A British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) journalist was arrested by the Ethiopian military in the Tigray region, the British broadcaster said on Monday.
The BBC quoted witnesses who saw Girmay Gebru imprisoned by soldiers in military uniform in the regional capital Mekelle. The public broadcaster said it had expressed concern about Ethiopian authorities.
The Financial Times reported that a translator working for the newspaper and another working for the Agence France-Presse (AFP) were also arrested by uniformed men in Mekelle this weekend.
“We are taking all possible steps to ensure the release of translators Alula Akalu and Fitsum Berhane, who were arrested while working for FT and AFP respectively on a government-authorized press tour in Mekelle, Ethiopia,” the Financial Times (FT) said in a statement.
“Our concerns have been raised with the relevant authorities as we work to understand the reasons for the arrests,” the statement added. The temporary authorities have stated that the two translators are being investigated, says AFP.
Berhane was arrested at home after working for AFP for three days as part of an accredited team.
“We have not been informed of any specific allegations against Fitsum Berhane. His collaboration with a media outlet should not be a motive for his arrest and we demand his immediate release,” said Phil Chetwynd, AFP’s Global News Director.
The reported arrests came just days after Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s office said the media had been granted access to the region, including the three outlets that say their staff was detained.
Ethiopia launched a military offensive in Tigray in November to reduce power in the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), which controls the region and has been critical of the government.
The government explained that the conflict ended in early December, although there are reports of pockets of ongoing fighting.
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said on Monday that at least four media workers covering the Tigray conflict had been arrested.
The CPJ pointed to comments from a government party official on Friday that the government would take action against people who “try to give the wrong information” to international journalists in Tigray, as reported by the Ethiopian press authority.
“The lack of independent reporting from Tigray during this conflict was already deeply alarming. Now the Ethiopian military’s arrests of journalists and media workers will undoubtedly lead to fear and self-censorship,” said Muthoki Mumo, CPJ’s sub-Saharan Africa representative. .
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