Police Detain Editor For Questioning Over The Reporter’s Illicit Mining Coverage

This week saw the Editor-in-Chief of The Reporter detained by the Addis Ababa Police Commission in connection with the publication of articles revolving around inconsistencies and illicit activity in the mining sector.

Police officers appeared on The Reporter’s premises on Cameroon Street on October 15, 2024, without warrants or a court order and subsequently the next day detained and escorted the publication’s Editor-in-Chief to the Bole Sub-city police station near Anbessa Garage in the Gerji neighborhood.

There, the editor was detained for several hours on end while his attorney was expressly prohibited from consulting with him. The detaining officers refused to present any evidence or probable cause for what they said was an investigation into compromised national security and interest through newspaper articles revolving around allegations of corruption and illicit activity in the mining sector.

“You must immediately stop writing, editing, and publishing articles on mining corruption issues,” said Commissioner Admassu Iffa, head of the Bole Sub-city Police Division, during the hours-long interrogation. “There is no mining corruption that we know of in this country. If you don’t want your life to become difficult, take great caution when you write next time.”

He insinuated the existence of a hidden political agenda in The Reporter’s publications on mining-related issues.

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The Reporter’s previous edition published on October 12, 2024, featured a piece titled ‘Kurmuk Gold transfers 5.75 million shares to Egyptian company’ as part of a series of investigative articles on a lucrative gold mining venture in the Benishangul-Gumuz Regional State.

The Commissioner accused the editor of conspiring with external forces and undermining the country’s national interests.

“You cannot side with Egypt and work against Ethiopia,” he said.

Although the editor reiterated that every story published by The Reporter is based on evidence, the officers accused the newspaper of libel and slander against government officials and military officers whom they say have been named in articles about various  illegal mining operations in the country.

However, the officers were unable to present any evidence backing their accusations.

“If The Reporter has evidence of officials and generals engaging in illegal gold trading, forward the information and the evidence to ENDF [Ethiopian National Defense Force]the intelligence service or to the government. But you can never publish it even if you have the evidence. The next time you write, there will be grave consequences that won’t involve talking,” said an intelligence officer present during the interrogation, whose name and capacity remain unknown.

“We are warning you now. You can carry out investigative reporting but you cannot publish your findings. Implicating the names of government officials and military officers in any such illegal activities is illegal and poses grave danger to you. We are treating you very nicely today. Next time, we’ll take you to somewhere hidden,” said the officer.

The editor’s allusions to the transparent and rigorous publication procedures at The Reporterstakeholders’ right to reply in the case of errors and inaccuracies, the role of the Ethiopian Broadcast Authority, and the self-regulatory power endowed to the Ethiopian Media Council were ignored.

Another senior police officer present during the interrogation, stated that publishing articles related to the issues mentioned above is construed as a criminal act.

“You are not admitting the damage you have done to the country with the newspaper. Even if you know all the bad things that can happen, you must refrain from exposing them through the media. It would be better for you if you stop writing such stories,” said senior police officer.

He also confiscated the editor’s phone.

The security officers insinuated that they are keeping a close watch on the editor.

The editor was released from police custody and the incident is not the first of its kind since The Reporter began publishing evidence-based articles on the deep-seated corruption in Ethiopia’s mining sector, which has already spiraled into conflict mining involving armed groups, foreign actors, and government officials.

In August, officials at the Ministry of Mines summoned The Reporter’s senior editors for a meeting where they attempted to put a stop to the publication of investigative articles, tying them to “national security issues.”