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The Guardian
05-05-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Mass arrests and beatings: how Ethiopia went from celebrating journalists to jailing them
When Ethiopia was chosen by the United Nations to host the global celebrations for World Press Freedom Day in May 2019, it held a glitzy ceremony in the capital, Addis Ababa, attended by nearly 1,000 people. The prime minister, Abiy Ahmed, had come to power a year earlier promising to end decades of repression and usher in an unprecedented era of freedom. Exiled news outlets were invited back to Ethiopia, journalists were released from prison and a host of new publications sprang up. But any hopes of a lasting press freedom were dashed in 2020 with the outbreak of war between Abiy's military forces and local rulers in Tigray, Ethiopia's northernmost region. Amid mounting allegations of atrocities, the government restricted journalists' access to Tigray and imposed a communication blackout, cutting off the region's phone and internet. Ethiopia clamped down on independent media, claiming it was protecting national security and describing the rebels in Tigray as terrorists. Initially, the government refused to term the conflict a war and instead referred to it as a 'law-enforcement operation', anticipating a swift victory. By the time the conflict ended two years later, about 600,000 people had been killed and nearly 10% of women aged 15 to 49 in Tigray had been raped. According to Reporters Without Borders' annual press freedom index, Ethiopia went from being 110th out of 180 countries in 2019 to 145th this year, as mass arrests and the detention of media workers across the country took their toll. Press freedom is in worrying decline in many parts of the world, with widespread attacks on journalists - last year was the deadliest on record - and the shutting down of news outlets due to economic hardship. We are running a series of pieces exploring the threats and challenges faced by media around World Press Freedom Day on 3 May, created to remind governments of their duty to uphold freedom of expression. 'My trouble started on the first day of the war,' says one Ethiopian journalist. 'I wrote an article about Ethiopia descending into a civil war and pro-government activists started labelling me a mercenary, a CIA agent. 'These people had hundreds of thousands of followers [on social media] and were sharing my picture.' Soon, online threats morphed into physical ones. 'While I was driving, people would roll down their window and say they would come and kill me,' says the journalist. 'In the comments of the social media posts, people were pointing out my address, saying they knew my house and would attack me. I was confronted in a restaurant, a parking lot … I was an easy target.' Eventually, they fled, joining at least 53 other Ethiopian journalists and media workers exiled since the war began in 2020, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). Since 2019, at least 200 journalists have been arrested, according to Ethiopia Press Freedom Defenders. Although the Tigray war is over, the restrictions on media have continued as conflict flares in other parts of the country, human rights groups say. The CPJ counts 12 journalists behind bars in Ethiopia, putting it among the worst countries in Africa for jailing journalists. Two journalists have been killed, including Dawit Kebede Araya, a reporter for the regional broadcaster Tigrai TV, who was gunned down by an unidentified attacker near his home in Tigray in January 2021. In 2022, the Dimitsi Woyane TV station in Tigrai was hit by a drone strike. The CPJ did not attribute either to the government, but called for an investigation. Several independent media outlets have been shut down. Two foreign correspondents for the Economist and the New York Times have been deported. One Ethiopian journalist was arrested after fleeing to Djibouti and charged with terrorism offences for his coverage of conflict in Amhara, another region of Ethiopia beset by conflict. Muthoki Mumo, CPJ's sub-Saharan Africa representative, says: 'Authorities often invoke anti-terror and hate speech laws, as well as state-of-emergency provisions, to suppress critical reporting and to hold journalists behind bars on vague allegations and charges, amid seemingly indefinite investigations.' Amir Aman Kiyaro, a freelance videographer for the Associated Press, was detained in 2021 at his home in Addis Ababa after returning from a trip to Oromia, Ethiopia's biggest region, to report on a rebel group there. At the time, war was creeping close to Addis Ababa and a state of emergency was in place that curtailed civil liberties. Amir was detained for four months but never charged. State media outlets accused him of colluding with the rebels, who are classed as terrorists. 'As an independent journalist, I wanted to talk to people and document the situation on the ground,' he says. 'They were portraying me as having committed a cardinal sin, something very terrible, just for doing my job.' Last month, police detained seven journalists at the privately owned Ethiopian Broadcast Service. On 23 March the outlet had aired claims by a woman who said she had been raped by soldiers in 2020. The woman later recanted her allegations and the outlet's founder apologised, saying it has discovered the allegations were fabricated after the programme had aired. Police accused the journalists of terrorism and working with 'extremist' groups to overthrow the government. 'If you are not promoting what the government wants, you are seen as against the system,' says an editor. 'Every week, we get letters from government offices complaining about our coverage. 'It's not because we publish wrong facts, but because we are reporting on things like conflict and inflation, things that are seen as critical.' Most journalists now practise self-censorship, says the editor: 'Many independent media just repeat government statements. I ask the journalists, 'Why do you do that?' They say, 'I have children, I need to survive.'' Tsedale Lemma, founder of Addis Standard, one of Ethiopia's leading independent media outlets, says the police and security services routinely flout legal protections for media workers. 'We're nowhere close to protecting the media from this coordinated assault the government is waging against it, whether it's mass arrests, disappearances of journalists, the mass defamation of journalists or the delegitimisation of their work,' she says. Addis Standard has had repeated run-ins with the government. In 2020, a senior member of its newsroom was detained without charge for two months. In 2021, the government briefly suspended the outlet, halting work in its newsroom for a week. Late last year, its video team were detained for a day as they were reporting on people migrating to Addis Ababa. Just two weeks ago police raided the Standard's office and the home of an employee, confiscating computers and phones, and detaining three managers, one of whom was assaulted, Tsedale says. 'We're operating as if we're under this total state of emergency, [and] this constant cloud of fear doesn't give journalists the confidence to stay the course with you,' says Tsedale. 'No matter how many resources you spend training and mentoring them, they are always on the lookout for a safer, secure job.' Another editor shares similar stories about colleagues being detained while covering news and held for days at police stations. With Ethiopia gearing up for its general election in 2026, he fears further clampdowns. 'In two years, we won't have any independent media left if things continue like this.' A government spokesperson did not reply to messages seeking comment on the state of press freedom in Ethiopia. It has previously said several independent media outlets are highly partisan and do not adhere to proper journalistic ethnics regarding impartiality and verifying facts, instead advocating for certain ethnic groups within Ethiopia's multi-ethnic federation of more than 80 different peoples.
Libyan Express
04-05-2025
- Politics
- Libyan Express
Libya inches up press freedom index
BY Libyan Express May 04, 2025 - 03:44 Updated: May 04, 2025 - 03:45 Following the February 2011 Revolution, Libya experienced a brief period of experimental newspaper publishing, but these print ventures rapidly declined as the Internet became more prevalent. Photo via AFP Libya has climbed six positions in Reporters Without Borders' (RSF) 2025 Press Freedom Index, now ranking 137th amongst 180 countries worldwide. Despite this upward movement, Libya remains classified in the 'difficult situation' category, reflecting the significant challenges journalists continue to face. The Libyan media environment remains deeply fragmented along political fault lines, a persistent legacy of the 2011 revolution. Rather than functioning as independent information sources, most news outlets operate as mouthpieces for competing political factions. Journalists must navigate a patchwork of contradictory laws that offer minimal safeguards, with their personal safety consistently representing their most pressing concern. While this modest improvement in Libya's ranking signals limited progress, press freedom advocates emphasise the urgent need for robust journalist protections, thorough investigations into attacks on media workers, and substantial legal reforms. These measures are deemed essential to nurture independent journalism within Libya's complex and divided political landscape. The views expressed in Op-Ed pieces are those of the author and do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of Libyan Express. How to submit an Op-Ed: Libyan Express accepts opinion articles on a wide range of topics. Submissions may be sent to oped@ Please include 'Op-Ed' in the subject line.
Libya Observer
03-05-2025
- Politics
- Libya Observer
Press freedom in Libya slightly improved
Libya ranked 137th in the 2025 Press Freedom Index, up from 143rd out of 180 countries last year. According to Reporters Without Borders' report, the index rose by six points, marking what it called a "slight improvement" in the press situation in the country. The organization noted that despite the slight improvement, Libya remains classified as a "difficult situation," as Libyan media outlets face repeated attacks that threaten their independence. News Tagged: Press Freedom
Business Recorder
03-05-2025
- Politics
- Business Recorder
Press freedom in peril
EDITORIAL: As the world observes World Press Freedom Day today (May 3), Reporters Without Borders' (RSF) damning report to mark the occasion highlights that not only have media freedoms receded rapidly in countries where civil liberties and democracy were already in retreat, but these are also facing mounting pressures in places long considered bastions of free speech and independent journalism. According to the RSF, over half the world's population — 56.7 percent — lives in regions devoid of press freedom and where journalism remains a dangerous occupation. The report also underscores a global media landscape reeling under unprecedented economic pressure, with financial constraints emerging as the foremost threat to press freedom, even in established democracies like the US and across the EU. In a new low for the US, for instance, it dropped to 57th on the World Press Freedom Index 2025, with its media environment being categorised as 'problematic'. According to the RSF, the US is undergoing an unprecedented and sustained decline in press freedom, which is likely to worsen manifold with Donald Trump's return to power. Media ownership in both the US and the EU is increasingly concentrated in the hands of a few, with there being more of a focus on maximising profits than supporting journalism that serves the public good. Meanwhile, tech giants like Meta and Google continue to siphon off advertising revenue, further crippling the media economy internationally, and tightening their grip on global information flows. Most troublingly, the rise of ideologically driven media has undermined impartial reporting. The conflict in the Middle East, for example, has completely exposed the limits of media independence in many Western democracies, where criticism of the Israeli government or Zionist ideology is often equated with antisemitism, creating a chilling effect that silences dissent and discourages nuanced reporting. Such dynamics reveal how deep-seated political, ideological, corporate and institutional biases erode core principles of press freedom, and combined with the backsliding of media liberties in the US under the Trump Administration, send disturbing signals globally, emboldening authoritarian regimes to intensify their own assaults on independent journalism — all under the cynical pretext that 'even the US does it'. Unsurprisingly, press freedom in Pakistan also remains in crisis, as reflected in its dismal 158th position on the World Press Freedom Index — a telling indictment of its media environment. A recent report of the Pakistan Press Foundation has highlighted how the highly controversial Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) 2025 has intensified fears of legal repercussions for journalists — especially in the digital sphere — confirming that the state has no compunctions about encroaching on media freedoms. While the purported purpose of PECA was to curb fake news and mitigate the harmful impacts of social media, in effect it is designed as a tool to stifle dissent and limit criticism of those in power. It has intensified censorship risks, and fostered a climate of fear that deters investigative journalism, weakens media scrutiny of the powerful and erodes the public's right to access to information. In addition, restrictions on advertising to certain media outlets have been weaponised to financially pressure and penalise dissenting voices, while the role of the law enforcement apparatus in targeting media professionals reflects a pattern of intimidation aimed at silencing independent journalism. Most worryingly, Pakistan remains one of the most dangerous places for journalists globally, with reporters frequently facing threats, harassment, abductions, and even deadly violence, often with little accountability for the perpetrators, fostering a culture of impunity and fear. It is clear then that press freedom in Pakistan, as well as globally, faces a growing and deeply alarming deterioration. This accelerating decline demands urgent action to defend independent journalism before it is irreparably undermined. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Shafaq News
03-05-2025
- Business
- Shafaq News
RSF index: Iraq's media landscape ‘Very Serious'
Shafaq News/ Iraq ranked among the most challenging environments for journalists globally, according to Reporters Without Borders' (RSF) 2025 World Press Freedom Index. The report highlights a sharp worldwide decline in press freedom, driven largely by financial strain. RSF warned that mounting economic instability, coupled with advertiser pressure and concentrated media ownership, continues to erode editorial independence. Of the 180 countries evaluated, news outlets in 160 are battling financial unsustainability. A growing number of states, including the United States (ranked 57th, down two spots), Argentina (87th, down 21), and Tunisia (129th, down 11), reported repeated shutdowns of media operations due to economic distress. In Palestine, ranked 163rd, RSF documented nearly 200 journalist deaths and extensive damage to media facilities amid the Gaza blockade. Meanwhile, political instability in Haiti (112th, down 18) has left its press sector paralyzed. Even nations once considered press freedom strongholds, such as South Africa (27th) and New Zealand (16th), are facing newsroom closures and mounting commercial interference. The report also highlights a surge in journalist exile. In 34 countries—including Nicaragua (172nd), Belarus (166th), Iran (176th), and Afghanistan (175th)—reporters have fled worsening repression and collapsing economies. For the first time, more than half of the countries surveyed fall into categories labeled 'problematic' or 'very serious' for press freedom. Only a quarter earned 'satisfactory' ratings. Globally, average press freedom scores dipped below the 55-point mark—an all-time low since the index began. RSF compiles the index using five key indicators: political context, legal environment, economic pressures, sociocultural factors, and journalist safety.
