The lawyer for the Norwegian citizen who risks being executed in Somaliland has received assurance from the country’s Foreign Minister that it will not happen immediately.
“I just talked to him. He says that there is nothing to indicate that the Norwegian citizen will be executed in the next few days.
“The verdict is not final, he said, and emphasized that there’s still the appeal for the Norwegian,” lawyer Farid Bouras told Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK).
Yasin Haji Mohamoud also promised that the matter would be taken up with the president of the self-proclaimed republic.
“The authorities in Somaliland do not intend to take any action at this time. He is safe in our custody, the foreign minister assured. But anything can happen in Somaliland. As long as I do not have a written presidential order, I must continue to work,” Bouras said.
On Wednesday, newspaper Dagbladet reported that a 54-year-old Norwegian citizen had been sentenced to death in Somaliland.
Imprisoned for murder
The man is imprisoned for murder. The prosecution believes he deliberately killed a younger man.
The 54-year-old claims he was attacked on the street without warning and defended himself.
The lawyer says that the Norwegian embassy in Nairobi has provided good consular assistance in the case but that there is an urgent need for further help from the Norwegian authorities.
“We will convene a representative of Somaliland in Norway for a meeting at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as soon as possible,” the ministry’s spokesperson Ragnhild Simenstad noted.
Meanwhile, the sons of the Norwegian who has been sentenced to death for murder in Somaliland are in despair. They are asking the government to intervene to prevent the father from being executed.
– We all despair. Dad can be shot at any time. That is what his son Mustafa says to NRK.
– What is your appeal to the Norwegian authorities?
– Erna Solberg, bring my father home.
The man’s second son Rashid Yousef says that his father is ill and that he is worried about his state of health in prison.
– Dad zones with many others. On the one hand, members of the Islamist group Al Shabaab, on the other hand, pirates. I’m very worried.
Now they hope that Prime Minister Erna Solberg and Foreign Minister Ine Eriksen Søreide get involved. Without their help, they do not think the matter will be resolved.
NRK met Foreign Minister Ine Eriksen Søreide (H) on Friday night. She says that the Norwegian authorities are working with full force and with more tracks. A little earlier in the day, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs met with a representative of Somaliland in Norway, where they gave a clear and unambiguous message about Norway’s expectations.
– We clearly stated two things: one was that the death penalty must not be served, and the other is that the death row inmate must have access to ordinary court proceedings, says Søreide.
– Are you still afraid that he may be executed?
– We are always worried when Norwegians are sentenced to death. Then it is often a confusing, very difficult situation, and I have a great understanding that this situation is difficult for both the family and the Norwegian, the Minister of Foreign Affairs adds.
