MOGADISHU, Somalia (Kaab TV) – The Banadir Regional Court on Tuesday (23 June 2026) held its second hearing in the case of Sadia Moalin Ali, known as Sadia Bajaaj, a young women’s rights advocate who was detained unlawfully on 12 April 2026.
The hearing had previously been postponed on Sunday 21 June without any official explanation as the presiding judge was replaced days ago.
The first hearing in the case took place on 1 June 2026, during which the prosecution presented two charges against her: “insulting state institutions” and “incitement to commit a crime.”
The office of the prosecutor general brought charges related to social media videos in which she criticised outgoing President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and his family. The prosecutor also played a clip in which Sadia raised concerns that police officers had “threatened her with rape”.
During the initial hearing, the judge accepted a preliminary objection from the defence lawyers, who argued that the charges were not sufficiently detailed and that there was no evidence proving that Sadia, who is a mother a young daughter and earns tuktuk taxi, had committed any crime.
It is noteworthy that the judge who presided over the first hearing was instantly replaced.
The second hearing was presided over by Judge Salah Ali Mohamud, commonly known as “Salah Dabaan,” who is reportedly from the same clan as President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud.
How the proceedings happened
Media access was restricted during Tuesday’s hearing, with journalists – including our team denied entry with cameras or permission to report from inside the courtroom. We were even told not to take notes.
However, we saw the presiding judge, Salah Daban, brought his own cameraman into the courtroom to record proceedings, raising concerns among defence lawyers about the transparency and fairness of the process.
Later in the day, short edited video clips from the hearing circulated on social media, specially on a Facebook page associated with the Banadir Regional Court.
Two of the defence lawyers who spoke to Kaab TV said the footage did not reflect the full proceedings, noting that key defence arguments were omitted.
They also alleged that some audio had been cut or edited in a way that misrepresented statements as an admission of guilt.
During the session on Tuesday, the prosecution reintroduced the same two charges, adding further details. They alleged that Sadia “had posted a video claiming that the Banadir Regional Administration recruits people through clan-based networks and that most senior positions are dominated by a single clan.”
The prosecution also submitted an audio interview reportedly given by Sadia on 20 April 2026 while she was in custody, in which she said she “had gone four days without food”. The prosecutor presented this audio as “a damaging to the reputation of the prison and the government”.
In addition, prosecutors cited a recent report published by The Guardian, which included Sadia’s allegations that she “was stripped naked, beaten, and taken to a so-called “death room” inside detention.”
They also played another video clip of Sadia saying that she feared for well-being and safety after a police officers “threatened her with rape”
Sadia was then asked to explain. When she stood she told the court that police officers including the officer who was investigating her whom she named as ‘Big Show’ had threatened her with “rape”.
The defence team maintained that Sadia should be released immediately and those who threatened her with sexual violence be arrested.
Throughout the hearing, prosecutors also accused her of participating in protests in Mogadishu and of being a leader of a youth-led movement in the city—claims which the defence strongly denied.
The case has attracted significant public attention, with human rights organisations stating that her arrest and prosecution appear to be an attempt to silence youth voices in Somalia.
Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and SIHA Network have recently called for her immediate release.
The Geeska Freedom Centre has also condemned her detention and the charges against her.
A verdict is expected to be announced on Thursday, while Sadia remains in custody, having been detained for 74 days.