Amnesty International (AI) has called for the protection of people’s rights to freedom of expression and peaceful protest in Ethiopia following the recent arrest of journalists in the country.
Development Diaries reports that the journalist, Genet Asmamaw, Getnet Aragaw, Aragaw Sisay, Meskerem Abera, Abay Zewdu, Dawit Begashaw and Tewodros Asfaw, were arrested following violence in the Amhara region.
The organisation called on the government of Ethiopia to ‘promptly, thoroughly, independently, and effectively investigate the incident and bring perpetrators to justice in fair trials’.
The government’s decision to dissolve the regional security units of the country’s 11 federal states and fold them into the federal forces early this month triggered protests in the country.
Journalists and media workers need to be able to do their work without any threat, intimidation and harassment to effectively carry out their professional duties of informing the public and contributing to holding authorities accountable’, AI’s Deputy Regional Director, East and Southern Africa, Flavia Mwangovya, said.
It is understood that Ethiopia and Eritrea are sub-Saharan Africa’s worst jailers of journalists.
Freedom House ranked the country as ‘not free’ in its Freedom in the World 2023 study of political rights and civil liberties, with the nation earning 21 points out of a potential 100.
Photo source: Addis Fortune
