprisoned list. Their cases are classified as “missing” or “abducted.”

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