Somali Tiktkers arrested for insulted President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud in a dance video

Somalia police arrested four tiktkers for allegedly insulted President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud in a dance video.

In the position, several young men are seen dancing in a remix of a campaign song originally during the president’s electoral offer in 2022, but with the modified words to include the derogatory language.

In a statement, police said the suspects were in detention and would be officially charged. They have not commented on since their arrest.

Several influencers on social networks have been arrested and imprisoned in the past for having propagated insults based on the clan, an incentive or “immoral” content on platforms like Tiktok – but this is the first case involving a high politician.

In August of last year, seven tiktkers were sentenced to six months in prison by a court of the capital, Mogadishu, to cause civil disturbances and distribute immorality.

The authorities said that the behavior in the recent video – the original of which has been deleted but that it was still widely shared on Tiktok and other social media platforms – constituted a criminal offense under Somali law.

Police spokesperson Gen Abdifatah Aden warned the public that anyone who engaged in similar acts that lacked missing national institutions or leaders “would face the whole strength of the law.”

The arrests have revived a public debate on the role of social media in Somalia, in particular Tiktok, which was at the center of the controversy in the past.

Some have expressed their support to young men while others defended arrests, claiming that freedom of expression should not extend to such levels – especially in a country still struggling with fragile governance.

Tiktok is a popular platform in Somalia and within the Grande Diaspora – especially among young people, who use it for political comments and satire.

Many people also use it for business as well as a source of entertainment.

In 2023, the government examined the completely ban on the platform, invoking concerns about national security, the spread of disinformation and the erosion of social and moral values.

The ban was not implemented at the time due to strong public opposition, but those responsible warned that the platform was increasingly used to spread harmful content, in particular extremist propaganda and defamatory material.