Friday July 17, 2026
Garowe (AX) — A 15-second Facebook video has put Puntland State journalist Suways Jama Mohamud at risk of a prison sentence of up to three years, prompting Reporters Without Borders (RSF) to demand that authorities immediately abandon the case against her.
Suways, who founded Suways Media, was arrested on July 2 while leaving her home. She was held at Garowe Central Prison until being granted bail on July 15.
RSF said her prosecution forms part of a wider wave of detentions involving Somali journalists, with at least four other media workers arrested over their reporting since mid-May.
Prosecutors have accused Suways of “spreading false information,” “defamation,” “insulting public authorities” and “disturbing public order” in connection with footage showing armed men in uniform.
In the June 29 post, Suways wrote that soldiers had instructed residents near the General Jimcaale neighborhood to leave the area.
Her report was published during mounting military and political friction between Somalia’s federal government and Puntland State authorities, following Mogadishu’s appointment of a general to lead an army unit stationed in the region.
At a July 13 hearing before the Garowe First Instance Court, Suways’ legal team disputed both the basis for the charges and the court’s authority to hear the case.
Her lawyer, Qareen Abdiweli, told RSF that journalists should not face prosecution under the Penal Code for activities carried out in the course of their reporting.
Abdiweli said the case relies on Somalia’s 1962 Penal Code. The defense has submitted a motion seeking to transfer the matter to the Puntland State Media Council, the regional body responsible for media regulation.
The court has not yet issued a ruling.
“Locking up a journalist for more than 10 days over a 15-second news report is as absurd as it is alarming. By subjecting a journalist to the risk of imprisonment simply for publishing information in the public interest, the authorities are sending a message of intimidation to the entire profession. Suways Jama Mohamud’s case is unfortunately not an isolated incident but is part of a recent series of arrests targeting media professionals in Somalia. RSF calls for all charges against Suways Jama Mohamud to be dropped and for an end to the use of judicial proceedings to intimidate journalists in Somalia,” said Jeanne Lagarde, RSF’s advocacy officer for sub-Saharan Africa.
RSF urged Puntland State authorities to dismiss every charge against Suways and called for an end to the use of court cases as a means of pressuring journalists in Somalia.
The organization said the case against Suways is one of several recent actions that point to growing pressure on media professionals.
Somalia is ranked 126th among 180 countries and territories in RSF’s 2026 World Press Freedom Index.
Omar Faruk Osman, secretary general of the National Union of Somali Journalists, said journalists covering matters of public concern are facing increasing targeting.
“The Puntland State case is a clear example,” Osman said. “It is deeply political.”
RSF said at least five journalists have been arrested across Somalia during the past month.
In Bosaso, Puntland State Intelligence Service officers arrested freelance journalist Mohamed Jama Mohamud on July 14, according to NUSOJ. The arrest came two days after he reported on protests by the city’s business owners.
One month earlier, freelance journalist Mohamed Abdinasir Hussein, known as Nagashe, was arrested at a Qardho café after reporting on business owners’ concerns about deteriorating security. He secured bail after five days in custody.
In Mogadishu, Iftimiye TV journalist Mohamed Ali Mohamud, known as Qadaaye, was detained on June 26 after airing an interview with a police officer. The officer alleged that another officer had halted his salary and dismissed him from his position.
On the day before that arrest, Somali Stream Media journalist Abdullahi Abukar Ali, known as Diirshe, was detained while reporting on a hearing at the Banadir Regional Court.
Authorities alleged that Diirshe had posted criticism on Facebook of a court decision in the trial of activist Sadia Moalin Ali.
The two Mogadishu journalists were released without charge on June 28.
