MOGADISHU, Somalia — A Somali woman imprisoned after participating in peaceful anti-government protests has accused prison guards of stripping her naked, brutally beating her, and subjecting her to torture inside Mogadishu Central Prison.

According to an investigation published by The Guardian, 27-year-old activist Sadia Moalim Ali said she was humiliated and violently assaulted after publicly speaking about her detention.

"I was tortured,” Ali said from prison.

"I was forced to lie face down on the ground. Water was poured on me. I was kicked by guards wearing boots and beaten with a baton.”

Ali stated that two male prison guards allegedly removed her clothes inside a room monitored by CCTV cameras before physically assaulting her.

The young woman further claimed she was later thrown into solitary confinement for two days without food, water, or access to basic sanitation facilities.

Arrested Over Social Media Criticism

Sadia Moalim Ali, a nursing graduate who worked as a rickshaw driver to support her family, was arrested on 12 April 2026 after posting anti-government criticism on Facebook and TikTok.

Her online activism reportedly focused on:

• Corruption inside government institutions

• Forced evictions in Muqdisho

• Youth unemployment

• High fuel prices

• Nepotism and abuse of power

Two days after her arrest, she was transferred to Mogadishu Central Prison, where she remains detained.

According to human rights organizations, Ali has not been formally charged and was allegedly denied proper legal representation.

"Cell of Death”

Ali described being held in a punishment chamber known among prisoners as the "Cell of Death,” a notorious isolation room dating back to Somalia’s Italian colonial era.

Former detainees describe the small cell as:

• Extremely overcrowded

• Covered in dirt and human waste

• Suffocatingly hot

• Lacking ventilation or sanitation

"No human being deserves to be put in here,” Ali said.

She also reported suffering kidney complications, numbness in parts of her body, and severe psychological distress while in detention.

Human Rights Groups Condemn Somalia

Human rights organizations and Somali civil society groups have strongly condemned her detention and alleged torture.

Amnesty International reportedly stated that Somali police obtained court approval to detain Ali for up to 90 days pending investigation.

The Coalition of Somali Human Rights Defenders warned that violence against female prisoners inside Somalia’s detention system remains widespread.

"Sexual violence and humiliation are routinely used against detained women,” said rights defender Dalmar Dhayow.

Political Backlash Against Villa Somalia

Somali opposition politicians and activists described the case as evidence of a growing crackdown on dissent under President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud.

Opposition leader Abdirahman Abdishakur Warsame called Ali’s detention:

"A national disgrace and a damning indictment of the administration.”

He argued that criticizing corruption and abuse of power is a constitutional right and not a criminal offense.

Growing International Concern

The case has intensified international concern regarding:

• Arbitrary arrests

• Torture allegations

• Restrictions on free speech

• Suppression of activists and journalists in Somalia

Rights organizations warn that Somalia’s democratic freedoms continue to deteriorate as critics of the government increasingly face intimidation, detention, and abuse.

The Somali federal government reportedly did not respond to requests for comment regarding the allegations.

BY Dahir Alasow

Investigative Journalist