On August 5, 2025, journalist Haashim Omar Hassan was arrested by Galmudug police in the town of Adado, central Somalia, after reporting on his Facebook page that an eight-year-old girl was allegedly raped and murdered, according to the Somali Journalists Syndicate and Haashim, who spoke to CPJ.
Haashim told CPJ that about seven armed police officers came to his home in a vehicle and arrested him. The officers said his reporting on the young girl had brought shame upon the entire Galmudug administration.
He was detained at Adado Central Police Station, where officers demanded that he disclose his sources. Haashim explained that he had confirmed the girl’s cause of death with Adado’s main hospital, which he considered the most reliable source available.
Journalist Hassan Ahmed Mohamed, who also reported on the same incident, was detained at the same time.
Both journalists were released without charge on the evening of August 5, following advocacy by other local journalists.
CPJ did not receive responses to emailed requests for comment sent to the president’s office, police chief, and the ministry of interior of Galmudug State.