No Democracy Without Media Freedom in Somalia, NUSOJ Says

On the occasion of the International Day of Democracy, 15 September 2025, the National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) warned that Somalia’s democratic transition is at serious risk unless relentless assaults on journalists and media freedom are confronted. This year alone, NUSOJ has documented 59 instances of attacks on media freedom across the country. The union says the transition to democracy will be hollow if those who inform the public face violence, intimidation and the misuse of undemocratic laws to silence them.

Across Somalia, journalists are exposed to physical danger on a near-daily basis. Reporters have been beaten, threatened and harassed simply for covering sensitive stories. In some cases, recordings, including voice and video, have been deliberately deleted. Instead of ensuring journalists’ safety, security forces and armed non-state actors have too often been the source of the threats, arbitrarily detaining journalists and interfering with their work. NUSOJ stresses that such behaviour is unlawful and a betrayal of the public’s right to know and the people’s right to freedom of expression, with the media serving as the conduit that enables this right.

The legal environment is a major obstacle. Provisions in the Penal Code, the amended media law and the anti-terrorism law that are outdated and undemocratic continue to be used to prosecute journalists as criminals, effectively criminalising journalism and free expression. Laws meant to protect society have been twisted into tools for silencing critical voices, with journalists thrown into detention for days or weeks on concocted accusations. Almost every regional administration’s court brought journalists before them for publishing or filing news reports or commentary, which should be considered a protected right in any democracy. These practices erode trust in justice and run counter to Somalia’s stated commitment to reform.

Intimidation and harassment also take subtler but damaging forms. Media professionals are pressured to drop stories, apologise for coverage or face closures at their outlets. Abuses, both online and offline, target women journalists with the intention of forcing them out of the profession. NUSOJ warned that this climate of fear fuels heightened self-censorship, leaving important issues unreported and denying citizens the information they need to participate meaningfully in democratic life.

Economic and digital pressures aggravate the situation. Politically influenced advertising and opaque ownership weaken editorial independence, while online harassment and surveillance of journalists’ devices undermine security and source protection. Some areas have enforced internet shutdowns, hindering timely reporting and isolating communities from news. Each of these measures chips away at the democratic fabric Somalia is trying to build.

NUSOJ repeatedly made it clear that these realities are direct threats to Somalia’s democratic future. People across the country, yearning for a democratic transition, cannot succeed if the media remains under siege. The union called for immediate changes, including protecting journalists, credibly investigating attacks, removing undemocratic legal provisions, enacting a progressive access-to-information law and properly carrying out the national action plan for the safety of journalists with the involvement of the government, the judiciary, security forces, the media and civil society.

“We cannot speak of democracy while journalists are hunted, hauled to court and silenced,” said Omar Faruk Osman, NUSOJ Secretary General. “Democracy belongs to the people, not to fear. Let journalists work freely and independently, protect them in practice, stop arbitrary arrests, repeal provisions that criminalise journalism and give truth the space it needs so the right to free expression is enjoyed by all and Somalia’s much-needed democratic transition moves from talk to reality.”

On this International Day of Democracy, NUSOJ’s message is that there can be no democracy in Somalia without media freedom. Protecting journalists is not a side issue. It is the foundation of free and inclusive elections, accountable governance and national development. The union vowed to continue documenting abuses and pressing for progressive reforms, noting that the health of Somalia’s democracy will ultimately be measured by whether journalists can work without fear.