#Ethiopia 🇪🇹 Three years ago, on August 10, Amara Media Center journalist Abay Zewdu was arrested in a sweeping crackdown on reporting about conflict in the Amhara region. He remains behind bars on terrorism charges that carry a potential death sentence.
Although Abay has spent three years in prison, the court has yet to decide whether the prosecution has sufficient evidence for his case to proceed. Hearings are due to resume on October 16, following the court’s August-to-October recess, his lawyers told CPJ.
Abay’s continued detention, along with four other journalists also accused of terrorism — Genet Asmamaw, Meskerem Abera, Dawit Begashaw, and Gobeze Sisay — underscores the risks facing independent media in Ethiopia and the criminalization of reporting on matters of public interest. CPJ calls for Abay’s immediate release and for Ethiopian authorities to stop criminalizing journalism.
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