The latest arrest is now Meskerem Abera, the journalist who has also just been abducted at Addis Abeba airport earlier today on the 21st May 2022. She is following a long line of government critics who has been apprehended, arrested and taken to unknown location. In addition to that, another kidnapping and arrest is of Tadious Tantu as well. Who has been gone missing since yesterday.
This is a grand scale of going after anyone who isn’t following the Federal Government line in the media. That is very obvious, because this a broad-net of journalists taken into custody over the last 48 hours.
Here is some brief reports of others arrested as well.
“The Amhara region based Ashara media outlet announced that police arrested 5 of its staff last night & that it cannot establish their whereabouts today. The five are Kelemu Gelagay, Daniel Mesfin (editors/cameramen), Gashaye Negussie, Getnet Yalew, Habtamu Melese (reporters)” (Zecharias Zelalem, 20.05.2022).
“News has just broken that Solomon Shumiye current affairs talk show host with a decent following on the Gebeyanu YouTube channel, has just been taken into police custody. We’re at about 10 media staffers detained across Ethiopia in just the past 24 hours” (Zecharias Zelalem, 20.05.2022).
Earlier in the month another arrest was also done:
“Journalist Gobeze Sisay accused Ethiopia Government of crackdown on dissent media
✅Gobeze says his arrest is similar to the Tamerat Negera case, where Oromia police censor media, claiming “Oromophobia”
✅Tamera is #Oromo but opposes ethnic-federalism policy of Abiy’s OPP” (Awasa Guardian, 10.05.2022).
We can easily see that this is deliberate acts of silencing everyone and only get out the message of the state. A way of taking away anyone who speaks, thinks or even considers to question Prime Minster Abiy Ahmed Ali and his Prosperity Party. His party and Federal Government is aiming at anyone who blinks their eyes twice and thinks about questioning his actions.
That’s why these mass-arrests are happening. The sudden kidnappings of journalists, activists, civic leaders and advocates are targeted as well. This is all deliberated and by taking out the journalists the media will not report on it and neither will there be a media who questions these violations of people’s rights.
The PM and his party can rule with their tyranny, as there is no voices of reason. There is only incarceration and detention of anyone who dissent. The government is certainly showing it’s vicious side and instead of settling grievances with words. They are instead using it’s authority to silence it’s critics. That is not a shocker, as unity is spread to the sound of guns and ammo. Therefore, it follows a pattern of violence as a means of solidifying power. Peace.
MinBane 