Pressure on the press is increasing in the Somalia region of Ethiopia

A view of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (photo illustration).

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Text by: RFI Follow

1 min

A journalist was arrested for three days for " 

", which his colleagues contest, denouncing repeated attacks on press freedom.

About fifteen international media were suspended on January 28 by the authorities of the Somalia region.

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Young Kalsan TV journalist Muhiyadin Mohammed Ali was released from a prison in Jijiga on Thursday afternoon after being held for three days.

His bail was deposited by Abdulrazak Hassan, the president of the Regional Association of Journalists in person, who then accompanied him home, greeting RFI with "

 ".

Officially, the young man was accused of having " 

" on social networks.

In reality, according to Abdulrazak Hassan, he was only guilty of “ 

 ” in this huge state in eastern Ethiopia.

His detention further deteriorated an already heavy climate.

On Saturday January 28, the regional authorities, according to them responding to an order from the Ethiopian Media Authority, effectively suspended the broadcasting of 15 international media, including the BBC in Somalia, Universal TV, Horyaal TV, Kalsan TV and other private Somali-language media, on the pretext that they were operating " 

 ", according to an official letter.

“ 

 ”, denounces again the president of the Association of Journalists.

The licenses of these same media, he says, “ 

 ”.

Regional Somali state authorities and the Media Authority did not respond to requests for comment.

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