Journalists union raps Puntland authorities over arrest of reporter

The National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) has mounted a fresh challenge against the Puntland administration, calling for the immediate release of independent reporter Suways Ga’ayte and the withdrawal of all criminal charges filed against her.

In a formal statement released this week, the union decried what it describes as an “intensifying pattern of intimidation” in the regional state, accusing local judicial authorities of weaponizing the law to silence critical reporting.

Ga’ayte’s case has become a flashpoint for a growing standoff between the government and the media, which the union claims is being stifled by politically motivated prosecutions.

NUSOJ Secretary-General Omar Faruk Osman warned that the continued detention of journalists signals a dangerous shift in the region’s governance.