On June 8, 2026, police arrested Ethiopian journalist Salsawit Baynesagn at her home in the capital, Addis Ababa, after telling her that she was wanted for questioning, her sister, Haymanot Baynesagn told CPJ.
Haymanot said Salsawit was held for two days in a temporary detention facility, where relatives were denied access, before being transferred to the Addis Ababa Police Commission, also known as Sostegna.
Salsawit’s family told CPJ that they suspected her detention was linked to her videos on TikTok, Facebook, and YouTube, in which she criticized the government, religious leaders, and the public for what she described as silence over the killing of Ethiopian Orthodox Christians in Arsi Zone, in Oromia regional state.
On June 16, Salsawit’s family filed a habeas corpus application seeking her release for unlawful detention. Her lawyer, Zewdu Bekele, told CPJ that Ethiopian law requires detainees to be brought before a court within 48 hours and informed of the allegations against them.
In response to the application, the court scheduled Salsawit to appear on June 17. But she was not brought to court as her family and lawyer were unable to serve the habeas corpus summons on the Addis Ababa police official, who was not available, according to Haymanot and Zewdu.
On June 20, Salsawit was released without charge.
From 2018, Salsawit worked for two media outlets owned by the ruling Prosperity Party — Walta TV and then Fana Media Corporation — before leaving in November 2025 to produce independent commentary on social media.
Addis Ababa police spokesperson Markos Tadesse did not immediately respond to CPJ’s request for comment via messaging app.