The recent developments in Ethiopia have given rise to significant concerns among international rights groups regarding the increasing threats to press freedom. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) expressed alarm over the recent abduction and detention of multiple Ethiopian journalists, highlighting the precarious nature of reporting within the country.
Among the targeted journalists is newspaper editor Yonas Amare, who was recently abducted by masked individuals dressed in military attire. This incident was compounded by the detention of journalist Khadar Mohamed Ismael by Ethiopia’s Somali Regional State, while the whereabouts of radio host Abdulsemed Mohammed remain unknown. Expressing urgent concern, CPJ’s Africa Program Coordinator Muthoki Mumo emphasized that Ethiopia continues to be a challenging environment, where the government’s measures increasingly threaten independent journalism.
These recent incidents are part of an ongoing pattern of repression. Between 2019 and 2024, CPJ identified the detention of at least 92 media professionals, often under politically motivated charges or claims linked to rebel activities. These detentions frequently occur under emergency laws, often without due legal process, and sometimes involve unsanctioned prison conditions devoid of judicial scrutiny.
Journalists who report on sensitive issues, such as the regional conflicts and the Tigray fighting, frequently face harassment and forced exile. The case of Tarif Andualem, detained after reporting on disputes between Fano militias and federal authorities, underscores the dangerous climate. Another journalist, Mulatu Alemayehu Moges, was pushed out of the country following harassment, home raids, and threats.
The Ethiopian government’s 2021 Media Proclamation law ostensibly provides formal protections for journalists, yet there appears to be a significant gap between these legal assurances and their practical enforcement. Despite these protections, state influences and ethno-regional politics contribute to an environment where self-censorship is widespread. Journalists covering military operations, government policies, and human rights violations are persistently at risk of both formal prosecution and informal intimidation.
Such structural challenges, compounded by entrenched political realities, further stifle the Ethiopian media landscape. Rights groups continue to call for urgent governmental actions to ensure that such incidents are promptly investigated and that fundamental freedoms for journalists are genuinely protected and upheld.