A journalist who covered the case of a woman who said she was being tortured in prison was detained and beaten with pistols by Somali authorities, along with two others, for his reporting for the Guardian.

Mohamed Bulbul was arrested with the journalists Abdihafid Nor Barre and Abdishakur Mohamed Mohamud on Friday evening while in a restaurant in the centre of the Somali capital, Mogadishu. They said they were assaulted by members of Somalia’s US-trained counter-terrorism police unit and taken to be questioned by police. All three were released in the early hours of Saturday morning.

Media outlets and MPs said the arrests were unlawful and politically motivated. They come amid an intensifying crackdown as public anger grows with the ruling establishment, and the presidential term is due to end on 15 May.

Abdirahman Abdishakur, an MP and leader of the opposition Wadajir party, condemned the arrests of the journalists. He wrote in a post on X that the president of Somalia’s administration “appears consumed by fear, confusion as the end of its mandate approaches”.

He added: “Instead of addressing the growing public anger over forced displacement, land grabbing, and pursuing an inclusive political settlement to guide the country through this fragile transitional period, the administration has intensified repression against journalists, activists and outspoken young people.”

It is believed Bulbul’s detention was linked to reporting on the case of Sadia Moalim Ali, a 27-year-old rickshaw driver who is in prison for peaceful protest and her activism on social media. He has also been speaking out about security forces’ violations and forced evictions in Mogadishu.

On Thursday, the Guardian published a story by Bulbul, where Ali spoke about being tortured in Mogadishu central prison. She said she was stripped naked by two male guards in a room monitored by CCTV, kicked, beaten with a baton and left for two days in a small cell without food. The article was shared widely across Somali media, Facebook and X.

He and the two other journalists had been facing sustained threats and intimidation in recent weeks. Their detention happened at a time of heightened political pressure surrounding planned protests expected to take place on Sunday.

At the police headquarters, the three reporters said they were threatened by Mahdi Omar Mumin, Mogadishu police chief, should they continue to report on the protests.

In a statement released by Somali Journalists Syndicate (SJS), the journalists said that Mumin told them he was “tired of arresting journalists” and that if they did not remain silent about the protests and other developments in Mogadishu, including the case of Ali, the only option remaining for them would be “death”.

Somali Stream, the media organisation which Mohamud works for, condemned the arrests as “an illegal and politically motivated attack on independent journalism”.

AbdiKani Hamud Abokor, the outlet’s managing director, said: “Somali Stream strongly condemns the unlawful detention of Abdishakur [Mohamed] Mohamud, Abdihafid Nor [Barre], and Mohamed Bulbul. This is a deliberate attempt to terrorise journalists, suppress independent reporting and instil fear across Somalia’s media community.”

The news follows the arrest of several journalists earlier this week. On 6 May, at least five local journalists were arrested and had their equipment confiscated, according to SJS. Two other broadcast journalists, Ja’far Mohamed Jim’ale and cameraman Nur Hasan Ali remain in detention – their whereabouts are unknown, the organisation added.

According to the World Press Freedom Index, Somalia ranks 126 out of 180 countries. Journalists in the country work in an environment of great insecurity, according to Reporters Without Borders, which runs the index. With more than 50 media professionals killed since 2010, Somalia is one of the most dangerous countries for journalists in Africa.

The Somalian authorities have been approached for a response.