On September 12, 2025, police in Somaliland’s central city of Burao arrested KF Media TV reporter Abdiaziz Saleban Sulub, who is widely known as Abdiaziz Awl, according to the Somaliland Journalists Association (SOLJA) and the digital station’s CEO Khalid Ismail Abdirahman.
On September 13, Burao District Court remanded Abdiaziz for seven days and on September 27 extended the order for another 14 days, the journalist told CPJ.
At a September 28 hearing, authorities accused Abdiaziz of misrepresentation in his September 9 Facebook report, which alleged the public were disappointed by the governor of central Togdheer region’s “meagre” donation of US$2,000 to a family whose children died in a house fire. Abdiaziz told CPJ that he was acquitted but not released.
The government appealed the decision.
Abdiaziz told CPJ that on October 7, an appeals court convicted and sentenced him to one year in prison and a fine of 2 million Somaliland shillings (about US$200), although he did not know which law he was said to have breachedThe court allowed him to pay an additional fine of 2,500,000 shillings (US$250) in lieu of serving his prison term, and he was released on October 8.
On September 17, Togdheer’s regional governor Mahmoud Ali Saleeban (Ramaax) told CPJ to call back the next day but the person who responded on September 18 and declined to give their name requested more time.
CPJ’s requests for comment via text message and email to information and interior ministries and the police force did not receive any replies.