It has been more than thirty years since Ethiopia began formally acknowledging Press Freedom Day. Yet the distance between recognition and realization remains vast. Journalists continue to face censorship, harassment, arbitrary arrests, and surveillance. Independent media outlets are frequently pressured, shut down, or forced into self-censorship. Digital repression, including internet shutdowns and restrictive media laws, have also become new tools in the arsenal of press control.
The government, which is the primary custodian of the Constitution and international treaties Ethiopia has signed, must take full responsibility for upholding press freedom—not merely in rhetoric, but in consistent and measurable actions. The Ethiopian Constitution clearly guarantees the right to freedom of expression and a free press under Article 29. Furthermore, Ethiopia is a signatory to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948), which under Article 19 affirms the right to “seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media regardless of frontiers.”
Yet in practice, these rights remain hollow for many. The past year alone has seen multiple journalists detained without due process, media houses intimidated into silence, and public access to information curtailed under the guise of national security or public order. These patterns echo a troubling history of suppressing dissent rather than confronting truth—a tendency that undermines democracy and weakens national cohesion.
A free press is not a threat to stability; it is a cornerstone of it. Journalists are not enemies of the state, but vital participants in democratic dialogue. They uncover corruption, amplify marginalized voices, and hold power accountable. When governments fear the press, they fear the people. And when they silence the press, they silence democracy itself.
The current moment offers a critical opportunity for the Ethiopian government to change course. This starts with ending arbitrary arrests of journalists, repealing or amending vague and repressive laws, ensuring access to public information, and fostering a culture where media can operate without fear or favor.
On this Press Freedom Day, Ethiopia must do more than commemorate—it must commit. The world is watching, but more importantly, so are the Ethiopian people. A truly free and independent press is not a luxury—it is a right. And it is time the government lived up to its responsibility to protect it.