Police raids on the offices of Addis Standard, a privately owned news outlet, and the residence of one of its employees have rekindled concerns about press freedom in Ethiopia. The Committee to Protect Journalists issued a statement on Tuesday, expressing alarm over the actions, which included the confiscation of electronic equipment and the detention of three staff members. Tsedale Lemma, the publisher and founder of Addis Standard, said that six plainclothes officers carried out the raid on April 17, taking the newsroom and human resources managers to the Federal Police Crime Investigation Unit for interrogation. They also raided the residence of the outlet’s IT manager earlier that morning, allegedly assaulting him in front of his family before taking him into custody.
On the same day, all three were freed without being charged.
Tsedale refuted the accusation, stating that the station does not create documentaries, and authorities stated worries that the outlet was working on a documentary that may instigate violence.
A variety of gadgets, including computers, cell phones, data storage units, and external processing equipment, were taken by the police, who claimed to have warrants but failed to produce them.
Employees were told not to discuss the incident in public.
However, the publisher handed over the passwords for the seized devices, prompting further concern about how the data might be used.
“We cannot guarantee the integrity of any messages or emails sent from the compromised devices,” the publisher, JAKENN Publishing PLC, stated.
Police indicated that the devices could be returned sometime the following week, according to Tsedale.
When contacted, federal police spokesperson Jeylan Abdi, said he could not comment on a matter “currently pending in court” but provided no further details.
Addis Standard staff who visited police headquarters on April 22 reported that they were not informed of any official court proceedings.
CPJ’s Africa Programme Coordinator, Muthoki Mumo, described the raid as part of a broader effort to stifle independent journalism in the country.
“The confiscation of the outlet’s equipment raises grave concerns about potential misuse of sensitive data,” she said, urging authorities to end the investigation and return the seized items.
Ethiopia’s Ministry of Justice and government spokesperson, Legesse Tulu, did not respond to requests for comment.
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