Press freedom in Ethiopia is under renewed pressure following the arrests of two prominent journalists in Addis Ababa, raising alarm among international rights groups.
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has called for their immediate release and criticized the government’s silence on the matter.
Abdulsemed Mohamed, host of a business program on privately owned Ahadu Radio, disappeared on 11 August.
Three days later, he was reportedly seen in the company of police officers during a search of the radio station, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).
The second journalist, Yonas Amare, editor-in-chief of the daily newspaper The Reporter, was reportedly abducted from his home on 13 August by masked individuals, with witnesses claiming he was taken by members of government security forces. The circumstances surrounding both disappearances remain unclear.
Authorities have yet to issue an official explanation. When contacted by AFP, a spokesman for Addis Ababa’s police declined to comment.
Sadibou Marong, director of RSF’s sub-Saharan Africa desk, expressed deep concern over the arrests, stating: “We are concerned by the way these journalists were arrested and the authorities’ silence.”
He urged the government to provide information on their whereabouts and to release them immediately.
These incidents come amid a surge in restrictions on freedom of expression.
RSF reports that six journalists are currently imprisoned in Ethiopia, which ranks 145th out of 180 countries in the World Press Freedom Index, down four places from last year.
Observers note that although Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s rise in 2018 initially raised hopes for greater openness, the government has since reasserted control over information, with journalist arrests rising in recent months, even as some detainees have been released.
The crackdown coincides with the approach of parliamentary elections scheduled for June 2026. Rights groups warn that the intensified restrictions on the press may foreshadow a broader clampdown on civil liberties, as authorities seek to control public discourse in the lead-up to the vote.
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