On 5 August 2026, the Banadir Regional Appeals Court in Mogadishu, Somalia, began new proceedings in the case of Sadia Moalin Ali, widely known as Sadia Bajaaj.
Sadia, 27, is a Somali social rights activist and tuk-tuk driver who was unlawfully arrested on 12 April 2026. On 25 June 2026, the Banadir Regional Court sentenced her to three years in prison on charges of “disrespecting government institutions” in connection with her social media activism and peaceful expression.
Sadia’s defence lawyers maintained that she had committed no offence and was exercising her constitutionally protected right to freedom of expression. The Geeska Freedom Centre (GFC), together with Sadia’s lawyers, reviewed the proceedings and sentencing before the lower court and identified a number of serious procedural irregularities and fair-trial concerns. Based on these concerns, her lawyers filed an appeal, arguing that Sadia had committed no criminal offence and that the proceedings leading to her conviction were fundamentally flawed.
On 1 August 2026, the Appeals Court accepted the defence submission and agreed to hear the case afresh.
During the Appeals Court hearing on Wednesday, alongside her lawyers, Sadia was given an opportunity to speak directly to the judge and present her account of what happened following her arrest, including the alleged abuses she suffered while in detention.
Sadia told the court that she was sexually assaulted by two police officers during her detention and that they threatened her with death. She also said that she went without food for several days following her arrest and described the poor conditions and deterioration of her health while in custody.
Sadia further told the judge about her 12-month-old daughter, who is still breastfeeding. She said she was prevented from seeing her child during her detention, despite her daughter’s need for breastfeeding and maternal care.
These concerns are particularly serious given Somalia’s constitutional protections against unlawful detention, violence and inhumane treatment, as well as the state’s obligations to protect the welfare of mothers and children. Somalia’s Constitution also guarantees arrested and detained persons the right to a fair trial and protection from physical and psychological harm.
GFC is concerned that these allegations and the circumstances surrounding Sadia’s detention were not adequately addressed during the lower court proceedings, which GFC believes were affected by serious procedural and judicial concerns.
The Banadir Regional Appeals Court hearing therefore marked an important moment. GFC calls on the Appeals Court to conduct a genuinely independent, impartial and transparent review of Sadia’s conviction and to give full consideration to the defence’s concerns regarding procedural irregularities, the evidence presented against her, and her fundamental rights.
“The Banadir Appeals Court must quash Sadia Moalin Ali’s unlawful sentence and restore her freedom. Sadia should never have been imprisoned for exercising her right to freedom of expression. We urge the court to correct the serious irregularities in the lower court proceedings, uphold her fundamental rights, and order her immediate release,” said the Director of Geeska Freedom Centre, Abdalle Mumin. “No person should be imprisoned for peacefully expressing their views, and no detainee should be subjected to abuse whatsoever.”
GFC reiterates its call for the Somali authorities to protect freedom of expression, ensure judicial independence, uphold fair-trial guarantees, and end the misuse of criminal laws against activists, journalists and peaceful critics.