General Update
On 12th October 2023, the United Nations Human Rights Council adopted a resolution on Somalia which, among other elements, extended for one year the mandate of the Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in Somalia. While focusing on technical assistance and capacity-building, the resolution also outlines ongoing grave human rights violations and abuses committed in the country in a context of impunity. The Expert’s mandate is one of the longest-standing country-specific special procedures of the Human Rights Council.
On 2nd January 2024, Somalia strongly condemned Ethiopia's controversial agreement with the breakaway state of Somaliland, branding it as an act of "aggression." The agreement gives Ethiopia access to the Red Sea port of Berbera and a leased military base.
This development has marked an escalation in the ongoing tensions, with Somalia reaffirming its commitment to safeguarding territorial integrity amidst heightened regional tensions.
Expression
On 12th October 2023, it was reported that the Banadir Regional Court had ordered the release of journalist Mohamed Ibrahim Bulbul, who had been detained for 56 days, as previously reported on the Monitor. The court declared him innocent, ruling his detention unlawful in response to the prosecutor's request for a delay. Bulbul, who had been investigating corruption within the Somali police force in relation to EU-funded training, endured physical abuse and incommunicado detention. His defence argued that the detention constituted retaliation for exposing police corruption. On 25th September 2023, the judge dismissed all seven charges against Bulbul, emphasising the historical misuse of an outdated Somali Penal Code against journalists. Authorities however continued to keep him in detention.
On 16th October 2023, a senior journalist and director of Somali Cable TV, Abdifatah Moalim Nur (Qeys), lost his life in a suicide bombing near the Somali Presidential Palace, Villa Somalia, in Mogadishu. The attack also resulted in injuries to four other individuals. Abdifatah had been an active advocate against media freedom restrictions, and his death marks the first journalist fatality in Somalia this year. Somalia has consistently been ranked as one of Africa’s, and the world’s, deadliest countries for journalists and media workers.
On 18th October 2023, the Attorney General of Somalia summoned and questioned Abdirahman Jeylani Mohamed, the director of Arlaadi Media Network, for 30 minutes. Prior to this incident, Arlaadi Media Network had broadcast a report outlining allegations of enforced payments by local authorities for unspecified reasons and the community's struggle in managing the siege imposed by the Al-Shabaab group.
On 31st December 2023, Mustafa Yasin, the director of the National Communications Authority (NCA), acknowledged his involvement in what he referred to as ‘cybersecurity measures,’ raising alarm about the misuse of online platforms for censorship. Media outlets and journalists expressing dissent towards the government have encountered extensive censorship on Facebook, often receiving notifications of potential page restrictions, suspensions or content removal.
In response, Abdalle Mumin from the Somali Journalists Syndicate urged Facebook to reconsider its affiliations with entities that stifle free speech. He said;
"It is disheartening to witness the collaboration between NCA in Somalia and national intelligence to suppress critical voices, including journalists. Facebook should take cognizance of this situation, which not only violates freedom of expression but also breaches Meta’s own policies towards promoting free speech. They should carefully consider its collaborations with these entities.”
On 7th January 2024, armed police officers targeted RTN TV reporter Abdihafid Nor Barre and cameraman Abdukadir Abukar Ali in Mogadishu. While the journalists were covering an eviction on orders from the Banadir Regional Court chairman and conducting interviews with affected family members who asserted its illegality, an armed officer directed a gun at them during a recording, forcing the reporters to flee for safety.