US embassy cable - 04DJIBOUTI835

C O N F I D E N T I A L DJIBOUTI 000835 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/17/2014 
TAGS: PHUM, PGOV, SCUL, DJ 
SUBJECT: REPORT ON RECENT ARREST OF JOURNALIST 
 
REF: DJIBOUTI 822 
 
Classified By: Pol/Econ Erinn C. Reed for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). 
 
1. (C) On 8 June, Houssein Ahmed Farah, journalist for the 
opposition newspaper Le Renouveau and brother to famed 
opposition leader Daher Ahmed Farah - jailed several times in 
2003 for political reasons, was arrested after he failed to 
stop for the First Lady of Djibouti's convoy traveling 
towards the Presidency.  Farah was on his return from 
covering the protests in the Arhiba neighborhood (reftel) 
when he encountered the First Lady's convoy.  Farah, in court 
appearances, indicated that he did not see the convoy coming 
and was distracted by passengers, which caused him to 
continue into the intersection and the path of the convoy. 
Farah then reportedly immediately reversed and removed 
himself from the path of the convoy as ordered. The arrest 
was said to have been ordered by the First Lady, Kadra 
Mahamoud, after she arrived at the Presidency.  Farah was 
charged with "endangering the First Lady's convoy" and was 
detained at the Police Station until his arraignment on 12 
June.  The judge in the case gave Farah "detention 
provisoire" (temporary detention pending a trial) and sent 
him to Gabode prison. Farah's case was given expedited 
treatment and his trial took place 17 June. Farah was found 
not guilty and released. 
 
2. (C) Comment: Farah's arrest was reported in 
allAfrica.com's June 15th publication, which called it 
"arbitrary" and claimed he was held in solitary confinement 
in very poor conditions.  Post cannot confirm this portion of 
the report.  The opposition papers in Djibouti also reported 
the arrest as arbitrary and repression of freedom of the 
press.  Pol/Econ discussed the trial and arrest with Jean 
Paul Noel, President of the Djiboutian League of Human 
Rights.  Noel admitted that it was strange that Farah was 
held in "detention provisoire," as it is not usual for a 
charge of this nature.  However, Noel said he would not be 
writing this up as an arbitrary arrest, because it is not 
entirely clear that it was arbitrary.  Post believes that 
Farah's arrest may have been slightly politically motivated 
because of the relation to Daher Ahmed Farah, but does not 
believe it is related to his status a reporter who covered 
the Arhiba demonstrations. End Comment. 
RAGSDALE