Ethiopia indefinitely suspends licences of independent newspaper The Reporter
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Human Rights Watch
The Ethiopian Media Authority has indefinitely suspended the print and online licences of the independent newspaper The Reporter, accusing it of publishing content contrary to national interests. The measure takes effect immediately and targets one of the country’s oldest media outlets, according to Human Rights Watch, which denounces growing pressure on the Ethiopian press.
The Ethiopian Media Authority has indefinitely suspended the print and online licences of the independent newspaper The Reporter, with immediate effect. It accuses the outlet, published in English and Amharic, of repeatedly breaking laws and journalistic ethics by publishing content contrary to “national interests”, according to Human Rights Watch.
The authority also says The Reporter published “distorted” content that could harm foreign investment, tourism and diplomacy. The newspaper is one of Ethiopia’s oldest independent media outlets and the country’s last privately owned Amharic daily, according to Human Rights Watch.
The suspension is part of a series of measures targeting Ethiopian media and journalists since 2025. The authorities have banned several media outlets, expelled foreign correspondents and carried out arrests, enforced disappearances and raids on offices, according to Human Rights Watch. In October, journalists Samuel Getachew and Amanuel Gebremedhin were detained for eight days after being accused of publishing information that could cause unrest in Addis Ababa.
