The journalist’s employer, Goobjoog media director Hassan Mohamed Mohamud told SJS that the journalist was released under the orders of Criminal Investigations Department (CID) Boss Colonel Omar Abdi Elmi.

“Our colleague Ali Adan Mumin is free. He was released from jail at 8.34pm local time. He is now at the Goobjoog Media where colleagues welcomed him and he will soon reunite with his family,” director Mohamud told SJS.

Journalist Ali Adan Mumin who spoke to SJS shortly after his release told SJS he was freed after he signed a letter brought to him by the CID boss Col. Elmi which states that the journalist can be summoned at any time.

“I am glad that I am free now. I was released from the jail tonight. I am bit concerned that I was given a letter to sign which says that I will be summoned by the police at anytime. I signed it because the officers told me they would not release me without signing it,” Mumin told SJS.

The journalist said that during his detention, he felt his freedom was infringed upon. He said when he went to the police CID headquarters on Tuesday after he was summoned a day earlier, he was a law abiding citizen and was not expecting to be jailed.

“I thank SJS team for the solidarity and the support they offered me during the time I was in jail,” journalist Mumin added.

SJS is relieved by the release of journalist Mumin. We call upon the Somali authorities to respect freedom of the expression and stop harassing journalists who express their views.

“After four long days, we are happy that our colleague has finally been freed.” SJS said, “We call upon the Somali government to respect the freedom of expression and refrain from repressive measures aimed to silence the independent voices.”

On Wednesday, Banadir Regional Court ordered the release of Mumin at the end of ongoing national exams after the court dropped charges brought by the State Attorney General’s office against the journalist. However the journalist remained in jail.

On Friday, SJS activists led dozens of journalists in Mogadishu in a protest against the continued detention of the journalist.

The journalist’s lawyer Abdirahman Omar who attended the protest called the police to uphold the Wednesday’s court order.

Banadir Regional Court Judge has on Wednesday quashed charges presented against journalist Ali Adan Mumin who was arrested by the police on Tuesday 28 May, 2019 in Mogadishu. He was taken to the court around 11.35am on Wednesday.

The government Attorney General’s office presented five charges under the Penal Code Articles of: 215 (Spreading Propaganda against the Nation); 219 (Disrespecting the Nation and the State); 220 (Insulting and Tarnishing the Character of the President); 267 (Violation against the Work of a Public Office) and Article 268 which alleges of Insulting a Public Officer.

The Presiding Judge of the Court clearly said that he was not convinced all the charges brought against the journalist and subsequently dropped all the charges against Mumin. The Judge however ordered the journalist be held in jail until midday Thursday May 30, 2019 and be released afterwards on the basis that the journalist previously posted allegations of national exam being leaked publicly.

According to lawyer Abdirahman Hassan Omar, who represented the journalist in the court today on behalf of Somali Journalists Syndicate (SJS), all the charges brought against the journalist were unfounded leading the court to reject it.

“All the charges presented by the State Attorney General were absurd,” said lawyer Osman “Since the Court has dismissed all the charges against the journalist it is unlawful to keep him in jail. He should be released immediately.”

It is worth noting that the summoning letter sent to journalist Mumin on Tuesday by the police investigations department (CID) was dated on 25 May, 2019 and the allegations about the leaked exams mentioned in his Facebook post was dated on 26 May, 2019, which the journalist only reported about an information available on the public domain and did not publish any exam papers.  This clearly indicates the timing of the order of the journalist’s arrest was pre-planed.

Journalist’s colleagues believe the journalist was arrested under the orders of Deputy Police Commissioner; Zakia Hussein following a Facebook post dated on 22 May 2019, which questioned Mrs. Hussein’s Somali language fluency.  In that post, journalist Mumin protested against lacking access to sites of blasts when reporting saying that “The police denied media access to the places of explosions, while the Deputy Police Commissioner, Mrs Zakia Hussein who also acts as a police spokesperson could not speak clear Somali language, and that she does not write accurate details among other points.”

Goobjoog Media director, Hassan Mohamud Mohamed has called the police to allow the journalist to resume his work and release him without further delays.

“First of all, the arrest of our colleague was illegal and contrary to the Constitution, we therefore anticipated that the court releases our colleague without any condition,” Mohamed told SJS “However we hope that they will set him free tomorrow as per the court orders.”

Somali Journalists Syndicate praises the court’s decision to drop all charges against the journalist, while SJS condemns the continued and illegal detention.

“It’s appalling to press charges against journalists over only expressing their opinions, which is a basic constitutional right” SJS said, “We call upon the Somali authorities to immediately release our colleague Ali Adan Mumin, since the court of law dismissed all charges against him.”

SJS calls public officials to show tolerance since they are not exempt from criticism.

“Journalists should not fear reprisals even after they question and criticize officials including police officers. It is the work of journalists to question and challenge all officials for the public interest,” SJS adds.

LAS’ANOD JOURNALIST RELEASED

In a separate incident in Somaliland, Somali Journalists Syndicate (SJS) welcomes the release of Bulsho TV correspondent Abdirahman Keyse Tungub from Las’anod prison where he was arbitrarily detained for 16 days without charges.

“I am free now and heading to my home,” he told SJS shortly after he was released around 10.35am local time on Wednesday. “The police orallly told me that I am free to go.”

Colleagues and the Abdirahman himself told SJS that his release was ordered by the Governor of Sool region, Abdiqani Mohamud Jiirre.

The journalist is still under medication following a leg injury resulted by shrapnel from a gunshot by the police on the day of his arrest.

“I am taking my medication and planning to take rest for a while before I resume my journalism work,” he told SJS.

While SJS welcomes the release of the journalist, we also demand the arrest of the police officer who shot the bullet that resulted Abdirahman’s injury.

According to colleagues, On Monday around 3.30pm the police brought a letter of summon to the journalist ordering Mr. Mumin to appear at the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) on Tuesday morning, where he was informed his arrest upon arrival.

The police summoning letter dated on May 25, 2019, which SJS has seen a copy of it states that the “CID received complaints against the journalist”. The letter neither mentioned who brought the complaints nor explained what the complaints were about.

Goobjoog Media Director, Hassan Mohamud Mohamed told Somali Journalists Syndicate (SJS) the CID Commander, Omar Abdi Elmi informed journalist Mumin that he was sued by the Ministry of Education without giving any further explanation. He was then put in the cell.

“We have visited the CID headquarters and we were told that officials from the Ministry of Education ordered the arrest of our colleague Ali Adan Mumin,” director Hassan told (SJS).  “They also informed us that he will remain in jail until investigations on his case starts without giving clear time and date.”

According to Director Hassan Mohamud Mohamed, in February the journalist filed a complaint case at the Somali Attorney General’s office against an official at the Ministry of Education identified as Muse Arale who beat and threatened to shoot the journalist on 22 December 2018 inside inside Yaasiin Osman School, near Daljir Dahsoon monument, where Mumin was on reporting assignment after a deadly car bomb blast occurred there.

In a video clip captured the same day, the official Arale could be seen pushing the journalist while trying to grab his pistol.  The journalist’s complaint at the Attorney General office is still pending.

“It is unfortunate that the Somali Attorney General office did not summon the alleged official at the Ministry of Education and that the police did not investigate the violence against the journalist filed,” SJS said in a statement.  “Instead, the police at the CID came up with a scheme to sue the journalist.”

Furthermore, journalist Mumin has been the subject of online harassment and threats due to his critical reporting. In mid this month, people believed to be pro-government online trolls have mocked the death of the journalist while others even called for the arrest of the journalist after he reported about students protest in the capital.

Somali Journalists Syndicate (SJS) is concerned about these threats and online harassment against the journalist. We call for the unconditional release of the journalist and immediately begin investigation to the threats against journalist Mumin and bring perpetrators to justice to ensure the journalist’s safety.

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*Some corrections reflect within paragraphs 6 and 7 to show the exact location of the 22 December 2018 incident.