MOGADISHU, Somalia 9 September 2026 – North Western State of Somalia authorities are facing renewed pressure from the Somali Journalists Syndicate (SJS), which is urging President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi “Irro” to immediately and unconditionally free journalists Abdiqani Hussein Abokor and Hassan Saleban Harun, along with poet Ismail Yusuf Abdi, after their arrests over remarks authorities regarded as criticism of the President.
Abdiqani Hussein Abokor, widely known as Baylood and the founder of Heegan TV, was detained on 29 August 2026 following an interview with North Western State of Somalia-based poet Ismail Yusuf Abdi, also known as Jiheeye. Abdiqani published the interview on his Facebook page on 27 August, during which Ismail appealed to President Irro over the forced eviction of his family from their home in Hargeisa.
- Advertisement -
In the interview, Ismail performed a poem in which he cursed the president and said “that the president’s honour should be diminished and failure comes to him” if the vulnerable family were removed from their homes.
The remarks followed reported efforts by North Western State of Somalia authorities to evict families from a neighbourhood in western Hargeisa where President Irro’s family resided, with officials citing security concerns, according to media reports. A local journalist and a lawyer representing some of the affected families told SJS that residents, including the family of poet Ismail Jiheeye, had objected to the evictions and sought compensation if they were compelled to give up their land rights.
Police in North Western State of Somalia also detained poet Ismail Jiheeye over his participation in the interview. Both men are being held at the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in Hargeisa.
On 6 September, lawyer Tawakal Ibrahim Mohamed, who represents Abdiqani and Ismail, said in a written statement that the two men were taken before a court after their arrest at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, 29 August 2026.
North Western State of Somalia police also arrested poet Ismail Jiheeye (pictured) after he gave the interview to journalist Abdiqani Hussein Abokor. | Photo: screenshot from Facebook/Heegan TV interview.
“The court ordered that Abdiqani Hussein Abokor and Ismail Jiheeye be held in custody pending investigations for seven days. That period expired on Saturday, 5 September 2026. However, the two men remain in detention without being brought before a court again or formally charged,” the lawyer’s statement noted.
SJS says the continued detention of the two men violates the Constitution of North Western State of Somalia, which requires ongoing judicial oversight for anyone held in custody, and is calling for their immediate release.
On Wednesday, 9 September, North Western State of Somalia police in Gebiley arrested journalist Hassan Saleban Harun, known as Gallaydh, as he covered a university graduation ceremony in the town, which is about an hour’s drive from the capital, Hargeisa.
Colleagues at Gallaydh TV told SJS that Hassan Gallaydh was later moved to Hargeisa, where he is being detained at the Criminal Investigation Department.
Police did not state the reason for his arrest. Local journalists interviewed by SJS, however, said Hassan Gallaydh had spoken at a journalists’ protest in Hargeisa on Monday 7 September, where he called for Abdiqani Hussein Abokor to be released.
In remarks at the journalists’ protest, reviewed by SJS, Hassan Gallaydh said: “President Abdirahman Irro, when he was in the opposition, he visited every single journalist in jail, and he believed that every single journalist arrested was unlawful. Mr. President, the media is the same and the place is the same. Mr. President, we are hearing that you are the one who ordered Abdiqani Hussein Abokor’s arrest, and we call on you to free him.”
The North Western State of Somalia Ministry of Information did not respond to SJS requests seeking clarification on the arrests and the continued detention of the journalists.
SJS is urging the North Western State of Somalia government to release Abdiqani Hussein Abokor, Hassan Saleban Harun and poet Ismail Jiheeye immediately and without conditions, and to uphold journalists’ right to examine government actions and report freely without intimidation, arbitrary arrest or detention.
“The arrest and continued detention of two journalists in Hargeisa simply because they reported on issues affecting the public, interviewed a citizen who criticised those in power, or expressed their views is unacceptable. We strongly condemn the arrests of Abdiqani Hussein Abokor, Hassan Saleban Harun and poet Ismail Yusuf Abdi Jiheeye, and we call for their immediate and unconditional release,” said SJS Secretary General, Abdalle Mumin.
“President Abdirahman Irro should demonstrate his commitment to democracy and the rule of law by ensuring that these detainees are released immediately. North Western State of Somalia’s journalists are not the enemy of the government. They are an essential part of society and play a critical role in informing the public, exposing abuses, raising concerns from communities and holding those in power accountable,” added Mr. Mumin.
– Somali Journalists Syndicate –
