Somaliland pardons, frees dissident politician

HARGEISA, Somalia (Reuters) -- The self-declared republic of Somaliland has freed a prominent dissident less than three weeks after sentencing him to seven years in jail for supporting Somalia's newly-elected president.

Garad Abshir Salah was jailed for taking part in a conference of Somalia's rival clans that created a parliament in late August and elected the country's first president -- Abdiqassim Salad Hassan -- in almost a decade.

The leaders of Somaliland, a former British protectorate, declared independence from Somalia after dictator Mohamed Siad Barre was overthrown in early 1991, and managed to restore peace while the rest of Somalia fell into civil war.

Somaliland's president, Mohamed Ibrahim Egal, was strongly opposed to the inter-clan conference held in neighboring Djibouti and has refused to recognize Somalia's new president or parliament, saying they put Somaliland's stability at risk.

Garad Abshir was sentenced in mid-September to seven years in prison for attending the Djibouti conference, but Egal pardoned him late on Tuesday.

"My arrest and sentence were illegal but I had to ask to be pardoned for that was the only means of being released," Garad Abshir told reporters on Wednesday.

He said he supported Somalia's new president, but also insisted he was not against Somaliland.

"I was arrested for my views, which I have not changed even now. People's views should be respected and people should be given the chance to go abroad with their views and come back," he said.

Egal, whose government is not recognized internationally, had been widely criticized for threatening jail terms to anyone who took part in the Djibouti conference.

Abdiqassim Salad has won international support but faces opposition from clan faction leaders in Somalia's capital Mogadishu as well as the two northern regions of Somaliland and Puntland.

He has vowed to set up his government inside Somalia but has yet to pick a prime minister or members of his cabinet.

Diplomats say his choices will be crucial in determining whether his opponents can either be isolated or persuaded to back him.

Copyright 2000 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

See related sites about Africa

Note: Pages will open in a new browser window

External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.