Ethiopia arrested at least seven journalists in April 2025, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), as authorities enacted new media legislation that critics say expands government control and threatens press freedom.
One of those detained is Ahmed Awga, founder of Jigjiga Television Network, who was jailed after airing an interview in which a grieving father blamed police for the death of his teenage son. Awga faces incitement charges and has been held without trial for over three weeks.
The arrests come shortly after Ethiopia’s parliament passed amendments to the 2021 media law, giving the government more influence over the Ethiopian Media Authority (EMA). CPJ warned that changes—such as eliminating civil society representation on the EMA board and allowing politically affiliated members—erode safeguards intended to keep the media regulator independent.
Other journalists arrested include Muhyidin Abdullahi Omar of Harari Mass Media, who was charged with defamation and disinformation over Facebook posts; Fanuel Kinfu of Fentale Media; and Abebe Fikir of The Reporter, who was briefly jailed after covering a housing dispute. CPJ also confirmed the temporary detention of three Addis Standard staff members during a police raid on the outlet’s newsroom.
The Addis Standard editorial board called the raid “a dangerous precedent,” accusing authorities of violating data privacy and press protections.
International concerns have grown. On World Press Freedom Day, 14 diplomatic missions in Ethiopia, including those of the UK and France, issued a joint statement condemning increasing pressure on journalists. Ethiopia now ranks 145th in Reporters Without Borders’ 2025 Press Freedom Index, placing it in the “very serious” category for the first time.
Ethiopia was also named one of Africa’s worst jailers of journalists by CPJ, with several media professionals facing terrorism-related charges carrying potential death sentences.
Despite promises of reform in previous years, press freedom in Ethiopia appears to be under renewed threat amid escalating tensions between authorities and the media.