Media monitoring group condemns Ethiopia journalists' detention

By AFP

A media rights monitoring group condemned on Wednesday the detention of three Ethiopian reporters working for one of the country's most widely read outlets, and urged the return of seized equipment.

The east African giant of some 130 million people is regularly criticised by human rights NGOs for the repression of dissenting voices.

The country ranks 141st out of 180 countries in the Reporters Without Borders 2024 press freedom index, which cites "widespread self-censorship".

In a statement, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said it "condemns the arbitrary arrest on 17 April of three employees of the Addis Standard". The individuals were later released after being held for several hours.

The newspaper said police had also raided its headquarters and seized six laptops and eight phones.

A member of the IT department, whose home was searched in the early hours of the morning, was also "physically manhandled," the Addis Standard said.

In a statement, RSF urged authorities to return the seized items, noting the outlet's concerns as the equipment "continues to be subjected to digital searches".

RSF's Sub-Saharan Africa office director Sadibou Marong condemned "these dangerous practices for the employees and their sources".

Ethiopian authorities have not yet responded to AFP's requests to comment.

At least seven journalists were detained on terrorism allegations earlier this month, drawing the condemnation of the Committee to Protect Journalists.