Somalia - March 2023

In March, Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud signed into law two pieces of national security legislation that legislators and human rights experts say could be used to repress political opponents and the media. The first, the National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) Act, establishes a legal framework for the country’s intelligence agency, but according to NGO Human Rights Watch, its broad and vague wording grants the agency sweeping powers and jurisdiction with minimal independent oversight. Reports that NISA has arbitrarily detained and tortured journalists and opponents have fuelled concerns that the framework is inadequate to check such abuse and may be used to justify it. Similar criticisms have been made about the second piece of legislation, the Anti-Terrorism Act, which provides the legal framework for the country’s counter-terrorism actions.         

Sources: Garowe Online, Voice of America, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, Human Rights Watch, UN Committee Against Torture