JUSTICE IS DONE

The sentencing of Haatuf Journalists seems to many of us as unfair, injustice, and violation of Somaliland Press Law although they themselves did not follow the basic rules of journalism. The sentence has been ruled under the court of law and according to the professional ethics of journalism. Some of us would argue the fairness and the balance of the court’s decision. By Mohamed Ali Mousa

However, the court saw the case differently and issued the sentence in favour of the citizen whose rights were violated by the journalists who have not beheld their professional standards high and instead sought partiality, conflict of interest, defamation, humiliation, and intimidation as a means of stirring the political climate in Somaliland and so doing the dirt work of politically motivated individuals or groups.

The reaction of the public who many of them have no clue of the what is at stake led to the criticism of the court’s decision, ignoring the basics of journalism. I believe that in the Free World, perjury and defamation has unquestionable far reaching consequences. If Haatuf News claims that they did something right and have their rights violated, they are wrong and misjudged the true facts and misrepresented the media and the public.

Would their Press Law admits them such unlawful actions and warrants to a crown? Would the rules they followed states that if someone steals property files from secured Government Offices, and release to the media and to the ill informed public, he/she would be rewarded? I believe their view of the Press Law is limited to the interest of certain section of the public not for the welfare of Somaliland. They published their findings before researching and framing their story.

If we take the scenario that everyone’s file is stolen and thrown in the streets of Hargeisa and the journalists publish them in the way they like, we would all have been in deep trouble, curse the public courts and eventually chase each other in the streets. I would suggest to those who are against the courageous decision of the court to congratulate them of the justice done and advise other journalists and the media in general to use better judgment in using anonymous sources and establish standards of fairness and accuracy and disregard of being a mouth piece for the special interest and politically motivated groups and to Haatuf News Management to apologize to the First Lady and to the public and admit their story has flaws and inaccurate conclusions.

As to those real perpetrators who served the Haatuf News journalists, they are the real culprits and should be disclosed and punished with the highest sentence possible.

Hooray!!!!!!

Mohamed Ali Mousa
Ottawa, Canada
Email: mmousa@rogers.com