Somali court sends alleged rape victim and journalist to jail
- 11 years ago
There are no images of Luul Ali Osman -- a 27 year-old Somali woman who accused soldiers of raping her, in court -- but the judge's ruling in the case is setting off alarms among human rights and free speech activists.
SOUNDBITE: Somalia Journalists Union Secretary General Mahamed saying:
"The Somali government has sentenced an innocent journalist and the woman who said she was raped to one year in jail and as journalists we are not satisfied with that decision.
The accuser and the journalist who interviewed her Abdiaziz Abdinur, ---- not the defendants --- were charged with insulting the government, making false accusations and seeking to profit from them.
Many have taken issue with the judge's refusal to hear from three witnesses testifying on behalf of Abdinur.
The case, which sparked international concerns over sexual violence and press freedom in Somalia, was criticized by the United States and the U.N. during the pre-trial period.
SOUNDBITE: Somalia Journalists Union Secretary General Mahamed saying:
"The Somali government has sentenced an innocent journalist and the woman who said she was raped to one year in jail and as journalists we are not satisfied with that decision.
The accuser and the journalist who interviewed her Abdiaziz Abdinur, ---- not the defendants --- were charged with insulting the government, making false accusations and seeking to profit from them.
Many have taken issue with the judge's refusal to hear from three witnesses testifying on behalf of Abdinur.
The case, which sparked international concerns over sexual violence and press freedom in Somalia, was criticized by the United States and the U.N. during the pre-trial period.