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“PIRATE’S PRISON”: Jidre has been incarcerated in the high-security prison in the Somali capital Hargeisa since April. Illustration photo. Photo: Katharine Houreld
Norwegian Saad Jidre has been sentenced to death in the self-proclaimed republic of Somaliland in the Horn of Africa.
It was Dagbladet who brought up the case for the first time.
Jidre was convicted of premeditated murder in the district court in the capital Hargeisa on Wednesday.
For VG, 54-year-old Norwegian assistance attorney Farid Bouras of the Elden law firm tells him that his client is desperate.
– He’s terrified, he can risk getting shot at any moment because there is a verdict. The rule of law is non-existent, says Bouras.
PRISONER: The fellow inmates in the prison are al-Shabaab terrorists and pirates. Photo: TONY KARUMBA / AFP
Saad Jidre, who has lived in Norway for the past 25 years and has an address in Oslo, has been detained in a Norwegian-funded prison in Hargeisa since April.
The court believes that he is guilty of the murder of an acquaintance of Jidre, who died after a fight between the two.
The 54-year-old’s attorney says his client used pepper spray in self-defense when he was assaulted by the now-deceased.
– He was hit and could not defend himself, so he used the spray. Later, they were separated by people who were around. They both went their separate ways, neither of them sought medical attention. The next day, police knocked on the door and told him that the other man was dead and that he was charged with premeditated murder, Bouras says.
He adds that his client is frail and defenseless due to underlying illnesses.
The lawyer was not informed of the verdict.
Since April, the case has come and gone in the court system. According to Bouras, Jidre has not been allowed to bring a lawyer to court.
On Wednesday, the 54-year-old man was awakened around 6 o’clock by several armed police officers and taken to the courtroom alone, with no information as to why he was going there, says the assistant attorney.
There he met the judge who read the verdict, and the end was; “He is hereby sentenced to death.” The lawyer had not been notified.
ASSISTANT LAWYER: Farid Bouras at Elden Law Firm represents the Norwegian sentenced to death. Photo: The Elden Law Firm
– It is pressed from all sides
Bouras believes the verdict is completely unheard of. They have contacted Jidre’s lawyer in Somaliland and will try to appeal the verdict to a higher court.
– We have requested a report and analysis of the autopsy, but we have not received it. We have also sent documentation from the pepper spray manufacturer in Sweden that this spray is sold in stores all over the world and is harmless, he says.
He considers that the case is clearly marked by corruption, and refers to the fact that the deceased has powerful relatives with great influence.
The prison stay has been tough for the 54-year-old, says Bouras. The captives are al-Shabaab terrorists and pirates.
– He’s a sick Norwegian citizen, and most people know that if you come from Norway you have access to money, so they pressure him from all sides.
UD: Provide consular assistance
The Foreign Ministry confirms that they know that a Norwegian citizen has been sentenced to death in Hargeisa.
– The embassy in Nairobi has provided consular assistance in the case, says press spokesman Ragnhild Simenstad, VG Foreign Ministry press spokesperson.
– In general, it can be stated that in cases where Norwegian citizens are sentenced to death, the Norwegian authorities will request that the sentence not be served. This will be in line with the overall involvement of the Norwegian authorities in work against the death penalty.
