Addis Ababa Police last night (Saturday June 21, 2025) detained two journalists, Andualem Sisay Gessesse, Founder and Managing Editor of New Business Ethiopia, and Wudneh Zenebe, former Journalist for Addis Fortune and Reporter newspapers now Managing Editor Green Media & Communication.
The two journalists were detained for about three and half hours (from 8.30 PM to midnight) at the Karamara Police station located near 22 area in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. They were taken to the police station separately after they left Birana Bar and Restaurant taking couple of beer and chatting on various on private, national and regional issues for about an hour and half.
Then two journalists were taken to the nearby Karamana Police Station where they were detained and investigated for three and half hours. The police told them that they are detained for allegedly “mentioning the names of prominent political figures” in their private conversation at a bar while having beer.
“That is what we are told by the investigator, who released us after 3 and half hours of detention. After searching our mobile phones and looking into the history and the pictures in our phones, he told us that the police has got intel information that we were mentioning names of influential political figures during our conversation in the bar,” said Mr. Andualem Sisay Gessesse, General Manager of BEHAK Multimedia PLC, and Managing Editor of New Business Ethiopia, which has been producing and disseminating business and economic news and article primarily since November 2009.
Commenting on the implications of such detentions, Mr. Andualem said: “I don’t know how discussing politics and debating in bar or anywhere can be considered as a harmful practice to the people of Ethiopia or the country worth investigating. In any case, I don’t think denying such freedom of expression will contribute to the democratization process of the country, which unfortunately seems to me going one step forward and then two steps backward.
“I believe not only journalists but any ordinary citizen shouldn’t be denied of the right and freedom of expression, which is natural and part of the constitution of the country, African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and international laws Ethiopia has signed to accept. I would rather suggest to the government to find ways on how to accurate different opinions and voices of citizens, instead of engaging in censorship of citizens, like old days of the EPRDF,” Mr. Andualem advised.
