WHY AYAAN SHEIKH HASSAN IS DETAINED?
November 14, 2008

The head of the Somali section of the BBC world service, Mr. Yussuf Garad, seems to have a special vendetta against the Republic of Somaliland. The instant Mr. Garad hears any incident in Somaliland, he goes on a heightened smear campaign. Case in point: on the heels of the recent terrorist attacks in Somaliland, Mr. Garad and his correspondents in the region went on a wild goose chase. In effect, Mr. Garad wasted no time in piecing together hypothetical scenarios while the police investigation was at it its early stages. Against all norms of professional journalism and without waiting for the completion of the final police analysis of the events, Mr. Garad made his own conclusions. His assumptions are based on heresy and deep seated hatred against the government and the people of Somaliland.

According to this news item from www.Djiboutination.com, published in www.Somalilandhorta.com, under the following link http://somalilandhorta.com/news/2008/Nov/news08111004.htm,

Mr. Ali Abdi Wardheere, without first checking the veracity of the BBC-Somali service news broadcast, has accused the government of Somaliland singling out the refugees from Somalia for mass internment. He specifically mentioned the detention of Mrs. Ayan Sheikh Hassan and her six months old daughter.

There is no single shred of truth in Mr. Wardheere’s story. In deed, any terrorist act leaves behind painful and lingering memories but southern Somalis who sought refuge in Somaliland have never been targeted for imprisonment. At the early stages of the investigation, the police have the right to detain any suspect regardless of where he/she hails from. That is a normal procedure.

Mr. Wardheere’s version of events was a mirror image of the interview of the BBC’s Somali correspondent with the neighbour of Mrs. Ayan Sheikh Hassan. Contrary to the ethics of broadcasting, the BBC’s Somali anchor tried to besmirch Somaliland but without success. The tone of his questioning was provocative and irresponsible at best. The British Broadcasting Corporation should monitor its news anchors to ascertain the quality, the accuracy, and the impartiality of the contents of its broadcasts.

The interview of Mr. Farah Mohamed Hussein, the chairman of the Somalia refugees in Hargeisa, with the BBC at 5 p.m. the same day discredited the authenticity of the earlier news release. Mr. Hussein categorically denied that southern Somalis are the target of the ongoing police investigation and that they live in peace and secure environment. He also stated that many Somali Landers were detained as a result of the terrorist attacks.

In another interview with the Somali language section of the BBC, the commissioner of Somaliland Police stated the following:

1. No individual is detained on the basis of ethnicity;
2. Most of those detained so far of the terrorist attacks hail from Somaliland.

The complimentary statements of Somaliland Police Commissioner and Mr. Farah’s interview exposed the fallacy of the BBC Somali correspondents reporting.

Now, the question is: Why Ayan Sheikh Hassan was detained? The answers of the Somaliland Police Commissioner to the BBC on November 9th 2008 are sufficient enough. Mrs. Ayan’s detention is part and parcel of the ongoing police investigation and there is nothing wrong with that. The commissioner also mentioned that he will not spell out the details of Ayan’s detention while the investigation is gong on. That is a routine police practice and once the process is complete, then the facts will be released.

It is a matter of common knowledge among Somali Landers, that the head of the Somali section of the British Broadcasting Corporation is on a witch hunt for any bad news about Somaliland. Therefore, we advice the Minister of Information and National Guidance of Somaliland to establish a special section to record all news releases of the Somali section of the British Broadcasting Corporation. Any offensive news items should be translated into English and then forward it to the management of the BBC.

Somalilandhorta