Gay man stoned to death in Somalia?
Unconfirmed report via Facebook and Identity Kenya:
MOGADISHU, March 18 – A gay man was allegedly stoned to death as punishment for homosexuality, a gay Muslim group has said Saturday.
According to Somali Gay Community, the young man, Mohamed Ali Baashi ,18, was buried in a hole up to his chest and then pelted with rocks by members of the Al Qaeda link group Al Shabaab on Friday, March 15, in Barawe, about 50 miles from the capital, Mogadishu.
The group, through its Facebook page, Somali Gay Community, posted three photos of alleging they were from the stoning. [Editor’s note: Some of the distressing photos don’t seem to match the description of a man “buried in a hole up to his chest.”]
However, Identity Kenya could not independently verify this claim or the alleged stoning and efforts to reach the group have not been successful.
The group said the young man was accused of sodomy and was stoned to death by Islamic rebels while horrified villagers were forced to watch.
Read the full account on Identity Kenya here: “Gay Man Allegedly Stoned To Death In Somalia.”
Related articles
- Man Reportedly Stoned To Death In Pakistan (rferl.org)
- Islamic militants stone man to death for adultery in Somalia as villagers are forced to watch (Daily Mail, December 2009)
Is Identity Kenya known to be a valid source of true reports?
Identity Kenya doesn’t have the resources to check such reports, and it stated right away that the report from Somali Gay Community’s Facebook page was unconfirmed. Since then, however, the Associated Press has investigated and concluded that the report was accurate enough for an AP story: “Somali Rebels Stone to Death Man for Sexual Act” (http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/somali-rebels-stone-death-man-sexual-act-18780229)