A 49-year-old man has been arrested and charged in Samoa with threatening to kill Prime Minister La’auli Leuatea Schmidt in a Facebook post.
Samoa Global News reported that according to court documents, Aumaga Aloalii from Saleapaga in Upolu and Aua in American Samoa, allegedly made the post between 1 and 16 August 2026.
Police allege the post contained threatening and abusive language directed at the Prime Minister.
The charge was laid under Section 118(b) of the Samoa Crimes Act 2013.
According to an affidavit sworn by Police Corporal Frank Aunese, police have reasonable grounds to suspect that the accused posted the comment on Facebook during the period in question.
The accused remains in custody pending a court mention scheduled for September.
The case highlights the legal consequences that can follow threatening statements made publicly on social media, including when the alleged conduct is directed at a senior political leader.
The allegations have not been tested in court, and the accused is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
The case comes as political debate and scrutiny of Samoa’s leadership continue to play out both publicly and online.
For Pacific countries such as Tonga and Samoa, where political discussion increasingly takes place through social media, cases involving online threats also raise broader questions about the boundary between political expression, public criticism and criminal conduct.
