Sunday June 1, 2025

Ahmed Awga Ahmed Awga, founder of Ethiopia’s Jigjiga Television Network (Screenshot by CPJ: YouTube/JTN TV)

Addis Abeba – The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said it is “dismayed” by the sentencing of Somali journalist Ahmed Awga, founder of Jigjiga Television Network, to two years in prison over a Facebook post the organization said he “did not write.”

In a statement issued on May 30, CPJ said the Fafen Zone High Court in Jigjiga, capital of Ethiopia’s Somali Region, found Ahmed guilty on May 22 under the 2020 anti-hate speech law. He had been detained since April 23, following what CPJ described as charges “initially related” to an interview he conducted with a man whose son had reportedly died “after an alleged police beating,” and “commentary” published on Ahmed’s Facebook page.

According to CPJ, the journalist was first charged with incitement, but the charge was later amended to “propagation of disinformation and public incitement,” as stated in the charge sheet reviewed by the organization.

The charge sheet alleged that Ahmed made Facebook posts on April 17 in which he referred to a regional election as a “so-called election,” claimed regional government officials were “holding the population hostage,” and stated that specific districts were “seized” by certain individuals. He was also accused of inciting the public by writing, “we have no justice — only killing and death.”

However, CPJ said the conviction was “primarily based” on a post dated April 20, which “clearly originated” from another Facebook page. The organization stated that Ahmed’s account had only been “tagged” in the post, and that “none of Ahmed’s April 17 posts appeared to reference” the statements listed in the charge sheet. CPJ said its review of the evidence was supported by an analysis conducted by VOSS TV, an online media outlet.

Angela Quintal, CPJ’s Africa program director, said Ahmed’s sentencing “illustrates Ethiopia’s escalating assault on press freedom.” She added, “This is a conviction over a post he didn’t write,” and called on authorities to “cease using the legal system to silence critical voices.”

CPJ linked Ahmed’s case to what it described as a “broader crackdown” on media in Ethiopia. The organization previously reported that “at least six other journalists” were arrested in April alone, and claimed that authorities are also “tightening their control” over the Ethiopian Media Authority (EMA), the country’s media regulator.

In a May 27 interview with the BBC Somali service, Somali Region President Mustafa Mohammed Omar denied that individuals were being jailed solely for online expression. He said four people — “a journalist, a former official, and two activists” — were detained over allegations of “harming the reputation of security agencies,” “spreading false information about jail conditions,” and “exploiting the death of an inmate to incite the public.” He also said the judiciary in the Somali Region is “independent.”

Reporters Without Borders (RSF), in its 2025 World Press Freedom Index, ranked Ethiopia 145th out of 180 countries, placing it in the “very serious” category for the first time. RSF attributed the drop to “growing political interference,” limited editorial independence, and fragile media economics.

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), in its 2024 prison census, also listed Ethiopia among the worst jailers of journalists in Africa, with six journalists detained — five of whom are facing “terrorism” charges that could carry death sentences.