The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has urged the Ethiopian Media Authority (EMA) to reverse its recent decision to suspend the operating licenses of Deutsche Welle (DW) correspondents in Ethiopia, describing the move as an act of censorship and intimidation against the press.
“This blatant suspension of Deutsche Welle’s journalists is an outrageous act of censorship and intimidation,” said Angela Quintal, CPJ’s Africa Director. “Ethiopian authorities are weaponizing media laws to silence independent reporting and control the narrative. The government must immediately lift the suspension, stop harassing journalists, and respect the public’s right to information.”
Background of the Suspension
In a letter dated October 23, 2025, the EMA notified Deutsche Welle that it had temporarily suspended the accreditation of its Amharic service correspondents operating in Ethiopia. The authority accused the journalists of violating national media and hate speech laws, and alleged that their coverage did not meet “professional ethical standards,” according to DW’s report.
The letter further stated that DW had been summoned multiple times for discussions and issued written warnings — including a “final warning” in September 2022 — but that “no tangible improvements were observed.”
However, Deutsche Welle contested the claims. In a statement to CPJ, the broadcaster said the EMA’s correspondence lacked specific examples or evidence of wrongdoing and called on Ethiopian authorities to clarify which reports were deemed to have breached the law.
Expanded Authority and Media Law Amendment
The suspension follows an April 17, 2025 amendment to Ethiopia’s media law, which granted the Ethiopian Media Authority broader powers. The revisions reduced transparency in appointing the authority’s board members and transferred key regulatory responsibilities — including the authority to suspend, revoke, or fine media licenses — directly to the EMA.
Media observers and press freedom groups warn that these changes have weakened institutional checks and risk turning the regulator into an instrument of political control.
As of publication, the EMA had not responded to CPJ’s request for comment regarding the decision or the reports in question.
Editor’s Note: This article is an independently written summary and reformulation based on publicly available information and statements from the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) report titled “Ethiopian authorities suspend licenses of Deutsche Welle’s local correspondents” (October 24, 2025).
