Ethiopia / Africa

By CPJ Africa and Asia Program Staff Even a brief shutdown of the internet impedes the press from doing its job. But some disruptions last for months, severely undermining safety and access to information, CPJ has found. Recently, authorities have imposed such measures in Myanmar and Ethiopia amid serious crises. India leads the world in internet…

With multiple federal investigations underway into the January 6 Capitol riot, concerns still abound about the spread of disinformation around the U.S. election. But the U.S. is not alone in confronting the phenomenon. Disinformation is happening all over the world – especially during high stakes events like national votes.    “It’s language agnostic, it’s region agnostic,…

Nairobi, March 3, 2021 — In response to Ethiopian authorities’ decision today to release two media workers and two reporters who had been detained in relation to their coverage of the conflict in the northern state of Tigray, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement: “We welcome the release of the translators and…

Nairobi, March 1, 2021 – In response to Ethiopian military forces’ arrests of at least four journalists and media workers covering the conflict in the northern state of Tigray, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement: “The scarcity of independent reporting coming out of Tigray during this conflict was already deeply alarming. Now,…

On February 8, 2021, at about 10:30 a.m. in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa, three armed men in plain clothes forced their way into the apartment of freelance reporter Lucy Kassa, searched her home, questioned her, and confiscated her reporting materials, according to the journalist, who spoke to CPJ via messaging app and email,…

Nairobi, January 28, 2021 — Ethiopian authorities must conduct a thorough and independent investigation into the killing of journalist Dawit Kebede Araya, determine if it was motivated by his work, and hold those responsible to account, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. In the evening of January 19, unidentified attackers shot and killed Dawit,…

Nairobi, December 18, 2020 – Ethiopian authorities must immediately and unconditionally release journalist Dawit Kebede and stop harassing members of the press, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On November 30, federal police arrested Dawit, managing editor of the online news outlet Awramba Times, while he was dining with friends at a restaurant in…

The number of journalists jailed globally because of their work hit a new high in 2020 as governments cracked down on coverage of COVID-19 or tried to suppress reporting on political unrest. Authoritarians again took cover in anti-press rhetoric from the United States. A CPJ special report by Elana Beiser Published December 15, 2020 NEW…

Nairobi, November 13, 2020 – Ethiopian authorities must immediately and unconditionally release journalist Medihane Ekubamichael, and stop detaining members of the press, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On November 7, federal police arrested Medihane, an editor at the privately owned news website Addis Standard, at his home in Addis Ababa, the capital, and…

Nairobi, November 10, 2020 — Today the Committee to Protect Journalists called on Ethiopian authorities to immediately release broadcast journalist Bekalu Alamrew, who was arrested on November 4 and has not been formally charged.  Three uniformed police officers and one plain-clothed officer arrested Bekalu from the Addis Ababa offices of the privately-owned Awlo Media Center,…