Ethiopia: Five Detained Ethiopian Journalists Pressured to Admit Terrorism Involvement in Exchange for Release, CPJ Says

What the report says

The Committee to Protect Journalists is urging Ethiopian authorities to release five journalists who have been held for about three years while awaiting trial, according to Addis Standard as distributed by AllAfrica. The journalists named in the report are Gobeze Sisay, Meskerem Abera, Genet Asmamaw, Dawit Begashaw and Abay Zewdu. They were detained in 2023 on terrorism-related charges tied to their coverage of unrest in Ethiopia’s Amhara region.

CPJ, citing the journalists’ lawyer, said prison officials and other authorities have been pressuring the five to sign apology letters that would amount to admitting responsibility for the conflict and related damage. The report says the journalists have refused because they view the letters as self-incriminating. CPJ argues that the pressure is an attempt to force confessions in cases the journalists say they have denied in court.

The legal cases are still moving through Ethiopia’s courts. The report says a federal court found there was enough evidence in February for the joint case against four of the journalists to continue, with a defense hearing now scheduled for 19 November. A separate case involving Abay Zewdu remains pending, with the next hearing set for 16 October. The article says the charges could carry very severe penalties if convictions follow, which has raised press freedom and due process concerns among rights advocates.

CPJ also said similar apology letters have reportedly been requested from hundreds of other people facing terrorism-related accusations linked to the Amhara conflict. Ethiopian authorities had not responded to CPJ’s requests for comment, according to the report.