Happy Eid, Qaran Politicians Released Finaly, Victory for Somaliland.

News in Somali:

Ciid Mubaarak! Qaran Madaxdeedii oo Hargeysa maanta ku ciidaya!!!

Maxamed Cabdi Gabboose iyo ku xigeenadiisa Maxamed Xaashi Cilmi iyo Jamaal Caydiid Ibraahim

(qaransomaliland.com) - Hargeysa 18/12/2007

Saaka markay saacaddu ahayd 4tii subaxnimo Hargeysa ayaa siyaasiyiintii Qaran xaafadahoodii la kala geeyey.

Wareysi gaaban ee guddomiyaha Ururka Qaran Dr. Maxamed Cabdi Gaboose la yeelanay wuxuu noo sheegay iney filayeen in subaxnimada la sii daynayo laakiin ay si kedis ah shandadohoodii askari u boobtay habeenimo oo gawaari si deg-deg ah lagula soo baxsaday. Wax waraaqa ah oo ay saxiixeena ayan jidhin oo sifada lagu soo daayay ay filayaan iney tahay middey iyagu doonayeen oo u oggolaaneysa iney Ururkooda loo oggolado iney diwaan gelin karan si ay dorashooyinka soo socda uga qeyb qaataan.

Wixii kaloo war ah halka kala soco.

Mahdi A. Abdi

qaransomaliland.com

Somaliland’s Recognition is in Emergency State

Somaliland Recognition Action Group (S.I.R.A.G)
Somaliland Overseas
London, UK

Press Release

16th December 2007

SIRAG UK and SOMALILAND OVERSEAS have been campaigning for Recognition of Somaliland for so long and facilitated creating a Coalition of Friends for Recognition for our country in many parts of the world. We would like to remind the Elders, Intellectuals, Government, Parliament, Opposition Parties, Human rights organisations, Civil Societies, Media and the citizens of Somaliland that Somaliland’s recognition is in Emergency State.

As part of the Diaspora and the citizens of Somaliland we would like to extend our gratitude to the International Community and Somaliland’s Coalition of Friends for Recognition and Democracy for their support for Somaliland’s democratization, rule of law and human rights. We must admit that year 2007 has been a testing year for Somaliland’s democracy where the principles of upholding human rights have been compromised by the government of Somaliland. Somalilanders both in Somaliland and the Diaspora have campaigned vigorously against these setbacks and created some immediate solutions to resolve these issues. As a result, the citizens of Somaliland have gained sympathy and support from the International Community including the Coalition of Friends for Somaliland’s Recognition and Democracy.

However in saying the above we would like to set the record straight. The Coalition of Friends for Somaliland’s Recognition and Democracy have set strict conditions on the recognition of Somaliland and if these conditions are not implemented fully we believe that Somaliland’s Recognition God forbid will be delayed for some time.

The International Community and the Coalition of Friends for Somaliland’s Recognition and Democracy have turned their attention towards the Government of Somaliland and are monitoring the situation very carefully at present. In addition, Somaliland’s Coalition of Friends for Recognition and Democracy have also forwarded strict conditions to the government of Somaliland which they must fulfil if they are to gain full recognition from the International Community.

We have listed some of these conditions as below:

i) Qaran Political Prisoners must be released immediately without any conditions.

ii) The government of Somaliland must not interfere with the Independence of the legitimate board of SHURO-NET human rights organisation as highlighted by Front Line Human rights Defenders (see attached report for references). The Legitimate board members of SHURO-NET must be allowed to continue with their AGM on 23 December 2007 as planned without any delay and interference from the government whatsoever. We can not highlight enough how this case and that of Qaran Political prisoners can cause serious complications on the recognition of Somaliland. We will repeat again, these two conditions are the top two criteria for Somaliland gaining her recognition fully. The sooner it is fulfilled the quicker Somaliland’s recognition will come Insha’Allah.

iii) The Government of Somaliland must not intervene with the Freedom of Press in Somaliland

iv) Democratization of Somaliland to be strengthened and promising changes should take place to reflect this

v) Elections must commence on time

If the above conditions are not fulfilled Somaliland’s Recognition will be delayed for some time and the finger will be pointing at one direction only and that is at the leadership of the government of Somaliland. The consequences of not listening to the Voice of the Coalition of Somaliland’s Friends for Recognition and Democracy whom some of them also represent the International Community means that Somaliland’s quest for recognition over the last 16 years will be postponed for some time, God forbid.

We believe in the Spirit of the leadership of the citizens of Somaliland who will face up to the above challenges to overcome these obstacles once again. These challenges must be dealt with as an emergency case and the citizens of Somaliland must fulfill these conditions without any further delay.

We would also like to remind the Government of Somaliland that they must listen to the voice of the Citizens of Somaliland and their supporters. The success that Somalilanders have been building for the last 16 years have been damaged within a year.

We are aware of the fact that the above conditions have been communicated to the concerned parties and offices. The Coalition of Somaliland’s Friends for Recognition and Democracy are awaiting for some immediate and positive changes from the Government of Somaliland in order to save Somaliland’s quest for recognition and democratization over the last 16 years.

In God we trust, Somaliland’s hard work will prevail at the end.

God Bless Somaliland and the Family of Humanity

Marwo Lulu Farah

Chair of SIRAG
www.sirag.org.uk

Mr Ahmed Ibrahim Kadleye
Director of Somaliland Overseas

kadleye024@hotmail.com

Attached: Reports, Press Releases and Communiqués from Somaliland Diaspora, Media and Somaliland’s Coalition of Friends for Recognition and Democracy.

Reports, Press Releases and Communiqués by Somaliland Diaspora and Somaliland’s Coalition of Friends for Recognition and Democracy in relation to the illegal arrests of Qaran Politicians, Freedom of Speech and Targeting legitimate SHURO-NET Human Rights Defenders:

The European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party-ELDR communiqué (ref: ELDR’s Conditional Recognition Call for Somaliland

Brussels , 27 November 2007)

http://www.somaliland.org/2007/11/30/eldrs-conditional-recognition-call-for-somaliland

http://www.eldr.org/index.php

Amnesty International (Ref: SOMALILAND: Leaders of new opposition party arrested)

http://www.amnesty.org/en/alfresco_asset/ff2f4dc1-a2b6-11dc-8d74-6f45f39984e5/afr520132007en.pdf

Frontline Humanrights Defenders (Headquarter office in Brussels).

Somaliland : Targeting of Human Rights Organisations Network and threats against its Director Mubarik Ibrahim Aar

http://www.frontlinedefenders.org/node/1280

Lord Avebury, Patron for Somaliland’s Recognition, Democracy and Humanrights:

http://somaliland28july2007.blogspot.com/

Letter from Lord Avebury to Lord Malloch Brown, November 2, 2007

http://www.qaransomaliland.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=202&Itemid=1

Lord Avebury supporting Somaliland’s Free Press

http://somalilandpresslaw.blogspot.com/

Dr. Ioan Lewis, Emeritus Professor of Anthropology at the London School of Economics, (Prof Lewis Oo Cambaareyey Talaabadda Xukuumaddu Ka Qaaday ShuroNet

http://www.somaliland.org/2007/12/10/prof-lewis-oo-cambaareyey-talaabadda-xukuumaddu-ka-qaaday-shuro-net

Peter Tatchell: In praise of Somaliland, A beacon of hope in the Horn of Africa

http://www.theliberal.co.uk/issue_11/columns/tatchell_11.html

Somaliland Lawyers ( Somaliland Law)

http://www.somalilandlaw.com

Somaliland Law: The Delayed Release of Imprisoned QARAN Leaders: Procedural

Hurdles? By Ibrahim Hashi Jama

http://www.somalilandlaw.com/Delayed_Release_of_QARAN_leaders_230907.pdf

Press Release, Michael Walls, Chair, Somaliland Focus ( UK), Secretariat of UK All Party Parliamentary Group for Somaliland)

http://somalilandtimes.net/sl/2007/301/050.shtml

Somaliland Forum : PRESS RELEASE – IMMEDIATE Ref: SF/CLC/11/07

Date: 3/11/2007

SOMALILAND FORUM CONDEMNS GOVERNMENT’S TAKE-OVER OF

INDEPENDENT HUMAN RIGHTS NETWORK (SHURO-Net)

http://www.somalilandlaw.com/SHURO_Net/SF_PRelease_SHURO-Net_Final_031107.pdf

A Joint-Press Statement issued by Somaliland’s leading independent newspapers http://somalilandpresslaw.blogspot.com/2007/11/somaliland-government-proposes-new.html

Washington DC Somaliland Community Press Release http://somaliland28july2007.blogspot.com/2007/08/press-release-washington-dc-area.html

Somaliland European Society (Warsaxaafadeed:Ururka Xidhiidhka Jaaliyaddaha Somaliland ee Yurub (SSE))

http://www.somalilandnet.com/news/wnews/headline/13372750.shtml

Somaliland Overseas (Baaq Guud By: Axmed Ibrahim Kadleye

http://somalilandpatriots.com/news-3563.html

SIRAG : Appeal To The International Community To Support Somaliland’s Human Rights Defenders

http://www.somalilandtimes.net/sl/2007/303/4.shtml

Note: We appreciate and are grateful for the support and solidarity of Somaliland’s Friends whose names will not appear here for confidential reasons.

Also we apologise for not listing all the names of Somaliland’s Diaspora Organisations and Intellectuals who are too many to list here but who are tirelessly working hard to defend Somaliland’s recognition and status.

End of Press Release.

Somaliland Recognition Action Group(S.I.R.A.G)
Somaliland Overseas
London, UK

Conditional Recognition Sought For Somaliland By EU Party

Annemie Neyts-Uyttebroeck MEP, President of ELDR

London, December 1, 2007 (SL Times) – One of the main three parties in the European Union Parliament (ELDR) introduces a conditional resolution which calls upon the EU and all its member states to give diplomatic recognition to the Republic of Somaliland. Prominent among the conditions raised was the release of the Qaran leadership from jail.

Whether the president will heed this additional call to do the right thing and work toward bringing about the long sought recognition a step closer remains to be seen.

Here are two letters from the president of the European Liberal Democratic Reform Party Annemie Neyts-Uttebroeck addressed respectively to President Rayale and Secretary-General of the Council of the European Union Javier Solana.

______________________________________________

HE. Dahir Rayale Kahin
The President of the Republic of Somaliland
Hargeysa, Somaliland

Brussels, 27 November 2007

Dear Mr. President,

The Congress of the European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party (ELDR) adopted a resolution that calls upon the European Union and all of its Member States to give diplomatic recognition to the Republic of Somaliland and actively encourages the African Union to accept that Somaliland is not a secessionist state but rather a democratic entity that has abrogated a union with a failed State.

However, our call is conditioned by the existence of a government that respects human rights, a free market, and democracy, with a free press and the possibility of democratic changes of government.

In a region of the world where these qualities are in short supply, your country is a beacon of democracy. Therefore ELDR was alarmed to read of the arrests of Dr Mohamed Abdi Gabose, Engineer Mohamed Hashi and Mr. Jamal Aideed on July 28. These three gentlemen were architects of Somaliland’s freedom, and are surely entitled to exercise their constitutional rights to freedom of expression and of association, and the right to take part in the government of their country, which are found in Articles 19-21 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Whilst the constitution of Somaliland provides that there shall be only three political parties, there is no law that I am aware of which says that the current three parties will always be the three accepted under the constitution. The constitution like all others also guarantees the right of association and the persons who have been arrested are arguing that they are simply exercising their rights to form a political association and to be given a chance to compete freely to become one of the three political parties allowed under the constitution.

May I respectfully urge you to release the three gentlemen, and to convene a representative assembly to determine how to secure maximum popular participation at the forthcoming elections, by a process that would determine which three parties have the greatest support and whose candidates’ names should therefore appear on the ballot papers? I need hardly emphasize the damage to the cause of Somaliland’s recognition that will result from failure to resolve this problem by discussion and agreement, rather than arbitrary detentions.

In the longer term, Somaliland may wish to consider whether it is necessary to place any constitutional limit on the number of parties. In many democratic countries the citizens tend to elect just a few parties, though others may put up candidates without harming the democratic process.

Yours sincerely,

Annemie Neyts-Uyttebroeck MEP,
President of the European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party

___________________________________________________

Letter to Secretary-General of the Council of the European Union Javier Solana.

Brussels , 27 November 2007

Javier Solana
High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy,
Secretary-General of the Council of the European Union
Rue de Ia Loi, 175

Dear High Representative,

The European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party (ELDR) is very concerned about the situation in Somaliland. Our Party Congress adopted a resolution on this issue which calls upon the European Union and all of its Member States to give diplomatic recognition to the Republic of Somaliland and actively encourages the African Union to accept that Somaliland is not a secessionist state but rather a democratic entity that has abrogated a union with a failed State.

However, our call is conditioned by the existence of a government that respects human rights, a free market, and democracy, with a free press and the possibility of democratic changes of government.

Somaliland ’s current political system and its leadership are failing to meet the minimum standards expected of a free and democratic State. Neither does the Somaliland government respect international and human rights laws such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Last summer the Somaliland government arrested Mohamed Abdi “Gabose”, Mohamed Hashi Elmi and Jamal Aide 3d, three leaders of an emergent opposition party, in the Somaliland capital of Hargeysa on 28 July. They are respectively the chairperson, the vice-chairperson and the second vice- chairperson of the Qaran party (‘The Nation”), which is currently not legally registered but has begun informal political activities in advance of the local elections expected to be held in December 2007. Amnesty International has called for the immediate and unconditional release of these three men.

Ever since Somaliland broke away, following the downfall of Siyad Barre, friends of the new proto-state have pointed to the contrast between Somaliland’s maintenance of democracy, human rights and the rule of law, and the anarchy which has prevailed in Somalia. They have tried to help Somaliland towards recognition as an independent state, and I believe this should still be the goal. The obstruction of citizens who want to present a new political agenda by the use of doubtful law is bound to undermine the project, and I request you to express concern on behalf of the European Union at the use of detention without charge, denial of access to legal advice, and the proposal to try the detainees in camera in a special court inside the prison.

These unlawful processes have already set the cause of Somaliland’s recognition back, and if continued, must inevitably halt progress for the time being. It would be helpful if you were able to underline these points in a message to the authorities in Hargeisa.

Yours sincerely,

Annemie Neyts-Uyttebroeck MEP
President of the ELDR Party

Source: http://www.qaransomaliland.com/