Abdiaziz Abdinuur... international outrage over his jailing. Photo: AFP <\/p>\n
MOGADISHU: Somalia's Supreme Court has freed a reporter imprisoned for interviewing a woman who alleged she had been raped by soldiers, in a case that sparked widespread international criticism. <\/p>\n
Supreme Court judge Aidid Abdulahi Ilkahanaf said the charges had been dropped and the court \"has given journalist Abdiaziz Abdinuur his freedom back\". <\/p>\n
Both Abdinuur and the woman were initially sentenced to a year in prison for \"offending state institutions\". But all charges were dropped against the woman earlier this month, while Abdinuur's sentence was halved. <\/p>\n
His release, following more than two months' incarceration and after an appeals court ruled he must remain in jail, came as a surprise to many. <\/p>\n
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The 25-year-old reporter walked out of the courtroom offering prayers of thanks for his release and thanking those who had supported him. <\/p>\n
\"I'm very happy that I got my freedom back, I thank those who worked in this process that helped my release, including my lawyers,\" he said. <\/p>\n
Abdinuur was detained on January 10 while researching sexual violence in Somalia, but did not air or print a story after interviewing the woman. <\/p>\n
He was also found guilty of \"making a false interview and entering the house of a woman whose husband was not present\". <\/p>\n
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Freedom for Somali jailed over rape interview<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Abdiaziz Abdinuur... Continue reading