Image copyright Human Rights Centre Somaliland Image caption Poet Nacima Qorane was found guilty of bringing the state into contempt for backing Somaliland's reunification with Somalia.

A court in the self-declared republic of Somaliland has sentenced a young poet to three years in jail.

Nacima Qorane was found guilty of bringing the state into contempt by advocating for Somaliland to reunite with Somalia.

Pressure groups in Somaliland said Ms Qorane's basic human rights have been violated.

Somaliland self-declared independence in 1991, but is not recognised internationally.

Ms Qorane was arrested in January after returning from the Somali capital Mogadishu, where prosecutors said she had recited poetry calling for Somali unity.

After a ferocious civil war, north-west Somalia broke away from the rest of the country and declared itself as an independent Somaliland.

The territory is home to about 3.5 million people.

In February 2018, the self-declared republic agreed to allow the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to set up a military base in the coastal port of Berbera, as part of the UAE's fight against Yemen's Houthi rebels.

The prosecution said that she had labelled the self-declared republic of Somaliland a "region" and "insulted and defamed" its government.

Somaliland's Human Rights Centre has asked the government of Somaliland to release Nacima Qorane and respect human rights.

Its director, Guleid Ahmed Jama, told the BBC that it was "very concerned about the conviction and sentencing of Nacima Qorane".

"Freedom of expression is enshrined and protected by the constitution of Somaliland. We urge the government of Somaliland to respect its own constitution," he said.

A number of other artists and journalists have been arrested in Somaliland for the same offence. </s> Court sentences poet Naema Ahmed to three years in prison over “bringing the State into Contempt

Today the regional court in Hargeisa has sentenced Naema Ahmed Ibrahim to three years in prison over charges related to statements she allegedly made in Mogadishu. According to the charge sheet, these statements are “insult and defamation against the state.”

Naema was arrested on 27th January 2018 from Hargeisa Egal International Airport while she was traveling to Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia.

The prosecution charged Naema of two accounts: Anti-national Activity of a citizen abroad (article 212 of the Penal Code) and Bringing the Nation or the State into Contempt (article 219(2) of the Penal Code).

The court said Naema has not committed Anti-national Activity of a citizen abroad (article 212 of the Penal Code) but “found her of Bringing the Nation or the State into Contempt (article 219(2) of the Penal Code).”

The charge is related to statements which the prosecution said is against ‘the separation of the Republic of Somaliland,” and calling Somaliland a “region”.

“We are very concerned about the conviction and sentence of Neame. Freedom of expression is enshrined and protected by the Constitution of Somaliland,” says Guleid Ahmed Jama, the director of Human Rights Centre.

“We urge the government of Somaliland to respect its own constitution. We are also very concerned about the allegations of ill-treatment made by the lawyers of Naema.” he added.

Human Rights Centre requests the government of Somaliland to release Naema Ahmed Ibrahim. </s> related media assets (image or videos) available. Click to see the gallery.

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The judge in the trial of two Reuters reporters jailed in Myanmar on accusations of obtaining secret state documents said on Monday he will deliver his verdict on August 27, in a case that is seen as a test of press freedom in the fledgling democracy.

YANGON: The judge in the trial of two Reuters reporters jailed in Myanmar on accusations of obtaining secret state documents said on Monday he will deliver his verdict on August 27, in a case that is seen as a test of press freedom in the fledgling democracy.

The judge set the date after closing arguments had been delivered.

The court in Yangon has been holding hearings since January to decide whether, Wa Lone, 31, and Kyaw Soe Oo, 28, are guilty of breaching the colonial-era Official Secrets Act, which carries a maximum sentence of 14 years in prison. </s> JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — An Indonesian court on Tuesday sentenced the minority Christian governor of Jakarta to two years in prison for blaspheming the Quran, a shock decision that undermines the country’s reputation for practicing a moderate form of Islam.

The five-judge panel said Gov. Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama was “convincingly proven guilty of blasphemy” and ordered his arrest. However Ahok immediately announced he would appeal the guilty verdict and sentence.

Outside the court in north Jakarta, supporters of Ahok wept and hugged each other amid shouts of jubilation from members of conservative Islamic groups.

The lead judge said the trial was a purely criminal one and the court disagreed that there were political aspects to the case.

The blasphemy accusation against Ahok was a decisive factor in his defeat to a Muslim candidate in last month’s election for Jakarta governor. It sparked massive anti-Ahok protests in the city, boosting hard-line Islamic groups that said it would be a sin for Muslims to vote for a non-Muslim.

The two-year prison sentence was a surprise outcome after prosecutors had recommended two years of probation.

The maximum sentence for blasphemy in Muslim-majority Indonesia is five years in prison.

The lead judge, Dwiarso Budi Santiarto, said Ahok’s comment during the election campaign that people were being deceived if they believed the Quran forbids Muslims from voting for non-Muslims had degraded and insulted Islam.

“As part of a religious society, the defendant should be careful to not use words with negative connotations regarding the symbols of religions including the religion of the defendant himself,” he said.
A court in Somaliland jails poet Nacima Qorane for three years for bringing the state into contempt by writing a poem calling for reunification with Somalia.