On 12 September, Somaliland police in Burao, Togdheer region, arrested Abdiaziz Saleban Sulub, also known as Abdiaziz Awl, a reporter for KF Media TV, an online media channel. On 13 September, the Togdheer Regional Court granted police a request to detain the journalist for seven days pending investigation. No official reason was provided for his arrest. However, local journalists told SJS that the order came from the Togdheer governor, who accused Abdiaziz of negative reporting. On 27 September, the Togdheer Regional Court acquitted Abdiaziz after he had spent 18 days in detention. But according to a local lawyer and human rights defender, the journalist remained in custody despite the acquittal, as the Togdheer Attorney General—representing the governor—appealed the court’s decision.

On 11 September, Somaliland police in Borama, Awdal region, arrested three journalists: Horn Cable TV reporter Ahmed Sheikh Muse Hassan (known as Buudhi), CBA TV reporter Abdirisaq Omar Mee’aad (known as Awliyo), and cameraman Ahmed Dayib. Local journalists told SJS that the brief arrest was ordered by the Governor of Awdal Region. The three were held at Borama police station and released the same day. No official reason was given for the arrest. However, journalists told SJS that the governor was angered by local reporters’ critical coverage of him, particularly during President Abdirahman Irro’s recent visit to Borama.

On 3 September, Hargeisa-based journalist Ahmed Mohamud Dool was released after spending 30 days in jail under the custody of Somaliland’s Criminal Investigation Department (CID). He had been arrested on 5 August after posting on his Facebook page an article allegedly written by a former government attorney, which accused members of the police of involvement in two recent murder cases in Hargeisa, the capital of Somaliland.

A post on the journalist’s own Facebook page the same day indicated that his arrest was linked to reporting on a murder case in Hargeisa. Speaking to SJS, Ahmed Dool said he was unitially summoned to report to the police criminal investigation in Hargeisa and was arrested upon arrival. The case was heard by the Maroodi-Jeh Regional Court in Hargeisa, where the government attorney accused him of "spreading false information.” After one month in detention, his defense lawyers successfully requested that the case be transferred to the Hargeisa District Court on 3 September. That court imposed a fine of 1,500,000 Somaliland Shillings (approximately $150). Ahmed Dool paid the fine and was released the same day.

He told SJS that he paid the fine not because he admitted any wrongdoing, but because he believed he would not receive justice otherwise, noting that the regional court had deliberately delayed hearings for a month under the influence of senior government officials. Photos of Ahmed Dool in chains were seen online during his repeated court appearances, raising concerns about the treatment of critical journalists in Somaliland.

Somaliland’s independent media is facing unprecedented pressure, despite earlier hopes for greater freedom following President Abdirahman Irro’s election victory in November last year. To date, SJS has documented the arrest of 24 journalists over the past nine months, while two media outlets have been banned.

"The repeated arrests of journalists in Somaliland over the past three weeks highlight a dangerous pattern of intimidation and censorship.  We are indeed concerned that press freedom is under serious threat, and these actions not only silence independent voices but also undermine the public’s right to information,” said SJS Secretary General, Abdalle Mumin.

"We call on Somaliland authorities to immediately release all detained journalists, particularly Abdiaziz Saleban Sulub, also known as Abdiaziz Awl, respect their constitutional rights, and ensure a safe environment for the media to operate freely,” Mr. Mumin adds.

Source: Somali Journalists Syndicate