The National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) strongly condemns the unlawful detention, intimidation and harassment of eleven Somali journalists by officers of the National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) in Mogadishu on Saturday, 24 May 2025. The operation involved both uniformed and plainclothes agents, who carried out these actions in broad daylight across multiple locations in the capital.
The journalists, representing five respected media houses, were targeted while performing their legitimate professional duties. They were collecting public opinion on the return of opposition politicians to Mogadishu and the anticipated revival of political activities. The aim of their reporting was to reflect how Somali citizens view these political developments and what expectations they hold regarding the re-engagement of opposition figures in national affairs.
The briefly detained journalists were:
Goobjoog Media Group
Ja’far Abdirisaq Mohamed
Shukri Hashi Abdi
Ayanle Abdinur Ali
Sundus Ali Botan
Somali Cable TV
5. Ismail Yabarow Hassan
6. Mohamed Adan Hassan
Shabelle Media Network
7. Abdiasis Abdulqadir Salah
8. Abdiasis Yusuf So’dal
SYL TV
9. Abdirahman Abdulle Roble
10. Hassan Ahmed Taakow
Five TV
11. Abdirahmaan Ahmed Hassan
According to reports received by NUSOJ, the journalists were apprehended from Maka Al-Mukarama Road and other central areas while on duty. They were briefly held without formal charges, subjected to threats and pressured into silence. Most alarming is that NISA officers forcibly ordered them to delete all recorded footage, including the vox pops they had collected from members of the public. Such conduct constitutes a deliberate act of censorship and violates both the rights of journalists and the public’s right to access diverse perspectives on important political matters.
Immediately upon learning of the arrests, NUSOJ officials contacted senior NISA leadership to seek clarification regarding the motives behind this interference. The union firmly demanded an immediate end to such practices and emphasised that no security agency is entitled to operate outside the law or ignore constitutional protections. NISA failed to provide any legal justification for its actions and did not deny ordering the deletion of journalistic material, revealing the arbitrary nature of the operation.
“Preventing journalists from carrying out their noble duties in service of the public, detaining them and forcing them to delete their recordings is not only unlawful; it undermines the very goals NISA claims to uphold for clear political reasons,” said Omar Faruk Osman, NUSOJ Secretary General. “Journalists give voice to the people. Blocking them from fulfilling this role is unacceptable. Somalia cannot move forward while silencing those who report what citizens think and experience.”
NUSOJ considers this incident part of an escalating pattern of threats against journalists in Mogadishu, clearly indicative of a deteriorating environment for media freedom and civic space in Somalia. Targeting journalists who are engaged in capturing public opinion on political matters suppresses independent reporting and weakens Somalia’s emerging democratic processes and public accountability.
These are not isolated incidents. NUSOJ has documented several recent cases of harassment and interference against journalists. These repeated violations point to a systematic attempt to control and censor public discourse. Treating journalists as criminals for carrying out their duties is deeply troubling. No journalist should be punished for giving voice to the Somali people. Their work serves the public interest and must be protected and respected.
NUSOJ calls for full accountability for those responsible. The culture of impunity surrounding attacks on journalists must be dismantled. The top leadership of the Federal Government of Somalia must direct all security institutions, including NISA and the Somali Police Force, to refrain from intimidating or obstructing media professionals. Authorities must also provide public guarantees that such violations will not recur. The safety, dignity and independence of journalists must be safeguarded at all times. These are binding constitutional and international obligations that must be honoured without exception.