Press Release
Date: June 12, 2025
Location: Mogadishu, Somalia
Issued by: Coalition of Somali Human Rights Defenders (CSHRD)
Hijacking Human Rights: Somalia’s Human Rights Commission Exposed as Political Tool.
HRDs Summit in Somalia 2021.
The Coalition of Somali Human Rights Defenders (CSHRD) has released a damning analytical report titled “Hijacking Human Rights: How Somalia’s Leadership Corrupted the Independent Commission’s Establishment,” revealing how the selection of Somalia’s long-awaited National Independent Human Rights Commission (NIHRC) has been hijacked by President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s administration.
Instead of ushering in a new era of accountability and protection, the Commission has become another extension of presidential power—used to neutralize dissent, whitewash abuses, and mislead international partners into believing Somalia is progressing on human rights commitments.
A Rigged Process, Disguised as Reform
The report provides detailed evidence of how the process violated Article 111B of Somalia’s Provisional Constitution and Law No. 16 of 2016, which mandate a transparent, inclusive, and consultative selection process involving Federal Member States and civil society. Instead, the process was secretly orchestrated by President Mohamud, who handpicked loyalists, such as Farhan Jimaale, a known political associate.
Adding a disturbing layer of attempted clusion international stakeholders by the state to sugarcoat the rigged selection process, in an attempt to give a false image of procedural legitimacy to a process that excluded civil society, lacked transparency, and ignored basic human rights standards like the Paris Principles.
Cover-Up and Secrecy
Not only was the vetting process hidden from public scrutiny, but the names of the final commission members are still undisclosed—an alarming breach of both legal requirements and democratic norms. This secrecy strongly suggests the commission is not only politically manipulated but also intended to operate without independent oversight.
As noted by the Somali Rescue Forum:
“The fact that the members of the Commission are still unknown is evidence of Villa Somalia’s blatant interference.”
Another Step Toward Authoritarianism
This event is not an anomaly. It follows a broader authoritarian drift that includes:
Dismantling Somalia’s National Anti-Corruption Commission;
Politicizing electoral and judicial bodies;
Arbitrary detention of opposition figures and civil society activists;
Forced evictions of minority and marginalized communities.
The establishment of this Commission is not about human rights—it is about consolidating power.
Call to Action: Reject the Facade
CSHRD urges the international community, donors, UN agencies, and human rights mechanisms to immediately suspend recognition and support for the current NIHRC formation and demand:
1. A transparent, consultative, and inclusive selection process in line with Law No. 16 and international norms.
2. An independent investigation into the rigged selection process and whoever participated in its sugarcoating.
3. Sanctions or funding suspensions for actors complicit in undermining the legal process.
4. A public release of all vetting documents and nominee identities.
5. Support for grassroots human rights defenders and CSOs, who are increasingly silenced in Somalia.
Conclusion
As stated in the report:
“Human rights in Somalia are not just on hold—they are being hijacked.”
The current trajectory threatens to turn human rights institutions into tools of repression. The international community must act now to reclaim the integrity of Somalia’s human rights architecture—before it is completely lost.
CSHRD Human Rights Monitoring Unit
Contact: info@cshrds.org | www.cshrds.org
Twitter: @HRDsCoalition1