In a statement issued on June 30, 2026, SJS said the detentions followed the journalists’ coverage of security-related matters, including a complaint by a Somali police officer and reports on insecurity in Puntland.

One of the journalists, Mohamed Ali Mahmoud, popularly known as Qadaaye, a reporter with Iftiimiye TV, was arrested on June 26 after broadcasting an interview with a Somali police officer who alleged that his salary had been unfairly suspended by a senior commander. In the interview, the officer said he had been forced to work as a construction laborer to support his wife and two daughters after losing his income. He also stated that he belonged to Somalia’s marginalized Bantu community.

According to SJS, Qadaaye was arrested by four armed police officers near his home in Mogadishu’s Karaan district and taken to Karaan Police Station. The journalist said he was beaten during his arrest and assaulted again while in detention. When his mother and relatives visited him the following day, they reportedly found him in poor condition.

SJS also reported that, following the interview, the police officer featured in the report, along with his daughters, was detained. The officer’s wife later gave an interview to Iftiimiye TV describing the family’s detention before they were eventually released.

Qadaaye was released on June 28 without being formally charged. According to SJS, a police officer at Karaan Police Station confirmed that no charges were filed against him. The journalist said his release came after intervention by relatives, but added that he continues to face threats and pressure intended to discourage him from reporting critically on the police.

The organization noted that journalists in Mogadishu have increasingly faced intimidation, arbitrary arrests, and harassment for publishing reports critical of police and other security agencies. As a result, many local media outlets have become reluctant to cover sensitive security issues out of concern for the safety of their reporters.

SJS also highlighted the case of Mohamed Abdinasir Hussein, widely known as Nagashe, an online journalist based in Qardho, Puntland. Nagashe was arrested on June 14 after publishing a report on growing insecurity in the town, where local business owners said they had begun closing their shops early in the evening due to fears of attacks by youth gangs targeting businesses at night.

The report, published on June 8 on Nagashe’s Facebook page, which has nearly 29,000 followers, detailed concerns raised by local traders about deteriorating security. Nagashe told SJS that he was arrested while having morning coffee at a local café after four officers, some wearing police uniforms, detained him and took him to Qardho Police Station before transferring him to the town’s main prison.

He remained in custody until June 18, when he was released. According to local media advocates and colleagues, his release followed mediation by traditional elders, who reportedly guaranteed that he would refrain from reporting on security issues in Qardho. Nagashe told SJS that his reporting had angered the Mayor of Qardho, whom he accused of ordering his arrest. SJS said the mayor did not respond to requests for comment.

SJS called on Somali police authorities and the Puntland administration to uphold Somalia’s constitutional and international obligations to protect freedom of expression and ensure journalists can work without fear of intimidation, arrest, or interference.

While welcoming the release of both journalists, SJS Secretary-General Abdalle Mumin said the arrests themselves were deeply troubling because neither journalist had committed a crime beyond carrying out legitimate journalistic work.

The organization also expressed concern over what it described as increasing efforts to silence journalists through threats, intimidation, and arbitrary detention, warning that such actions create a climate of fear that discourages independent reporting on security, policing, governance, and other matters of significant public interest.

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