Media Watchdogs Call for Immediate Release of Ethiopian Journalists

Khabor Wala Desk

Published: 21st August 2025, 12:47 PM

Media Watchdogs Call for Immediate Release of Ethiopian Journalists

Ethiopian authorities have been urged to “unconditionally release” two detained journalists, with media watchdogs condemning what they describe as an increasingly “hostile environment” for press freedom in the country.

Rights groups have long criticised Ethiopia for its repression of dissenting voices. In recent months, there has been a notable surge in arrests of journalists, drawing widespread international concern.

Journalist	Affiliation	Circumstances of Arrest	Current Status
Abdulsemed Mohamed	Host of a business programme on privately-owned Ahadu Radio	Disappeared on 11 August in Addis Ababa. Three days later, seen accompanying police officers during a raid on his office, according to the CPJ citing a relative.	Still in custody, no official charges announced.
Yonas Amare	Senior editor with The Reporter newspaper	Abducted on 13 August from his home in Addis Ababa by a group of masked individuals. Eyewitnesses allege he was taken by government security forces.	Government has not responded to requests for updates.

Condemnations from Media Watchdogs

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) expressed deep concern about both the arrests and the silence of the authorities, who have yet to provide official details on the reasons or conditions of detention.
RSF’s Sub-Saharan Africa Director, Sadibou Marong, urged the government to “release them immediately”, adding that attacks on press freedom have sharply escalated in recent months.
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) similarly highlighted the cases, citing sources close to the journalists and demanding transparency and accountability from Ethiopian authorities.

So far, Ethiopian police have not responded to repeated requests for comment.

Ethiopia, with a population of nearly 130 million, currently ranks 145th out of 180 countries in the 2025 RSF Press Freedom Index, where widespread self-censorship and fear dominate the media landscape.

Recent Detentions of Journalists in Ethiopia:

Month	Incident
March 2025	Seven journalists from a broadcaster were arrested.
April 2025	Three reporters from an English-language daily were detained.
August 2025	Arrests of Abdulsemed Mohamed and Yonas Amare.

When Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed came to power in 2018, he was widely praised for his apparent openness and reformist agenda. However, rights groups now accuse his administration of tightening controls on freedom of speech, with the media increasingly targeted in a wider crackdown on dissent.