US Report Accuses Gov’t Of Press Freedom Crackdown

State Department decries widespread harassment, arbitrary detention, disappearances

A new report from the US State Department accuses the Ethiopian government of a widespread crackdown on press freedom, citing systematic harassment, arbitrary detention, and enforced disappearances of journalists and government critics.

The 2024 human rights report highlights a significant decline in the country’s civic space and warns that numerous cases of intimidation and abductions have created a climate of fear for media professionals and activists.

The 28-page report documents numerous human rights violations, including extrajudicial killings, arbitrary detentions, and credible reports of disappearances and torture. It also details how the government and other groups engaged in censorship placed restrictions on freedom of expression.

According to the report, the Ethiopian Media Authority restricted freedom of expression for the press, and journalists frequently practiced self-censorship.

“The government’s control over state-owned Ethio telecom enabled it to manage the online media space through nationwide and regional shutdowns,” it reads, adding that the government has clamped down on criticism, especially concerning internal conflicts.

In its section on freedom of the press, the document notes that the media space is narrowing due to conflict, leading to challenges in accessing information and arbitrary detention of journalists.

The report added that the government’s crackdown also extends to artistic expression, with venues and theatres hosting political or social satire plays feeling the pressure.

“Journalists faced harassment and detention on charges of promoting terrorism and extremism when their reporting contradicted the government’s official narrative,” reads the report, indicating that officials also instructed them to cease their reporting, citing national security concerns.

The government harassed and detained foreign journalists, according to the State Department, which cited the French journalist detained in February 2024 while interviewing a political officer.

In addition, the document also notes that the Federal Police routinely refuse to respect court orders granting bail to journalists alleging they committed “terrorism-related crimes.”

The report also highlights disappearances and prolonged detention without charges are significant human rights issues.

Citing the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission’s (EHRC) annual report, it points to documented instances where government agents or affiliated groups abducted individuals. According to the report, abductees were held in undisclosed locations, and authorities repeatedly refused to acknowledge their detention.

“Government actors reportedly abducted politicians, journalists, activists, and artists who criticized security operations,” reads the report, highlighting the level of abductions as “widespread”.

In other cases, police have repeatedly failed to release detainees even after a court has ordered their release. The document states that police would file a new charge immediately, file repeated bail appeals, or transfer detainees to other jurisdictions or informal detention centres.

The report also mentions that the government reportedly continued to “detain thousands of ethnic Amhara and Oromo people even after a state of emergency had expired.”

According to the report, the government uses makeshift facilities to confine the detainees.

“[There were] Numerous instances of arbitrary detentions in the Tigray and Amhara regions where individuals were held without court orders and their whereabouts were sometimes undisclosed for days or weeks,” it reads.

The report also mentions the challenges within the country’s justice system, stating, “Lengthy legal procedures, large numbers of detainees, judicial inefficiency, and staffing shortages contributed to frequent trial delays, in some cases lasting years.”