On 12 April, Sadia Moalim Ali, a tuktuk (rickshaw) driver and social activist, was arrested in Mogadishu, Somalia’s capital, by officers of the National Intelligence Agency for her activism – both on social media and in peaceful protests. She was initially detained at Hamar Jajab Police Station for two days before being transferred to the Mogadishu Central Prison on 14 April where she remains detained.
Her family is not aware of any formal charges against her, but credible sources have told Amnesty International that the police secured orders from the Banadir Regional Court allowing them to hold her for 90 days pending further investigations. Her detention is linked solely to the peaceful exercise of her human rights. Amnesty International urges the Somali authorities to immediately and unconditionally release her.