Watchdog Slams Ethiopia's Terror Charges on Journalists

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is urging Ethiopian authorities to drop terrorism charges against at least seven reporters from the Ethiopian Broadcasting Service (EBS), calling their prosecution over a documentary—based on the account of a rape victim later found to have lied—a “disproportionate attack on press freedom.”

The arrests followed a March 23 broadcast of Addis Meiraf documentary, in which a woman named Birtukan Temesgen claimed she was abducted and raped by men in military uniforms while attending university in 2020. Days later, Birtukan recanted the allegation on state-owned Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation, and EBS founder Amman Fissehazion apologized publicly, saying the network confirmed the claims were false only after the episode aired.

Despite the retraction and apology, police raided EBS headquarters on March 26, temporarily took the station off the air, and arrested four journalists: Nebiyu Tiumelissan, Tariku Haile, Hilina Tarekegn, and Niter Dereje. Three others—Girma Tefera, Henok Abate, and Habtamu Alemayehu—were detained over the next two days. Birtukan was also taken into custody.

Authorities have accused the journalists of conspiring with “extremist” groups in Ethiopia’s Amhara region, where federal forces are battling Fano militias accused of launching cross-regional attacks. The journalists, according to court documents reviewed by CPJ, sought to incite violence and destabilize the country.

“Arresting journalists on terrorism allegations is a disproportionate response to concerns over lapses in journalistic ethics, particularly as EBS has already faced regulatory sanction,” said Muthoki Mumo, CPJ’s Africa Program Coordinator.

On April 1, the Ethiopian Media Authority suspended Addis Meiraf pending “corrective actions,” but media rights groups argue the situation should have remained within the bounds of regulatory enforcement—not criminal prosecution.

Lawyers representing the journalists contend that any editorial misconduct should be handled under Ethiopia’s media law and hate speech legislation, both of which provide for civil or administrative remedies. They warn that the use of terrorism laws in this context sets a dangerous precedent for journalism in Ethiopia.