Press release: On 14th August 2015, about 6:00 to 6:30 am local time, Ahmed Dayib Abdi, 22 years old, sustained six gunshot injuries after police officer fired on inmates in a locked cell at Ibrahim Koodbuur police station in Hargeisa, eye witnesses told Human Rights Centre. According to medical report and eye witnesses, six gunshots hit Ahmed. He died for the wounds on 15th August.
According to witnesses, two inmates in a cell struggled. One of them knocked the door and cried for help. Guard approached and ordered the detainees to stop fighting and retrieved back without opening the door. After few minutes, the same detainee cried for help. The guard stood in front of the window of the cell, pointed the gun and opened fire on the room. About 8 detainees were in the room. Ahmed was sleeping and was covered by blanket, witnesses told Human Rights Centre. The unexpected gun fire echoed the room and frightened the detainees. Few minutes later the inmates discovered that Ahmed was shot. The guard who fired the gun was arrested.
Ahmed was arrested by the police from his family house on 10th August 2015, about 10:30 to 10:45 pm local time. He was taken to Ibrahim Koodbuur police station where he was held in custody. The police arrived at the family’s dwelling house without warrant of arrest or search in violation of article 25 of Somaliland constitution.
Along with other five suspects, Ahmed was brought to court on 13th August. They were remanded on request of the chief investigator of Ibrahim Koodbuur police station who demanded more days to investigate them. There were no charges submitted to the court. However, the detainees were told by the police that they are arrested for allegedly participating in a public protest purportedly happened on the morning of 10th August to complain another police shooting that resulted the death of 12 years old boy and injury of other three people on 9th August 2015 after police officers were deployed in an extension construction site in Jigjigayar area of Hargeisa to stop ongoing building. They denied any involvement of the incident.
After the death of Ahmed, the rest of the suspects were released by court on 16th August without charge.
“Ahmed was from poor family who live house made of metal sheet at a poor neighbourhood in a Jigjigayar district of Hargeisa. He was detained and held in custody without case. He was just detained for no reason. These incidents shall be investigated independently,” says Guleid Ahmed Jama, the chairperson of Human Rights Centre. “The police shall be reformed and trained in accordance with Somaliland’s constitution and democratic standards,” He adds.
Human Rights Centre is very concerned on the police actions and calls on independent and impartial investigation.
Contact
Guleid Ahmed Jama
Chairperson of Human Rights Centre
Email: dafac02@hotmail.com or hrcsomaliland@gmail.com
Website: www.hrcsomaliland.org