Africa-Press – Ethiopia. November 1, 2025 3 minutes read Addis Abeba – The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has strongly condemned the temporary suspension of nine reporters from the Deutsche Welle (DW) Amharic Service by the Ethiopian Media Authority (EMA), calling for the decision to be reversed immediately.
According to DW, the media authority suspended its correspondents, accusing them of “violating Ethiopian law and regulations and failing to respect professional ethics.”
However, in a statement released on 31 October 2025, the federation described the move as an act of intimidation and harassment intended to silence DW’s reporting and restrict Ethiopians’ access to independent information, particularly regarding the ongoing conflict in the Amhara region.
“The suspension of the DW reporters by the EMA is a deliberate act of intimidation aimed at depriving Ethiopians of truthful reporting on the conflict in the Amhara region,” IFJ General Secretary Anthony Bellanger said. “The Ethiopian government must allow media workers to carry out their work free from any form of intimidation and harassment. Such actions have become a recurring strategy to silence journalists since the beginning of the conflict, with many reporters facing imprisonment as a result.”
The IFJ urged the Ethiopian authorities to immediately and unconditionally reinstate the suspended DW reporters and to end all forms of repression against journalists, ensuring that they can perform their duties without fear or interference.
Addis Standard reported citing a statement DW released on its official Facebook page 23 October 2025 evening, that the Ethiopian Media Authority (EMA), in a letter issued that day, accused the outlet and its local correspondents of “violating Ethiopian law and regulations and failing to respect professional ethics.”
The Authority has not published the statement suspending the broadcaster as of the publishing since then.
On 25 October 2025 press release Deutsche Welle (DW) has protested the suspension of its nine correspondents in Ethiopia by the Ethiopian Media Authority (EMA). The authority informed DW’s Amharic language service in a letter dated 23 October 2025 that the journalistic work of its correspondents in Ethiopia has been “temporarily” suspended.
“The ban on reporting from Ethiopia deeply concerns us,” said DW Director General Barbara Massing. “Following the discontinuation of Voice of America’s language services, DW is the international media outlet with the widest reach in Ethiopia, offering an Amharic language program. Millions of Ethiopians continue to rely on us for free and independent information. We fully expect our colleagues to resume their work immediately and without restriction.”
DW recalled that it has been reporting on Ethiopia’s political, economic, and social affairs since late 1980s, including coverage on the activities of local, continental, and international organizations based in Ethiopia. The broadcaster noted that its presence in Ethiopia has “relied on correspondents operating within the country.”
DW also stated that since 2018, it has expanded its network to nine correspondents based in Mekelle, Bahir Dar, Dessie, Addis Abeba, Hawassa, Dire Dawa, and Assosa, enabling it to “collect information and distribute independent, balanced, and accurate reports to the people of Ethiopia.”
The announcement comes in the backdrop of a recent warning by Human Rights Watch (HRW) over a sharp rise in arrests of journalists and media professionals in Ethiopia since August 2025. HRW warned that the crackdown undermines press freedom in the lead-up to the country’s 2026 national elections.
The warning came after a surge in crackdown against independent and private media professionals in Ethiopia, the latest of which saw the detention in September of three Sheger FM 102.1 journalists – Tigist Zerihun, Mintamir Tsegaw, and Eshete Assefa – just days after the station aired a report on health workers. The Ethiopian Media Authority had ordered the broadcast removed, accusing it of bias and incitement, but the arrests followed even after compliance. All three were since released by a court in the capital Addis Abeba. AS
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