Website reporter pardoned and freed in Puntland

Reporters Without Borders hails yesterday’s decision by Abdurrahman Mohamed Farole, the president of the semi-autonomous northeastern region of Puntland, to pardon and release Faysal Mohamed Hassan, the correspondent of the news website Hiiran Online (HOL). Hassan was arrested on 29 June and was sentenced three days later to a year in prison on charges of putting out false information and “endangering Puntland’s security.” See also the article on Hiiran Online -------------- 05.07.2011 More information about the sentence. ----------------- 01.07.2011 Call for release of jailed online journalist Reporters Without Borders today declared its support for a National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) appeal to the authorities in the breakaway Somali territory of Puntland to free Faysal Mohamed Hassan, correspondent of the news website Hiiran Online (HOL) in Bossasso, where he was arrested on 29 June and accused of putting out “false news.” He has not yet been brought before a court. "Puntland police must stop arresting journalists for publishing news reports or expressing critical views," said Abdiwelli Hassan, the NUSOJ’s Puntland coordinator. “Taking a journalist to prison because of his news reports is a real menace to media freedom,” NUSOJ Secretary General Omar Faruk Osman added. Reporters Without Borders, a partner organisation of the NUSOJ, said the 48-hour temporary detention limit had expired. “The authorities must immediately give clear reasons for this illegal and arbitrary arrest.” Hassan was arrested at HOL offices at around 11:30 and Puntland police chief Col. Ali Nur said the order had comes from “top leaders.” The next day, police reportedly refused to take him for a hearing at the Bari regional court in Bossasso. Photo : Faysal Mohamed Hassan (Center), source : Hiiran Online See : Hiiran Online