On November 13, 2023, Belay Manaye, co- founder and presenter of Ethio News, a YouTube based news channel, was arrested in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia’s capital, by a group of police officers and other security personnel dressed in civilian clothing. To date, he has not been questioned or informed of the reason for his arrest and detention, although it is believed to be in connection with his reporting on the conflict in Amhara. Under the state of emergency, the Ethiopian government has arbitrarily arrested seven other journalists in response to the conflict in the Amhara region and released few. The Ethiopian authorities must immediately and unconditionally release Belay Manaye and the two other journalists who have been detained in connection to their work under the state of emergency.
take action:
- Write a letter in your own words or using the sample below as a guide to one or both government officials listed. You can also email, fax, call or Tweet them.
- Click here to let us know the actions you took on Urgent Action 20.24. It’s important to report because we share the total number with the officials we are trying to persuade and the people we are trying to help.
contact information:
Prime Minister of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia
Abiy Ahmed Ali
Twitter/X: @AbiyAhmedAli
Facebook: Abiy Ahmed Ali
Fax: +251 111 226 292
Email: [email protected]
Ethiopian Embassy in the United States
His Excellency Ambassador Seleshi Bekele Awulachew
3506 International Drive, NW,
Washington DC 20008
Email: [email protected]
sample letter:
Dear Prime Minister,
I am concerned by the ongoing arbitrary detention of journalists in Ethiopia since the state of emergency declaration. Amongst them is Belay Manaye, co- founder and presenter of Ethio News, a YouTube based news channel, who was arrested on November 13, 2023, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia’s capital, by a group of police officers and other security personnel dressed in civilian clothing. He has since been arbitrarily detained and has not received any information regarding the grounds for his detention. Nor has he been granted access to a lawyer or afforded the opportunity to appear in court for formal proceedings. While no official explanation has been given or charges pressed, it is believed that Belay Manaye has been targeted by the authorities in connection with his work as a journalist who has covered the conflict in the Amhara region.
I call on you to immediately and unconditionally release Belay Manaye and the other arbitrarily detained journalists. In the meantime, Belay Manaye must be detained in conditions that adhere to international standards, not subjected to torture or ill-treatment, and have immediate and regular access to his family, lawyers, and all necessary health care.
Yours sincerely,
[YOUR NAME]
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:
- READ THE FULL URGENT ACTION: Wordopens in a new tab or PDFopens in a new tab
- GET INSPIRED: Read about the people you have helped
- READ TIPS for writing effective letters and emails
- CONTACT US: [email protected]