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CPJ calls for release of Somali journalist arrested after interview with poet in a forceful intervention that highlights escalating threats against media practitioners in the region. The Committee to Protect Journalists formally urged regional authorities in Hargeisa to immediately and unconditionally release independent reporter Abdiqani Hussein Abokor, widely known as Baylood, who has been held in prolonged detention without formal presentation of charges. The prominent digital journalist was taken into custody following the publication of a video interview featuring local poet Ismail Yusuf Abdi, whose verses openly criticized executive decisions concerning land property disputes.
According to legal representatives and local press rights organizations, the sequence of arrests began after the poet recited verses warning regional leadership against perceived injustices involving controversial property seizures. Security forces detained the poet shortly after the broadcast, while Abokor was taken into custody upon responding to a formal summons from the Criminal Investigation Department. Although the journalist briefly appeared before the Marodi-Jeh Regional Court and faced initial remand orders pending further inquiries, legal counsel noted that authorities have exceeded standard statutory timelines without filing formal criminal indictments.
Informal communications from investigative officers suggest that prosecutors intend to pursue contentious charges, including allegations of offending presidential prestige and disseminating anti-state propaganda. Media advocacy networks and civil society groups have strongly criticized these potential accusations, arguing that conducting standard journalistic interviews does not constitute a criminal offense. Regional press associations emphasize that targeting reporters for broadcasting critical artistic expressions creates a chilling atmosphere that stifles public discourse, investigative reporting, and constitutional liberties across the territory.
International human rights observers have repeatedly documented a troubling pattern of arbitrary detentions and legal harassment targeting independent media workers in recent months. The ongoing detention underscores the fragile state of freedom of expression and the persistent challenges independent journalists encounter while fulfilling their professional duties. As domestic and international advocacy groups maintain pressure on local institutions, media stakeholders continue to demand sweeping legal reforms to ensure journalists can report safely without fear of arbitrary imprisonment or judicial retaliation.