A journalist who reported on the case of a woman alleging torture in prison was detained and beaten with pistols by Somali authorities, along with two others, according to media reports. Mohamed Bulbul was arrested with journalists Abdihafid Nor Barre and Abdishakur Mohamed Mohamud on Friday evening while in a restaurant in the center of Mogadishu.

Arrests Deemed Unlawful and Politically Motivated

According to media outlets and members of parliament, the arrests were unlawful and politically motivated. The incidents occurred amid an intensifying security operation as public anger grows with the ruling establishment, and the presidential term is due to end on 15 May.

Abdirahman Abdishakur, an MP and leader of the opposition Wadajir party, condemned the arrests of the journalists, though In a post on X, he wrote that the president of Somalia’s administration “appears consumed by fear, confusion as the end of its mandate approaches.”

He added: “Instead of addressing the growing public anger over forced displacement, land grabbing, and pursuing an inclusive political settlement to guide the country through this fragile transitional period, the administration has intensified repression against journalists, activists, and outspoken young people.”

Detention Linked to Coverage of Torture Case

Bulbul’s detention is believed to be linked to his reporting on the case of Sadia Moalim Ali, a 27-year-old rickshaw driver in prison for peaceful protest and her activism on social media. He has also spoken out about security forces’ violations and forced evictions in Mogadishu.

On Thursday. The Guardian published a story by Bulbul, where Ali described being tortured in Mogadishu central prison. She said she was stripped naked by two male guards in a room monitored by CCTV, kicked, beaten with a baton, and left for two days in a small cell without food. The article was widely shared across Somali media, Facebook, and X.

He and the two other journalists had been facing sustained threats and intimidation in recent weeks; their detention happened at a time of heightened political pressure surrounding planned protests expected to take place on Sunday.

Threats from Police Chief and Broader Repression

At the police headquarters, the three reporters said they were threatened by Mahdi Omar Mumin, Mogadishu police chief, should they continue to report on the protests.

In a statement by the Somali Journalists Syndicate (SJS), the journalists said that Mumin told them he was “tired of arresting journalists” and that if they continued to report on the protests and other developments in Mogadishu, including the case of Ali, the only option remaining for them would be “death.”

Somali Stream, the media organization which Mohamud works for, condemned the arrests as “an illegal and politically motivated attack on independent journalism.”

AbdiKani Hamud Abokor, the outlet’s managing director, said: “Somali Stream strongly condemns the unlawful detention of Abdishakur [Mohamed] Mohamud, Abdihafid Nor [Barre], and Mohamed Bulbul — this is a deliberate attempt to terrorise journalists, suppress independent reporting, and instil fear across Somalia’s media community.”

The news follows the arrest of several journalists earlier this week. On 6 May, at least five local journalists were arrested, and their equipment was confiscated, according to SJS. Two other broadcast journalists, Ja’far Mohamed Jim’ale and cameraman Nur Hasan Ali, remain in detention, and their whereabouts are unknown, the organization added.

According to the World Press Freedom Index, Somalia ranks 126 out of 180 countries. Journalists in the country work in an environment of great insecurity, according to Reporters Without Borders, which runs the index. With more than 50 media professionals killed since 2010, Somalia is one of the most dangerous countries for journalists in Africa.

The Somalian authorities have been approached for a response.