Ethiopia releases Reuters cameraman ‘without charge’
Nairobi
An Ethiopian cameraman working for Reuters was released “without charge” 12 days after his arrest in Addis Ababa, the international news agency said on Tuesday, following criticism from the US.
Kumerra Gemechu had been arrested by armed federal police at his home on December 24, and the following day a judge ordered him held for two weeks.
“We are delighted that Kumerra has been released and reunited with his family. His release today affirms he has done nothing wrong,” Reuters editor-in-chief Stephen J. Adler said in a statement.
A freelance cameraman for Reuters for a decade, Kumerra had been reporting on the conflict in Ethiopia’s Tigray where Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed ordered the military to confront the ruling party of the dissident northern region.
Communications blackout
Ethiopia restricted media access to the region, and Tigray was under a total communications blackout for six weeks as the conflict raged between federal and regional forces.
Kumerra’s arrest drew swift criticism from the US, with Washington’s top Africa envoy Tibor Nagy saying last month he was “extremely concerned by continuing reports of intimidation of journalists in Ethiopia”.
At the time, Reuters said Kumerra’s arrest followed the beating of one of its photographers in Ethiopia by two federal police officers on December 16.
The agency said on Tuesday that “Ethiopian police and prosecutor’s office did not respond to questions from Reuters on the reasons for Kumerra’s arrest and subsequent release.”
‘False information’
Officials had earlier told the cameraman’s lawyer, Melkamu Ogo, that he was suspected of “disseminating false information, communicating with groups fighting the government, and disturbing the public’s peace and security”, Reuters said.
Ogo said he had seen no evidence, Reuters added.
The Committee to Protect Journalists last month identified Ethiopia as a top jailor of reporters, saying at least seven media workers were behind bars in the Horn of Africa nation.
Most were accused of crimes against the state, the US-based watchdog said.
The CPJ’s sub-Saharan Africa representative, Muthoki Mumo, has condemned the “Ethiopian authorities’ pattern of manoeuvring around bail orders to extend pre-trial detention”.
In Reporters Without Borders’ annual World Press Freedom Index, Ethiopia is ranked 99th among 179 nations.
