MOGADISHU, Somalia – The Somali Journalists Syndicate (SJS) has condemned a police raid on the residence of Mohamed Ibrahim Bulbul, its Secretary of Information and Human Rights, calling it a direct attack on press freedom.
At around 8:40 PM on Wednesday, March 26, around 10 armed police officers stormed Bulbul’s home, interrogating his family about his whereabouts.
“Though Bulbul was not present, officers reportedly harassed his relatives and lingered outside for hours,” the media watchdog asserted, adding “a known police informant was later seen near the residence”.
According to SJS, the raid came days after Mogadishu Police Commander Mahdi Omar Mumin, aka Moalim Mahdi, called Bulbul on Monday, March 24, urging him to stop reporting on police and security failures.
Bulbul had recently published a four-part interview with a former NISA inmate who detailed abuses in Somalia’s underground intelligence prison. He had also reported on growing Al-Shabaab threats near the capital, citing a U.S. Embassy security alert from March 4.
SJS President Mohamed Ibrahim denounced the raid as an attempt to silence critical journalism, urging Somali authorities to stop harassing journalists and focus on their duty to ensure public safety.
“This outrageous raid and intimidation against Mohamed Ibrahim Bulbul and his family are blatant attacks on press freedom. Those responsible must be held accountable,” he noted. So far, the police have not commented on the issue.
