A French journalist has been arrested and detained in Ethiopia since February 22 on suspicion of conspiring “to create chaos” in the country, announced his employer, the specialist publication Africa Intelligence, on Monday.
Antoine Galindo, who had traveled to Ethiopia to cover the African Union summit earlier this month for the specialist publication Africa Intelligence, has been arrested and detained since February 22.
Despite informing Ethiopian authorities of his assignment and holding a valid journalist visa, Galindo was detained, with his detention ordered to be extended until March 1 following his appearance before a judge on Saturday.
Africa Intelligence condemned the “unjustified arrest,” stating that the accusations against Galindo lacked tangible evidence.
As the head of the publication’s East Africa section and a former resident of Ethiopia, Galindo was known to the Ethiopia Media Authority.
According to a source close to the case, Galindo was arrested at a hotel in Addis Ababa while meeting with an official from the opposition Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) party.
He has been held at a police station in Ethiopia’s capital since then, with Africa Intelligence calling for his immediate release.
Ethiopian authorities did not respond to AFP requests for comment.
While an OLF spokesman confirmed the arrest of a party official in Addis Ababa, they could not verify if Galindo had met with the official.
Ethiopia has been grappling with conflicts in the Amhara and Oromia regions. Federal forces in Oromia have been engaged in combat with the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) rebel group since 2018.
Meanwhile, Amhara has been under a state of emergency since last August due to clashes between federal authorities and a regional militia known as Fano.
The state of emergency, which was recently extended, grants authorities the power to impose curfews and detain suspects without a warrant.
The unrest in Amhara has raised concerns about Ethiopia’s stability, especially following the recent peace deal that ended a two-year conflict in the Tigray region between Tigrayan rebel authorities and forces loyal to Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.
Abiy was initially praised as a reformer upon assuming power in 2018, ending decades of authoritarian rule.
He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2019 for his efforts to reconcile with neighboring Eritrea.
However, his reputation has suffered in recent years, with UN investigators accusing his government of committing crimes against humanity in Tigray—a claim vehemently rejected by Ethiopian authorities.
According to media watchdog Reporters Without Borders, as of January 1 this year, 15 journalists were imprisoned in Ethiopia.
The organization noted a surge in abuses against journalists since the onset of the Tigray conflict in November 2020, with several journalists killed under unclear circumstances.
Reporters Without Borders also highlighted instances of hostility towards foreign media, citing the suspension of around 15 foreign TV channels in early 2023 for allegedly operating without a license.
In 2023, Ethiopia ranked 130th in the world in terms of press freedom, marking a decline of 16 places compared to 2022, according to the NGO.
Since the end of 2020, Ethiopia has expelled several foreign journalists. Prior to Galindo’s detention, Ethiopian authorities had not arrested a foreign journalist in more than three years.
In July 2020, a Kenyan journalist was detained for more than a month in Addis Ababa, despite an Ethiopian court ordering his release on bail.