The Somali Journalists Syndicate (SJS) strongly condemns the abduction-style arrest of three journalists in Mogadishu on Sunday, 3 August 2025, by armed officers from the Turkish-trained Haramcad police unit.

At exactly 5:07 PM local time on Sunday, armed officers from the Haramcad police, arriving in two vehicles marked with police logos and a Toyota Prado Land Cruiser, came to the front gate of SMS Somali TV in Mogadishu, where they physically assaulted and forcibly arrested the journalists: Osman Abdullahi Mohamed (reporter and cameraman for SMS Somali TV), Hussein Isse Mohamed (reporter for SMS Somali TV), and Mahad Mohamed Abdirahman (freelance journalist).

The journalists had just returned from covering the ongoing forced evictions in Mogadishu, where armed forces affiliated with President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud were reportedlyevicting familiesfrom public land that was allegedly sold to wealthy businessmen. The arrest was captured onCCTV footage from the TV station.

The journalists told SJS that the armed men had been following them during their field assignment.

Although opposition MPs accompanying the journalists later escorted them safely back to their workplace, exactly one minute after they disembarked from their vehicle and were waiting at the gate to open, two uniformed men — one of them visibly armed with AK-47 rifle— arrived and took them to a waiting police truck mounted with a machine gun on top of it.

The arrest was carried byAbdi Ali,the commander of Mogadishu’s security checkpoints, who has previously been involved in theraid on Radio Risaalain March this year, as per SJS sources corroborated with CCTV footage. Abdi Ali is a known officer who defected from the Al-Shabaab militant group before joining the Somali police force.

The three journalists were detained at Hamar Jajab Police Station, yet their arrest was not recorded in the police occurrence book, they told SJS. However, CCTV footage released by SMS Somali TV clearly shows the moment the journalists were arrested.

Mahad Mohamed Abdirahman was released the same evening, while Osman Abdullahi Mohamed and Hussein Isse Mohamed were held until Tuesday afternoon and released without charge. They told SJS that all the footage they had recorded during their assignment was confiscated and deleted. As a result, the story they went to cover was never published due to the loss of material.

The forced evictions — ongoing since President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud returned to power in May 2022 — have recently escalated to an unprecedented level. On the night of 2 August,violence eruptedwhen a local clan militia in the Dayniile district, Mogadishu, engaged in gunfights in an attempt to halt the evictions. The eviction involves wealthy individuals and business entities, including a local bank.

In Wardhiigley district,a standoff continuedat Siinay Market between two armed groups: one comprised of Turkish-trained Haramcad police and Gorgor units enforcing the evictions, and another consisting of Somali National Army (SNA) troops and security guards aligned with opposition MPs who are resisting the evictions.

Thousands of families, including vulnerable women and children, have been affected by these evictions.

The Mogadishu police spokesperson declined to respond to SJS’s calls for comment regarding the arrest of the journalists.

SJS strongly condemns the abduction-style arrest of the three journalists outside the SMS Somali TV premises on Sunday. We call for all those involved in this unlawful arrest and intimidation to be held accountable.

"We strongly condemn the abduction-style arrest of our three colleagues, who have now been released without charge. However, all the footage they had recorded was wiped after their equipment was confiscated and two of them spent two days in detention as they were subjected with harassment and threats on their life,” said SJS Secretary General, Abdalle Mumin. "It is deeply concerning that the perpetrators of this attack remain free—ready to target more journalists.”

"Journalists in Mogadishu are now working in a climate of fear. They told us that it has become almost impossible to report on critical issues such as forced evictions, insecurity, or public grievances. The arrest of journalists Osman Abdullahi Mohamed, Hussein Isse Mohamed, and Mahad Mohamed Abdirahman on Sunday—simply for going out to cover the families affected by the forced evictions in Mogadishu—is a clear example of the dangerous environment they face,” adds Mr. Mumin.