Somali Journalists Syndicate (SJS), Somali Media Association (SOMA) and Somali Mechanism of  Safety Journalists (SMSJ) are concerned by reports of police, aiming to take SJS Secretary General Abdalle Ahmed Mumin out of the prison,  stormed the Mogadishu central prison on Saturday evening and call for Somalia government to launch fair investigation into the incident and ensure Abdalle’s safety, while we demand his unconditional release.

On Saturday evening, around 7:40pm local time, the regional Police commander Macalin Mahdi escorted by heavily armed police stormed Mogadishu central Prison, where SJS Secretary General Abdalle Ahmed Mumin is held incommunicado for the fourth day.  The commander asked to meet with Abdalle and upon meeting Abdalle was ordered “He’ll be escorted to meet with  Avv. Salah Sheikh Ibrahim known as Salah Dhiblawe – a judge at Somalia’s high court, at his residence.” Abdalle rejected the order, then the police tried to take him by force which created  a panic situation in the prison and the stand off   ended almost 9:30pm. 

The motive behind the police order of the meeting is unclear, but signals suspicion of other hidden agendas.

On 23 February, 2023, one plain clothed intelligence officer and a uniformed police re-arrested Abdalle Ahmed Mumin, Secretary General of the Somali Journalists Syndicate (SJS) while at Jazeera Hotel in Mogadishu, where he was attending a public consultation event organized by the Senate finance committee and is held incommunicado at Central Prison. Abdalle is not allowed to meet or speak with family members and is currently suffering an skin állergies and kidney and urinary track pain and eats once in 24 hours.

Somali Journalists Syndicate (SJS), Somali Media Association (SOMA) and Somali Mechanism for Safety of Journalists (SMSJ) condemn last night’s police attempt, to take Abdalle out of prison and are worried for Abdalle’s safety inside the prison as it gives an impression of other hidden motives.

‘We jointly call for the Somali government to investigate this incident, ensure Abdalle’s safety inside the prison and demand his unconditional release.’ the organisations said.

On 13 February 2023,  Benadir regional court sentenced Abdalle Ahmed Mumin to 2 months in Prison,  a verdict rejected by officials of the Mogadishu Cenrtral prison who dismissed his imprisonment saying that ‘he already served the 2 months sentence, since he was arrested in October 11, 2022.

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