Somaliland Court Sentences Astaan Tv Owner to Five Years, Bans the TV Operations in Country

A Somaliland court has sentenced the owner of Astaan TV Abdimanan Yusuf to 5 years imprisonment and a fine of 2 billion Somaliland shillings on Wednesday.

A court in Maroodijeeh regional country in Somaliland has sentenced the owner of Astaan TV Abdimanan Yusuf to five years, fined 2 billion Somaliland Shillings and also banned the TV station from operating in the country.

Some Somaliland media associations have already started to denounce the verdict including the Somaliland Journalist Association which believes that the verdict was far from justice: ‘We believe this verdict is far from Justice. Abdimanan and his Tv station do not deserve this court verdict at all’.

Previously, the two Somaliland opposition parties also criticised the arrest of Mr Abdirahman and urged the government to grant him freedom.

Abdimanan was arrested on July 17 by authorities in Hargeisa and had reportedly been unable to meet with lawyers and family.