Medihane

Urgent Notice! After a week-long, relentless search to establish his whereabouts, JAKENN Publishing PLC and its legal team have determined that journalist #Million_Beyene was taken from his workplace at the Addis Standard newsroom by intelligence officers and is being held at an undisclosed, informal detention facility in Addis Abeba. No family members, colleagues, or legal counsel have been granted access to him, and his health condition remains unknown. Moreover, he has not been brought before a court within the constitutionally mandated 48-hour period. JAKENN Publishing PLC strongly condemns these actions, which constitute a grave violation of due process and fundamental rights. We call for the immediate disclosure of Million’s whereabouts, full access to his family and legal representatives, and his unconditional release in accordance with the law.

Five days without a trace! It has now been five days since #Million_Beyene was taken from his work place at Addis Standard newsroom and disappeared without a trace. Ethiopia is grappling with multiple threats, a dedicated journalist who has steadfastly upheld his duty to serve the public’s right to information is one of them. #WhereIsMillion? #BringMillionHome #JournalismIsNotACrime #PressFreedom #EndEnforcedDisappearances

96 Hours. Still Missing! Ninety-six hours after he was taken, the whereabouts of #Million_Beyene remain unknown. Million was forcibly removed from his workplace, where he served as a journalist, working to uphold the public’s right to access the truth. In doing so, he has now been stripped of his own freedom. The silence is alarming. #WhereIsMillion #BringMillionHome #JournalismIsNotACrime #PressFreedom #EndEnforcedDisappearances

Million is still Missing!

#Update Statement on Our Missing Colleague Nearly 24 hours after he was taken, the whereabouts of Million Beyene, Managing Editor of Addis Standard, remain unknown. His family is increasingly distressed and deeply concerned for his safety. JAKENN Publishing PLC renews its urgent call on the relevant authorities, including the Addis Ababa Police, the Federal Police Commission, and the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission, to act without delay to establish his whereabouts and ensure his safe and immediate return.

My thoughts and prayers are with journalist @MillionBeyene, my former colleague and a good friend as his whereabouts remain unknown after he was abducted from his post, sadly, in a broad daylight. I am confident that team @addisstandard stays stronger until he is safely reunited.

#Ethiopia: Statement on the abduction of #Addis_Standard Managing Editor by plainclothes men from his workplace JAKENN Publishing PLC expresses grave concern over the disappearance of its Managing Editor, #Million_Beyene, who was taken at approximately 10:40 a.m. today (15 April 2026) from the newsroom by a group of unidentified individuals in plain clothes. The individuals informed Million that he was “needed for questioning” before taking him to an undisclosed location. Security camera footage reviewed by JAKENN shows a sequence of events in which multiple individuals in civilian clothing entered the building in a staggered manner over several minutes. The footage captures at least three men, wearing caps and face masks, and one without a cap and a face mask, moving through the stairwell area and coordinating their movements. Shortly thereafter, Million is seen being escorted out of the premises by the group. The individuals appear to act in a deliberate and organized manner, with one leading ahead while others follow closely behind as they exit the building together. Since then, JAKENN’s leadership and legal team have made extensive efforts throughout the day to establish his whereabouts. However, the #Addis_Abeba Police, #Federal_Police Commission, #Lemi_Kura Sub-City Police Department, and the #Meri area police station have all confirmed that Million Beyene is not in their custody. Jeylan Abdi, Communication Head of the Federal Police Commission, stated that Million Beyene is not under their custody. Separately, senior surveillance unit officers within both the Addis Abeba Police and the Federal Police Commission, who reviewed the security footage in response to inquiries, have stated that the individuals appearing in the video are not recognized as members of their respective forces. JAKENN Publishing PLC calls on the relevant authorities, including the Addis Abeba Police, the Federal Police Commission, and Ethiopian Human Rights Commission to launch an immediate, transparent, and thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding Million’s disappearance and to ensure his safe and prompt return. Million Beyene is a provider for his family and a seasoned professional with years of experience in both government and independent media. His abduction comes amid repeated and intensifying security and administrative pressures targeting Addis Standard’s newsroom and operations in recent months. “We strongly condemn this alarming act,” said Yonas Kedir, Editor-in-Chief of Addis Standard. “The taking of Million Beyene by unidentified individuals is unacceptable and deeply troubling. We call for his immediate release, and we urge authorities to act swiftly to ensure his safety and uphold the rule of law.” JAKENN Publishing PLC reiterates its commitment to the safety of its staff and to the principles of press freedom and the rule of law, and urges all concerned authorities to treat this matter with the utmost urgency it demands. addisstandard.com/?p=56522

I just read a piece by Yonathan Tesfaye, Deputy Director General of the Ethiopian Media Authority, in which he lashes out at “globalists” for raising alarm over the recent crackdown on media outlets. Leaving aside the many contradictions in his argument, I have a simple question for him: who funds the Media Authority he helps run? Aren’t his salary, and even the V8 car he drives, paid for by the very “globalists” he so unceremoniously condemning?

#Ethiopia: Defending media crackdown, senior EMA official berates global press freedom advocates A senior official at the Ethiopian Media Authority (#EMA) has mounted a strong defense of the regulator’s decision to revoke the operating license of #Addis_Standard, dismissing international criticism as part of a broader campaign that undermines Ethiopia’s sovereignty. In an opinion piece published on 26 February 2026, Yonatan Tesfaye, Deputy Director General of EMA, described global condemnation of the move — including statements from Reporters Without Borders (RSF), Human Rights Watch, Freedom House, and the Committee to Protect Journalists — as reflective of what he called a “globalist machinery” promoting narratives hostile to Ethiopia’s national interests. He argued that international observers often disregard the country’s legal framework and security context, including armed insurgencies and what he described as foreign influence in the information space. Yonatan also defended what he described as the non-renewal of credentials for correspondents of #Reuters and #BBC in recent months, arguing that such measures, like the decision against Addis Standard, were not arbitrary acts of censorship but the outcome of a sustained regulatory process. EMA revoked Addis Standard’s online media registration certificate effective 24 February 2026, citing repeated violations of media ethics and laws, and the dissemination of content that it said “endanger[s] national interests.” Officials stated that the outlet had failed to respond adequately to multiple regulatory warnings. Its editor-in-chief Yonas kedir has disputed EMA’s account, saying the outlet was not formally notified of specific violations prior to the revocation. Read more: addisstandard.com/?p=55459

News: Publisher challenges #EMA’s revocation of Addis Standard registration, cites due process violations #JAKENN Publishing P.L.C., the publisher of #Addis_Standard, has formally contested the decision by the #Ethiopian Media Authority (EMA) to revoke the outlet’s online media registration certificate, arguing that the move lacks legal basis and violates due process guarantees under Ethiopian law. The response follows an announcement circulated on the Authority’s official social media channels on 24 February 2026, stating that Addis Standard’s registration had been revoked. In a letter addressed to the EMA Board of Directors, JAKENN said a legal review found the announcement “exceeds the Authority’s procedural powers” and is incompatible with safeguards provided under Media Proclamation No. 1238/2021, as amended by Proclamation No. 1374/2025. The publisher stressed that Addis Standard is operated by JAKENN Publishing P.L.C., a legally registered private limited company holding commercial registration and business license issued by the Ministry of Trade and Industry. As such, it said, any enforcement action must be formally communicated to the licensed corporate entity rather than through public social media posts. Citing provisions of the media law, the company argued that media outlets have the right to be heard before administrative measures such as suspension or revocation are imposed, and must be given 14 working days to submit a written response. It further noted that decisions may be appealed to the EMA Board within 20 working days. JAKENN said no prior notice, written decision, or opportunity to respond had been provided, and that no proportional or graduated enforcement measures were communicated. The publisher called on the Authority to provide written documentation substantiating alleged violations and to withdraw public statements purporting to revoke the registration pending completion of lawful procedures. JAKENN said it remains committed to regulatory compliance and professional journalism. Read more: addisstandard.com/?p=55387

News: #Ethiopian Media Authority revokes Addis Standard’s online media registration; Editor-in-Chief disputes claims The Ethiopian Media Authority (#EMA) has announced the revocation of the online media registration certificate of #Addis_Standard, effective 24 February 2026, citing repeated violations of media ethics, national laws, and what it described as the country’s national interests. The statement did not specify which reports or actions formed the basis of the decision. Responding to the EMA’s announcement, Yonas Kedir, Editor-in-Chief of Addis Standard publications, rejected the Authority’s claims, saying the outlet had never received any formal notices of violations. “The claim that Addis Standard received repeated notices is factually incorrect. At no point has the Ethiopian Media Authority formally notified Addis Standard newsroom of any prior violations or enforcement actions,” he said. He added that the publisher, #JAKENN Publishing PLC, is reviewing legal options to protect its rights and ensure due process is upheld. Established in 2011 as a monthly magazine, Addis Standard has faced multiple challenges over the years, including scrutiny from government institutions. In April 2025, Ethiopian police raided the Addis Standard office and the home of one of its senior staff membersl, briefly detaining three managers for several hours and confiscating multiple electronic devices, including laptops, phones, and data storage equipment. During the Tigray war, in June 2021, Ethiopia’s media regulator suspended Addis Standard… Read more: addisstandard.com/?p=55383

#Opinion: Citizens by Blood, Strangers by Bureaucracy: Unfinished struggle for gender equality in #Ethiopia’s nationality law addisstandard.com/?p=53596 More than two decades after Ethiopia pledged full gender equality in its nationality law, women continue to face barriers that men rarely encounter,” writes Cassadee Yan in this opinion piece. She notes, “From registering their children’s citizenship to retaining their nationality after marriage, women find themselves negotiating a state that still measures belonging through patriarchal assumptions and bureaucratic discretion.” The author explains that despite Ethiopia’s 2003 Nationality Proclamation legally guaranteeing gender equality in citizenship, the law’s promise remains “uneven and often illusory” in practice. Women continue to face suspicion when registering their children, frequently being asked to provide documents or paternal confirmation not required by law. This subtle form of discrimination—what Yan terms “administrative patriarchy”—operates through everyday procedures such as missing forms, unnecessary verifications, and endless referrals. The consequences, the article emphasizes, are profound. Children born to foreign or absent fathers often struggle to obtain nationality documents, leaving them “Ethiopian by blood but strangers by bureaucracy.” Without proper documentation, these children are denied access to education, healthcare, and other fundamental rights—an injustice Yan describes as “bureaucratic violence in slow motion.” The author calls for genuine reform, arguing that progress requires not additional paperwork but “trusting women—their testimony, their documents, their citizenship—as fully as men’s.” As she concludes, “Citizenship is the story a country tells itself about who matters. For now, Ethiopia’s story is still being written.”

It has been over six months since the assassination of Batte Urgessa. Yet, to this day, justice remains elusive. The @EthioHRC is said to have completed its investigation into his murder, but inexplicably, the findings remain withheld from the public. This lack of transparency is a glaring failure of accountability. Batte’s assassination was a heinous act of violence that demanded immediate and thorough accountability. While the EHRC initially pledged to uncover the truth, its inability or refusal to release the investigation report long after its completion raises critical questions: What is being hidden? Who benefits from this silence? The consequences of this failure are far-reaching. Batte’s family now live in exile in the United States, forced to flee Ethiopia due to fear for their safety. Their exile is a tragic testament to the government’s unwillingness to protect its citizens. It also underscores a pattern of impunity we have seen over the last six years. The withholding of the EHRC’s report also represents a broader systemic issue in Ethiopia. When justice is delayed, withheld, or denied, it creates a vacuum where impunity thrives. This is not just about Batte Urgessa—it is about the integrity of Ethiopia’s institutions and their commitment to accountability. Justice for Batte Urgessa is not just about seeking accountability for one man’s murder—it is about setting a precedent that no life is expendable, no family’s suffering is ignored, and no voice for justice can be silenced. It is time for the EHRC to fulfill its mandate. Release the report. Deliver justice. End the impunity. For Batte Urgessa, his family, and the countless others who have been denied their fundamental rights, the world is watching—and history will remember.

A wife, four kids, and loved ones have to confront not only the brutal murder of a loving husband, father, and friend but also the torture of having to collect his body from where his assassins dumped it. Bate Urgessa was not an ordinary Oromo politician, but a sharp intellectual who loved debating, reading, and learning. He lived a fearless life, too, despite the repeated suffering the Ethiopian state exacted on him. Bate understood how merciless an amorphous empire was for a political struggle he pursued but he chose to peacefully pursue it anyway, and he was relentless and unbroken until his killers silenced him forever. Once again, the Oromo mourn! Rest in power, comrade Bate! 💔

@TsedaleLemma Really heartbreaking!

A few points on what’s at stake: The main stakeholders who played key roles in delivering the Pretoria agreement for cessation of hostilities must take today’s meeting as opportunity to recognise that the absence of a transparent monitoring and verification mechanism has made the likelihood of deterioration and relapse into hostilities more than distant possibilities. Key examples include, but not limited to, the following five points: * There has been no publicly available progress report on the follow up of joint committee between members of the federal army and Tigrayan forces that was announced on November 12/2022 with the aim to “elaborate on the modalities for the implementation of comprehensive disarmament, demobilization and reintegration program.” * Despite the report dated May 19/2023 by the African Union (AU) Monitoring, Verification and Compliance Mechanism (MVCM), delivered by Maj. Gen. Stephen Radina during the second joint meeting confirming that 85 to 90% of the heavy weapons disarmament of Tigrayan combatants was completed, there has been no progress to reciprocate the steps by ensuring the implementation of key aspects of the Pretoria agreement and the subsequent Nairobi Declaration of the Executive Plan, the later of which stated the “disarmament of heavy weapons to be done concurrently with the withdrawal of foreign and non-ENDF forces” from Tigray. * Despite the establishment of the National Rehabilitation Commission (NRC) to oversea the monumental tasks of DDR, and despite having its first national consultation on demobilisation and reintegration a year ago on March 10/2023 in Tigray’s capital Mekelle, the actual process remained elusive, feeding into increasing lack of trust between the federal government and Tigrayan authorities. * There has been zero attempt at kick starting the political dialogue to address the root causes of the crisis, leaving the core objectives of this genocidal war untouched, unchanged and completely unaddressed. *There has been no publicly known consensus between the federal government and Tigray interim administration on the transitional justice policy document that is reportedly in the process of being sent to the Council of Ministers for review. In the absence of all the above five key points, we are watching the keen attempts to reinterpret and misinterpret the CoHA, including by key stakeholders who appeared to be laser focused on DDR & return of IDPs as end game of the CoHA itself. Whereas domestically, local media outlets associated/affiliated with the federal government are now citing unnamed officials as “credible sources” to broadcast serious allegations against Tigrayan officials, including the president of the interim administration, of plotting with Egypt & Eritrea from abroad, and Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) and Fano armed groups from inside to undermine the federal government in Finfinne (Addis Ababa). It is particularly important to take note of this development, which can easily be exacerbated by the unmet commitments, and take the necessary preemptive measures. The tone and frenzy with which these allegations are being broadcast have the potential to rile up the public into the return of a hostile rhetoric similar to the ones in the run up to the November 04/2020 outbreak of this devastating war and during the two years when it was ongoing, mostly hidden from the outside world. @MikeHammerUSA @RedwanHussien @reda_getachew @Bankole_Adeoye @EUSR_Weber

#Ethiopia: Why over one million IDPs in #Tigray still linger in camps a year after peace deal addisstandard.com/analysis-why-o… With the one-year anniversary of the #Pretoria Peace Agreement approaching, many people are still enduring challenging conditions and food shortages. According to the #UN, over one million individuals remain internally displaced as a result of the #Tigray war, seeking refuge in camps scattered throughout the region. A collaborative study conducted by the Tigray Health Bureau, Tigray Health Research Institute, and #Mekelle University has revealed that within just nine districts in Tigray, an alarming 1,329 people have died from hunger. Shockingly, starvation now accounts for 68.3% of the deaths in the region. This mostly occurs within the IDP camps, where fundamental necessities such as food, water, and healthcare are lacking. Despite the UN's efforts, around 1.5 million #IDPs have been unable to return to their homes. One woman named Abrehet Gebre (pseudonym used for safety) courageously shared her traumatic ordeal, recounting the murder of her daughter, experiencing gang rape, and being compelled to flee with her children. She continues to suffer both physically and mentally. While some IDPs are hindered by security concerns, others, like Abrehet, fear the psychological impact of the violence if they were to return.

ፅንዓት ንህዝቢ ትግራይ!! ኣጆኪ ኣዶ ጀጋኑ ትግራይ!!

#WorldPressFreedomDay2023 : Media freedom “under significant attack” in #Ethiopia: new report addisstandard.com/world-press-fr… *The new report by Amnesty & Media Institute of Southern Africa in connection with the World Press Freedom Day said that “media freedom has come under significant attack” in Ethiopia in 2022, with authorities arresting at least 29 journalists and media workers across the country.