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By: Getahun Tsegaye
Staff Reporter
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia – The Ethiopian Mass Media Professionals Association (EMMPA) is calling for the immediate and unconditional release of journalist Tesfalem Waldyes, editor-in-chief of Ethiopia Insider, citing serious concerns over his continued detention despite multiple court orders granting him bail.
Tesfalem Waldyes was arrested without a court warrant on June 8, 2025. He appeared before the Kirkos Division of the Addis Ababa City First Instance Court on June 10, 2025, which set bail at 15,000 Ethiopian Birr. However, according to EMMPA, “police repeatedly refused to honor the court’s decision, keeping him in custody.”
The police subsequently appealed the bail decision, but on June 11, 2025, the Addis Ababa City Appeals Court rejected the appeal, upholding the initial bail ruling. Despite this, the Kirkos Sub-City Police Department has reportedly still not released Tesfalem.
“EMMPA’s monitoring reveals that the police department has further violated Tesfalem’s right to bail by refusing to accept the official letter ordering his release,” the association stated. While acknowledging the police’s right to appeal, EMMPA emphasized that “it should not come at the expense of unduly restricting a journalist’s constitutional right to bail.”
The association views the police’s “repeated and unwarranted denial of court-ordered bail as a deliberate act to exert pressure on the journalism profession.” EMMPA has learned that the charge against Tesfalem is “dissemination of false information.”
EMMPA stressed that “according to the Media Proclamation, even if a journalist is accused of a professional wrongdoing, they should not be held in custody for further investigation but should be able to follow up on their case while out of detention.” It contends that the police’s actions “violate this proclamation and deny him the legal protection against detention and the right to bail afforded to him by law,” deeming it “a dangerous form of suppression aimed at the entire journalism profession.”
Accordingly, EMMPA demands Tesfalem’s “immediate and unconditional release… with his right to bail fully respected.” It also urged “all relevant stakeholders, including the Ethiopian Media Authority, to pressure the police to comply with the law.” Furthermore, EMMPA called on the government “to address the shrinking space for media freedom and to take corrective measures against those who exert undue and unlawful pressure, thereby improving the media landscape in Ethiopia.”
Separately, on June 10, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) also called on Ethiopian authorities to immediately release Tesfalem Waldyes. Muthoki Mumo, CPJ Africa Program Coordinator, stated, “The detention of Tesfalem Waldyes, even after a court ordered his release, underscores the Ethiopian government’s disregard for judicial processes and press freedom. Authorities must immediately release Tesfalem unconditionally.”
Tesfalem’s lawyer, Betemariam Alemayehu, confirmed to CPJ that while police indicated plans to appeal, no formal appeal had been submitted as of Tuesday evening, and Tesfalem remained in custody.
This is not Tesfalem’s first encounter with state pressure; he was previously detained for over a year in 2014 on charges related to inciting violence and terrorism. In July 2023, CPJ also urged an investigation into a break-in at Ethiopia Insider’s office.
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