Hiiraan Online
Saturday, March 21, 2015
MOGADISHU (HOL) ---The Al-Qaeda linked extremist group in Somalia executed a man for allegedly being a spy for the neighboring Ethiopian government, the latest in series of executions by the group which is trying to extend its shrinking areas of control.
Ali Salad Majin, a 20-years Somali man was executed by firing squad in Galhareri, a rural village in Galgadud region on Friday after an ad-hoc court run by Al-Shabab convicted him of spying for Ethiopia which sent troops fighting its fighters in Somalia.
A self-proclaimed judge read the verdict at an open ground in the town, as a crowd gathered to watch the execution. Reading the verdict, the judge declared that the convicted admitted all charges, and immediately sentenced him to death by firing squad.
"He admitted all charges, including the responsibility of the killing of many Muslims by Ethiopian troops in Elbur, thus the Islamic court sentenced him to death by firing squad." He told the crowd, referring a town in central Somalia.
Suspected persons arrested by Al-Shabab don't usually get access to lawyers, prompting outrage by the rights groups accusing the group of human rights violations.
Ethiopian government often declines commenting on intelligence-related issues, a position shared by most of the world's intelligence bodies.
After the execution, officials from Al-Shabab warned residents that
espionage suspects would meet similar fates as the executed man. Al-Shabab which is fighting Somali government and the African Union forces carried out multiple executions in Somalia, however, officials often accuse the group of executing innocents without evidence for the changes presented against them.