By GEDAM AFEWORK
Ethiopian journalist Hana-Mariam Teshome, a female correspondent for the East African Daily, was released on Saturday January 4, 2025, following three weeks of detention by Ethiopian authorities.
Hana-Mariam, 25 was forcibly taken by Ethiopian security forces from her home on December 14, 2024, and was transported to unknown location.
Hana-Mariam is known for contributing investigative reports and stories critical to the Ethiopian government.
In recent months, the journalist has been
reporting on the government’s gross human rights violations, drone attacks and other atrocities being committed by government forces in the Amhara region, reports that has made her a target for her arrest, harassment and intimidation.
Speaking to The East African Daily after her release, Hana-Mariam speaks about her harrowing experience in the secret detention she was held for weeks.
She revealed that she was held in a secret compound that did not resemble a formal prison.
Alongside her were two other detainees whose identities and circumstances to their arrest remain unknown.
According to Hana-Mariam, interrogations began the morning after her detention.
Security officials questioned her about her ethnicity (she is Ethnic Amhara) and journalistic activities.
They accused her of reporting critical and fabricated stories to media outlets based outside the country.
“They said I was collaborating to foreign media agencies which they said are enemies of Ethiopia” Hana-Mariam told The East African Daily.
She was also physically assaulted during one of the interrogation sessions, with an interrogator accusing her of sympathizing with FANO, an Amhara armed group which is fighting the federal government for over a year now.
Throughout her detention, Hana-Mariam said she was denied to her basic rights.
“I was denied access to a lawyer, I was not taken to court and my family were left in the dark about my whereabouts”
She reported receiving only minimal sustenance—three pieces of bread and tea per day.
Earlier to her release authorities strictly warned her to refrain from reporting stories critical to the Ethiopian government and other stories related to armed groups fighting the government or else face sever consequences.
Her release came with a stern warning to cease her journalistic activities. Security officials dropped her off near Goro, a neighborhood in Addis Ababa, without further explanation.
The East African Daily condemns the illegal detention and mistreatment of Hana-Mariam Teshome, emphasizing the ongoing challenges faced by journalists in Ethiopia.
Her experience underscores the dangers journalists face while reporting on government abuses and advocating for accountability.