Commentary | By Muluken Tekleyohanes, for Ambassador Media | Germany | 24-08-2025
The abduction of Reporter editor Yonas Amare, the arbitrary detention of Somali Regional TV journalist Khadar Mohamed Ismael, and the enforced disappearance of radio host Abdulsemed Mohammed expose one undeniable reality: Ethiopia is no longer a country that persecutes journalists—it is a country that hunts them.
On August 13, Yonas was dragged from his own home in Sheger City by masked men in military uniform. On August 5, Khadar was thrown into detention in Somali Region with no charge, no rights, no justice. On August 11, Abdulsemed vanished in Addis Abeba, seen days later being paraded by police like a trophy before disappearing again. These are not accidents. These are not mistakes. These are calculated acts of terror by a government desperate to crush dissent.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed bears full responsibility. His government has turned Ethiopia into a graveyard for press freedom, where journalists are hunted like criminals and truth itself is treated as treason. Every abduction, every unlawful arrest, every incommunicado detention is a stain on Abiy’s hands. He promised reform and freedom; instead, he has delivered repression, fear, and dictatorship.
The Ethiopian government wants the world to believe it is fighting for peace and democracy. But how can a government that kidnaps editors, jails reporters, and disappears radio hosts dare speak of democracy? This is not leadership—it is authoritarianism with a smiling face.
We must call this what it is: a systematic war on journalists, directed from the very top. Abiy Ahmed and his regime are dismantling Ethiopia’s fragile hopes for freedom and dragging the country into darkness.
We demand—without compromise—the immediate release of Khadar and Abdulsemed, the safe return of Yonas, and accountability for those who ordered and carried out these crimes.
Ethiopia does not belong to Abiy Ahmed. It belongs to its people. And no matter how many journalists he abducts, silences, or disappears, he cannot kidnap the truth forever.
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