Ethiopia’s once-promising media liberalization is slipping into crisis, according to the latest U.S. State Department Human Rights Report, which warns of a sharp escalation in government repression against journalists alongside a broader pattern of rights violations.
The report details a media landscape under siege. Journalists have been detained without charge, held in undisclosed locations, and subjected to harassment and intimidation. Independent outlets face shutdowns, equipment confiscation, and bureaucratic pressure, while internet and social media restrictions have curtailed the free flow of information.
In conflict-affected regions such as Amhara, Oromia, and Tigray, reporters covering alleged atrocities have been obstructed, expelled, or targeted for arrest. This, the report notes, has fueled a climate of self-censorship, where many journalists avoid sensitive topics for fear of reprisal.
But press freedom is not the only casualty. The document also describes extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, and mass displacement amid ongoing violence between government forces, militias, and armed groups. In western Tigray, evidence of ethnic cleansing and systematic expulsions has emerged.
Civilians in several regions have endured drone strikes, sexual violence, and looting, while humanitarian access remains severely restricted. Reports of torture in detention facilities and the targeting of aid workers have drawn international condemnation.
Child rights abuses persist as well, with cases of child marriage, trafficking, and female genital mutilation despite legal prohibitions. Refugees and internally displaced persons face unsafe conditions, including violence and exploitation.
The report concludes that reversing Ethiopia’s decline in rights protections will require restoring press independence, ensuring accountability for abuses, and safeguarding fundamental freedoms even in times of political instability.
“Silencing the press silences the truth,” the report warns, underscoring that a free media is essential not only for transparency but also for confronting the country’s wider human rights crisis.