Hargeisa (SD) – Marodi Jeh region court in Somaliland has this morning handed down a harsh sentence to the owner of Astan TV, Abdimanan Yusuf Mohamed.

The owner of Astan TV is from the southern regions of Somalia, and has been detained in Hargeisa in recent months.

The owner of Astan TV was sentenced to five years in prison and fined two billion Somaliland shillings.

The court also imposed a ban on Astan TV in all areas under Somaliland jurisdiction.

The court did not say what the charges were or why Abdimanan Yusuf Mohamed deserved such a sentence, much to the surprise of the public.

Lawyers for Astan’s TV owner, meanwhile, called the court’s ruling illegal and said he is being held illegally.

The conviction of Abdimanan Yusuf follows pressure from the Bihi government to give individuals a stake in Astan TV.