Image copyright Human Rights Centre Somaliland Image caption Poet Nacima Qorane was found guilty of bringing the state into contempt for backing Somaliland's reunification with Somalia.

A court in the self-declared republic of Somaliland has sentenced a young poet to three years in jail.

Nacima Qorane was found guilty of bringing the state into contempt by advocating for Somaliland to reunite with Somalia.

Pressure groups in Somaliland said Ms Qorane's basic human rights have been violated.

Somaliland self-declared independence in 1991, but is not recognised internationally.

Ms Qorane was arrested in January after returning from the Somali capital Mogadishu, where prosecutors said she had recited poetry calling for Somali unity.

After a ferocious civil war, north-west Somalia broke away from the rest of the country and declared itself as an independent Somaliland.

The territory is home to about 3.5 million people.

In February 2018, the self-declared republic agreed to allow the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to set up a military base in the coastal port of Berbera, as part of the UAE's fight against Yemen's Houthi rebels.

The prosecution said that she had labelled the self-declared republic of Somaliland a "region" and "insulted and defamed" its government.

Somaliland's Human Rights Centre has asked the government of Somaliland to release Nacima Qorane and respect human rights.

Its director, Guleid Ahmed Jama, told the BBC that it was "very concerned about the conviction and sentencing of Nacima Qorane".

"Freedom of expression is enshrined and protected by the constitution of Somaliland. We urge the government of Somaliland to respect its own constitution," he said.

A number of other artists and journalists have been arrested in Somaliland for the same offence. </s> Court sentences poet Naema Ahmed to three years in prison over “bringing the State into Contempt

Today the regional court in Hargeisa has sentenced Naema Ahmed Ibrahim to three years in prison over charges related to statements she allegedly made in Mogadishu. According to the charge sheet, these statements are “insult and defamation against the state.”

Naema was arrested on 27th January 2018 from Hargeisa Egal International Airport while she was traveling to Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia.

The prosecution charged Naema of two accounts: Anti-national Activity of a citizen abroad (article 212 of the Penal Code) and Bringing the Nation or the State into Contempt (article 219(2) of the Penal Code).

The court said Naema has not committed Anti-national Activity of a citizen abroad (article 212 of the Penal Code) but “found her of Bringing the Nation or the State into Contempt (article 219(2) of the Penal Code).”

The charge is related to statements which the prosecution said is against ‘the separation of the Republic of Somaliland,” and calling Somaliland a “region”.

“We are very concerned about the conviction and sentence of Neame. Freedom of expression is enshrined and protected by the Constitution of Somaliland,” says Guleid Ahmed Jama, the director of Human Rights Centre.

“We urge the government of Somaliland to respect its own constitution. We are also very concerned about the allegations of ill-treatment made by the lawyers of Naema.” he added.

Human Rights Centre requests the government of Somaliland to release Naema Ahmed Ibrahim. </s> related media assets (image or videos) available. Click to see the gallery.

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The judge in the trial of two Reuters reporters jailed in Myanmar on accusations of obtaining secret state documents said on Monday he will deliver his verdict on August 27, in a case that is seen as a test of press freedom in the fledgling democracy.

YANGON: The judge in the trial of two Reuters reporters jailed in Myanmar on accusations of obtaining secret state documents said on Monday he will deliver his verdict on August 27, in a case that is seen as a test of press freedom in the fledgling democracy.

The judge set the date after closing arguments had been delivered.

The court in Yangon has been holding hearings since January to decide whether, Wa Lone, 31, and Kyaw Soe Oo, 28, are guilty of breaching the colonial-era Official Secrets Act, which carries a maximum sentence of 14 years in prison. </s> JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — An Indonesian court on Tuesday sentenced the minority Christian governor of Jakarta to two years in prison for blaspheming the Quran, a shock decision that undermines the country’s reputation for practicing a moderate form of Islam.

The five-judge panel said Gov. Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama was “convincingly proven guilty of blasphemy” and ordered his arrest. However Ahok immediately announced he would appeal the guilty verdict and sentence.

Outside the court in north Jakarta, supporters of Ahok wept and hugged each other amid shouts of jubilation from members of conservative Islamic groups.

The lead judge said the trial was a purely criminal one and the court disagreed that there were political aspects to the case.

The blasphemy accusation against Ahok was a decisive factor in his defeat to a Muslim candidate in last month’s election for Jakarta governor. It sparked massive anti-Ahok protests in the city, boosting hard-line Islamic groups that said it would be a sin for Muslims to vote for a non-Muslim.

The two-year prison sentence was a surprise outcome after prosecutors had recommended two years of probation.

The maximum sentence for blasphemy in Muslim-majority Indonesia is five years in prison.

The lead judge, Dwiarso Budi Santiarto, said Ahok’s comment during the election campaign that people were being deceived if they believed the Quran forbids Muslims from voting for non-Muslims had degraded and insulted Islam.

“As part of a religious society, the defendant should be careful to not use words with negative connotations regarding the symbols of religions including the religion of the defendant himself,” he said. </s> Outgoing Governor Basuki 'Ahok' Purnama sentenced to two years in jail over comments he made during political campaign.

An Indonesian court has found Jakarta's outgoing Christian governor guilty of blasphemy against Islam.

Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, also known as Ahok, was sentenced to two years in prison on Tuesday in a south Jakarta courtroom over comments he made regarding what he believed to be the misinterpretation of certain verses of the Quran.

As hundreds of protesters gathered outside calling for the maximum penalty to be given, Dwiarso Budi Santiarto, the presiding judge, told the court that Purnama was "convincingly guilty of committing blasphemy".

Purnama has denied wrongdoing, though he apologised for comments he made last year criticising his opponents' use of the Quran in political campaigning suggesting to Muslim constituents that they cannot be governed by a person of another faith.

Purnama lost his bid for re-election in an April runoff - after the most divisive and religiously charged election in recent years - to a Muslim rival, Anies Baswedan.

Thousands of police were deployed in Jakarta on Tuesday in case clashes broke out between Purnama's supporters and opponents who are demanding he be dismissed and jailed.

His supporters, for their part, delivered thousands of red and white balloons to City Hall in advance of the court session.

"Both groups will have the opportunity to demonstrate, but we are taking steps to prevent clashes," said Setyo Wasisto, the national police spokesman.

Prosecutors had called for a suspended one-year jail sentence for Purnama on charges of hate speech.

His opponents believe that is too light. The maximum sentence is four years in prison.

The Indonesian government has been criticised by rights groups for not doing enough to protect religious minorities.

However, President Joko Widodo, an ally of Purnama, has urged restraint over the trial and called for all sides to respect the legal process. </s> Shock sentence comes after hardline Islamist groups called for Christian official to be jailed for referencing Qur’an verse

This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

Jakarta’s Christian governor has been sentenced to two years in prison after a trial that was widely seen as a measure of religious pluralism in Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim-majority country.

Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, better known as Ahok, was “found to have legitimately and convincingly conducted a criminal act of blasphemy, and because of that we have imposed two years of imprisonment”, the head judge, Dwiarso Budi Santiarto, told the court.

“As part of a religious society, the defendant should be careful to not use words with negative connotations regarding the symbols of religions, including the religion of the defendant himself.”

Jakarta governor Ahok's blasphemy trial: all you need to know Read more

Another judge, Abdul Rosyad, said reasons for the stiff sentence included that “the defendant did not feel guilt, the defendant’s act has caused anxiety and hurt Muslims”.

After the verdict was read out, Ahok was taken in an armoured police van to a prison in Cipinang, East Jakarta.

Hundreds of supporters wearing his signature red and blue check print gathered outside the jail on Tuesday afternoon. A candelit vigil was planned for the evening.

Photos posted on social media showed prison officials posing with the convicted governor.

Ahok’s lawyer said he would appeal against the sentence. It was unclear whether he would be released once the legal challenge was under way.

The blasphemy charge related to Ahok’s reference to a passage of the Qur’an during his re-election campaign in September, which hardline Islamist groups said amounted to insulting the holy book.



He insinuated that his opponents had used a Qur’anic verse to trick people into voting against him. An edited version of the speech went viral, sparking outrage. Ahok, a Christian with ethnic Chinese roots, is a “double minority” in Indonesia.

A series of protests against him drew hundreds of thousands on to the streets of the capital late last year. On Tuesday, hundreds of members of hardline Islamist groups gathered outside the south Jakarta courtroom amid a heavy security presence, with many calling for Ahok to receive the maximum penalty.

As news of the sentence emerged, some protesters shouted “God is greatest”.

Samantha Hawley (@samanthahawley) Some Protestors not happy with 2 year sentence for Ahok. Wanted 5 pic.twitter.com/cuYdlD3XGq

The government has been criticised for not doing enough to protect religious minorities, but President Joko Widodo, an ally of Ahok’s, has called for opponents to respect the legal process.

Thousands of police have been deployed in the capital to prevent clashes between Ahok supporters and opponents. “Both groups will have the opportunity to demonstrate but we are taking steps to prevent clashes,” said the national police spokesman, Setyo Wasisto.

Ahok lost his bid for re-election in an April run-off to a Muslim rival, Anies Baswedan, who is scheduled to take over in October. The vote was the most divisive and religiously charged in recent years.

With Ahok in detention, Jakarta’s deputy governor, Djarot Saiful Hidayat, will assume the role of acting governor.

The decision to jail Ahok surprised some observers because prosecutors had called for a conditional sentence of two years’ probation.



They also dropped their demand that Ahok be charged with blasphemy under article 156a of the criminal code, which carries a maximum five-year sentence, instead recommending that he face a lesser charge.



Andreas Harsono, an Indonesia researcher at Human Rights Watch, said the verdict was “a sad day for Indonesia”.



“Ahok’s is the biggest blasphemy case in the history of Indonesia. He is the governor of Indonesia’s largest city, an ally of the president. If he can be sent to jail, what could happen to others?” he said.

Harsono said more than 100 Indonesians had been convicted of blasphemy in the past decade, with acquittals in such cases extremely rare.

Todung Mulya Lubis, a human rights lawyer who defended the Bali Nine duo Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, said it was worrying that one judge cited the leader of the hardline Islamic Defenders Front as an expert in the judgment.

“[The group’s leader] Rizieq Shihab cannot be considered as an expert because he openly, publicly accused Ahok of blasphemy, so he is not an independent, neutral expert any more. But the judges mentioned his name in their judgment and I thought this is not correct.

“The judges also talked about experts from [the Islamic organisation] Majelis Ulama Indonesia. With all respect, I don’t think they can be considered as experts because they had taken sides long before the trial.”

Lubis said the verdict set a “bad precedent”, adding: “Religion is a private matter … so when you put it in the criminal code it can be used by people to discredit and suppress others. This is the problem with the blasphemy law. This is a very sad moment for us.” </s> Thirteen reporters, editors and executives from opposition Cumhuriyet daily face jail but vow to continue ‘to tell the truth’

This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

A Turkish court has convicted journalists from the opposition Cumhuriyet daily for helping outlawed “terrorist” organisations – but editors vowed their “honourable” journalism would not stop.

The paper has been fiercely critical of president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and has run front-page stories that have angered the Turkish head of state.

The court in Silivri, outside Istanbul, handed out multiple sentences to 13 journalists and executives for “aiding and abetting terror organisations without being a member” but they remain free pending appeal.

The Guardian view on Turkish press freedom: standing up for democracy | Editorial Read more

“No penalty can stop us from doing journalism. If needed, we will go to prison again but we will continue to do honest and honourable journalism,” editor-in-chief Murat Sabuncu said after being sentenced to seven years and six months.

Sabuncu said the punishment was not only given to him “but to Turkey and to press freedom in Turkey” as authorities sought to deter others from real journalism.

However, he added: “It is the sword of Damocles. Do not be scared. Keep on doing journalism. Let’s keep on doing journalism together.”

The journalists were all charged with supporting, through their coverage, three organisations that Turkey views as terror groups – the Kurdistan Workers’ party, the ultra-left Revolutionary People’s Liberation Party-Front, and the Gulen movement blamed for the 2016 failed coup.

Among others convicted were some of the biggest names in Turkish journalism, including investigative reporter Ahmet Sik who is seen as one of Turkey’s most incisive critics of the Gulen movement.

He was given a seven-and-a-half year sentence while veteran journalist Kadri Gursel was sentenced to two years and six months. The court handed cartoonist Musa Kart a sentence of three years and nine months.

The judge ordered the release of Cumhuriyet chairman Akin Atalay who had been in jail for over 500 days despite his conviction.

Greeted by his wife Adalet and a crowd of supporters shortly after he walked free from prison, Atalay said Cumhuriyet – which means “republic” – would not succumb to pressure or threats.

Revealed: the terror and torment of Turkey's jailed journalists Read more

“As we always say they cannot intimidate Cumhuriyet which will continue to tell the truth to its readers,” he told reporters.

Three defendants, including the paper’s books supplement editor Turhan Gunay, were acquitted.

Supporters of the accused repeatedly said the charges against the journalists were absurd and that the trial was political.

Cumhuriyet headlined its report on the convictions with a warning to the Turkish authorities: “You will be shamed in front of history.”

Amnesty International’s Turkey campaigner Milena Buyum lambasted the trial during which the prosecution “failed to produce a shred of evidence” of any criminal wrongdoing.



According to the P24 press freedom group, there are over 160 journalists behind bars in Turkey, most of whom were arrested under the state of emergency imposed after the coup attempt in July 2016. </s> Jakarta’s Christian governor jailed for two years for blasphemy

Jakarta's Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, also known as Ahok, reacts inside the courtroom during his blasphemy trial at the auditorium of the Agriculture Ministry, in Jakarta, Indonesia, April 11, 2017. REUTERS/BeawihartaJAKARTA, May 9 — Jakarta’s Christian governor was jailed for two years today after being found guilty of committing blasphemy, capping a saga seen as a test of religious tolerance in the world’s most populous Muslim-majority nation.

Islamic hardliners outside the Jakarta court cheered and shouted “God is greatest!” as news came through that Basuki Tjahaja Purnama was to be sent to prison, a shock decision after prosecutors recommended only two years probation.

Purnama was hauled into court last year to face trial for allegedly insulting Islam while campaigning for re-election, in a case critics said was politically motivated.

The trial came after a series of major protests against the leader, known by his nickname Ahok, in the capital that drew hundreds of thousands onto the streets.

His once unassailable opinion poll lead shrank amid the controversy and he lost the race to lead Jakarta last month to a Muslim challenger, a result that fuelled fears of Indonesia’s moderate brand of Islam coming under threat from increasingly influential radicals.

The five-judge panel at the Jakarta court found Purnama guilty of blasphemy and jailed him for two years.

Announcing the verdict, presiding judge Dwiarso Budi Santiarto said Purnama was “convincingly guilty of committing blasphemy and is sentenced to two years in prison” and ordered him to be detained.

Another judge, Abdul Rosyad, said reasons for the stiff sentence included that “the defendant didn’t feel guilt, the defendant’s act has caused anxiety and hurt Muslims”.

Purnama said he would appeal. Blasphemy carries a maximum jail term of five years in Indonesia.

The controversy began in September when Purnama, known for his outspoken style, offended Muslims after he quoted a passage from the Quran during his re-election campaign.

He insinuated that his opponents had used a Quranic verse to trick people into voting against him.

An edited version of his speech went viral online, sparking outrage.

Before the blasphemy controversy erupted, Purnama enjoyed a large lead in opinion polls due to his determination to clean up traffic-clogged, polluted Jakarta.

The trial started in December and dragged on for months, with both the prosecution and defence calling more than 40 witnesses. Purnama’s team have accused the prosecution of calling biased witnesses, saying that many were not even present when the alleged blasphemy took place.

The legislation was rarely used during the 32-year rule of strongman Suharto, but in recent years it has been exploited to persecute minorities, rights groups say. — AFP </s> Tommy Robinson has been re-sentenced to nine months in prison following his reconviction for contempt of court.

Robinson had instructed his lawyer “to read out a series of past Contempt of Court findings against newspapers which (in summary) had not led to jail terms for editors or reporters accused of disrupting trials”, according to BBC reporter Dominic Casciani, but to no avail, with judges imposing a custodial term only one month shorter than his previous sentence, declaring that “the main purpose of the penalty is punishment and deterrence”.

Robinson was initially arrested, tried, and imprisoned within a matter of hours after livestreaming accused grooming gang members — later convicted — whose case was subject to reporting restrictions, but freed by appellate judges who ruled his initial hearing had been rushed and unfair.

Attorney-General Geoffrey Cox was given leave to relitigate the case, however, which he chose to do — resulting in Robinson being reconvicted, despite his defence team’s arguments that his behaviour was “not materially different to the behaviour we see outside courts day in and day” from mainstream media reporters.

The sentencing comes days after Mr Robinson appealed to U.S. president Donald Trump to grant him political asylum.

The activist has said the sentence following his previous, overturned convcition saw him “imprisoned for over 2.5 months in solitary confinement, held against my categorisation, moved to the highest Muslim population Category C prison, subjected to mental torture and constant threats and abuse and had all of my rights removed in the interest of prison safety”, and he believes his treatment by the courts and the state more generally is “political persecution”.

The nine months comprises six months for Robinson’s actions outside Leeds Crown Court, and the activation of a separate three-month suspended sentence for similar actions at Canterbury Crown Court.

Time served will be discounted, however, meaning Robinson should eligible for automatic release on licence after roughly two months.
A court in Somaliland jails poet Nacima Qorane for three years for bringing the state into contempt by writing a poem calling for reunification with Somalia.