BURCO (Kaab TV) – The Togdheer Court of Appeal in Somaliland has sentenced Mohamed Jama Hassan, a teacher at a Quranic school in Burco, to 14 years in prison.
Hassan had been previously held in Burco prison after being accused of sexually abusing children under his care at the Quranic school. Both Hassan and his defense lawyers denied the charges.
Initially, the case was heard in the Togdheer Regional Court, which reportedly found him not guilty. However, the prosecution appealed the decision, and upon re-examination of the evidence, Hassan was found guilty.
The Court of Appeal’s Monday ruling was welcomed by some parents in Burco, who described the sentence as a step toward holding accountable those who exploit the position of Quran teachers to commit sexual abuse in educational institutions.
However, the verdict sparked protests from the umbrella organization of Quran teachers in Somaliland. The group claimed that several teachers in Burco had been falsely accused but not prosecuted.
“There is a campaign to denigrate Quran teachers in Somaliland. The convicted teacher is a man with two wives, and it is not possible for him to commit rape,” said the organization’s chairman.
The umbrella of scholars also sent a letter to President Abdirahman Irro, urging him to intervene in what they described as “allegations that threaten the security and honor of the scholars.”
The Somaliland prosecution, which pursued the case in court, has not responded to the complaints from the Quranic scholars in Burco.