A reporter who documented the plight of a woman claiming torture in prison was seized and pistol-whipped by Somali officials, alongside two fellow journalists, due to his work for the Guardian.

Mohamed Bulbul was taken into custody with journalists Abdihafid Nor Barre and Abdishakur Mohamed Mohamud on Friday night at a restaurant in downtown Mogadishu, Somalia's capital. The trio reported being attacked by officers from the US-trained counter-terrorism police and then interrogated. They were freed in the early hours of Saturday.

News organizations and lawmakers described the detentions as illegal and driven by politics. The incidents occur during a widening clampdown as public frustration mounts against the government, with the president's term set to expire on May 15.

Abdirahman Abdishakur, an opposition Wadajir party leader and MP, denounced the journalists' arrests. In an X post, he stated that Somalia's administration president "seems gripped by fear and disarray as his mandate nears its close."

He continued: "Rather than tackling rising public outrage over forced relocations, land seizures, and seeking a broad political deal to navigate this delicate transition, the government has ramped up suppression of reporters, activists, and vocal youth."

Bulbul's arrest is thought to connect to his coverage of Sadia Moalim Ali, a 27-year-old rickshaw operator jailed for peaceful demonstrations and online activism. He has also highlighted security forces' abuses and evictions in Mogadishu.

The Guardian ran Bulbul's article on Thursday, in which Ali detailed her torture at Mogadishu central prison. She described being stripped by two male guards in a CCTV-monitored room, kicked, clubbed with a baton, and confined for two days in a tiny cell without food. The piece spread rapidly on Somali media, Facebook, and X.

Bulbul and his colleagues had endured ongoing threats and harassment lately. Their capture coincided with rising tensions ahead of anticipated Sunday protests.

At police headquarters, the reporters said Mogadishu police chief Mahdi Omar Mumin warned them against covering the demonstrations.

In a Somali Journalists Syndicate (SJS) statement, the journalists recounted Mumin saying he was "weary of detaining reporters" and that silence on the protests, Ali's case, and other Mogadishu events would be required - or else face "death."

Somali Stream, employer of Mohamud, labeled the arrests "an unlawful, politically fueled assault on independent journalism."

Managing director AbdiKani Hamud Abokor declared: "Somali Stream vehemently condemns the illegal holding of Abdishakur [Mohamed] Mohamud, Abdihafid Nor [Barre], and Mohamed Bulbul. This is a calculated effort to intimidate reporters, stifle unbiased coverage, and spread dread in Somalia's press circles."

This follows earlier journalist arrests this week. On May 6, SJS reported at least five local reporters detained with gear seized. Broadcast journalists Ja’far Mohamed Jim’ale and cameraman Nur Hasan Ali are still held - their locations unknown, per the group.

Somalia ranks 126th out of 180 nations on the World Press Freedom Index. Reporters Without Borders, which compiles the index, notes journalists face extreme peril there. Over 50 media workers have died since 2010, making it among Africa's deadliest for the press.

Somali authorities have been contacted for comment.