A court in Puntland has released six out of the seven men who were on trial for the rape and murder of Hodan Shanlayste. One of the men who was acquitted had publicly admitted to committing the crime.

Hodan Shanlayste was brutally raped and murdered in Garowe, the capital city of the Puntland region in Somalia on the 11th of April 2019. Hodan, a mother of two young children, was attacked in her own home and left for dead by the assailants. Hodan was reportedly pregnant at the time of her death.

According to local media sources, the family of the victim has appealed the court decision and will continue to seek justice for Hodan.