Ethiopia: CFWIJ condemns Luwam Atikilti’s arrest, demands immediate release
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Nov 3, 2021- Luwam Atikilti, a reporter for Ahadu Radio & TV, was arrested from her workplace on October 22. According to her lawyer, Abebaw Abebe, Luwam was arrested from the news organization’s office in Addis Ababa at around 4pm. The police subsequently arrested another Ahadu Radio & TV journalist, Kibrom Worku, after summoning him on October 26. Both journalists have been in detention since then. The arrests came after the channel aired an interview of an official, who spoke about the takeover of Hayk town in Amhara by the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), a rebel group that's been long engaged in a war with the federal government. The official’s claims were allegedly false. The channel later retracted the interview and issued a public apology as well. But this did not stop the authorities from proceeding against the journalists. The Coalition For Women In Journalism condemns these arrests. We are concerned for Luwam and her colleague’s safety and demand their immediate release. Ethiopian authorities must end their crackdown on journalists covering the ongoing war.
On October 23, Luwam was produced before the court and handed over to the police for five-day remand. Luwam is under investigation for “spreading misinformation” and “contact with a terrorist organization”. The police had sought physical remand from the judge to interrogate Luwam and for forensic analysis of her phone and laptop. In court, the police demanded time to collect forensic evidence from Luwam's phone and laptop.
Five days later, Luwam was produced before the court again and accepting the police’s request, the court granted eight more days of physical remand. The police claimed more time was needed to collect evidence from internet service providers and the intelligence authorities.
Luwam's lawyer maintained in court that the report was retracted immediately. The defence submitted that the matter needed to be looked at through media laws instead of being treated as a criminal act. The Ethiopian media law includes civil liabilities for cases that involve defamation and inaccuracies.
The action taken against Luwam and her colleague came after Ahadu Radio & TV aired an interview conducted by Luwam on October 22. Her guest was allegedly wrong in claiming the takeover of Hayk town by the rebel group. Later Ahadu radio issued a public apology for this misinformation and a rejoinder clarifying the truth. However, the law enforcement agencies have put Luwam under investigation for alleged links between her and a terrorist organization.
The Coalition For Women in Journalism is concerned for Luwam's safety. We are monitoring the situation as the matter is subjudice. We urge the Ethiopian authorities and judiciary to recognize that conducting an interview and covering an ongoing war is not a crime. We stand in solidarity with Luwam Atikilti and her colleague and demand their immediate release.
