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Ethiopian Journalist Released as Advocacy Groups Condemn Arrest, Seek Answers

by Salem Solomon

   Journalist Tesfalem Waldyes, the founder and editor-in-chief of
   Ethiopia Insider, an Ethiopian news and analysis website, was released
   Tuesday after spending three days in police custody.

   "I just talked to him," said Eshete Bekele, a journalist with Deutsche
   Welle's Amharic service and Tesfalem's former colleague. "He just got
   out," he told VOA.

   Prior to his release, Tesfalem's colleagues and friends said his
   whereabouts hadn't been known since Saturday, but federal police
   confirmed his detention to BBC's Amharic service, saying there was
   nothing to be concerned about. The police didn't give an explanation
   for the arrest or provide additional details.

   Tesfalem, however, had access to a lawyer and was held for questioning
   at the Federal Police Commission, near Mexico Square, according to
   media reports.

   Befeqadu Hailu, the executive director of the Center for Advancement of
   Rights and Democracy, said Tesfalem went missing after covering the
   Irreecha festival in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia's capital. Irreecha is a
   cultural event celebrated by Ethiopia's ethnic Oromo community.

   Befeqadu said via Twitter that Tesfalem's plan for Sunday was to report
   on the festival, which also took place at a second location, Bishoftu.

   The annual event is traditionally held in Bishoftu, a town located in
   the Oromia region, about 40 kilometers south of Addis Ababa.

   After covering the event in in Addis Ababa, Tesfalem posted a video on
   Ethiopia Insider's Facebook page that showed attendees expressing their
   criticism of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's administration.

   Attendees also demanded the release of political prisoners, chanting,
   "Jawar, Jawar!"

   Jawar Mohammed, an Oromo activist and opposition leader, has been
   imprisoned, charged with terrorism and other crimes alongside other
   prominent Oromo politicians.

   In 2014, Tesfalem was among three journalists and six bloggers, who
   became known as the "Zone 9 Bloggers" and were arrested for inciting
   violence among other charges, including terrorism. He spent more than
   one year in prison and was later released. Zone 9 Bloggers were
   recipients of the Committee to Protect Journalists' International Press
   Freedom Award in 2015.

   The CPJ Monday condemned Tesfalem's recent arrest.

   "This is the latest in a string of attacks on the press that expose a
   government keen to stifle, rather than nurture, independent or
   dissenting coverage," the advocacy group said in a statement posted on
   Twitter.

   The nonprofit has documented several arbitrary arrests, attacks and the
   expulsion of at least one journalist in recent months.

   "Is filming anti-government protesters now forbidden in the country?"
   asked Reporters Without Borders, another advocacy group that called for
   Tesfalem's release while he was being held.

   "He did nothing but his job," RSF said in a Twitter post that also said
   Tesfalem was arrested while filming a demonstration.

   There was no response to the latest arrest from the Abiy government.

   Separately, Prime Minister Abiy was sworn in for a second term on
   Monday. The event comes as the national government remains engaged in a
   nearly year-old armed conflict with forces in Ethiopia's northern
   Tigray region.

   Salem Solomon is an award-winning multimedia reporter and editor with
   the Voice of America's News Center.

   Salem's multimedia and data-driven projects include Hunger Across
   Africa
   , a project that won the Cowan Award for Humanitarian Reporting, Boko
   Haram: Terror Unmasked, Unrest: Ethiopia at a Crossroads, [1]How
   Western DRC's Ebola Outbreak Was Contained, [2]Zimbabwe in
   Transition and [3]How Long Have Africa's Presidents Held
   Office?, which [4]won second place at the 2016 African Media Awards.

   Previously, she worked in the Africa Division, covering the latest news
   from across the continent. She started working at VOA with the Horn of
   Africa service while completing her master's degree in journalism at
   the University of South Florida St. Petersburg, where she was a
   teaching assistant. She has reported and edited stories online, and for
   radio broadcasts and TV in English, [5]Amharic and [6]Tigrigna.

   Salem's work has appeared in prominent news outlets including The New
   York Times, The Washington Post, the Tampa Bay Times and others. She
   researches trends in analytics and digital journalism. Her work focused
   on journalism innovation and fact-checking initiatives has appeared in
   the Columbia Journalism Review, on Poynter Online and Harvard's Nieman
   Journalism Lab, and she has taught advanced reporting at the University
   of South Florida's Department of Journalism and Digital Communication.

   For tips and inquiries, email salemsolomon@voanews.com.

References

   1. https://projects.voanews.com/drc-ebola-outbreak/?utm_source=voaprojects
   2. https://projects.voanews.com/zimbabwe-in-transition/
   3. http://projects.voanews.com/african-presidents/
   4. https://www.usagm.gov/2016/10/26/voas-digital-project-wins-second-place-african-media-awards-competition/
   5. http://amharic.voanews.com/author/25085.html
   6. http://tigrigna.voanews.com/author/25525.html