"Ethiopia has seen a surge in detentions of journalists in recent months. Now, Deutsche Welle's Amharic service, which has been broadcasting to Ethiopia since 1965, was informed on October 23 that the Ethiopian Media Authority (EMA) had "temporarily" suspended nine DW correspondents based in the capital, Addis Ababa, and several regional cities. The letter from the EMA does not contain any concrete allegations, but broadly accuses DW of violating media proclamations and disseminating unbalanced and conflict-aggravating reports that "lack reliable sources.""
"In a statement, DW condemned the suspension of its staff in Ethiopia, and asked the government to "urgently make available" transcripts of reports deemed not in line with professional ethics. DW Director-General Barbara Massing said: "We are very concerned about the restriction on our reporting in Ethiopia. Following the discontinuation of the language services of Voice of America, Deutsche Welle offers the most widely accessed Amharic-language program by an international media outlet in Ethiopia. Millions of Ethiopians continue to rely on us to provide them with access to independent information.""
"In response to the suspension of DW's journalists, Angela Quintal, Africa Program coordinator for the Committee to Protect Journalists, said: "This blatant suspension of Deutsche Welle's journalists is an outrageous act of censorship and intimidation. Ethiopian authorities are weaponizing media laws to silence independent reporting and control the narrative. The government must immediately lift the suspension, stop harassing journalists, and respect the public's right to information.""
Ethiopia has seen a surge in detentions of journalists in recent months. On October 23, the Ethiopian Media Authority temporarily suspended nine Deutsche Welle Amharic correspondents in Addis Ababa and several regional cities. The EMA letter contained no concrete allegations but accused DW of violating media proclamations and disseminating unbalanced, conflict-aggravating reports that lack reliable sources. DW condemned the suspension, requested transcripts of the contested reports, and emphasized its role as a major Amharic-language international broadcaster relied on by millions after Voice of America discontinued language services. Rights groups labeled the move censorship and urged the government to lift the suspension and respect the public's right to information.
Read at www.dw.com
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