“The Addis Standard raids are the latest moves in the Ethiopian government’s campaign to silence independent media. The confiscation of the outlet’s equipment raises grave concerns about potential misuse of sensitive data,” said CPJ Africa Program Coordinator Muthoki Mumo. “Authorities should drop their investigations into Addis Standard and return its equipment.”

Six plainclothes officers, who identified themselves as police, raided the Addis Standard office on April 17 and took a newsroom manager and HR manager to the capital’s Federal Police Crime Investigation Unit for interrogation, according to the outlet’s publisher and its founder Tsedale Lemma, who spoke to CPJ.

The police, who said they had warrants but did not produce copies, told staff that they were under investigation on suspicion of preparing to produce a documentary that might incite violence, Tsedale said, adding that the allegation was untrue and outlet does not have the capacity to make documentaries.

Earlier that morning, police raided the home of an Addis Standard IT manager, who was assaulted in front of family members and taken to a police station in the capital’s Woreda 13, Lemi Kura Subcity, Tsedale said. All three employees were released later that day, without charges, she said.

Police confiscated laptops, computers, cell phones, data storage devices, and external processing units, for which they demanded and were given passwords, and told staff not to speak publicly about the raids, Tsedale said.

Addis Standard’s publisher, JAKENN Publishing PLC, expressed concern about how the seized devices might be used in custody. “We cannot guarantee the integrity of any messages or emails sent from the compromised devices,” it said.

On April 22, the police said the devices might be released the following week, Tsedale said.

Federal police spokesperson Jeylan Abdi told CPJ via messaging app that he could not answer queries on a matter “currently pending in court.” Jeylan did not answer CPJ’s follow-up calls or a message requesting clarification on the specific court proceedings, including the charges or when the police referred the matter to court. Tsedale told CPJ that an Addis Standard staffer and the outlet’s legal counsel visited the federal police earlier Tuesday and were not informed of any pending court proceedings.

CPJ did not receive any response to its requests for comment via emails to the justice ministry or via calls to government spokesperson Legesse Tulu.

(Source: CPJ)

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On July 20, unidentified men punched and kicked at least six journalists at the headquarters of the opposition Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) in the capital city of Kampala and stole several of their mobile phones, according to media reports and five of the journalists, who spoke to CPJ.

In a separate incident that day, John Xerxes Ogulei, a reporter with the privately owned Teso Broadcasting Services, told CPJ that a police officer insulted him and slapped his hand, knocking his phone and tripod to the ground and breaking them. The Human Rights Network for Journalists-Uganda, a local rights group, tweeted a photograph of his broken tripod.

Ogulei told CPJ he was among journalists waiting to cover a meeting held by Local Government Minister Raphael Magyezi in the eastern city of Soroti when the officer accused them of harming the government’s image through their coverage and assaulted him.

“It is unacceptable that violence has become an everyday hazard for journalists on the political beat in Uganda,” said CPJ’s sub-Saharan Africa representative, Muthoki Mumo. “The attacks on John Xerxes Ogulei and the journalists attending an FDC news conference in Kampala should be investigated impartially and those responsible held to account. The journalists should also be compensated for damaged and stolen equipment.”

Violence began at the headquarters of the FDC—Uganda’s biggest opposition party until the 2021 elections—after party chairperson Wasswa Birigwa invited journalists to a briefing but security guards barred them from entering the compound, according to media reports and the journalists who spoke to CPJ.

Birigwa said he was held hostage at the FDC headquarters amid a power struggle inside the party. Following an hours-long standoff, about 10 people believed to be Birigwa supporters arrived, demanding his release and banging on the gate. Another group of men exited the party headquarters and started beating and punching the journalists and the Birigwa supporters, according to news reports and the journalists who spoke to CPJ.

Charles Katabalwa, a reporter with the Catholic station Radio Sapientia, told CPJ that one assailant stole his phone while another kicked him in the back. Moses Waiswa, a reporter with the privately owned Busoga One FM radio station, told CPJ that one man slapped him, punched him in the face, and stole his phone. Joseph Balikuddembe of the privately owned station CBS FM told CPJ that he was punched in the head, sustained a cut lip, and his phone was stolen.

Arnold Lawrence Kinsambwe, a reporter with the Christian station BTM TV and Radio Sapientia, told CPJ that he fell into a ditch while dodging a punch, and a man snatched his phone as he was trying to climb out. Another kicked him in the back and as he was running away.

Nowamani Ainembabazi, an intern with the state-owned Urban TV, was punched in the mouth twice, according to its sister company New Vision and the journalist, who spoke to CPJ via messaging app. She told CPJ that the assailants snatched a mobile phone from her hands, and stole her bag which contained a second phone and money. She said that her lip was split, requiring stiches, and she has lost two teeth as a result of the attack. Ainembabazi told CPJ on July 31 that she needed further medical treatment for her injuries.

Multiple media reports said that George William Katoloba of the privately owned Namirembe FM was also attacked and had his phone stolen, but did not provide specific information about that incident. When contacted by CPJ, Katoloba declined to comment, citing safety concerns.

FDC President Patrick Amuriat referred CPJ to party communications official Norman Turyatemba for comment. In a phone interview on July 31, Turyatemba said the attack was “regrettable,” the party planned to compensate the journalists for their stolen devices, and was negotiating compensation for the journalists’ medical care.

Birigwa told CPJ that he was “disgusted” by the incident and apologized to journalists for the attack. Both Birigwa and Turyatemba said that the party would carry out internal investigations and hold those responsible to account.

In a statement sent to CPJ via messaging app on July 31, Kampala Metropolitan Police spokesperson Patrick Onyango said that investigations into the incident were ongoing and that police were analyzing CCTV footage and tracking stolen phones, but no arrests had been made.

National police spokesperson Fred Enanga did not respond to a request for comment sent via text message, including about the assault on Ogulei in Soroti.

CPJ has frequently documented attacks on journalists covering politics in Uganda. Last month, four reporters covering local elections in Uganda were also assaulted.

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“Imprisoned Burundian journalist Floriane Irangabiye’s worsening health is alarming, and authorities have demonstrated negligence in their failure to ensure that she receives adequate medical care,” said CPJ’s sub-Saharan Africa representative, Muthoki Mumo. “Authorities are responsible for her well-being and should ensure that she receives appropriate treatment. Even more importantly, Irangabiye does not belong behind bars and should be released unconditionally.”

On the night of Monday, July 24, Irangabiye suffered severe breathing difficulties and chest pains, symptoms that persisted as of late Tuesday and made it difficult for her to speak, according to news reports and a person familiar with her case who spoke to CPJ on the condition of anonymity, citing fear of retaliation.

Irangabiye, who has been detained since August 2022, has suffered from asthma since childhood, but her condition has worsened over the last three months, that person said, adding that, despite seeing a doctor at least four times during that period and being prescribed the use of inhalers, Irangabiye remains ill.

The person familiar with her case said Irangabiye is exposed to smoke from a nearby prison kitchen and that the humid weather had possibly contributed to her health issues. Two months ago, Irangabiye’s family formally requested that authorities transfer her from the northern Muyinga Prison to a prison in the capital city of Bujumbura due to those health concerns.

Irangabiye is serving a 10-year prison term following her January 2023 conviction of undermining the integrity of Burundi’s national integrity, charges that stem from her work with the online news outlet Radio Igicaniro.

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On Monday, July 17, in Bulawayo’s central business district, a group of people wearing regalia of the ruling Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front, or ZANU-PF, slapped Annahstacia Ndlovu, a correspondent for U.S. Congress-funded Voice of America, across her face and punched her when she refused to delete a recording and photographs of their skirmish with vendors at a vegetable market in the city, according to news reports, a statement by the Zimbabwean chapter of the press freedom group the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA), and the journalist, who spoke to CPJ via messaging app.

Members of the same group also slapped Tuso, a freelance journalist who is also chairperson of the Bulawayo Media Center, and Lungelo Ndlovu, a Reuters correspondent who is not related to Annahstacia Ndlovu, according to both journalists, who spoke to CPJ via messaging app.

“Zimbabwean authorities should speedily investigate the assaults of journalists Annahstacia Ndlovu, Pamenus Tuso, and Lungelo Ndlovu, and bring all those responsible to justice,” said Angela Quintal, CPJ’s Africa program coordinator, in New York. “Journalists must be free to report without fear of attack, and those who prevent them from working must face immediate consequences, especially as there is heightened concern about journalist safety ahead of the August 23 general election.”

The journalists told CPJ that ZANU-PF supporters had ordered vendors to show proof of their support for the ruling party at their central business district office ahead of the August elections or risk losing trading space at the market. When the vendors refused, the supporters beat them up and told them that they were not allowed to trade at the market.

Annahstacia Ndlovu told CPJ that she and the other reporters were interviewing vendors about the skirmish with ZANU-PF supporters when one of the supporters ordered her to delete her footage. After she refused and identified herself as a member of the press, that man, aided by other supporters, slapped her across the face and punched her body. A woman confiscated her phone and deleted footage and photographs before handing it back, Ndlovu said, adding that her other phone fell to the ground during the assault and was damaged.

“The ringleader assaulted me several times, while others were even touching my breasts,” she said. “They beat me all over the body. My face is swollen.”

The journalist reported the attack to the Bulawayo Central Police station, where a case was opened for investigation, she said. According to a medical report reviewed by CPJ, Annahstacia Ndlovu sustained “serious injuries” to her eyes and a swollen right hip. The injuries presented a “potential danger to life” and the likelihood of a “permanent disability,” according to the report.

Lungelo Ndlovu told CPJ that the attackers also slapped him and ordered to him to delete footage, but he managed to flee to safety.

“They demanded I identify myself, which I did, and then they said [to] delete footage and some guy slapped me on the face. I didn’t see that coming. I couldn’t think of anything at that point, I had to run away,” Ndlovu said, adding that he had not deleted his footage.

Tuso said he was slapped on the cheek but was not injured, saying, “They wanted to confiscate my camera, but I had to run away and hide it.”

ZANU-PF spokesperson Christopher Mutsvangwa and his deputy, Michael Bhima, did not respond to CPJ’s repeated texts and phone calls seeking comment.

When reached via messaging app, Bulawayo Central Police spokesperson Abedinco Ncube referred CPJ to Zimbabwe Republic Police spokesperson Paul Nyathi. CPJ called and texted Nyathi, but did not receive any reply.

Earlier this month, CPJ condemned the Zimbabwe’s legislature’s passage of the so-called “Patriot Bill,” which threatens the rights to freedom of expression and media freedom in the country.

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In a July 14 letter reviewed by CPJ, M23 spokesperson Lawrence Kanyuka ordered four private broadcasters — Radio Horizon FM, Radio Communautaire de Rutshuru, Radio Alliance, and Radio Racove — to stop carrying the program “Sauti ya Wahami” (Voice of the Displaced) for 60 days in the “interest of consolidating peace, the communion of communities and promoting living together.” Kanyuka also ordered the four stations, the only broadcasters still operating in Rutshuru, to indefinitely cease airing programming from Kinshasa-based Top Congo FM.

“Leaders of the M23 rebel movement in eastern DRC must stop their censorship and immediately lift the latest ban on broadcasting the ‘Sauti ya Wahami’ current affairs show, as well as programming by Top Congo FM radio,” said Angela Quintal, CPJ’s Africa program coordinator in New York. “Displaced communities in Rutshuru have the right to receive information from many sources and not only what the rebels want them to hear.”

Four journalists in Rutshuru, who asked not to be named for fear of reprisal, told CPJ that the M23 rebels were unhappy about reporting on “Sauti ya Wahami,” which focuses in part on the poor conditions faced by civilians and internally displaced people in the area. The daily 10-minute show is produced by journalists who fled to Goma, the capital of North Kivu province, on October 31 last year after the M23 takeover of Rutshuru and Kiwanja. The rebels were also unhappy about Top Congo FM’s content on politics and current affairs, including the conflict between the Congolese army and M23, the journalists said. Without the two banned programs, the local broadcasters only run cultural programming such as music and sport coverage.

The M23 rebel movement, active in the eastern Congo for decades, had a major resurgence in 2022 as it escalated attacks on the Congolese army. The fighting, which includes other armed groups, has led to widespread death and displacement. Congolese authorities continue to accuse Rwanda of supporting the M23 rebel group, which Rwanda denies.

Kanyuka’s letter includes an invitation to journalists in Rutshuru to meet rebel leaders on August 10, when the ban on “Sauti ya Wahami” will be reassessed. The letter did not mention a reassessment of the ban on Top Congo FM programming.

According to a report by local press freedom group the African Press Freedom Observatory, “Sauti ya Wahami” and Top Congo FM were previously banned for two months in Rutshuru in February this year.

CPJ called Kanyuka several times for comment but the line was busy; he did not respond to a text.

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On June 23, Burkina Faso’s media regulator, the Superior Council for Communication (known by its French acronym CSC), suspended LCI, which is part of private broadcaster TF1, for three months for allegedly airing false information about deteriorating security conditions in the country on its current affairs show, “24H Pujadas,” according to several media reports and a copy of the decision.

“We call on the Burkinabè authorities to reverse their decision and immediately lift the suspension of LCI’s broadcasting,” said Angela Quintal, CPJ’s Africa program coordinator in New York. “The latest suspension of a French media outlet over its insurgency reporting appears retaliatory rather than grounded in fact and robs the people of Burkina Faso of their right to know what is happening in their country.”

Thousands of Burkinabè citizens have died and millions have been displaced in the eight-year insurgency led by militants affiliated with Al-Qaeda and Islamic State, who currently control large areas of the country. Soured relations between France, the country’s former colonial power, and Burkina Faso’s ruling military junta led to the February withdrawal of French troops helping to fight the insurgents.

LCI is the third French outlet to be suspended since December 2022 in Burkina Faso after France 24’s suspension in March and the radio station RFI in December. In addition, two French journalists working for Le Monde and Libération were expelled from Burkina Faso in April.

The CSC suspension decision said commentary by LCI’s popular “24H Pujadas” host, Abnousse Shalmani, on an April 24 segment titled “Sahel, the lost zone” was “not based on any concrete evidence” and “lacked objectivity and credibility.” It also said the report exaggerated the scale of the insurgency and “seditiously” exposed “unverified” failures in Burkina Faso’s military response to the insurgency, Reuters reported.

Blahima Traoré, CSC general secretary, told CPJ by messaging app that the three satellite television providers that carry LCI for subscribers, were formally notified of the decision on June 23.

Canal+ Burkina, Neerwaya Multivision, and Stars Médias Burkina—the three providers—would be “liable for penalties” if they failed to suspend LCI for three months from the notification date, a CSC notification sent to Canal+ Burkina’s general manager said. At least one of the three—Canal+ Burkina—has suspended LCI broadcasts, but the channel is still available online, Guézouma Sanogo, president of the Association of Journalists of Burkina, told CPJ via messaging app on July 10. CPJ was not able to immediately confirm whether Neerwaya Multivision and Stars Médias Burkina have suspended LCI broadcasts.

According to Article 46 of the 2013 law that establishes the regulator and sets out its powers and composition, the CSC can suspend the broadcasting of a program “for a maximum of three months” depending on the seriousness of the breach.

CPJ tried unsuccessfully to contact LCI and Shalmani for comment via their social media accounts.

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Authorities arrested Gueye, publication director of the privately owned newspaper Yoor Yoor, on May 23 and released him on Tuesday, June 20, according to the news website Dakaractu and the journalists’ lawyer Moussa Sarr, who communicated with CPJ via messaging app.

Ndiaye, a reporter with the privately owned broadcaster Walf TV, was held since March and also granted release on Tuesday; he left prison on Wednesday.

Under the conditions of their provisional release, Ndiaye and Gueye are required to report to the prosecutor’s office on the first Friday of each month, inform the judge of any change of address, and are prohibited from leaving the country without permission or communicating about their case, Sarr said.

As of Thursday, June 22, Niang, who reports on local politics for the privately owned website Kéwoulo, remained in detention without a scheduled court date.

“Authorities in Senegal must release journalist Maty Sarr Niang and drop their prosecution of recently released journalists Pape Ndiaye and Serigne Saliou Gueye, as well as the onerous restrictions placed on them,” said Angela Quintal, CPJ’s Africa program coordinator. “Unfortunately, Senegal is trampling on its reputation as a stable democracy committed to press freedom. Journalists should be safe to report on matters of public interest without fearing arrest or harassment.”

On May 16, officers with Urban Security, a unit dedicated to judicial investigations, arrested Niang at her home in the capital city of Dakar, according to news reports and Sarr.

An investigating judge charged Niang on May 24 with “acts and maneuvers likely to undermine public security, [and] usurping the function of a journalist” connected to her work for Kéwoulo, according to Sarr.

Kéwoulo director Babacar Touré told CPJ by phone that the journalist’s arrest was connected to her reporting, as well as criticism of Senegalese authorities in personal Facebook posts. “Every journalist who is not in their camp, they try everything to arrest you,” Touré said. “The thing is to put fear on us.”

Under section 80 of Senegal’s penal code, which CPJ reviewed, “maneuvers and acts of a nature to compromise public security or to cause serious political unrest” is punishable with up to five years in prison and a maximum fine of 1.5 million West African francs (US$ 2,500).

Ndiaye was jailed on six charges, including “spreading false news” in March 2023. He was held in Sebikotane prison until the day after his release was granted because the prison received the release decision late, Sarr told CPJ.

Urban Security officers arrested Gueye on May 23 after he responded to a summons, according to another of Gueye’s lawyers, Cheikh Ndiaye, and Yoor Yoor accounting assistant Marietou Beye, whom both communicated with CPJ via messaging app. A prosecutor accused Gueye of usurping the function of a journalist because he did not have a national press card and of contempt of court over a May 15 article.

The May 15 article was published by Yoor Yoor under an anonymous byline with the title “Dear fellow magistrates, let’s pull ourselves together!” and critiqued the prosecution of opposition leader Ousmane Sonko. On June 1, a Senegalese court sentenced Sonko to two years in prison for corrupting youth; he is appealing the decision, but the sentencing may prevent him from running in Senegal’s 2024 presidential election.

Gueye was released from Rebeuss prison in Dakar on Tuesday, June 20, Sarr told CPJ.

CPJ’s calls to Senegalese Minister of Interior Antoine Diome and Minister of Justice Ismaila Madior Fall went unanswered.

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“The vile insults and threats that Kenya’s trade minister Moses Kuria hurled at the Nation Media Group over the last few days undermine the dignity of the minister’s taxpayer-funded office and expose a disturbing disregard for constitutionally protected freedoms of the press,” said CPJ Africa Program Coordinator Angela Quintal, from New York. “Kuria should retract his threats, and the government should guarantee media outlets do not face retaliatory economic sanctions for their reporting.”

In a video posted on Twitter on June 18, Kuria threatened to fire government officials who advertised with the Nation Media Group, a corporation that owns a number of local and regional newspapers and broadcasters. The following day, he posted pictures of advertisements in the company’s newspapers and said the ads were “not good.”

In a series of tweets between June 18 and June 20, Kuria called the company’s employees “prostitutes,” accused its journalists of corruption and bias, and promised to publish the names of “Nation Media Group writers who have confessed to being coerced to write anti government stories” in a “scheme” by editors, management, and “a former president.”

The actions came after Nation Media Group’s print publications and its broadcaster NTV carried reports alleging government officials’ involvement in a corrupt scheme to import duty-free cooking oil that cost taxpayers billions of shillings.

On Wednesday, June 21, Kuria told journalists he would not apologize for his comments and said, “There is no one who is more pro-media than me.”

Also on Wednesday, the High Court in Nairobi issued an injunction against Kuria, barring him from insulting or vilifying the media, pending the hearing of a petition alleging the minister had breached values of governance and leadership as outlined by the Kenyan constitution. The case is expected to be heard on July 24.

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Around 9 a.m. on Friday, April 14, three Congolese National Intelligence Agency (ANR) agents arrested Bakuka, a reporter with the privately owned broadcaster Radio Mushauri, at his home in Kindu, the capital of DRC’s eastern Maniema province, according to a tweet by Kindu-based journalist Grace Mbambi and another local journalist who spoke to CPJ by phone and messaging app on the condition of anonymity, citing security concerns.

An ANR representative told that local journalist that Bakuka was accused of “spreading false rumors” in an article he wrote and shared in a WhatsApp group discussing security issues in Kindu. Reached by phone, the ANR director in Maniema province declined to provide his name or comment on Bakuka’s arrest.

Separately, on Monday, April 10, a prosecutor in the capital, Kinshasa, summoned and detained Kayiba, a reporter with the privately owned broadcaster Kin Actu TV and privately owned news website Reportage.cd, in connection to two tweets, according to a report by privately owned news website Actungolo and Kayiba’s lawyer, who spoke to CPJ by phone and messaging app on the condition of anonymity, citing security concerns.

“DRC authorities should immediately release and drop all investigations into the work of journalists Gustave Bakuka and Diègo Kayiba,” said Angela Quintal, CPJ’s Africa program coordinator, from New York. “Too often journalists in the DRC are faced with legal harassment and the prospect of arrest for simply doing their jobs.”

Kayiba’s tweets, which CPJ reviewed before they were removed, were posted in March and alleged that Jules Alingete Key, head of the country’s General Inspectorate of Finance, had not been transparent with his personal spending and betrayed DRC President Félix Antoine Tshisekedi with his personal presidential ambitions.

In an April 4 statement shared with local media, the General Inspectorate of Finance said Alingete had not filed a complaint against Kayiba. CPJ’s calls to the prosecutor rang unanswered.

On April 13, Kayiba’s lawyer filed a request for the journalist’s provisional release, he said, adding that if rejected, the journalist risks being transferred from detention in the prosecutor’s office to prison.

Separately, on April 9, Jean-Calvin Mingashanga, the elected representative for the central city of Tshikapa, sent an audio message to Kabongo, a reporter with the privately owned Netic-news.net, and threatened him with arrest for publishing a “baseless article,” according to a report by his outlet and Kabongo, who spoke to CPJ via messaging app.

The April 7 article critiqued Mingashanga’s relationship with the minister of finance and his constituents.

Mingashanga told CPJ by phone that he remains outraged by Kabongo’s article, which discredited his reputation. He said he intends to “punish” the journalist and force him not to publish similar reports.

On March 27, ANR agents in Kindu arrested journalist John Ngongo Lomango over his reporting on security issues. Authorities released Ngongo unconditionally on March 29 but kept his phone with the intention of searching it, the journalist told CPJ.

Authorities have jailed journalist Patrick Lola in the central prison of Mbandaka since January 2022.

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Between April 3 and April 13, security personnel in Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa, arrested at least six journalists and allegedly assaulted two while in custody, according to multiple news reports and statements from local rights groups. Two other journalists were arrested in separate incidents in the Amhara and Oromia states.

Six of the journalists–Amhara Media Center chief editor Abay Zewdu; Arat Kilo Media editor Dawit Begashaw; Ethio Selam editor Tewodros Asfaw; Yegna Media reporter Genet Asmamaw; Negere Wolkait Media editor Assefa Adane; and Ethio Nikat Media founder and editor Meskerem Abera–remain behind bars as of Friday, April 14, facing allegations which include inciting violence. All six publish reporting and commentary for privately owned YouTube-based outlets.

Abay, Genet, Assefa, and Meskerem mainly report and commentate on political and social issues affecting the Amhara ethnic group, the second-largest in Ethiopia. Their arrests come amid political unrest in Amhara state, as protesters oppose government plans to dissolve regional forces.

“The latest spate of arrests in Ethiopia, in which at least eight journalists have been arrested since April 3, paints a deeply depressing picture of the state of press freedom in the country,” said Muthoki Mumo, CPJ’s sub-Saharan Africa representative. “Authorities should release all detained journalists, investigate allegations that some members of the press have been mistreated or assaulted while in state custody, and ensure that journalists do not operate in an environment of fear.”

The first arrest came on April 3, when two men who identified themselves as National Intelligence and Security Service members approached Yeayeneabeba Gizaw, managing editor of the privately owned magazine Yehabesha Wog, while she was running errands in Addis Ababa and forced her into a waiting vehicle, according to the journalist’s phone interviews with CPJ and privately owned satellite broadcaster Ethiopia Media Service (EMS) and a statement by independent watchdog Ethiopia Human Rights Council.

The men drove Yeayeneabeba to an unmarked detention facility in Lebu, an outskirt neighborhood of Addis Ababa, where she was held in a room with nine other women. On April 4, a man and woman questioned her about her work in Oromia state, slapped her face, kicked one of her legs, and accused her of using Yehabesha Wog to defame Oromia state officials and the Addis Ababa mayor.

She was released unconditionally on April 5. Yeayeneabeba did not suffer significant injury, she said, adding that her abduction was particularly unexpected because the magazine suspended printing in September 2022 due to the prohibitive cost. They plan to resume on a bi-monthly basis when they can, she said.

On April 4, Oromia state police arrested Samuel Assefa, an EMS reporter, while he covered demolitions in the town of Legetafo-Legedadi, on the outskirts of the capital, according to EMS editor Wosenseged Gebrekidan, who spoke to CPJ by messaging app, and an Ethiopia Human Rights Council statement.

Samuel appeared at the Legetafo-Legedadi town First Instance Court on April 5 and was accused of incitement and attempting to report without authorities’ permission, according to Wosenseged. The court granted the police an additional five days to hold Samuel, and on April 11, the court closed the case. Samuel was released on April 13 after paying bail of 10,000 Ethiopian birr (US$185).

In separate incidents on April 6, federal police officers arrested Abay and Assefa, who is also a professor at Kotebe Metropolitan University, according to a report by Abay’s outlet and Abay’s sister, Zoma Zewdu, who communicated with CPJ via messaging app.

Later that day, Abay and Assefa appeared at the Arada branch of the Federal First Instance Court in Addis Ababa alongside seven other people, and were accused of using social media platforms to organize youth violence, according to Zoma and court documents reviewed by CPJ. They were remanded to police custody for 10 more days, pending police investigations.

Around 5 p.m. on April 6, five federal police officers arrested Genet, according to her lawyer, Henok Aklilu, and her brother, Andualem Demissie, who spoke to CPJ by phone. In an audio published by several media outlets and authenticated by Henok, an officer says, “Beat her; kick her,” and Genet says, “Do not beat me. Why are you hitting me? Why are you kidnapping me without a court order?”

In an appearance at the Federal First Instance Court on April 7, Genet was accused of inciting violence on social media and other platforms and mobilizing young people to overthrow the government, according to Henok. The court granted police 10 days to hold her in custody pending further investigation. Genet complained to the court about abusive treatment by police, and the court ordered the federal police to investigate, according to Henok.

Around 6 p.m. on April 9, 10 federal police officers arrested Meskerem, according to Henok, who represents her, and the journalist’s husband, Fitsum Gebremichael, who spoke to CPJ by phone.

The Federal First Instance Court extended her detention by 13 days on April 11, giving police time to investigate allegations that she incited violence and riots through social media platforms and provided shooting training to unspecified informal groups, according to CPJ’s review of court documents.

Meskerem was previously detained in May 2022 for 23 days and in December 2022 for three weeks. Ethio Nikat announced a hiatus after her December detention, and Meskerem had announced their return to air a week before her arrest.

On the evening of Wednesday, April 12, Ethiopian National Defense Force soldiers  arrested Dawit, while he was with friends at a hotel in Bahir Dar, the capital of Amhara state. Dawit was transported to the Federal Police detention center in Addis Ababa.

In videos published by Arat Kilo before Dawit’s detention, the journalist vehemently  criticized Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and spoke out against the disbandment of the Amhara special force.

On the morning of April 13, two federal police officers and two plain-clothes security officers arrested Tewodros at his home on unspecified allegations, according to news reports, and his wife, Enat Tamirat, who spoke to CPJ by phone. Enat said officers searched their home, confiscated his passport and cell phone, and took Tewodros to the federal police detention center.

In February, Tewodros was detained for eight days and released on bail.

CPJ’s text and email to federal police spokesperson Jeylan Abdi and CPJ’s email, Facebook messages, and queries sent through the website of the Addis Ababa mayor’s office did not receive a response.

Emails to the Federal Ministry of Justice, National Intelligence and Security Service, Oromia Communication Bureau, and Amhara Communication Bureau were unanswered or returned error messages.

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