Freelance journalist accredited to AP detained in Ethiopia

NAIROBI – A freelance video writer accredited to The Associated Press successful Ethiopia has been detained by constabulary successful the capital, Addis Ababa, the quality enactment said Wednesday.

Amir Aman Kiyaro was detained nether the country’s caller war-related authorities of exigency powers connected Nov. 28 aft returning location from a reporting trip. He has not been charged.

Officials with the Ethiopian Media Authority, the premier minister’s office, the overseas ministry and different authorities offices person not responded to repeated requests from the AP for accusation astir him since his detention. State media connected Wednesday reported his detention, citing national police, and said helium was accused of “serving the purposes” of a violent radical by interviewing it. The study said section journalists Thomas Engida and Addisu Muluneh besides were detained.

Federal constabulary inspector Tesfaye Olani told authorities media that the journalists violated the authorities of exigency instrumentality and Ethiopia’s anti-terrorism instrumentality and the violations could pb to 7 to 15 years down bars.

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In a statement, AP’s Executive Editor Julie Pace urged that Kiyaro beryllium freed: “The Associated Press is highly acrophobic that AP freelancer Amir Aman Kiyaro has been detained by the Ethiopian government, accused of promoting terrorism. These are baseless allegations. Kiyaro is an autarkic writer who has done important enactment successful Ethiopia connected each sides of the conflict. We telephone connected the Ethiopian authorities to merchandise Kiyaro immediately.”

Ethiopia’s authorities successful November declared a authorities of emergency, which includes sweeping powers of detention, aft a twelvemonth of warfare arsenic rival forces from the country’s bluish Tigray portion successful collaboration with the Oromo Liberation Army moved person to the capital. The authorities this twelvemonth declared some the Tigray forces and the OLA arsenic violent groups.

Tens of thousands of radical person been killed successful the warfare that erupted successful November 2020. The Tigray forces accidental they are pressuring the authorities to assistance a deadly blockade connected their portion but besides privation Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed to measurement aside. Mediation efforts by the United States and African Union for a cease-fire person made small progress.

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Kiyaro has covered some sides of the warfare this twelvemonth for the AP, including groundbreaking reporting connected the alleged wide killings by Tigray forces successful the assemblage of Chenna Teklehaymanot aft the fighters successful caller months moved into Ethiopia’s neighboring Amhara region.

In precocious November, the country’s authorities of exigency bid sought to restrict media reporting connected the war, forbidding the sharing of non-official accusation connected “military-related movements, battlefront results and situations.” Foreign media person been barred from Tigray for overmuch of the war, with communications links severed.

The government-created Ethiopian Human Rights Commission connected Wednesday said it was monitoring the concern of 4 different section journalists detained successful caller weeks. Last month, it said it was alarmed by the conditions of the detentions of possibly thousands of radical who person been swept up nether the authorities of emergency. It urged authorities to instantly merchandise radical detained without “evidence establishing tenable grounds for suspicion.”

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Spokesmen for the committee did not instantly respond to a petition for remark connected Kiyaro.

“Ethiopia has again go 1 of the worst jailers of journalists successful sub-Saharan Africa,” the Committee to Protect Journalists said successful a connection past week, describing the media situation arsenic “hostile” 3 years aft the premier curate took bureau and his authorities freed journalists arsenic portion of sweeping governmental reforms that person since been eroded.

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Follow AP stories astir the warfare successful Ethiopia astatine https://apnews.com/hub/ethiopia-erasing-ethnicity

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