Party Leaders Arrested, Released in Somaliland
Hargeisa (SDN) -Foosiya Yusuf Haji Adan, the leader of the NDB party and Ahmed Sandoon Hasan the chairman of the JAMHUURIGA were just released after being arrested by police in the early hours of May 1st 2012. The two were planning a demonstration with their supports in downtown Hargeisa. The politicians were in custody for almost five hours.
Shortly after being released Foosiya Yusuf Haji Adan gave an interview to the BBC Somali Service where she described her intention to protest the outcome of the party registration process in Somaliland. Her party and others were left out of the running for not meeting the criteria of the new multiparty system according to the commission in charge of registration. She told the station that she wanted to let everyone know how they felt about the process but before they got a chance to make their feelings known to the public they were surrounded by police who arrested her and ten others before the demonstration took place. According to the chairwoman “We satisfied all six articles of Act No. 14 and we paid the registration fee of $27,000, despite meeting all of our obligations we were told we did not qualify and we were not given any documentation explaining the reasons”.
She also said that several party officials and members were assaulted by police officers during the altercation.
Other parties have also attempted to have their voices heard since being disqualified by the election registration committee; all of them have failed due to police intervention.
SDN, Hargeisa