Somaliland lawmakers have expressed their deep concern over the spying gadgets that the gov’t brought to the country which is intended to monitor telephone and internet conversations. The lawmakers have urgently demanded to summon the minister in charge of telecommunication and posts, Hon. Abdiweli Abdilahi. They have asked for the installation of the surveillance equipment to be postponed which is underway at the moment. Hon. Said Mohamed Elmi has said that the installation of spying gadgets in Somaliland is a violation of the right to privacy which is enshrined in Somaliland’s national constitution article 30 which stipulates that it is forbidden to snoop about citizen’s telephones conversations, and mailing. The only Somaliland female lawmaker, Ms. Baar Said, is among those who have cried foul over the gadgets which is an infringe of prerogative rights which is protected in Somaliland national constitution and is a total violations of basic privacy rights of its citizens. Efforts to stop the installation of spying equipment in Somaliland gained momentum and the minister responsible for telecommunication is probably to be summoned and will appear before Somaliland’s house of national assembly in the days to come. If the current government goes ahead with the installation of spying gadgets then that will be the first time in its history that the country’s citizens will be wire tapped violating basic rights that the constitution of the country has guaranteed.
