Somaliland: journalist Abdiqani Hussein Abokor risks three years in prison over an interview, RSF calls for his release

Abdiqani Hussein Abokor is entering his second month in pre-trial detention at Hargeisa Central Prison, in the capital of Somaliland, a self-proclaimed independent territory in north-western Somalia. On 29 August, the journalist, also known as Baylood (which means "pilot"), appeared in response to a summons from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), where he was arrested. According to his lawyer, Tawakal Ibrahim Mohamed, no valid arrest warrant was produced. Without being brought before a prosecutor, Abdiqani Hussein Abokor was transferred the same day to Hargeisa Central Prison. His arrest is linked to an interview he conducted with poet Ismail Yusuf Abdi - who was also arrested - that was broadcast on the Facebook page of Heegan TV on 27 August. During the interview, the poet accused Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi of appropriating land.

According to Abdiqani Hussein Abokor's lawyer, "restrictions were placed on visits by his relatives and other persons wishing to see him." His requests for release have gone unanswered, even though no charges had been brought against him for several weeks. It was not until 16 September that the journalist was formally charged with "dissemination or publication of false information" under the Somaliland Penal Code. No trial date has yet been set. According to his lawyer, Baylood faces up to three years in prison.

Journalists frequently arrested

On 9 September, freelance journalist Hassan Saleban Harun, also known as Gallaydh, was arrested in Gabiley, a city about an hour from the capital, before being transferred to the Hargeisa CID for questioning. He had addressed the president in a speech during a protest organised by journalists calling for the release of Abdiqani Hussein Abokor. He was released three days later without being charged.

In Somaliland, journalists are frequently arrested in connection with their work. In 2025, RSF recorded at least 21 journalist arrests, nine of them in September alone. On 7 October, journalist Abdiaziz Saleban Sulub, from online channel KF Media TV, was sentenced to one year in prison for publishing excerpts from a governor's speech. In June 2025, the former president of the Somaliland Journalists Association (SOLJA), Mohamoud Abdi Jama, also known as Xuuto, was forced to flee the country after criticising the government, which led to him being summoned by the CID.