A prominent Somali journalist, Abdiaziz Ahmed Gurbiye, is expected to appear in a Mogadishu court today.
Gurbiye, who works at Goobjoog Media Group as the Chief Editor, was first arrested on April 14, 2020.
At the time, he had responded to summons to appear at Mogadishu’s Hodan Police Station only to be arrested after showing up.
He was charged in court for spreading what the authorities termed “false news” and for “offending the honor of the Somalia President.”
The charges stemmed from content he published on Facebook through his personal account. He later reposted the same content on Gurbiye Official.
His arrest, detention, and subsequent charges have attracted condemnation from various individuals and organizations.
Human Rights Watch (HRW), Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), Federation of Somali Journalists (FESOJ), and Amnesty International have all condemned his arrest.