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Kenyan Journalist's Arrest Highlights Ongoing Press Freedom Concerns in
Ethiopia

Salem Solomon

   WASHINGTON/ADDIS ABABA - The arrest and alleged abuse of a Kenyan
   journalist working in Ethiopia is renewing scrutiny of press freedoms
   in the country.

   Kenyan journalist Collins Juma Osemo, also known as Yassin Juma, said
   he was in Ethiopia on assignment for the U.K.-based Sky News as a
   producer. Juma said his own company, Horn24 Media, also planned to film
   a documentary for the Oromo Broadcasting Network, an Ethiopian
   government affiliate in the Oromia region.

   In an ordeal that lasted more than two months, Juma was arrested and
   faced multiple charges, including inciting violence and plotting to
   kill senior Ethiopian officials. Juma told VOA that he contracted the
   coronavirus while in a detention center in Addis Ababa. He also said he
   broke a rib during an altercation with men he believes were security
   personnel after he was released on bail.

   Fekadu Tsega, the director at the Office of the Attorney General, on
   Thursday disputed Juma's account and denied that individuals in custody
   are mistreated, telling VOA, "That's not how we work."

   In an interview with VOA, while in quarantine as he prepared to return
   home, Juma said his experience shows the press in Ethiopia continues to
   face severe restrictions.

   "All I can say is that I think maybe the world celebrated a little bit
   too early on the perceived changes in Ethiopia," he said.

   The Committee to Protect Journalists, an independent journalism
   advocacy group, reports that in the wake of protests following the June
   29 killing of popular Oromo singer Hachalu Hundessa, Ethiopia has shut
   down the internet and accused some media outlets of inciting violence.
   The government has ordered investigations into media organizations and
   arrested a total of 4,700 people, [1]CPJ reported.

   For years, rights groups and dissidents have raised concerns about the
   Ethiopian government's use of anti-terrorism laws to target
   journalists. Violent unrest in the country, and concerns about the role
   of inflammatory news reports and social media posts in stoking
   violence, contributed to public support for the laws.

References

   1. https://cpj.org/2020/08/ethiopian-authorities-detain-journalists-media-workers-on-incitement-allegations/

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