February 11, 2021, Addis Ababa: Three gunmen entered journalist Lucy Kassa’s house, physically assaulted her, and took equipment from her house. To make matters worse, the Ethiopian Broadcasting Authority, instead of supporting a journalist in such distress, claimed that since Lucy was not “accredited as a journalist” and statements in her support were ‘wrong”.

Lucy Kassa is a freelance journalist who has extensively reported on the conflict between Ethiopia’s federal government and the local authorities in the northern Tigray region. However, on February 8, 2021, three armed men in civilian clothes broke into her house. They pushed her to the ground, threatened her, and took a computer, a USB stick, and some photos connected to her reporting. They questioned her loyalty to the state because she worked for “foreign outlets” like Al-Jazeera, and accused her of  “spreading lies” and supporting “the Tigray junta.”

The attack, understandably, caused outrage. Reporter Without Borders (RSF) offered Lucy their support and called for better security for the journalists in Ethiopia. The Ethiopian Broadcasting Authority, however, chose to deflect all blame and place all responsibility on Lucy herself. They claimed that since she was not an “accredited” journalist, the statement in support for her was “wrong”. The statement is absurd. Neither has her accreditation status affected the work she has done in the field of journalism nor was it the reason that she was attacked on Monday night. She was threatened because her work as a journalist has ruffled some feathers and it is the duty of the state to protect its journalists.

The Coalition For Women In Journalism not only condemns the attack that Lucy Kassa had to face, we also condemn the attitude of the Ethiopian Broadcasting Authority in response to the incident. Journalists like Lucy Kassa are risking their lives to keep democratic traditions of freedom of speech and a free press alive. To not support her in difficult times, and worse, claim she is entirely undeserving of said support is craven of the state.