(London.  March 08,  2009 Ceegaag Online) 

*Justice is a matter of essence. Justice must be done and seen to be done*

“The continues conflict in Somalia will increase atrocities and massive violations of human rights and new armed rebellion groups and many possible armed Islamist sects movements might emerge if the newly elected Somali government does not prosecute war criminals in courts” Said Ahmed Mahamed Ali “Kiimiko”, Chairperson of Somali Human Rights Defenders Network. “These phenomena must be met with resolute counteraction”.

 
There is a need to set up an international commission to address killings carried out by Somalis against their fellow countrymen, says a UN special representative for Somalia Ahmed Olude Abdalla in his statement on 18thFebruary.

 
“The Security Council needs to adopt a resolution allowing the International Criminal Court (ICC) to handle impunity or war crimes committed by Somalis against Somalis. The conspiracy of silence over Somalia must end, you cannot just main, kill and torture and get away with it.’’

This initiative supports the long awaited possible occasion  for theInternational Criminal Court to intervene and start through international commission to investigate seriously the war crimes, genocide, crimes against humanity.” Said Ahmed Kiimiko, Chairperson of Somali Human Rights Defenders  Network. We also add the Security Council should not forget the war crimes committed by the Ethiopian forces and the peace keeping troops under the mandate of the AU.”

The Human rights violations in Somalia considerably was deteriorating to its worst ever seen in the last decades of the conflict since the occupation of the Ethiopian troops backing their ally TFG and the fighting between the insurgents, broke out and resulted a thousands of innocents to loss their lives, properties displacement of thousands and casualties of civilians while half a million fled the country. This trend of affairs has not spared journalists and other human rights defenders working in Somalia who were  forced to leave their country because of their work as  indicated in the USA  state department human Rights report on Somalia.

 “ As a Human Rights Defenders , we believe that no one can protect any of the fundamental rights without peace and peace could be attained unless Justice is place. Unless war criminals belonging to different tribal, political and religious faction are brought to justice I do not think peace will ever be born in our country. A semblance of peace could be attained but shall never be sustainable for a long period of time. We need political education before we embark on solving our problems politically” said Abdi Nur,  Human Rights Defender.
 

*SOHRIDEN *calls for the new government to Facilitate the work of all international agencies and humanitarian organizations and ensure the immediate, full, safe and unhindered access to the affected people in Somalia in order to enable them provide humanitarian assistance to the war-affected civilian populations

Fully and unconditionally start cooperating with the International Criminal Court in signing and ratifying the Rome Statute and the law of the treaties which obliges all signatories to refrain from  “acts which would defeat the object and purpose” of the treaty . This makes easy to prosecute and bring to justice all persons suspected of perpetrating ethnic cleansing, war crimes and crimes against humanity and arrest and hand over such individuals without delay. The civil society and all human rights groups should undertake a massive campaign on supporting the UN special Envoy for Somalia’s request to the Security Council and calling the Security Council to consider that suggestion to allow the ICC to intervene and start investigation and inquiries on Somali war crimes and crimes against humanity.

 Human Rights Reporting Office
Somali Human Rights Defenders Network (SOHRIDEN)
 Human Rights House
Talex Street, Hodan District,
 Mogadishu, Somalia.
 Tel: +2525-9-29027/+252-1-227272
 Email: sohriden@gmail.com,
 info@sohriden.org
 shrdefenders@globalsom.com
 URL: www.sohriden.org

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