Ethiopian Media Authority suspends EBS TV program over “false information”, “misleading the public”

Addis Abeba– The Ethiopian Media Authority (EMA) has suspended “New Chapter”, a program aired by EBS Television, following the March 24, 2025, episode, which the authority deemed to contain “false information” that “misled the public” and “created suspicion.”

The broadcast featured an account by Birtukan Temesgen, who claimed to have been “abducted and raped” in 2020 while a second-year university student.

In her account on the program, Birtukan explained that one evening in 2020, while returning from the university library, “there was unrest on campus with gunfire from both inside and outside.” She continued, “They told us to quickly escape, putting me and other women into a vehicle and taking us to a forest.”

According to her account, she was taken by armed men in military uniforms, who, after traveling some distance, told the group, “Vehicles cannot go further from here; we have to go on foot,” prompting a six-hour walk through the forest.

After the exhausting walk, Birtukan said the armed men immediately told them, “We brought you for training, you will stay with us,” and kept them in the forest. “It was a time of great suffering. Finding food and water was difficult. When we found water from springs or streams, it was dirty, so we had to filter it through our clothes to drink,” she explained, describing the harsh conditions they faced.

A year and six months later, Birtukan revealed, “When they said ‘now we’ll start our work,’ they made all of us remove our clothes and lined us up. I was fifth in line. They told me to lie down. They took turns raping me. After that, my body went numb. They stabbed me with metal.”

She further claimed that she became pregnant as a result of the assault and later gave birth to a child.

Following the broadcast, the story provoked outrage, and it was later removed from the air. Dembi Dollo University, citing that its name had been mentioned, clarified that Birtukan is not a student and stated that the story she told was a “lie.”

In a follow-up documentary by state media, Birtukan admitted that the story she shared on New Chapter was “completely false,” which led to further public controversy.

The Ethiopian Media Authority, in its statement, said that the broadcast violated several regulations, including Media Proclamation 1238/2013 and Proclamation 1185/2012 on the Prevention and Control of Hate Speech and False Information.

The Authority also criticized the program for engaging in “para-journalism practices,” which it said were outside of standard journalistic guidelines.The EMA further noted that EBS Television, in response to the inquiry, acknowledged that the broadcast was “false” and admitted that “a mistake had been made.”

Following its investigation, the Authority concluded that the program should be “suspended from broadcasting” until the station makes “necessary editorial corrections” and submits a revised version for further review. As part of the sanctions, the EMA also issued a “written warning” to EBS Television.

The Authority emphasized the need for media outlets to follow professional standards and legal regulations to ensure “accurate and responsible reporting.”

In connection with the broadcast, Birtukan Temesgen, along with several employees of EBS Television, has been detained under suspicion of terrorism. On March 21, 2025, the detained individuals appeared in court, where the police were granted an additional 14 days to continue their investigation.

The terrorism suspicions presented to the court include: “attempting to seize power by force,” “arming with weapons,” “organizing illegally,” “collaborating with leaders of extremist and anti-peace groups in some areas of the Amhara region,” “attempting to undermine public confidence in the government and subject it to international pressure,” “creating conflict between peacefully coexisting nationalities and peoples,” “communicating with leaders of anti-peace groups abroad, receiving assignments,” and “using their professional positions to facilitate these activities.” AS

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