Antoine Galindo arrived in Ethiopia to cover the African Union (AU) summit earlier this month for Africa Intelligence.
The man was arrested on Thursday and was due to appear before a judge on Saturday who ordered his detention extended until March 1, Africa Intelligence reported. The editors of the publication condemned the detention of the journalist and called it unjustified.
“These false accusations are not supported by any tangible evidence to justify such long-term deprivation of liberty,” the report said. It said Galindo informed Ethiopian officials of his posting and had a visa allowing him to work there as a journalist.
The 36-year-old, who heads the publication’s East Africa department, lived in Ethiopia between 2013 and 2017 and was known to the Ethiopian Media Authority, which is responsible for accreditation of media representatives.
According to a source close to the AFP news agency who spoke on condition of anonymity, Galindo was arrested on Thursday followingnoon in an Addis Ababa hotel following meeting with an official of the opposition Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) party.
He has since been held at a police station in the Ethiopian capital, the publication said, calling for the journalist’s immediate release.
Ethiopian officials did not respond to AFP requests for comment.
A source close to the government told AFP that Mr Galindo was accused of “acting without the accreditation he was given to cover the AU summit” and “associating with members of militant forces that are banned in the country”.
In 2018, the OLF renounced armed struggle, prompting the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) to split from the party.
Since then, federal forces have been battling OLA rebels in Ethiopia’s most densely populated Oromia region. No significant progress has been achieved in the peace talks.
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said on Monday it was “outraged that a journalist legally traveling to report has been targeted in this way.”
According to media rights group Reporters Without Borders (RSF), there were 15 journalists in Ethiopian prisons on January 1 of this year.
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2024-04-24 23:22:34
