A court in the Somali capital, Mogadishu has on Wednesday sentenced the editor of the privately-owned Goobjoog media Group to six months in jail for his reporting of the COVID19 pandemic.
Banaadir Regional Court slapped Goobjoog Media Group editor Abdiaziz Gurbiye with the jail term after it found him guilty of ‘publishing false information’ using a 1964 law.
Journalist Abdiaziz Ahmed Gurbiye was also fined to pay five million Somali shillings or (USD 200) as per the city court.
The court based its decision by using article 328 of the penal code.
He was immediately transferred to Mogadishu central prison according to media advocacy group Somali Journalist Syndicate (SJS) which its legal team represented the journalist during the proceedings.
SJS rejected the court verdict while calling for his immediate release.
