Ethiopian state media journalist detained at unknown location

Nairobi, October 4, 2024—The Committee to Protect Journalists is concerned about the wellbeing of journalist Yeshihasab Abera, who has yet to appear in court after security personnel took him from his office on September 30 in Amhara State, which has been engulfed in conflict since 2023.

Yeshihasab, deputy editor of the state-owned Bekur newspaper, was arrested at the offices of the Amhara Media Corporation, the newspaper’s parent company, in the regional capital Bahir Dar, according to his wife, Meseret Hunegnaw, and media reports.

Authorities initially held him at a makeshift military station before transferring him on the same day to a police station, Meseret told CPJ. On October 3, he was moved again to an unknown location but officials had yet to explain the reasons for his detention, she said.

“Authorities in Ethiopia should produce Yeshihasab Abera in court and present credible charges against him, or release him immediately and unconditionally,” said CPJ Africa Program Coordinator Muthoki Mumo. “His detention at an unknown location is alarming and sends a message of fear to other journalists in the restive Amhara region.”

Amnesty International has described arbitrary detentions of hundreds of people, including civil servants and academics, in Amhara since September 28.

On October 1, Amhara regional government and Ethiopian National Defense Force officials said they were engaged in a “law enforcement operation” targeting armed groups and their “logistical and intelligence” networks within the government and private sector. CPJ could not determine whether Yeshihasab’s detention was part of these mass arrests.

Conflict broke out in the region more than a year ago, between government forces and regional Fano militia who felt the Amhara were betrayed by the terms of a peace agreement to end an earlier conflict, the country’s 2020-2022 civil war, and who have contested federal control of parts of the region.

CPJ did not receive any replies to its emails requesting comment from the Amhara Amhara Regional State Government Communication Bureau, Bekur newspaper, or the Amhara Media Corporation.