Hargeisa (Hornpost) The government of Somaliland has once again described the move by the government of Somalia to deport 25 Somaliland prisoners held in Las’anod in Mogadishu as a hostage by the Prime Minister of Somalia, and called on him to hand over to the International Organization of the Red Cross (ICRC) which is in charge of affairs prisoners.
The Ministry of Justice of Somaliland expressed strong concern about the release of these prisoners, saying that they were kidnapped and forced to wear the Somali flag, which they did not agree to.
“We are calling on the Somali government to hand over the prisoners it illegally seized to the international organizations in charge of the transfer of prisoners” said in the press release.
Somaliland has accused the Federal Government of using the prisoners for political purposes to put pressure on Somaliland, saying that the prisoners captured in the conflict areas of Sool region were mistreated and neglected.
“The Government of Somalia has deliberately violated international and civil laws, especially the Third Act of the Geneva Conventions (1949) regarding prisoners of war, especially Article 12 and Article 118, which states that all prisoners of war should not be released to use for political purposes or to pressure a particular person,” was added to the press release.
this press release issued by the Minister of Justice of the Republic of Somaliland, Yonis Ahmed Yonis, a copy of it which reached Hornpost office.
Hornpost staff Reporter