Reports of abuse against prisoners in police stations on Monday were denied by the Somaliland police.
The police claimed that they were there to refute the false rumours that had been spreading on social media for the previous week about them harassing and mistreating inmates.
The reports were allegedly spread by Yahye Samaysne, a former police officer. The police claimed that this was done with the intention of damaging the police force’s reputation.
The central station’s deputy commander in Hargeisa was Yahye Samaysne. Police claimed that after developing a mental illness, he was later transferred to the force’s general command, but he went to Mogadishu.
The officer, however, claimed to have left the force and accused the other officers of violating his human rights.
On August 11, Somaliland opened fire on protesters calling for presidential elections to be held in November, leaving at least five people dead and 100 injured.