Corpun file 17951

SomaliNet, 8 July, 2006

Islamists publicly flog teenagers in Jowhar

By Mohamed Abdi Farah

(extract)

The Islamic court in Jowhar town 90km (55miles) north of Somalia capital Mogadishu has carried out an Islamic verdict, whipping 11 young men with 40 lashes each in public square on Saturday – a move that frightens more residents.

Somalinet correspondent reports all the whipped people were teenagers after they were convicted with charges and the Court ordered the performance of Sharia Law penalizing locally known as (Ta'siir), each of them has been lashed 40 times.

“Some of the lashed teenagers have been alleged with [sic] looting while others have been caught in the act of using hashish (Marijuana),” Sheik Mohamoud, the district attorney of Jowhar said. Adding “All of them confessed the charges,”

It is first Islamic practice by Islamists since they seized control of the capital and key towns in southern Somalia from US backed warlords early June.

Many residents witnessed the lashing on the Somali defendants in Public Square to have an advice of [sic] such 'Ta'siir' means whipping.

The latest performance came day after Islamic militia disturbed a wedding party in northern Hurwa district of Mogadishu city where they have beaten some of the attendees and crushing the music instruments of the musicians and also fired bullets in the air to disperse villagers.

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