Ethiopia: Police Detain Prominent Ethiopian Journalist, Tesfalem Waldyes, Again – Accuse Him of ‘Disseminating False Information’
Addis Abeba -Tesfalem Waldeyes, a prominent journalist and founder/editor-in-chief of the online media outlet “Ethiopia Insider” (managed by Hak Media and Communication), was arrested by security forces on Sunday, 8 June. The police accused of “disseminating false information,” according to a statement released by Hak Media and Communication this afternoon.
According to the statement, Tesfalem was detained by plainclothes security forces at the Gion Hotel in the capital Addis Abeba. He was reportedly forced to spend the night on a chair at a police station in St. Stephanos area.
On Monday, Tesfalem was transferred to a police station in the Qera area. Today, he appeared before the Addis Abeba City First Instance Court, Kirkos Division.
Although the court granted him release on bail of 15,000 birr, as of this reporting, he remained in police custody.
According to the statement, when the court ruled to uphold Tesfalem’s bail rights, the police verbally contested the decision, indicating they would request an appeal. However, they have not yet formally appealed to the court.
Haq Media and Communication said it has paid all required fees and submitted the court’s release letter to the Kirkos Sub-City Police Department to ensure Tesfalem’s bail is respected. Despite these efforts, the letter has not been signed by the relevant police officer, preventing his release.
The publication said Tesfalem’s arrest significantly impacts its work and called for his immediate release.
Tesfalem is a victim of repeated detention by the police. In October 2021, he was reported missing before the police confirmed his detention, stating he was under investigation at the federal police crime investigation bureau detention center in the Mexico area of the capital.
Tesfalem was last seen working at the Irreecha Hora Finfinnee where he had posted a viral video on Ethiopia Insider’s Facebook page showing Oromo youth protesting and demanding the release of Oromo prisoners.
Tesfalem is a well-known independent journalist. He was previously April 2014 when he was working as member of Addis Standard newsroom, and was subsequently charged with terrorism along with five others. He was acquitted, and went into exile in Germany, where he worked for DW Amharic service. He returned to Ethiopia in 2020 and co-founded “Ethiopia Insider.”
The 2025 World Press Freedom Index by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), released on 2 May, ranked Ethiopia 145th out of 180 countries, placing it for the first time in the “very serious” category. The ranking aligns Ethiopia with Uganda (143rd) and Rwanda (146th), countries also facing what RSF calls a “worrying decline” in press freedom across East Africa.
Crédito: Link de origem