On November 21, 2025, police officers arrested Himilo Somali TV camera operator Abdullaahi Mohamed Ali, also known as Saawey, while he was covering a protest against forced evictions in the Yaaqshiid district of northern Mogadishu, the capital, according to media reports and a statement by the local press rights group Somali Journalists Syndicate (SJS).
On November 24, Abdullahi appeared at the Banadir Regional Court on charges of “mobilizing protests” and “inciting the public” in connection with the death of a young man at the protest site, according to the journalist, who spoke to CPJ following his release, and SJS. Abdullahi told CPJ that the court found no evidence linking him to the incident and instructed the police and investigators that he had the right to record events, as permitted by law.
Abdullaahi told CPJ that officers at Yaaqshiid Police Station beat him with “rifle butts, heavy boots, and punches” and struck him with the front end of a gun barrel.
On November 24, Abdullaahi was released and taken to a hospital for treatment of injuries sustained during detention, Ahmed Mohamed Adan also known as Jubba, director of Himilo Somali TV, told CPJ.
Abdullaahi told CPJ that he was denied access to his parents, intensively questioned about his clan and activities, and forced to unlock his phone. Abdullaahi said the station commander and investigator threatened that if he was rearrested, he would be stripped naked and forced to record indecent videos.
Abdullaahi told CPJ that police confiscated his bag, containing a Canon 8D camera with battery and memory card, a tripod, and a flashlight with a battery, and deleted all his footage.
Ahmed told CPJ on December 5, 2025, that he had filed a complaint with a military court over the police’s refusal to return Himilo Somali TV’s equipment.
Banadir Regional Police Commander Mahdi Omar Muumin, also known as Macallin Mahdi, did not respond to CPJ’s request for comment via messaging app.