Military court in Somalia executes 13 men by firing squad

By Mohammed Dhaysane

MOGADISHU, Somalia (AA) - Thirteen people from the terrorist group al-Shabaab and ISIS/Daesh were executed by firing squad in Somalia’s northeastern semiautonomous state of Puntland on Wednesday.

The executions ordered by a military court took place around 8 a.m. local time (0500GMT) in the cities of Galkayo, Garowe and the state’s commercial capital of Bosaso, simultaneously.

The court also executed six soldiers by firing squad after they were convicted of carrying out several killings in the state, which brings the total number of people executed Wednesday to 19.

In 2021, the Puntland military court in the northern city of Galkayo executed 18 people who were sentenced to death, after being found guilty of acts of terrorism, according to Puntland's Justice Department.

Four Somali officials, including from the military, police and the National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA), were executed earlier last month by firing squad in the nation’s capital of Mogadishu after the court found them guilty of killing fellow soldiers.

Somalia’s Armed Forces Court has been carrying out death penalties for years despite pressure to stop from international partners.

Although Somalia experienced years of armed conflict and political instability, in recent years, it has made significant progress in rebuilding state and government institutions, according to the United Nations Human Rights Council.

But it said Somalia has not yet reformed its 1964 penal code which currently did not include a definition of torture.

A comprehensive review of the penal code is expected to be finalized later this year and would include several revisions, including a definition of torture that is consistent with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.