Nairobi (SD) – Sahan Research responds to a recent Banadir Regional Court sentencing of Matt Bryden to five years in prison.

The Banadir Regional Court said it had found Matt Bryden guilty of leaking state secrets as per the Office of the Attorney General, sentencing him to five years in prison in absentia.

The court also banned Sahan research and Matt Bryden Sahan operating in Somalia.

Sahan Research said it was “deeply saddened” by the ruling and questioned the credibility of the justice system and its example.

Sahan Research described the verdict as having a strong impact on the Somali presidency.

Sahan Research said it would appeal the decision, although it was unclear how the appeal would be implemented as Somalia’s judicial system is still in its infancy.

The federal government filed the lawsuit at the end of last year against Sahan for reporting on the situation and politics in Somalia during the election dispute.

The Research organization hopes that Somalia’s independent voices, including those of the research institutions, the media, and the international community, who support their work, will see this ruling as a sign that the Somali government is on the verge of dictatorship.