Somali mayor slaps reporter, has him arrested

Hargeisa - Hussein Mohamoud Ji'ir, the mayor of Hargeisa, the capital of the northern breakaway territory of Somaliland, is reported to have slapped journalist Abdirahman Musse Omar several times in the face and then had him arrested. The incident is claimed to have occurred on June 28, and has been roundly condemned by rights organisation, Reporters Without Borders .

"The only explanation for Omar's continuing detention is abuse of authority by the mayor," Reporters Without Borders said. "Omar must be released at once. His arrest is the result of an archaic view of authority. It is the mayor, not the journalist, who should be punished since, as far as we know, Somaliland's laws do not permit this kind of abusive behaviour."

When Omar went to the Hargeisa city hall at 10 a.m. (local time) on 28 June, the mayor came out of his office and asked who had come to see him.

Omar said he wanted to get his comments on the deadly clashes that had taken place between police and residents in a suburb of Hargeisa. Instead of replying, the mayor snatched his camera and began to slap him. Security guards then locked him up in one of the two cells that have been built inside the city hall. Last night he was taken to police headquarters in Hargeisa, where he is still being held.

Source: RSF