Boosaaso (Comment) — Extrajudicial detentions are common. A senior police officer acting illegally can arrest a citizen and keep him or her in detention indefinitely. No due process is upheld in Puntland. One year ago in Qardho President Said Abdullahi Deni praised a group of police trainees for learning basic legal skills to use when using police powers to arrest a citizen. It was a showpiece to impress Deni given that the rate of extrajudicial detentions in Puntland is a legal crisis ignored by authorities at all levels.
Mohamed Abdi Sahal, a young man, a driver by profession, was arrested in Bosaaso four days ago on the orders of a top Puntland official whose name I cannot disclose for legal reasons. Mr Sahal posted a Facebook comment on auditing practices in Puntland. He was perplexed to hear the Auditor General of Puntland say his office alerts government departments to be audited.
Puntland government departments are not fugitive-to-be entities who can only be caught off guard to have their books audited. There is no intention to imply that the Auditor General was behind the arrest of Sahal whose Facebook comment is now being shared widely.
Sahal’s sentiments reflect a strong belief in public service accountability. As a lawyer, I am more optimistic about the future of Puntland civil society; citizens can air their views on statements of public authorities.
Sahal is in a Boosaaso jail during the hottest season of the year. His aunt told me that he suffers from dehydration because “police officers were instructed to be unkind to Sahal”. Who arrested Sahal? Neither Puntland Interior Minister (Dhaban’ad) nor the Security Minister (Galan) is seemingly aware of the extrajudicial detentions in Puntland State of Somalia. Puntland has unwittingly turned into a police state under pliant citizens.
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