Ethiopia: RSF condemns escalating pressure and intimidation against independent news site Addis Standard

For news site Addis Standard, the summer has been anything but quiet. Since the beginning of August, the news outlet has faced a series of acts of intimidation.

On 1 August, the online media outlet's editor-in-chief, Yonas Kedir, was abducted by armed, masked men in civilian clothes and questioned for nearly 24 hours, notably about his outlet's recent publications. The journalist's abductors also searched his home. In a written testimony seen by RSF, Yonas Kedir says he was "accused of selling the country" and that his phone and computer were "confiscated." He reports that during his release, he saw a licence plate intended for military vehicles, and that one of the individuals holding him captive said they planned to search Addis Standard's offices the following day.

That is exactly what happened on 2 August. According to a statement issued by the outlet's publishing company, Jakenn Publications, "members of the security and intelligence services" went to Addis Standard's offices and seized equipment, including several 4K cameras, batteries and microphones. The pressure intensified on 3 August, when the landlord who housed the newsroom for 16 years served the outlet a three-day eviction notice without giving a reason. According to Jakenn Publications' statement, the decision was made "under police coercion." Addis Standard has challenged the eviction in court.

A newsroom repeatedly targeted in a constrained media landscape

This is not the first time Addis Standard has come under scrutiny from the authorities this year. Its editorial director, Million Beyene, was abducted and detained by "members of the intelligence services," according to reports by Addis Standard, for nearly two weeks in April 2026. Two months earlier, the Ethiopian Media Authority had revoked the outlet's licence, claiming that it had "undermined national interests." The decision has been challenged in court and remains pending.

In June 2021, during the Tigray war, the regulatory authority had already suspended Addis Standard's licence, accusing it in particular of serving as a platform for a "terrorist group."

Renewed pressure on the media

At the beginning of the summer, the media regulator also issued a final warning to two private media outlets, television channel Arts TV and radio station Ahadu FM 94.3, accusing them of broadcasting information deemed "unverified, unbalanced and contrary to the public interest," without specifying the content in question.

Ethiopia's media landscape remains heavily restricted, particularly for journalists covering the conflicts in the Amhara and Tigray regions. Reporters working for foreign media outlets also face widespread accreditation difficulties. In February 2026, the Ethiopian Media Authority refused to renew the accreditation of three Reuters journalists and withdrew the accreditation of local correspondents working for Deutsche Welle (DW).