Ethiopia: at least 13 journalists arrested in a week

Two more journalists have been detained in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, increasing the number of reporters and media workers jailed since last week to 13, the BBC reported.

The move has been seen by some as a crackdown on critical voices.

The arrests have coincided with the launching of what authorities called a “law enforcement operation” in Amhara region where thousands have been arrested.

Last year the US-based lobby group, the Committee to Protect Journalists, called Ethiopia one of the worst jailers of reporters.

And now a new wave of arrests has seen more than a dozen journalists and media workers detained in a little over a week.

But it’s not only journalists who are being targeted.

On Monday, the authorities in Amhara, Ethiopia’s second most populous region, said they had jailed more than 4,500 individuals.

Among them were activists, military and militiamen, and academics. The arrests have since continued.

Amhara’s spokesperson told the BBC that he doesn’t have the latest figures but the security office told local media that close to 2,000 have additionally been detained.

It comes amid concerns that the continued operation could lead to further tensions – and even violence – in a country blighted by civil war and ethnic conflicts, the news agency reported.