3.2.2026
A woman has paid the supreme price for her cruelty to a 14-year-old house help who she beat to death in Puntland, a semi‑autonomous region of Somalia.
According to reports by the BBC, Hodan Mohamud Diiriye, 34, was put to death by firing squad on Tuesday in the city of Galkayo after a court found her guilty of beating to death the teenager identified as Saabirin Saylaan.
Her killing last November sparked an outrage in the community after video of the brutal beatings was leaked to the public. There was one particular disturbing audio in which Diiriye could be heard telling the teenager “I’m enjoying your pain.”
The teenager was orphaned when she was just a year old after both parents died. She started living with Diiriye’s family in 2025.
According to the police investigations Saylaan suffered routine beatings and torture in the first two months of her stay with Diiriye.
Evidence recovered from Diiriye’s phone, including videos and audio recordings, documented repeated violence. Some of these were leaked to the public before the trial – it is not clear who released them.
A post-mortem examination of Saabirin’s body revealed multiple injuries and deep stab wounds consistent with prolonged violence.
Hundreds of women and young people marched in Galkayo, one of Puntland’s largest cities, carrying signs reading “Justice for Saabirin” and calling on the authorities to prosecute all those responsible.
