HARGEISA — The Somaliland National Human Rights Commission has expressed deep concern over the warrantless detention of a prominent poet and two journalists, saying the arrests did not follow established legal procedures and raising fresh questions about due process and press freedom in the territory.
In a statement issued this week, the Commission said it had been monitoring the cases of poet Ismail Yusuf Abdi (Jiheeye) and journalist Abdiqani Hussein Abokor (Baylood), who were arrested on August 28 and August 29 respectively. The Commission confirmed that both men were detained without warrants and expressed concern that procedures protecting personal liberty had not been followed.
According to the Commission, the arrests were linked to media-related activities, with Jiheeye detained over a poem he recited and Baylood accused of recording and broadcasting it [citation:5]. The Commission also said it received information on September 10 about the arrest of journalist Hassan Saleban Harun (Galaydh) by the Criminal Investigation Department. After a brief interview with Galaydh, the Commission said he reported that he had not been mistreated but confirmed that he had been arrested without a warrant. Galaydh was subsequently released.
The Poet and the Interview
The case stems from an interview published on August 27 by Baylood, a journalist who publishes news on his Facebook page. In the interview, Jiheeye, a well-known local poet, recited a poem warning Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdillahi (Cirro) that he would be cursed if he did not intervene in the alleged illegal seizure of two plots of land belonging to the poet.
Jiheeye was arrested the following day by security forces in Hargeisa. Baylood was detained on August 29 after responding to a summons to the CID headquarters, according to his lawyer, Tawakal Ibrahim Mohamed, and the Somaliland Journalists Association.
Baylood briefly appeared before Hargeisa’s Maroodi Jeex Regional Court and was remanded for seven days pending investigation. He was due to return to court the following Saturday but did not appear, his lawyer said.
His lawyer was told informally by a CID officer that police intend to bring two charges: offending the honour or prestige of the president, which carries a maximum penalty of three years’ imprisonment, and the dissemination of anti-state propaganda, which carries a maximum penalty of five years’ imprisonment under the penal code.
A Pattern of Detentions
The Commission’s statement comes amid wider scrutiny of press freedom and the treatment of journalists in Somaliland, including the recent arrest of journalist Hassan Saleban Haaruun (Galaydh) in Gabiley. The Committee to Protect Journalists has also raised concerns, describing Baylood’s detention as part of a broader pattern affecting journalists in Somaliland. CPJ Africa Program Coordinator Muthoki Mumo said Baylood “joins a long list of journalists in Somaliland who have been detained and held under dubious circumstances in recent months” and called for his release without delay.
Opposition parties have also weighed in. The KAAH party denounced what it described as “a pattern of violations aimed at muzzling the media,” while the Kulmiye party publicly raised the case of Galaydh following his arrest.
A report by the Somali Journalists Syndicate documented 36 journalists arrested in Somaliland in 2025, including five cases of abduction. More than 90 percent of those cases were never brought to court, according to the organization.
The detention of Galaydh follows a previous case in which Somaliland authorities arrested a journalist who criticized Gaza refugee plans, highlighting a recurring pattern of press freedom concerns in the region.
In its statement, the Commission urged journalists, media organizations, and the wider public to exercise caution when disseminating statements or information concerning other individuals, emphasizing the importance of respecting people’s rights and reputations. It called on authorities and other relevant parties to follow the law and procedures designed to protect citizens’ rights.
Critical Note
The Somaliland Human Rights Commission’s decision to publicly question the legality of these detentions is significant. It signals that at least one institutional mechanism within Somaliland is willing to scrutinize government actions, even when those actions involve the president’s office and security forces. The Commission’s willingness to speak out provides a measure of accountability that is often absent in Somaliland.
Yet the Commission’s statement also exposes a space between legal principles and enforcement. Somaliland’s constitution protects freedom of expression and press freedom, and the 2004 Press Law explicitly states that journalists should not be imprisoned for press activity except by court order. The warrantless detentions described by the Commission suggest that these protections are not being consistently applied by security forces. The pattern of arrests without charge also raises questions about whether detention is being used as a form of punishment before any legal determination of guilt.
The cases also illustrate the difficult line between speech that is insulting or offensive and speech that constitutes a genuine criminal threat. A poem warning of a curse, however sharp in tone, is not a direct incitement to violence, and the president of Somaliland, like any public official, must tolerate criticism even when it is harsh. If the authorities believe a specific offence has been committed, they should identify the precise words, state the charge, and present their evidence before an independent court. Detaining journalists and poets without warrants and without formal charges does not meet that standard.
For Somaliland, which has long sought international recognition partly on the strength of its democratic institutions, the handling of these cases carries diplomatic as well as legal weight. The Commission’s statement is a reminder that the rule of law is demonstrated not by the number of people the state can arrest, but by the discipline with which it limits its own power.
