Somali-Swede 'died for his beliefs'

Somali-Swede 'died for his beliefs' - brother

The Local
Friday, August 23, 2013

advertisements

The brother of Abdirahim Hassan, who was murdered on Wednesday in Somalia, told Swedish press that the young politician had died for his "belief in a peaceful world" in the shooting that also wounded his Swedish colleague.

"My brother stood up for justice and believed in a peaceful world," Elias Hassan, 21, told media at a press conference in the Stockholm neighbourhood of Husby on Thursday.

"Unfortunately he died for what he stood up for."

The Hassan family explained that Abdirahim had been working in the Somali capital Mogadishu since June on a democracy projected managed by the Swedish Left Party. The attack, in which a second person also died, has shocked the family deeply. His senior party colleague, Ann-Margarethe Livh, was wounded in the attack but is receiving medical attention in Kenya.

"We were worried about him, of course, but we never thought he would die," Elias told the assembled press corps.

The family chose to bury Abdirahim in Somalia on Thursday.

"He loved his home country, so we decided to bury him there. But we will hold a memorial service for him (in Husby)," Elias said.

Home
Email

Hiiraan Online