Rights group shares concerns over abduction and detention of Ethiopia journalists News
Getakassa, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Rights group shares concerns over abduction and detention of Ethiopia journalists

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) expressed concern on Wednesday over the abduction and detention of several journalists in Ethiopia.

In its statement, the CPJ said it is “deeply alarmed” by the abduction of Ethiopian newspaper editor Yonas Amare as well as the detentions of journalist Khadar Mohamed Ismael and radio host Abdulsemed Mohammed. Several masked people dressed in military attire abducted Amare from his home, while Ismael was arrested by authorities in Ethiopia’s Somali Regional State. According to CPJ, Mohammed’s “current whereabouts are unknown.”

CPJ Africa program coordinator Muthoki Mumo explained:

Ethiopia, a country that already has a stained press freedom record, is increasingly becoming a hostile environment for journalists […] Authorities must urgently investigate Yonas Amare’s abduction, hold the perpetrators accountable, and unconditionally release journalists Khadar Mohamed Ismael and Abdulsemed Mohammed.

Amare, Khadar, and Abdulsemed’s cases are part of a broader pattern of repression against independent journalists in Ethiopia. Between 2019 and 2024, the CPJ reported that at least 92 media workers were detained, often under allegations of connections to rebel forces or justified by state of emergency laws. Journalists have been held in unofficial prisons or military detention camps, sometimes without judicial oversight or access to legal counsel, and occasionally in harsh conditions. CPJ has previously requested that Ethiopian authorities expand press freedom, particularly during the Tigray conflict.

Several journalists who have reported on regional conflicts have been forcibly exiled or subjected to harassment. For example, Tarif Andualem was detained after covering tensions between the Fano militias and federal authorities in Amhara, while Mulatu Alemayehu Moges faced home raids, equipment confiscation, and threats that ultimately forced him to leave Ethiopia. Despite these practices, there are formal protections afforded under the 2021 Media Proclamation law, highlighting a possible gap between legal safeguards and government enforcement.

The Ethiopian press landscape remains further constrained by entrenched structural and political challenges. Ethno-regional divisions, state influence over media outlets, and pressures on editors create an environment where self-censorship is common. Journalists attempting to report on sensitive topics, including military operations, government policy, and human rights abuses, face both informal intimidation and the risk of formal prosecution.

THIS DAY @ LAW

US Supreme Court decided Dartmouth College case

On February 2, 1819, the US Supreme Court decided Dartmouth College v. Woodward, ruling that the charter of a college was a contract that a state could not alter arbitrarily.

New Amsterdam incorporated

On February 2, 1653, the City of New Amsterdam was incorporated by the Dutch Republic. After the British conquest, the city was renamed New York after the Duke of York.

Breviary of Alaric put into effect by Visigoth king

King Alaric II of the Visigoths put the Breviary of Alaric, a collection of Roman laws, into effect on February 2, 506. The breviary contains constitutions and laws of the newly fallen Roman Empire, including the Theodosian code, and parts of the Gregorian and Hermogenian Codes. The Breviary of Alaric predated the Byzantine Empire's Code of Justinian by 23 years.  Read an entry on the Breviary of Alaric from the Encyclopaedia Brittanica.