President Bihi pardons Somalian pirates as goodwill gesture to Mogadishu

Hargeisa, July 30 (Somaliland.com) The President of Somaliland, Muse Bihi Abdi, had on Monday issued presidential pardons to 19 prisoners who were convicted of piracy in Seychelles and were serving their jail terms in Somaliland.

According to a press statement issued from the presidency, the president exercising his constitutional powers invoked the release of 19 pirates who had been serving out their jail sentence in Somaliland jail.

Political observers praised the president for this pardon and called it a goodwill gesture to the Mogadishu regime at a time when relations between the two neighboring countries continue to deteriorate.

Somaliland government during the Siilaanyo’s administration entered into an agreement with Seychelles and international partners whereby convicted Somali pirates could complete their jail terms in Somaliland.

Somaliland made the decision in order to be part of the coalition against the increasing spate of piracy in Somalia territorial waters.

In March 2012, the United Nations transferred the first batch of convicted Somali pirates to a jail in Hargeisa.

Funding from United Nations Development Programme helped build a prison in Somaliland’s capital, Hargeisa, where the pirates were detained in a separate block, away from other prisoners.

The names of released 19 ex-Somali pirates are listed in alphabetical order below: