On June 2, 2025, authorities in the Somaliland capital, Hargeisa, detained journalist Abdilatif Saed Ahmed, also known as Abdilatif Asayr, over his Facebook report on a chief elder’s complaints about his sub-clan’s lack of representation in government, the journalist told CPJ, after his release.
Abdilatif said plainclothes officers stopped him, threatened to shoot him with a pistol, blindfolded him, and transported him to the city’s Criminal Investigation Department (CID) headquarters.
During questioning, CID officers said the case had been filed by a Ministry of Interior official, from the same sub-clan, who took issue with Abdilatif’s interview with a chief elder who complained that President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdillahihad not fairly represented their community in his latest political appointments. The chief elder had supported the president’s 2024 election campaign.
On June 5, Abdilatif was released after his relatives contacted the official to request his release. The journalist said he was warned not to criticize government officials and instructed to delete the Facebook post, which he did.
Abdilatif was also detained in March for two days under the orders of another senior government official who also objected to a Facebook interview with clan elders critical of political appointments.
CPJ did not receive responses to April 2026 emails to the police and Office of the Attorney General, requesting comment on several cases of journalists detained since January 2025, including Abdilatif. Similar emails to the ministry of information and the presidency returned error messages, and calls to those offices were unanswered in early May 2026.