On June 10, 2026, a Somaliland court in the eastern town of Erigavo detained journalist Mubaarik Mohamed Aadan, also known as Mubaarik Rays, over his report that the local offices of the ministry of water had closed, according to his lawyer, Khalid Ahmed Askar, and the journalist, who spoke with CPJ after his release.
Mubaarik, who publishes news on his Facebook page, said that he and two other journalists — Abdilatif Saed Ahmed, also known as Abdilatif Asayr, and Mohamed Yusuf Ali, also known as Mohamed Ilkacase — jointly reported the story.
Abdilatif was detained from March 28 to April 1 and Mohamed — on whose Facebook page the video was published — was detained on May 10 for about eight hours in relation to the case.
On June 10, the presiding judge at Sanaag Regional Court ordered all three journalists detained pending the verdict. The journalists told CPJ that they spent the night in Erigavo Central Prison.
On June 11, the court convicted Mohamed and Abdilatif of publishing false news under Article 287 of the Penal Code. They were both fined 1 million Somaliland shillings (US$100), or one year in prison in default of payment. The fines were paid, securing their release. Mubaarik was acquitted.
Somaliland declared independence from Somalia in 1991 but has not been recognized internationally, except by Israel in December 2025. Since 2025, the breakaway state has seen an uptick in short-term detentions of journalists.
CPJ did not receive responses to July 2026 emails requesting comment from Somaliland’s ministry of information and the office of the president.