General Update
On 24th August 2023, Somalia Women and Childcare Associations (SWCCA), with support from the United Nations, organised a two-day symposium that gathered various participants, including human rights defenders, journalists, Members of Parliament, cabinet Ministers and academics, with the primary goal of empowering civil society organisations and fostering collaborative efforts to advance human rights. It concluded with a resounding call to expand Somalia's civic space and enhance human rights advocacy.
Expression
On 15th August 2023, police in Dhusamareeb arrested a Goobjoog TV reporter while he was interviewing regional police officers about their salaries. They released him after one night, warned him against his reporting and questioned him about his report alleging embezzlement of EU funds for Somali police training. On 17th August 2023, they returned his camera but forced him to delete his video interviews.
On 17th August 2023, four plainclothes intelligence personnel arrested Mohamed Ibrahim Osman Bulbul, a reporter from the privately owned Kaab TV network, at Mogadishu University. They punched him in the chest, struck his shoulder with a pistol butt, forced him into an unmarked vehicle, detained him incommunicado and confiscated his devices. Prior to this, the journalist had published a report exposing embezzlement of funds allocated for junior police officers participating in a training seminar supported by the European Union Capacity Building Mission in Somalia (EUCAP Somalia). Media reports suggest that the police intend to present email correspondence from the EUCAP as incriminating evidence against Bulbul. On 22nd August 2023, his family members and friends reported that they had been receiving calls and messages from Bulbul’s phones, with some demanding transfer of payments, all without his knowledge.
On 23rd August 2023, police officers detained journalists Zakariye Mohamed Salad and Mohamed Dulmi-diid from Five Somali TV for three hours, confiscating their equipment. The reporters were covering the aftermath of Al-Shabaab attacks in Mogadishu. They were released without charge but were forced to abandon their stories.
On 29th September 2023, Banadir Police Chief Moalin Mahdi instructed police officers to arrest individuals criticising the presidential family, the courts and the police force. He emphasised that public or media criticism of police law enforcement activities is unacceptable, stating that complaints about court decisions should be handled legally. Mahdi highlighted the need to address issues in digital and social media, reiterating that criticism of court decisions should follow legal procedures.