Please join our call to stop the execution of this child, Abshir Saleban Hussein by signing and sharing this petition.

The Cornell Center on the Death Penalty Worldwide issues this urgent call for Somaliland authorities to show compassion for Abshir Saleban Hussein, a child facing execution in Somaliland. The child of a refugee, Abshir’s circumstances are dire because his father’s status as an Ethiopian national leaves him without any protection in Somaliland. Although Abshir was charged with murder for the death of Nimcan Mohamed Omar, the facts and evidence demonstrate that Abshir acted in self-defense when attacked by a group of men. Beyond the facts, Somaliland’s Juvenile Justice Law states that a child under the age of 18 cannot be sentenced to death, making this execution a violation not only of international human rights law but also the local law of Somaliland. 

Abshir’s story began twenty-five years ago when his father fled the Harar region of Ethiopia for fear of political persecution, as the government in Ethiopia associated him with an ousted regime, the Derg. Abshir's father sought (and was granted) refugee status in Somaliland. It was there that he met Abshir’s mother, a local. Together they have five children, of which Abshir is the second eldest.

Because Abshir’s father struggles with mental illness, Abshir and his siblings are forced to work to support the family; Abshir worked as the lowest paid kind of worker in Somaliland, in a difficult, physically taxing construction job. Despite their labor, Abshir’s family struggles to make ends meet and lives in extreme poverty. 

Following the death of Nimcan Mohamed Omar, Abshir’s family abandoned their home and relocated to the outskirts of the city out of fear of retaliation from the family of the deceased, who was a member of the Isaaq clan. Clan power in Somaliland has great influence, and the Isaaq – to which the president, chief justice, and attorney general all belong – is the most powerful of the clans. Despite having been born in Somaliland and living his whole life there, Abshir lacks any protection from the country because nationality can only be transmitted paternally and women are not considered members of clans.

Abshir’s attorney, Hamdi Mohamoud, appealed Abshir’s February 11, 2024 death sentence by a regional court, but the appeals court upheld the sentence in June. Mohamoud has appealed to the Supreme Court, but Somaliland’s clan politics make it very likely that the Supreme Court will affirm the decisions of the lower courts, particularly given that the deceased came from the clan in power. Somaliland has carried out numerous executions in recent years, putting Abshir – a child – at imminent risk of death by a firing squad.