The international human rights organization Human Rights Watch has warned that the increasing number of arrests of journalists and media professionals in Ethiopia since August 2017 poses a threat to press freedom in the upcoming national elections.

The human rights organization said in a statement today, September 22, 2025, that at least six media professionals have been detained without trial; some have been denied access to their families and friends and have been held without charge.

This “indicates that the government is trying to suppress free and independent reporting,” it said.

“Ethiopian authorities’ efforts to suppress independent reporting are aimed at undermining the government’s ability to hold the public accountable,” said Laetitia Bader, deputy Africa director at Human Rights Watch.

She added, "Authorities must stop arresting journalists and media professionals and urgently release those who have been unjustly detained for their work."