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Suggested Citation:"CONCLUSIONS." National Academy of Sciences and Institute of Medicine. 1988. Scientists and Human Rights in Somalia: Report of a Delegation. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18664.
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Page 39
Suggested Citation:"CONCLUSIONS." National Academy of Sciences and Institute of Medicine. 1988. Scientists and Human Rights in Somalia: Report of a Delegation. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18664.
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Page 40
Suggested Citation:"CONCLUSIONS." National Academy of Sciences and Institute of Medicine. 1988. Scientists and Human Rights in Somalia: Report of a Delegation. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18664.
×
Page 41
Suggested Citation:"CONCLUSIONS." National Academy of Sciences and Institute of Medicine. 1988. Scientists and Human Rights in Somalia: Report of a Delegation. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18664.
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Page 42

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Conclusions The Committee on Human Rights of the National Academy of Sciences and the Committee on Health and Human Rights of the Institute of Medicine have reviewed the information in this report and present their conclusions. COMMUNICATION The government of Somalia permitted the human rights del- egation to go to Mogadishu and to make independent inquiries. Those government officials who received the delegation, both for- mally and informally, treated the members of the delegation with the utmost courtesy. We understand that our delegation is one of the few human rights delegations ever permitted to visit Somalia and we commend this gesture by the government of Somalia. We urge that other human rights delegations be similarly permitted to travel to Somalia to discuss their concerns with the government authorities. Formal requests for appointments for the delegates with key government officials were made well in advance of the mission through the Embassy of Somalia and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Only one of the requested appointments was granted to the delegation. While the one appointment that was granted is appreciated, and an important channel of communication may have been opened, we conclude that the government of Somalia provided only minimal cooperation with the mission. We urge that, in the future, access to government officials with 39

40 information on political prisoners and human rights issues be facilitated by the government of Somalia. Those government officials with whom the delegates met did not provide information on the cases of interest to the committees, nor was such information received 6 weeks after the mission, when this report was completed. We conclude that the government of Somalia has not been responsive to requests for information on political prisoners. Because the government of Somalia was offered an opportunity to present information on specified cases but did not do so, we conclude that there is serious question about the commitment of the government of Somalia to respect for human rights. We urge the government of Somalia to provide a prompt and detailed account of the status of the thirteen prisoners listed in Appendix B and to also respond promptly to the many requests it receives from other human rights groups regarding political prisoners in Somalia. RIGHTS OF PRISONERS The government of Somalia formally recognizes certain human rights standards in its constitution and through its ratification of the U.N. Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Despite this recognition, dozens and perhaps hundreds of prisoners are held in Somalia for years without formal charges, access to their families and lawyers, adequate medical care, and a fair trial. We conclude that the government of Somalia does not live up to its human rights obligations to prisoners. We urge that immediate measures be taken to ensure the hu- man rights of prisoners in Somalia, that those prisoners being held without trial be formally charged and brought to trial or released, that those who are charged be given access to their families and lawyers in a timely manner, that internationally accepted standards for fair trial be applied, and that proper medical care be made available to all prisoners. We urge the government of Somalia to live up to the human rights commitments it has formally recognized and subscribed

41 to under its constitution and the U.N. Universal Declaration of Human Rights. FREEDOM FROM TORTURE The committees have received numerous reliable reports of torture and mistreatment of political prisoners by members of the National Security Service in Somalia. Requests by the delegation to visit the National Security Service prisons and specific prisoners were denied. We conclude that torture and mistreatment of political pris- oners occur frequently in Somalia. We urge the government of Somalia to take all necessary mea- sures to end torture and mistreatment, to investigate all re- ports of such, and to bring those responsible to justice. We urge the government of Somalia to allow representatives of human rights and medical groups to visit the thirteen prisoners whose cases are described in this report and other prisoners who have not been allowed regular visitors. ROLE OF PRESIDENT SIAD BARRE It seems clear that trials by the National Security Court do not meet internationally recognized standards of fair trial and that only President Siad Barre himself has the power to release the prisoners of concern to the committees. The committees do not know whether President Siad Barre was made aware of the presence of the committees' delegation in Somalia. An opportunity for the members of the delegation to talk with the president was considered vital because the prisoners whose cases are described in this report have no recourse to appeal, except for clemency by President Siad Barre. We conclude that those prisoners who are scheduled to be tried in February are unlikely to be given a fair trial by the National Security Court. We conclude that without the direct intervention of President Siad Barre, a satisfactory resolution of the plight of these prisoners will not be found.

42 We urge President Siad Barre immediately and uncondition- ally to release all of the thirteen prisoners described in this report on the grounds that they are prisoners of conscience who have already spent more than 5 years in prison.

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