MOGADISHU, Somalia 30 June 2026 – The Somali Journalists Syndicate (SJS) is deeply concerned by the recent arrests of two journalists in Mogadishu and Qardho, Puntland, respectively, solely for carrying out their professional duties after reporting on security-related issues and a police officer’s complaint. These arrests come amid a growing pattern of attempts to silence independent reporting on matters of significant public interest.
On Friday, 26 June 2026, four armed Somali police officers arrested journalist Mohamed Ali Mohamud, known as Qadaaye, a local reporter for the online platform Iftiimiye TV in Mogadishu, after he reported on a police officer who complained that his “salary had been cut by senior officers”.
Qadaaye told SJS that he was arrested near his residence in Kaaraan district and taken to Kaaraan Police Station. He said he was beaten during his arrest and again while in detention. On Saturday, when his mother and other family members visited the station, they were denied access to see him. Qadaaye told SJS that, prior to his arrest, he had received threats from police officers who warned him to stop reporting on the complaints of the police officer whose salary had been suspended.
On 15 June 2026, Qadaaye told SJS that he had interviewed a Somali police officer who said his salary had been unjustly suspended and his position taken over by another officer. As a result, he had begun “working as a construction labourer” to provide food for his wife and two daughters. The officer said he belongs to the minority Bantu community. Days later, the officer was “arrested alongside his daughters“. The officer’s wife also gave an interview to Iftiimiye TV in which she spoke about the arrests of her husband and daughters, although they were subsequently released.
On 28 June, Qadaaye was released from police detention without charge, a police officer at Kaaraan Police Station told SJS. Qadaaye said he was freed after relatives intervened, but he continues to face threats and pressure aimed at stopping his critical reporting on the police.
Journalists in Mogadishu have reported that critical reporting on the police and other security forces frequently leads to intimidation, arrests, and censorship. As a result, many local media outlets now avoid such reporting out of concern for their safety.
On 14 June 2026, Puntland police in Qardho arrested online journalist Mohamed Abdinasir Hussein, known as Nagashe, who is based in Qardho. Nagashe, who previously worked for Puntland State TV and other regional media outlets, told SJS that his arrest followed his reporting on insecurity in Qardho, where local business owners said they had begun “closing their shops early in the evening out of fear of youth gangs” that attack businesses at night.
The report was published on 8 June on Mohamed Nagashe’s Facebook page, which has around 29,000 followers. Nagashe told SJS that he was arrested while having morning coffee at a local café when four officers—some wearing police uniforms—approached and detained him. He said they drove him to Qardho Police Station, where he was booked before being transferred to the main prison, where he remained until his release on 18 June.
A colleague and local media rights advocate told SJS that Mohamed Nagashe’s release was brokered by clan elders after they guaranteed that he would refrain from reporting on insecurity in Qardho. Nagashe told SJS that his reporting had angered the Qardho District Mayor, who he said had ordered his arrest. The Qardho District Mayor did not respond to SJS’s requests for comment.
SJS urges both police officials and the Qardho district authorities to uphold Somalia’s constitutional and international obligations to protect freedom of expression and ensure that journalists can carry out their work safely and without interference.
“While we are pleased that both Mohamed Ali Mohamud and Mohamed Abdinasir Hussein have been released without any charges, we are dismayed that they were arrested simply for carrying out their journalistic duty, which is not a crime to begin with. We call on the Somali Police in Mogadishu and the Puntland authorities in Qardho to stop any further arrests or pressure on these journalists into silence in exchange for their freedoms,” said SJS Secretary General, Abdalle Mumin.
“We also expresses serious concern over increasing efforts to censor journalists through threats and intimidation, creating a climate of fear that discourages media professionals from reporting on security, police conduct, and other issues of public importance. Such actions undermine press freedom, deny the public access to vital information, and violate journalists’ right to report freely without fear of reprisals,” added Mr. Mumin.