April 2, 2025
By:Getahun Tsegaye
Staff Writer
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia-The International Media Support (IMS), a Denmark-based media freedom organization, has raised serious concerns over the safety of journalists in Ethiopia, describing 2024 as a “highly alarming” year for press freedom. In its latest annual report, IMS documented widespread threats, arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances, and cases of journalists fleeing the country due to persecution.
“The situation for journalists in Ethiopia has deteriorated significantly, particularly in conflict-prone areas like Amhara, Oromia, Tigray, and Benishangul-Gumuz,” the report states. “Violence against journalists has been used as a weapon of war, with both state and non-state actors attempting to control narratives by silencing the media.”
The report highlights that Ethiopia’s ongoing conflicts have severely impacted media independence. Journalists covering war-affected areas faced systematic harassment, detentions, and kidnappings. “In 2024, at least 43 journalists were either arrested, assaulted, or abducted,” IMS revealed. Three of these journalists remain missing, with their whereabouts unknown.”
The Amhara region was particularly dangerous, accounting for nine of the documented cases of journalist detentions and kidnappings. Three cases were reported in Tigray, while Benishangul-Gumuz recorded one case. The report also noted that while Oromia remains a conflict zone, journalists have largely avoided reporting from high-risk areas, minimizing their exposure.
Armed groups were also reported to have confiscated equipment, raided media offices, and abducted journalists either for ransom or to suppress coverage of ongoing conflicts. In one particularly disturbing case, a Benishangul-Gumuz TV cameraman was kidnapped while traveling home with his wife in January 2024. His abductors have not contacted his family since, and no active search efforts have been made.
The safety crisis has also affected community radio stations, which have historically played a critical role in providing information in rural areas. The report found that funding shortages, a lack of broadcasting equipment, and security threats led to the closure of several community radio stations, particularly in Amhara, Oromia, and Benishangul-Gumuz.
The Debre Markos, Enjibara, and Finote Selam community radios in Amhara ceased operations due to ongoing violence, while Chewaka Community Radio in Oromia was looted and left non-functional. Journalists in Bahir Dar reported frequent threats from anonymous sources, warning them against covering sensitive topics.
The climate of intimidation has forced journalists to flee Ethiopia, fearing for their lives. According to IMS, at least 10 journalists (9 men and 1 woman) went into exile in 2024, escaping arbitrary arrests, physical assaults, and threats from security forces.
Among them are Bekalu Alamirew (founder of Alpha Media) and Belay Manaye (co-founder of Ethio News), both of whom experienced repeated arrests and intimidation. “We had no choice but to flee,” they stated in the report. “The warnings from government security forces were clear—our lives were at risk.”
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) reported that since 2020, at least 54 Ethiopian journalists and media workers have gone into exile due to threats and persecution. Families of exiled journalists also face house raids, intimidation, and constant police surveillance.
The report accuses Ethiopian authorities of using vague legal provisions to detain journalists under laws such as the Anti-Terrorism Proclamation and the Hate Speech and Disinformation Prevention and Suppression Proclamation.
In 2024, seven journalists (five men and two women) faced terrorism-related charges. The Federal Supreme Court suspended the trial of four journalists—Meskerem, Genet, Dawit, and Gobeze—in December 2023, leaving them in legal limbo.
Meanwhile, journalist Abay Zewdu was arrested in August 2023 and sent to a military camp in Awash Arba before being transferred to an Addis Ababa prison in January 2024. As of April 2024, he remains in detention without trial on terrorism-related charges.
In a separate case, Mohiyadin Mohamed Abdullahi was sentenced to two years in prison after posting about traffic disruptions in Jigjiga during Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s visit in February 2024. Authorities accused him of inciting unrest under the Hate Speech and Disinformation Proclamation.
The CPJ 2024 prison census ranks Ethiopia as one of the worst jailers of journalists in Africa, with six journalists currently behind bars—five of whom face terrorism charges that could lead to life sentences or even the death penalty.
One of these detainees, Yeshihasab Abera, was arrested in September 2024 during a crackdown in the Amhara region. Authorities have neither disclosed the reason for his arrest nor brought formal charges against him.
IMS is urging Ethiopian authorities to uphold press freedom and ensure the safety of journalists. The organization called for full political support for journalists’ right to access and protect information sources. Additionally, it recommended the establishment of an emergency support system to provide legal aid, medical assistance, and financial relief for persecuted journalists.
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