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The Somaliland government has decided to take the acting editor of the daily Somali newspaper, Haatuf, Saeed Ismail Gurase, to court. On Thursday, Mr. Gurase was told by a Hargeisa district court judge that he has to appear before the court on June 5, 2003. Judiciary authorities have not yet disclosed the nature of the charges brought against Gurase. But the Journalist had already been investigated by the CID with regard to a news article that was published by Haatuf on May 25, 2003.
In the article, it was reported that the minister of interior Ismail Osman recently briefed the standing committee of the Council of Elders on the security situation in the country.
Haatuf reported that the minister told the committee that some incidents of mutiny and disobeying of orders had occurred within the ranks of the army, and that sympathizers with ex-combatants recently taken into police custody did exist within the Armed Forces.
At a joint press conference on Sunday, both the minister of Interior and minister of Defense, Ismail Omar Adan, denied Haatuf's report, describing it as baseless. The Chairman of the standing committee of the Guurti, Gahnug Bosh-cade also disputed "the allegation that the minister of Interior talked about military affairs."
Haatuf published the statements of denial issued by the ministries of Interior and Defense as well as Mr. Bosh-cade. But the newspaper stood by its story.
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