Rights Group: Somaliland Democracy Under Threat
By VOA News
13 July 2009
A human rights group says democracy in Somaliland is under threat because of what it calls the government's disregard for the law.
The breakaway republic, which is formally part of Somalia, has maintained stability while the rest of Somalia remains stuck in conflict.
However, Human Rights Watch says Somaliand's gains are threatened by human rights abuses and power-grabbing moves by the administration of President Dahir Riyale Kahin.
The group says Mr. Riyale has trampled the courts by appointing security committees that arrest and detain people with no due process.
It also accuses him of jeopardizing Somaliland's democracy by twice delaying elections originally scheduled for April of last year.
There was no immediate reaction from Somaliland's government.
In its report, released Monday, Human Rights Watch says Somalilanders do not protest the goverment's actions because of fears they will endanger their region's stability and its quest for international recognition.
Somaliland declared independence in 1991, after the collapse of Somalia's last functioning central government. The region operates with autonomy, although no country has recognized its claim of statehood.
The region's next elections are scheduled for September 29. Human Rights Watch says there is "considerable uncertainty" about the polls.
The rights group says its report was based on a two-week visit to Somaliland in March, in which researchers interviewed government officials, opposition leaders, civil society activists, and victims of human rights abuses.
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