June 1, 2025 | By: Muluken Tekleyohanes | Ambassador Media
In a move that has drawn international condemnation, Ethiopian journalist Ahmed Awga, founder of the Jigjiga Television Network (JTN), was sentenced to two years in prison on May 22, 2025. The Fafen Zone High Court in Jigjiga, the capital of Ethiopia’s eastern Somali Region, convicted Awga on charges of disseminating hateful information, stemming from a Facebook post he did not author .
Awga, whose legal name is Ahmed Abdi Omar, was arrested on April 23, 2025, following his interview with a man alleging that his 16-year-old son, Shafi’i Abdikarim Ali, died after a police beating. Authorities also cited commentary on Awga’s Facebook page as part of the incitement charges .
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) expressed deep concern over the court’s decision, emphasizing that Awga was convicted for content he neither created nor endorsed. CPJ’s Africa Program Coordinator, Muthoki Mumo, stated, “Ahmed Awga’s conviction and sentencing for a Facebook post he did not author is a clear violation of press freedom and a worrying sign for journalists in Ethiopia.”
This incident is part of a broader crackdown on press freedom in Ethiopia. In the past month alone, at least seven journalists have been arrested as the government intensifies its efforts to suppress independent media voices .
Ambassador Media stands in solidarity with Ahmed Awga and calls upon Ethiopian authorities to uphold the principles of free expression and the rights of journalists to report without fear of persecution.
For more information on this case, please refer to the Committee to Protect Journalists’ report:
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