Somali government security forces conducted a raid on the MM Somali TV studio and physically assaulted the TV journalists, confiscated and destroyed their equipment and were unjustly detained them on January 6, 2024.

Security forces conducted the raid during a discussion on the Somaliland-Ethiopia Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) a local reporter confirmed to The Rummage.

The Somali Journalists Syndicate (SJS) strongly condemns the recent surge in attacks targeting critical media institutions and detention of journalists in Hargeysa and Mogadishu. The National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) is profoundly horrified by the continued mistreatment of journalists from MM Somali TV.

“It has now been over 65 hours, at the time of issuing this statement which significantly exceeds the 48-hour legal limit for arrested individuals to be brought to court”, NUSOJ said in a statement.

Journalists Mohamed Abdi Sheikh (Ilig), Mohamed Abdi Abdullahi (Andar) and Ilyas Abdinasir are enduring suffering in the custody of Somaliland intelligence, where they have been subjected to torture during interrogations in an attempt to extract false confessions. Additionally, their bank accounts and phone records are under investigation, as reported by security officers who spoke to local journalists anonymously, fearing for their safety and job security.

The headquarters of MM Somali TV remains forcibly closed, with a substantial amount of their equipment either destroyed or confiscated during the raid. Plainclothes security officers are reportedly monitoring anyone approaching the TV office.
Meanwhile, journalists responsible for managing the TV’s social media accounts are operating discreetly due to their fear of being tracked identified and subsequently arrested.

On January 7, armed police officers executing eviction orders from the Banadir Regional Court chairman, targeted RTN TV reporter Abdihafid Nor Barre and cameraman Abdukadir Abukar Ali in Mogadishu’s Waberi district. The television crew was covering the eviction incident, conducting interviews with family members residing in the affected property. The interviewed family members asserted that the eviction was unlawful and implicated senior court officials in the case. The journalists were forced to flee to safety after an armed police officer pointed a gun at them while the reporter was recording a piece-to-camera clip. The station’s editor said to SJS that Abdihafid and Abdukadir left the site unharmed.

In this alarming and ongoing assault on press freedom, Somaliland authorities are not only violating local and national laws that safeguard fundamental rights of free expression and media freedom but they are also flagrantly disregarding African and international human rights laws by arbitrarily arresting journalists, unlawfully detaining them, confiscating and damaging the equipment of an independent news media organization, suppressing open media discussions and denying people their right to access information freely, said by NUSOJ.

While expressing our concern about the rise of hate speech and the calls for violence in the wake of the Somaliland-Ethiopia MOU, SJS emphasizes the importance of maintaining an open and free space for diverse views. However, we note the increasing fear among journalists and media stations in Somaliland and Mogadishu when presenting diverse perspectives which also impacted the ordinary citizens.

“While we welcome the release of MM Somali TV reporter Mohamed Abdi Abdullahi (Andar) and cameraman Ilyaas Abdinasir after their detention on Saturday night, we call for the immediate and unconditional freedom of Mohamed Abdi Ilig, the founder of MM Somali TV, who remains in detention in Hargeisa,” said SJS Secretary-General Abdalle Ahmed Mumin.
“In the realm of media, the primary duty is to tell the story, and no journalist or media entity should face intimidation for expressing political perspectives that may differ from prevailing sentiments. We call for the preservation of freedom of speech and endorse the right to engage in unfettered and independent media reporting—a fundamental requirement for any thriving democratic society,” Mumin added.