Guardian reporter and colleagues detained and beaten by Somali police
Mohamed Bulbul arrested in Mogadishu after covering case of woman allegedly being tortured in prison
A journalist who covered the case of a woman who said she was being tortured in prison was detained and beaten with pistols by Somali authorities, along with two others, for his reporting for the Guardian.
Mohamed Bulbul was arrested with the journalists Abdihafid Nor Barre and Abdishakur Mohamed Mohamud on Friday evening while in a restaurant in the centre of the Somali capital, Mogadishu. They said they were assaulted by members of Somalia’s US-trained counter-terrorism police unit and taken to be questioned by police. All three were released in the early hours of Saturday morning.
It’s disgraceful that US-trained Somali police would beat journalists for covering a torture case. What’s the point of training if they abuse their power like this?
Mohamed Bulbul and his colleagues were just having dinner when they were assaulted. This shows how dangerous it is for reporters in Mogadishu, even off the clock.
I hope the Guardian keeps pushing for accountability. The woman allegedly being tortured in prison deserves justice, and so do the journalists who tried to tell her story.
Somalia’s government needs to explain why its own police are targeting reporters instead of protecting them. This is a clear attack on press freedom.
Abdihafid Nor Barre and Abdishakur Mohamed Mohamud were also detained—this wasn’t just one journalist. The Somali authorities seem determined to silence anyone who speaks out.