SOMALIA: SOLDIER SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR CIVILIAN KILLING
January 16, 2023: A Somali soldier - Qasim Duale Abdi - was sentenced to death on 15 January 2023 for killing a civilian after refusing to pay him extortion, an army officer said. Abukar Mohamed Nurani, a well-known street vendor lost his life for 5,000 Somali Shillings which is equivalent to $0.25 last week after engaging in an argument with the SNA soldier. The cold blood murder was condemned by the public who put pressure on the government to bring the killer to justice. The police acted swiftly and nabbed the culprit while on the run, according to the reports. On 15 January, the court of the armed forces announced the death sentence against the soldier and said the ruling will be executed if the defendant fails to appeal in 30 days. Somali president Hassan Sheikh Mohamud said on January 12 at an anti-al-Shabaab rally in Mogadishu that the government will prosecute every soldier who commits civilian killings. (Source: Shabelle Media Network, 15/01/2023: Myjoy, 17/01/2023)
|