The Committee to Protect Journalists demanded that Ethiopia's Media Authority reverse its decision to suspend Deutsche Welle correspondents and allow independent reporting to continue. The authority told DW on Wednesday that its Amharic service journalists violated media and hate speech regulations through coverage that failed to meet professional standards. Angela Quintal, who directs CPJ operations in Africa, said officials are using regulations to control information and silence critical voices.
Deutsche Welle responded that authorities provided no specific examples of problematic coverage and asked the government to identify which reports broke the law. The suspension follows changes to Ethiopian media regulations approved on April 17 that gave the authority direct power to suspend licenses and impose fines. Officials reduced transparency requirements for board appointments while expanding enforcement capabilities under the revised law.
Deutsche Welle responded that authorities provided no specific examples of problematic coverage and asked the government to identify which reports broke the law. The suspension follows changes to Ethiopian media regulations approved on April 17 that gave the authority direct power to suspend licenses and impose fines. Officials reduced transparency requirements for board appointments while expanding enforcement capabilities under the revised law.
