A Reuters cameraman was arrested in Ethiopia after police raided his home and confiscated his computer, phone and other materials, Reuters reported.
In a statement, the news agency condemned the arrest on Thursday, stating that 38-year-old Kumerra Gemechu was given no reason for his arrest and was arrested in front of his wife and children.
The Reuters cameraman was allegedly involved in fighting clashes between government troops and rebel forces in the northern Tigray region.
“Kumerra is part of a Reuters team that reports from Ethiopia in a fair, independent and impartial manner. “Kumerra’s work shows his professionalism and impartiality, and we are aware of no basis for his detention,” said Stephen Adler, editor-in-chief of Reuters.
‘Journalists should be allowed to report the news in the public interest, without fear of harassment or harm, wherever they are. “We will not rest until Kumerra is liberated,” Adler continued.
Although Kumerra was not given a reason for his arrest, a judge allegedly saw his case on Friday and gave police two weeks to investigate him, with Kumerra being held for the time being. Authorities have reportedly cracked down on journalists covering the government’s fighting in Tigray over the past few months, and a handful have been arrested.
Government spokesmen did not respond to a request for comment. The Committee for the Protection of Journalists, which reported earlier this month that a record number of journalists worldwide had been jailed in 2020, cites the arrest of Kumerra ‘the latest example of how press freedom is rapidly eroding under Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed after a brief hiatus. reform “in a statement Monday to the news agency.