Temesgen was in jail for over three years when the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) was in control of the Federal government
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The Ethiopian government on Thursday arrested Journalist Temesgen Desalegne. He is the managing editor of a popular weekly Amharic Magazine, ‘Feteh’ ( it translates to Justice).
His magazine is popular and has a reputation for discussing serious political issues and current affairs in the country.
He was arrested from his office in Addis Ababa, according to a report by DW Amharic service.
Temesgen Desalegne’s brother, Tariku Desalegne, is cited as saying that Temesgen’s colleagues told him that plain cloth and other security forces came to the office in two vehicles.
Tariku also said that he does not know where they took him.
Last year, government arrested Temesgen Desalegne for one day
In a similar development, Abiy Ahmed’s government has also arrested journalist Yayesew Shimeles. He was active in digital media and owns “Ethio Forum” YouTube channel.
The government has been intensifying its crackdown on independent media outlets, activists, and dissenting voices including military commanders like Brigadier General Tefera Mamo who led the Amhara region special forces when the TPLF invaded Afar and Amhara regions of Ethiopia.
Spatially, the focus of the latest crackdown has been the Addis Ababa and the Amhara region of Ethiopia.
Mekerem Abera, a critical voice who has been prominent for her criticism of bad governance practices and crimes against ethnic Amhara, was arrested on Saturday as she was returning from a trip to Bahir Dar. She was arrested at Bole Airport.
Last week, the government arrested over 4500 people in the Amhara region on alleged grounds of involvement in criminal activity and sabotage to facilitate support to the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) at a time when it is preparing to invade the region.
Apart from journalists, activists, and politicians, the government reportedly targeted FANO, a volunteer armed group that helped reverse the attack by TPLF, under the guise of “engagement in criminal activity.”
The Ethiopian Human Rights Commission condemned the illegal arrest and called on the government to stop arresting individuals without a court order.
Multiple Ethiopian organisations outside of the country, which were crucial in fighting diplomatic and political pressure on Ethiopia when the TPLF invaded most parts of Northern Ethiopia, issued a statement condemning orchestrated attacks on FANO and activists. They called it State Terrorism.
Yesterday, two Ethiopian Organizations in North America wrote an open letter to Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed regarding the crackdown on journalism, FANO and activism.
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Ethiopia can not and should not allow the nation to continue to be destabilized and driven into deeper poverty by those marauding ‘journalists’ using the otherwise honorable profession as cover to advance their own hidden agenda. The junta tentacles are busy writing about ‘suppression’ of freedom of expression in Ethiopia by citing arrests of activists marauding as ‘journalists’. Any enemy that uses such as ’cause’ must tell the rest what those ‘journalists’ are really up to. The well being and lives of over 100 million masses can not and should not be disrupted by any activist cum ‘journalist’. Those should continue to be detained and made to pay for their destabilizing activities, perhaps as agents of foreign and domestic enemies of the nation. There is no better leader for Ethiopia at this time than Abiye Ahmed. I have not seen or heard from any other candidate leaders who come even close.
Would someone explain to me why this editor is always seen a scarf wrapped around his neck like the late Yasser Arafat? Was he a former rebel who fought in the civil war?