The Somali prisoner, the secret language and the life-saving book

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Mohamed Barud was losing hope in a Somali prison, when an inmate in a neighbouring cell devised a secret language and tapped out the Russian novel Anna Karenina through his wall... for Mohamed, the book was transformative. He tells his story to Emily Webb. Mohamed wrote a book about his experience called The Mourning Tree. If you're affected by issues raised in the programme, you can find information about support available at bbc.co.uk/actionline or befrienders.org Get in touch: [email protected] Picture: Mohamed Barud and a copy of Anna Karenina Credit: Courtesy of Mohamed Barud, JannHuizenga via Getty Images