2 Somali soldiers executed by firing squad for raping 11-year-old boy
2 Somali soldiers executed by firing squad for raping 11-year-old boy
August 21, 2020 Two soldiers in the southwestern Somali
town of Baidoa were executed by firing squad Tuesday after the men
confessed to raping an 11-year-old boy, authorities said.
Liban Hassan Amin, 29, and Farhan Abdulkadir Abdi, 23, were accused
of raping the boy on July 11. The men, who had been held at a detention
center, were executed after approval by the region’s 14-member security
council, officials told VOA’s Somali service.
Mohamed Hussein Hassan, the Regional Justice minister, said
authorities had obtained evidence of the rape as well as confessions by
the men.
An official told VOA Somali that Amin
had been accused of rape last year but was released for lack of
evidence. Also in Baidoa, a soldier faces execution after he was
convicted by a military court for the armed rape of a 30-year-old woman
in January. Adan Abdirahman Bayle, 22, who is married and has two small
children, served on the town’s police force.
Spate of sexual offences
The execution sentences come amid a spate of rapes and other sexual
offences in Somalia this year, authorities say. In the southwest region
alone, authorities report they are investigating at least four other
rapes reported since early July.
Among the more notable cases:
• On March 29, two girls ages 3 and 4 were abducted and raped in a field near the town of Afgoye in the Lower Shabelle region . Each suffered injuries requiring multiple surgeries.
“I have never seen children at that age being brutalized that way,”
Nurto Ibrahim Haji, mother of the 3-year-old, told VOA. “We seek justice
from Allah.” The investigation remains open, though several suspects
have been arrested.
• On April 7, two females – ages 30 and 13 – allegedly were raped
outside Janaale town in the Lower Shabelle region while returning to
their rural village. Their relatives reported the attack to the
commander of a nearby military base. The victims identified their
alleged assailants from a lineup of soldiers. The two suspects deny
involvement. Investigators told VOA they have requested behavioural
assessments of the men, who remain in custody.
• On May 14, a 4-year-old girl was raped in the capital, Mogadishu, in what officials said was a brutal attack.
Authorities say they face daunting challenges in prosecuting sexual
assault. One is the lack of modern technology to quickly test DNA
samples of suspected rapists. Another is preserving evidence, especially
in attacks that take place in remote areas. A third is convincing
victims and their families to report crimes and cooperate with
authorities.
Fears in reporting sex crimes
Some victims and their families fear being stigmatized by sexual
assault. Or, if they belong to a minority clan, they may worry about
reprisal if the alleged perpetrator belongs to a majority clan,
prominent Somali human rights activist Ifrah Ahmed told VOA Somali.
Ahmed says Somali courts are not doing enough to ensure justice for
victims. She says she has been in courtroom proceedings in which alleged
perpetrators have been encouraged to swear that they did not commit
rape.
Somali activists and the international community have urged the
Somali parliament to approve a sexual offences bill that has been
pending before the House since May 2018.
It is separate from another bill introduced earlier this month that
critics – including Pramila Patten, the United Nations special
representative on sexual violence – said would weaken safeguards for
sexual assault victims and also would allow child marriage and forced marriage . That bill was withdrawn within days because of public outcries.