Calling for Somaliland to Release Abshir Saleban Hussein, a Child, from Death Row
Cornell Center on the Death Penalty Worldwide issues this urgent call for Somaliland authorities to show compassion for Abshir Saleban Hussein, a child facing execution in Somaliland, and release him from death row. The child of a refugee, Abshir’s circumstances are dire because his father’s status as an Ethiopian national leaves him without any protection in Somaliland. Although Abshir was charged with murder for the death of Nimcan Mohamed Omar, the facts and evidence demonstrate that Abshir acted in self-defense when attacked by a group of men. Somaliland’s Juvenile Justice Law states that a child under the age of 18 cannot be sentenced to death, making this execution a violation not only of international human rights law but also the local law of Somaliland.
Abshir’s story began twenty-five years ago when his father fled the Harar region of Ethiopia for fear of political persecution, as the government in Ethiopia associated him with an ousted regime, the Derg. Abshir’s father sought (and was granted) refugee status in Somaliland. It was there that he met Abshir’s mother, a local. Together they have five children, of which Abshir is the second eldest.
Because Abshir’s father struggles with mental illness, Abshir and his siblings are forced to work to support the family; Abshir worked as an extremely low paid worker in Somaliland, in a difficult, physically taxing construction job. Despite their hard work, Abshir’s family struggles to make ends meet and lives in extreme poverty.
Due to the events surrounding this case, Abshir’s family abandoned their home and relocated to the outskirts of the city out of fear of retaliation from the family of the deceased. Despite having been born in Somaliland and living his whole life there, Abshir lacks any protection from the country because nationality can only be transmitted paternally.
Abshir’s attorney, Hamdi Mohamoud of the Children’s Legal Defence Center, appealed Abshir’s February 11, 2024, death sentence by a regional court, but the appeals court upheld the sentence in June. Mohamoud has appealed to the Supreme Court, but it is very likely that the Supreme Court will affirm the decisions of the lower courts. Somaliland has carried out numerous executions in recent years, putting Abshir – a child – at imminent risk of death by a firing squad.
Please join our call to stop this execution from happening by taking the following actions:
- Sign the Petition
- Access, use and share our #SaveAbshir Social Media Toolkit