The commission was formally announced in early July 2025 by the Ministry of Women and Human Rights, but local human rights organizations—including the Somali Journalists Syndicate (SJS)—have rejected its legitimacy, describing it as “an attempt to whitewash human rights abuses in the country.”

Regional states Puntland and Jubaland boycotted the formation of the commission, calling it a unilateral decision linked to the federal government’s broader and controversial constitutional amendments.

According to sources familiar with the process, the selection of Dr. Maryam Qasim was influenced by Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre, who is alleged to have close personal and family links to some of her children.

The Prime Minister has previously expressed political positions aligned with Islamist movements such as Hamas militant group, and analysts note that several senior Somali officials are linked to Damu Jadid (Al-Islah), a group associated with the Muslim Brotherhood.

Speaking to the media after her selection, Dr. Maryam Qasim Ahmed said she had not actively sought the position.

“I was elected while in my hotel room. I did not even campaign,” she said.

Dr. Maryam previously served as a minister between 2012 and 2014 and is currently an advisor to the Minister of Higher Education. She is also the head of Damu Jadid’s women’s wing. She hails from the Barawe/Haatimi clan and is reported to have strong family ties within federal government institutions.

Concerns Over Independence

Civil society groups have raised serious concerns over the independence and credibility of the commission, noting that almost all  of its members are current government advisors or civil servants, despite the body’s mandate to monitor and document human rights violations by state actors.

Of the nine commissioners, seven are currently on the government payroll as advisors, while two have held ministerial positions.

The commissioners are:

• Farhan Mohamed Jimale – Prime Minister’s spokesperson, from the Hawadle/Hawiye clan.
• Ahmed Sheikh Hamza Abshir – Advisor to the Speaker of Parliament, formerly linked to the National Electoral Commission office in Baidoa; from Rahanweyn/Harin.
• Ali Mohamed Elmi – Advisor to First Deputy Speaker Sadia Haji Samatar; from Daarood/Leelkase.
• Omar Abdulle Alasow – Former AMISOM/ATMIS advisor, close associate of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud; from Hawiye/Abgaal/Waceysle.
• Maryam Qasim Ahmed – Chairperson; former minister and current government advisor; from Barawe/Haatimi.
• Fadumo Abdiqani Yusuf – Employee at the Attorney General’s Office; from Daarood/Warsangali; reportedly a leading candidate for deputy chair.
• Mohamed Osman Mohamud – Advisor to President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud; from Dir/Surre.
• Mohamed Harun Mohamud – Advisor to the Ministry of Women and Human Rights and the only commissioner with a disability; from Dir/Isaaq/Ciidagale.
• Mumino Sheikh Omar – Former State Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, currently an advisor at the Ministry of Justice; from Rahanweyn/Tunni.

Sources within the commission say that at least four members are now opposing Dr. Maryam’s leadership and have questioned several appointments she made following her selection as chairperson.

The developments come amid growing international concern over Somalia’s human rights record. In October, Somalia supported a move to end the mandate of the UN Independent Expert on Human Rights, a position established in 1993.

The UN Human Rights Council Resolution 57/27, which terminated the mandate last year, was widely viewed by rights groups as an effort to curb international scrutiny of ongoing human rights violations in the country.

“Somalia stands at a fragile and decisive moment,” said Isha Dyfan, the Independent Expert on the human rights situation in Somalia, in November, as she presented her final report on Somalia to the UN General Assembly in New York.

“Despite progress in governance, human rights, and institution-building, insecurity, political tensions, humanitarian crises, and climate shocks continue to threaten these gains. Somali civil society, women, journalists, and human rights defenders remain inspiring—but they cannot advance peace and rights alone,” she added.

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The Somali federal government has reportedly informed the Human Rights Council in Geneva of its intention to end the mandate of the Independent Expert, effective October 2025. This mandate, established in 1993 and most recently extended under Human Rights Council Resolution 57/27 (October 2024), enables impartial monitoring, assessment, and reporting on Somalia’s human rights situation. The current mandate-holder, Ms. Isha Dyfan, appointed in 2020, works in her individual capacity, gathering information, conducting visits, and making recommendations to advance human rights in Somalia.

This reckless decision comes amid one of the darkest human rights periods in Somalia’s recent history:

• Forced evictions of thousands of vulnerable families in Mogadishu, leaving internally displaced persons (IDPs) and minorities at severe risk.
• Escalating attacks on journalists and media freedom, leading to widespread self-censorship in Mogadishu and forcing some journalists into exile.
• Persistent sexual violence and murder against women and girls, while the government continues to oppose the Sexual Offenses Bill.
• Extrajudicial killings and abductions of civilians in South and Central Somalia, particularly in Middle Shabelle, Lower Shabelle, and Hiiraan, carried out by militias operating with impunity.
• Entrenched corruption, extortion, and human trafficking, with credible reports of cash smuggling through Mogadishu’s Aden Abdulle International Airport by networks linked to senior officials.

Instead of addressing these grave abuses, the government has pushed forward with the creation of a puppet National Human Rights Commission (NHRC). Announced in July 2025 by the Ministry of Women and Human Rights, the nine-member body is dominated by government employees, former ministers, and close associates of the President, Prime Minister, and Speakers of Parliament. This process not only bypassed constitutional requirements but also excluded Somalia’s most marginalized and oppressed communities, further undermining the its legitimacy.

The so-called NHRC blatantly violates Article 41 of the Provisional Constitution, which requires “Parliament to establish an independent, adequately resourced commission”, and Law No. 18 of 2016, which emphasizes autonomy, transparency, and independence. It also contravenes the Paris Principles and the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights standards, which mandate that national human rights institutions be pluralistic, credible, and free from state control.

SJS is deeply alarmed that the commission’s composition reflects Somalia’s discredited 4.5 clan power-sharing formula, deliberately excluding minorities and civil society voices. Even worse, some appointees are directly tied to human rights violators, including the recent reappointment of Mahad Mohamed Salad, a figure with a notorious record of abuses, as Director of the National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA).

This demonstrates beyond doubt that the process was politically manipulated, non-transparent, and designed to whitewash violations rather than protect victims. If left unchallenged, this will entrench impunity and dismantle Somalia’s already fragile human rights protections.

SJS Calls and Recommendations:

The Somali federal government must immediately halt the current NHRC process, and restart it in full compliance with Article 41 of the Constitution and international human rights standards.

Parliament must ensure a transparent, merit-based, and participatory process, with open calls for applications, public vetting, and genuine involvement of civil society, minorities, and independent experts.

Individuals implicated in past human rights violations must be barred from serving in or influencing the commission.

The Somali civil society must take an active role in monitoring the process, demanding inclusivity and independence.

International partners and human rights organizations must closely monitor developments and withhold recognition or support for any government-controlled body that fails to meet international standards.

Somalia deserves a truly independent and credible national human rights commission that protects victims, holds perpetrators accountable, and strengthens the rule of law. Instead, the current process seeks to legitimize repression and enable impunity.

SJS further strongly warns that dismantling international and constitutional safeguards in this manner will have devastating consequences for Somalia’s human rights future.

(PRESS RELEASE: SJS)

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If left unchallenged, this move risks enabling the whitewashing of grave human rights violations across the country.

On Saturday, 31 May 2025, SJS observed media reports indicating that the Minister of Women and Human Rights had began the selection of the members of the yet-to-be-formed NHRC. This body, according to the Provisional Constitution, is to be established by the Federal Parliament, not by the President’s Office or a cabinet minister.

It is deeply concerning that Minister Khadija Mohamed Al-Makhzoumi, acting under instructions from President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, proceeded this process without transparency and legal clarity thereby violating both national laws and international norms.

SJS reiterates the urgent need for a genuinely independent National Human Rights Commission, as articulated in Article 41 of the Provisional Constitution, which states:
“The Federal Parliament shall establish a Human Rights Commission that is independent of State control, and has adequate resources to carry out its functions effectively.”

The Constitution also states what functions this commission is going to undertake and it states “The functions of the Human Rights Commission (NHRC) shall include the promotion of knowledge of human rights, setting implementation standards, monitoring rights violations, and investigating alleged abuses.”

In addition, Law No. 18 of 2016, enacted on 14 August 2016, provides the legal framework for the Somalia National Human Right Commission, emphasizing its “independence from government control, transparency, and autonomy in decision-making.”

Contradictions in the Current Process

Despite these clear legal provisions, the current process was initiated by President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, through Minister of Women and Human Rights, Khadija Al-Makhzoumi, without any legal basis or public participation. Individuals—many with ties to government ministries or personal connections to top officials—were invited for a so-called examination, without a publicly announced or merit-based selection procedure.

This is not the first irregularity.  In December 2023, the same ministry sent emails calling for NHRC applications via email (seen by SJS) and has been reported by the media. However, many qualified applicants reported receiving no response. Later, they discovered through the media that certain individuals had already been selected without public vetting or due process.

Why is the government pushing this now?

Somalia has never had an independent national human rights commission. For years, federal authorities in Mogadishu have delayed or resisted the establishment of a credible NHRC. The process has been plagued by political interference, lack of transparency, and non-compliance with constitutional and international obligations.

This move comes at a time of intense political instability and fragmentation in Somalia. The federal government’s relations with Puntland and Jubaland have deteriorated. Meanwhile, unilateral constitutional amendments and electoral reforms are being pushed forward by President Hassan Sheikh’s administration. Simultaneously, attacks on journalists, human rights defenders, and civilians by both the government and Al-Shabaab have increased.

Establishing a government-controlled NHRC in this volatile context would not serve justice—it would only legitimize repression, whitewash abuses, and shield violators from accountability.

SJS reminds the Somali government—particularly the Ministry of Women and Human Rights and President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud—that the NHRC must be formed in line with international norms, notably the Paris Principles, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1993, and reinforced by the Kigali Declaration (2003) of the African Union.

The Paris Principles emphasize:

• Transparent and participatory selection processes involving civil society, academia, and human rights organizations.
• Merit-based selection of the commission members grounded in integrity and commitment to human rights.
• Public calls for applications, background checks, and open vetting.
• Independent, pluralistic selection committees free from political influence.
• Parliamentary oversight and legal grounding to ensure independence and legitimacy.

Similarly, the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) Resolution 31 requires that NHRIs: (a) Be established by constitutional or legislative mandate; (b) Be independent of government control; (c) Have a broad, actionable mandate, including powers to investigate, report, and recommend action; (d) Be financially autonomous.

What we witnessed on Saturday in Mogadishu stands in direct violation of all these standards.  SJS calls on the Federal Government of Somalia to immediately halt the ongoing process and restart the formation of the NHRC in full compliance with Article 41 of the Provisional Constitution and international standards.

SJS makes the following recommendations:

• The Somali government must reform the election process and ensure it is legally grounded, publicly communicated, and free from political interference in any form.
• As requires by the Constitution, the Parliament must establish an Independent Selection Committee and include credible and trustworthy representatives from civil society, minority groups, academia, and legal experts with clean background.
• The Parliament must ensure transparent vetting and appointment procedures, and base appointments on objective, merit-based criteria with public oversight.
• The federal government must guarantee NHRC independence and the commission must operate free from government control or political manipulation.
• The Parliament must ensure oversight to ensure that all appointments must be reviewed and confirmed by the Federal Parliament following broad consultations with civil society.
• The selection committee must prevent rights abusers from involvement in the committee and individuals implicated in human rights violations must be barred from participating in the selection process or serving on the commission.

SJS Call to Somali Civil Society

SJS urges independent Somali civil society organizations to take a proactive role in advocating for a credible, inclusive, and transparent NHRC formation process. Somalia deserves a national human rights institution that defends victims and holds all actors accountable, including the state.

SJS Call to the International Community

SJS also call on international partners, and development organizations to closely monitor this process and ensure that any support provided aligns with international human rights standards and promotes a genuinely independent NHRC.

“This flawed process of the selection of the National Human Rights Commission can and must be corrected. SJS affirms that a credible, independent National Human Rights Commission is far better than a politicized, government-controlled one. Somalia needs an National Human Rights Commission that protects the rights of its people—not one that enables impunity,” said SJS Secretary General, Abdalle Mumin.

(Source: SJS)

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