Ethiopia withdraws Addis Ababa Standard's licence amid Tigray conflict

International media watchdogs say the Ethiopian government has cracked down on the media since conflict erupted in the Tigray region in November. [File: Ben Curtis/The Associated Press]

NAIROBI, Kenya - Authorities in Ethiopia on Thursday withdrew Addis Ababa Standard's license, in a move that has been widely condemned as a strategy to gag independent media houses in the Horn of Africa nation, which is struggling with internal conflicts.

For eight months, Ethiopia has been embroiled in a deadly internal war, pitting the Ethiopian National Defense Forces [ENDF] and its partners against the Tigray People's Liberation Front [TPLF] otherwise known as Tigray Defense Forces [TDF].

Early this week, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed indicated the possibility of suspending a ceasefire in Tigray operations after TDF declared victory, signifying a tough battle in the coming days. Addis Ababa has been condemning the media for "misreporting".

In response, Addis Ababa has since suspended its operations temporarily but has condemned the state for taking the "unilateral" decision to revoke the license without proper explanation.

“For years, Addis Standard has been an important source of critical reporting and commentary on Ethiopia. Today’s move to withdraw its license is the latest demonstration of the government’s hostility towards independent journalism,” said Muthoki Mumo, the Committee to Protect Journalists [CPJ] sub-Saharan Africa representative.

“Authorities should immediately restore Addis Standard’s license, ensure that it can operate independently, and cease all efforts to harass and censor journalists and media outlets.”

In a tweet, the Addis Ababa Standard said that it had ceased operations after the Ethiopia Media Authority, the country’s statutory regulator, had withdrawn the license of the outlet’s publisher, JAKENN Publishing P.L.C. The regulator did not provide any reason for the decision, that statement said.

Addis Standard was established as a magazine in 2011 and became an online-only outlet in 2016 amid government restrictions that led printers to refuse to publish it, according to news reports and the outlet’s website.

In 2020, authorities detained Addis Standard editor Medihane Ekubamichael for several weeks without charge, according to CPJ reporting from the time and a report by Addis Standard.

Yonatan Tesfaye, deputy director-general of the media authority, told CPJ in a phone call that the regulator had suspended Addis Standard’s license pending investigation, following complaints that the outlet was undermining Ethiopia’s national security by publishing content that was illegal and “legitimizes terrorist groups.”

He declined to elaborate on what specific content was cited in those complaints or the specific laws that the outlet allegedly contravened, saying that the authority would provide details later.

"Free press is an essential part of democracy. A free press fights for the truth. We feel disappointed that EthMediaAuth, with no explanation, has suspended the activities of Addis Standard. Censorship, suppression, and repression of the media only happens in authoritarian democracies," Foreign Press Association said.

In May this year, Ethiopian authorities kicked out New York Times reporter Simon Mark on claims that he was misreporting on atrocities in the Tigray region. The publication had highlighted atrocities committed in northern Ethiopia.

The decision to kick out Simon Marks, an Irish journalist living in Ethiopia, drew swift condemnation from Reporters Without Borders, which said it was "the first time that a foreign journalist is expelled from the country" under Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.

GAROWE ONLINE