In this Report Denmark, Sweden, Norway, and the UK played a huge role for their steadfast support in recent years and their dedication to promoting journalist safety and media freedom in Ethiopia.
The 2024 national assessment report on the safety of journalists in Ethiopia prioritises the following recommendations that the Coalition for Safety of Journalists (CSoJ) considers urgent issues for strategic advocacy. The assessment also laid down additional recommendations to members of the CSoJ, media outlets, and other media sector actors on promoting and protecting the safety of journalists.
1. The Ethiopian government must end arbitrary arrest, detention and intimidation of journalists and protect journalists and media outlets, regardless of ownership structure, to empower them to perform their essential role in society.
2. National security bodies must refrain from unlawfully deploying physical, digital and cellphone spying techniques against journalists and ensure the necessity, proportionality, and legality of such techniques in accordance with the Federal Constitution and international human rights standards.
3. The Ethiopian government must end impunity for crimes against journalists. Law enforcement agencies should effectively, impartially, and independently investigate all alleged attacks against journalists and take all necessary steps to bring the perpetrators of crime against journalists and media personnel to justice and publicly announce results.
4. The Ethiopian House of Peoples’ Representatives must refrain from approving the proposal to amend specific Media Proclamation No. 1238/2021 clauses without proper public consultation. It must also ensure that the amendment process meets international standards and, where necessary, revise the law in compliance with legal safeguards to freedom of expression and media independence under the Federal Constitution and international human rights law.
5. The Ethiopian government must ensure that the national dialogue and the transitional justice processes consider reparations to journalists who have suffered violations due to their professional work.
6. Warring groups in Amhara and Oromia regional states must refrain from abducting, abusing and threatening journalists and adhere to international guidelines and protocols on respecting the rights of journalists, more so ensure the safety of journalists to operate in conflict zones, allowing the free flow of information that benefit citizens.
7. Non-state actors, particularly political activists, business people and firms, must stop cyberbullying, intimidating and attacking journalists to influence journalistic content in their favor, thereby placing personal and party agendas ahead of the public good.
8. The general public must refrain from smearing, discrediting, and harassing journalists and media outlets, which creates an environment of fear and self censorship and normalizes attacks on journalists and media.
Legal Protection and Safety
In 2024, journalists and their families faced an abrupt and arbitrary house raid carried out by police and security personnel. Some journalists reported being taken to police stations at night, often on Fridays, resulting in systematic detentions exceeding 48 hours. Others indicated that their professional equipment—such as cameras, audio recorders, flashcards, and data storage hard drives—laptops and mobile phones were confiscated. They were also coerced into making confessions and disclosing their sources of information. A key informant highlighted that he was insulted as a “braggart” by the police officers for requesting to consult his lawyer before police interrogation. In numerous instances, journalists detained by the police, even for brief periods, were covering stories related to the conflict in Amhara and Oromia, the economic reform policies and processes, corridor development issues, and illegal mining.
Deploying Administrative Measures to Restrict Media Independence
Administrative means were used against independent media, including warning letters, threats to shut down media outlets, refusal to renew accreditations, and summoning media owners and editors to control media narratives. Incidents of media violations recoded in 2024 indicated that enforcing registration and regulatory requirements may undermine press freedom.
On September 30, 2024, the Addis Ababa City Mayor’s Office and the Addis Ababa Peace and Security Administration Bureau warned media leaders about the corridor development, an urban infrastructure project and the war in Amhara in a negative way.34A key informant said journalists cannot report the corridor development process unless they get a “go-ahead” from authorities. In April 2024, journalists who video recorded as Piassa, a histotic neighborhood of Ethiopia’s capital Addiss Ababa, was demolished were harassed and forced to delete the material by security forces who also threatened them not to report about the issue. Assessment
results indicated that journalists investigating issues related to the government’s “corridor development” faced harassment for “painting government’s effort black” and “hindering efforts to improve the lives of urban dwellers.” In many instances, authorities utilised the broad term “national interest”, which has been used to curtail legitimate reporting on issues that are believed to be spearheaded by the Prime Minister or those near his power circle.
Digital Safety and Surveillance
In 2024, access to the Internet was frequently shut down, particularly in conflict-prone areas. Social media platforms and numerous VPN services were also blocked, hindering journalists from accessing and sharing online information. Journalists in Amhara and Oromia conflict
areas have faced frequent internet shutdowns. During the assessment period, journalists in Tigray and Benishangul Gumuz have also reported slow internet connections. The government predominantly controls the internet and telecommunication infrastructure through EthioTelecom,
which enables it to restrict information flow and access and conduct cellphone surveillance on citizens.35 Assessment respondents highlighted that cell phone spying, particularly eavesdropping on
journalists, threatened journalists’ digital security.. For instance, in April 2023, a recorded phone conversation allegedly between Meskerem Abera and a Fano militia member was leaked by government supporters on Twitter, raising a concern that Meskerem was under communications surveillance. Some informants reported that they frequently hear unusual sounds such as clicks, hashes, echo-like noises, and overlapping telephone conversations whenever they make calls.
This leads them to believe that their phone communications are being intercepted. The main threat identified by key informants is receiving phone calls from unknown numbers, during whichno one speaks from the other end. Users of the free version of TrueCaller stated that, in most instances, these calls do not display names. However, some respondents mentioned that in rare cases, names are provided, yet the number will not connect if they attempt to call back.
safety of Journalists in Conflict-Prone Areas
The post-conflict context in Tigray and Benishangul-Gumuz and the ongoing conflicts in mhara and Oromia regional states had a major impact on the safety of journalists and media independence. The assessment results show that violence against journalists has been used as a weapon of war because of its collective nature. The attacks against journalists in conflict areas aimed at controlling narratives by attacking freedom of expression and media independence.
Hence, state and non-state actors have been involved in harassing, detaining and abducting journalists in order to block and distort information related to conflicts that reach society.
Physical Safety Risks
In 2024, Ethiopia experienced communal conflicts that contributed to the deterioration of freedom of expression and the safety of journalists. The past year significantly shaped the state of media freedom and the safety of journalists by exacerbating self-censorship and external interference as warring groups attempted to control media narratives to win the battles on the ground.
43 journalists were arrested, imprisoned, and kidnapped in 2024. Nonetheless, the Oromia regional state recorded no arrests, detention or physical attacks. Ethiopia is among the lowest-ranked countries as media freedom is regressing due to conflicts, the spread of disinformation and fake news, and attacks against
Although regional journalists experienced repeated attacks, national and foreign journalists were also targeted during the assessment year. For example, on February 22, 2024, authorities detained Antoine Galindo, a French web journalist, on allegations of trying to “create chaos and violence” after he interviewed a member of the Oromo Liberation Front.
In addition to journalists harassed, threatened and incarcerated, 10 journalists (9 Male and 1 Female) were forced to go into exile, fleeing multiple arbitrary arrests, intimidation, inhumane treatment, physical attacks, confiscation of equipment and orchestrated robbery For instance, Bekalu Alamirew (founder and chief editor of YouTube-based media outlet Alpha Media) and Belay Manaye (cofounder of the YouTube-based media outlet Ethio News) say that they experienced repeated detention and a wide range of attacks until their last release in June 2024.17Both journalists claimed that they decided to flee following “life-threatening” warnings from government security forces. Key informants indicated that even when journalists fled
their country, their family members became target of attacks, repeated house searches and intimidation, often being asked for the whereabouts of exiled journalists and their work equipment left behind, such as laptops and recordings. According to CPJ, at least 54 Ethiopian journalists and media workers have gone into exile since 2020.
. National Security and National Interest as a Justification for Threatening Journalists
Moreover, journalists and independent media were labelled as threats to national security. In many circumstances, national interest and security have been raised, coupled with ethnocentrism and terrorism with alleged links to armed forces in Amhara and Oromia regions to justify the incarceration of journalists. For example, Gobeze Sisay of The Voice of Amhara was arrested in May 2023 and charged with terrorism along with 50 codefendants, four of whom were journalists Meskerem Abera, Genet Asmamaw, Tewodros Zerfu and Dawit Begashaw,
who are still behind bars. 19 During the year 2024, intimidation and arbitrary detention by regional security forces threatened the protection of journalists and their information sources, deterring them from investigating sensitive stories. According to informants of this assessment, local authorities at woreda (district) and kebele (locality) levels perpetrated violence against journalists.
Financial Threats
Financial and social insecurity strained journalists in performing their daily work professionally and ethically during the assessment period. Key informants contended that journalism in Ethiopia is not a well-paying profession with journalists in private media sectors earning less than their counterparts working for state media outlets. This disparity stems from a decline in advertising revenue and uncertainty within the media industry, fostering social and economic instability for journalists. Assessment findings indicated that journalists’ employment and salary
conditions have worsened, and it has become difficult to maintain decent living standards due to high inflation and increasingcost of living.
Gender-Based Violence in the Media
The year 2024 posed threats against women journalists in Ethiopia. This assessment report documented two cases of imprisonment of women journalists in 2024 and a wide range of threats based on their gender, including denial of maternity leave rights, denial of equal opportunities for employment, promotion, rest and reporting assignments. Assessment findings show that the majority of informants believe that gender discrimination, online violence, death threats and sexual harassment are risks for female journalists in Ethiopia. However, many of them, including those who experienced sexual assault, rape and discrimination, fear to report their cases for fear of re-victimisation.
CONCLUSION
Journalists in Ethiopia are facing a wide range of safety threats employed as tactics to intimidate journalists and control narratives. In addition to government security forces and insurgent groups, political figures and businesspeople have attacked journalists who reported on politics, conflicts, business, and finance. In most cases, local authorities at the woreda (district) and kebele (locality) levels perpetrated violence against journalists. Safety risks such as incarceration, kidnapping, sexual assault, and financial and legal threats are systematically used by state and non-state actors to hinder the ability of journalists and media outlets to perform their jobs freely.
On the one hand, federal government security agencies have resorted to harassing journalists and independent media for reporting on conflicts and issues related to government development projects. On the other hand, armed groups have carried out targeted attacks against journalists, forcing them into hiding and inducing others to self-censor, thus normalising a cycle of intimidation.
Against all odds, throughout 2024, journalism associations and civil society organisations have condemned attacks and arbitrary detentions of journalists. Some private media have also reported about specific attacks against journalists, including those who fled the country in fear of persecution. While these responses indicate ongoing efforts to protect journalists and press freedom, a more coordinated effort is urgently required to document cases of violence against journalists accurately and to advocate for the safety of journalists and press freedom. The subsequent recommendation section outlines specific actions that media sector actors can take to improve the state of journalists’ safety.
We sincerely thank our donors, Denmark, Sweden, Norway and the UK, for their unwavering support these past few years and commitment to advancing journalist safety and media freedom in Ethiopia.
