Somalia military court sentences man to jail for being father of alleged Al-Shabaab fighter

Mogadishu (Harar24) – In the first verdict of its kind in Somalia, a military court in Mogadishu sentenced the father of an alleged Al-Shabaab member to six months of jail time, while his son was sentenced to death by firing squad.

Osman Ali Malin aged 45, was accused by prosecutors of being the father of 18-year old Dahir Osman Ali also known as “Dahir Dayah”, an alleged Al-Shabaab fighter who was charged with the killing of traffic police officer, Yusuf Hassan Adow more commonly known “Yusuf Tarafiko” in Mogadishu, the court heard.

The sentencing of Osman Malin by the military court comes weeks after the chairman of Somalia’s military court Col. Abdurahman Turyare publically declared that parents of suspected Al-Shabaab members would be arrested and sentenced, accusing them of “failing in parenthood”.

The declaration by Col. Turyare however received criticism from human rights activists and civil society workers alike, who said this was akin to collective punishment and was unconstitutional to punish individuals for the actions of others. They further argued that the Al-Shabaab is a secretive movement, and that the likelihood of parents knowing that their children were involved in the movement is very slim. The criticisms however fell on deaf ears, as the military court insisted on going ahead with their decision.