The Special Rapporteur on the promotion and security of human rights and traditional freedoms while countering terrorism, Ben Saul, done an legit journey to to Somalia from 10 to 20 May maybe maybe 2025 to assess the consistency of Somalia’s counter-terrorism licensed guidelines, policies and practices with world human rights legislation, humanitarian legislation and refugee legislation.
“I recognise the intensive efforts by the Somali authorities to stop terrorism, by a complete strategy combining legislation enforcement, protection force operations, combating violent extremism and addressing the muse causes of terrorist recruitment,” Saul talked about in an announcement on the stop of an legit journey to to the nation.
“I additionally acknowledge Somalia’s extreme security and useful resource constraints.” Saul illustrious with region that Somalia has adopted crude and overbroad terrorist definitions and offences, as neatly as mammoth intelligence and security powers that will maybe maybe compromise traditional human rights.
He warned that some terrorism offences appeal to the death penalty even after they devise no longer involve intentional killing, as required beneath world legislation.
At some stage in his journey to, the educated obtained studies of arbitrary arrests, protracted pre-trial detention, lack of correct illustration, imaginable enforced disappearance, crude scream of force, and sick-remedy in detention.
Absence of comely trial safeguards and inadequate penal complicated prerequisites
“I am deeply all for frequent violations towards young of us in armed conflict, in conjunction with killings, maiming, forced recruitment, sexual and gender-based mostly totally violence, and trafficking,” the Special Rapporteur talked about. Saul talked about he became as soon as particularly all for the scream of protection force courts to rob a respect at terrorist suspects, which lack adequate independence and comely trial safeguards.
“Penal complicated prerequisites additionally invent no longer meet world standards,” he talked about. The Special Rapporteur acknowledged achievements of protection force operations towards terrorist groups, but talked about he became as soon as enthusiastic that protection force forces lacked the mandatory rules, procedures and accountability mechanisms to stop, prosecute and solve violations.
He additionally expressed deep region over the scream of clan militias alongside the protection force, within the absence of a correct framework to safeguard human rights.
The Special Rapporteur entreated Somalia, with world reinforce, to keep and adequately useful resource rehabilitation and reintegration centres and programmes for contributors who disengage from Al-Shabab, in conjunction with girls survivors of sexual and gender-based mostly totally violence.
Broad-ranging penalties for civil society
He warned that countering terrorism financing licensed guidelines risked impeding the provision of neutral and neutral humanitarian reduction to inclined civilian populations in acute need.
“Counter-terrorism licensed guidelines are additionally adversely affecting the freedom of the media to document on security issues and restricting and chilling the human rights work of civil society organisations,” Saul talked about.
“I encourage Somalia to keep neutral and efficient oversight and accountability mechanisms for all counter-terrorism actors, redouble efforts to handle root causes, pursue conflict resolution and peace-making, strive for inclusive and participatory governance, and strive towards corruption, poverty and discrimination towards minorities.”
He impressed world companions to help political and financial reinforce for Somalia, within the face of devastating fresh funding cuts by some donors.
“Right here’s a vital moment for Somalia,” he talked about. “Sustained world engagement is principally the most well-known to reinforce national efforts to form lasting peace, reinforce rule of legislation, and defend human rights while countering terrorism.”
The Special Rapporteur will present an intensive document on his findings to the UN Human Rights Council in March 2026.
