Ethiopian Government Cracks Down on Corrupt Officials, Businesspersons: Economic Sabotage

Addis Standard Editor Detained, Newsroom Raided Ethiopian authorities are intensifying their assault on media freedom in the country. On August 1, unidentified security personnel detained Yonas Kedir, the editor-in-chief of the Addis Standard, and questioned him for 24 hours about the independent news outlet's reporting before releasing him, according to a statement by the outlet. The following day, security and intelligence officials raided the outlet's offices, damaging and confiscating equipment. Follow us on WhatsApp | LinkedIn for the latest headlines The Addis Standard has been through this before. Four months ago, men in plainclothes seized the outlet's managing editor, Million Beyene , and held him incommunicado for nearly two weeks before releasing him without charge. The authorities have yet to publicly explain his detention. In February, the government's media regulatory body, the Ethiopian Media Authority, revoked the Addis Standard 's operating license for alleged repeated violations of the media laws. The outlet is challenging the decision in court. The government's harassment of the Addis Standard reflects a broader campaign by Ethiopian authorities to silence independent media and deter reporting it deems too critical or sensitive. In the past year, authorities have arbitrarily arrested scores of journalists, holding some incommunicado , while media outlets and journalists have had their accreditation or licenses revoked . The Ethiopian Media Authority has also alleged repeated violations of media laws by independent broadcasters Arts TV and Ahadu F, and on July 31 issued "final written warnings," threatening that further action could include suspension or revocation of their licenses. The repeated targeting of the Addis Standard , together with regulatory threats against other independent broadcasters, often on vague national security or national interest grounds , points to an increasingly hostile environment for independent media in Ethiopia that had worsened prior to the country's June elections and has continued to deteriorate. Earlier concerns that the Ethiopian government might use the elections as a pretext to further restrict independent media proved to be well-founded. It seems the government has now set in motion a machinery of repression that it has little inclination to stop. Despite the shrinking space for independent media, Ethiopia's international partners have so far remained silent. They should publicly condemn the government's latest attacks and press the authorities to respect media freedom and ensure journalists can report without fear of arbitrary detention, intimidation, or reprisals. Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy . We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later. Mausi Segun , Executive Director, Africa Read the original article on HRW . AllAfrica publishes around 600 reports a day from more than 90 news organizations and over 500 other institutions and individuals , representing a diversity of positions on every topic. We publish news and views ranging from vigorous opponents of governments to government publications and spokespersons. Publishers named above each report are responsible for their own content, which AllAfrica does not have the legal right to edit or correct. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica . To address comments or complaints, please Contact us . AllAfrica is a voice of, by and about Africa - aggregating, producing and distributing 600 news and information items daily from over 90 African news organizations and our own reporters to an African and global public. We operate from Cape Town, Dakar, Abuja, Johannesburg, Nairobi and Washington DC. Get the latest in Af