A young female poet from Somaliland has been jailed for three years over a poem that advocates the reunification of the country with Somalia.
A court in the country charged Naema Ahmed Ibrahim of bringing the country into contempt over this poem, reports the BBC.
Ibrahim was arrested in January at the Hargeisa Egal International Airport upon her arrival from Mogadishu, where she performed the poem. Rights group have said that the country has violated Ibrahim’s rights.
“Freedom of expression is enshrined and protected by the constitution of Somaliland. We urge the government of Somaliland to respect its own constitution,” Human Rights Centre director Guleid Ahmed Jama, told the BBC.
Somaliland is a self-declared independent state that broke off from Somalia since 1991, following the ousting of President Siad Barre.
