Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 11 January 2022 to Question 98241 on Somaliland: Freedom of Expression, whether the engagement included raising the cases of (a) Abdifatah Mohamoud Abdi, (b) Khadar Farah Rikaah, (c) Hamze Abdi Ahmed and (d) Mukhtaar Hersi Waal.

We note that Abdifatah Mohamoud Abdi, Khadar Farah Rikaah, Hamze Abdi Ahmed and Mukhtaar Hersi Waal were released on 3 January without any charges. The UK engages with the Somaliland Government on an ongoing basis, including with regular meetings between the UK Ambassador to Somalia and President Muse Bihi Abdi, most recently on 18 December 2021. This meeting did not involve specific discussion of the four cases; however, our regular engagement covers a broad range of issues, including discussion of our shared interests in upholding human rights in Somaliland - of which freedom of expression and freedom from arbitrary arrest or detention are important elements.