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– At an urgent meeting with the President of Somaliland, Musa Bihi Abdi, on Saturday, in which both the Minister of Justice and the leadership of the prosecution and police were present, it was decided that both the prosecutor and the head of investigation are removed from the case, Saad Jidre’s Norwegian aid attorney Farid Bouras told Dagbladet.
– What does it mean for the death sentence handed down against Saad Jidre?
– It’s a very good sign. We understand that the Somaliland authorities realize that the country’s laws have not been followed in the case, says Farid Bouras at the Elden Law Firm.
Norwegian citizen sentenced to death
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Bouras believes there are several serious flaws in the investigation itself.
Norwegian Foreign Minister Ine Eriksen Søreide has been in direct contact with President Musa Bihi Abdi, along with pressure from us, who are the Norwegian development assistance lawyers for Saad Jidre, and media reports Communications in both Somaliland and Norway have generated strong pressure on the Somaliland authorities. This has triggered reactions in office, which is a very positive sign for our client, Farid Bouras tells Dagbladet.
The result of an urgent meeting with the president, according to Bouras, has prompted the Somaliland Attorney General to order a new investigation.
– Emergency guardian
– We have also demanded that the whole case be re-investigated. All evidence must be presented, when the case now receives the full appeal process.
– In our opinion, what we have received from the documentation, evidence and explanations from various witnesses provides a basis for a full acquittal. Saad Jidre was attacked and defended before escaping to safety. This case is a clear emergency case, says development assistance attorney Bouras.
On Tuesday, Bouras spoke at length with Somalia’s Foreign Minister Yasin Haji Mohamoud Hiir.
Fear of being executed
– I understood the Minister of Foreign Affairs so that the Somaliland authorities now realize that a great injustice may have been committed against Saad Jidre, says Bouras.
In close relatives
Dagbladet receives confirmation that a member of the Somaliland central government is closely related to the man Saad Jidre has died for killing.
– We are aware of the family situation. At the same time, we hope that the Somaliland authorities will treat Saad Jidre in a fair and orderly manner, says Farid Bouras.
– Is Saad Jidre also sentenced under sharia law?
– It is true that Saad Jidre was also sentenced according to the constitution of Islam: the sharia. But in our opinion, there is also no basis to judge it according to the two verses of the Quran. Parallel to the contact with the political and legal leaders of Somaliland, we are now also working with the clans, to avoid any blood revenge or blood money, says Farid Bouras.
Executed cellmates
Insurance received
– Both the prosecutor and those responsible for the investigation have been dismissed, but what about the judge who handed down the death penalty?
– We have received assurances that the judge will have nothing to do with the appeal process, says Farid Bouras, who along with John Christian Elden assists Saad Jidre in Norway.
– Have you received any signals now that the appeal is approaching?
– Hopefully before Christmas. But no date has been set yet, says Bouras.