by Nurat Uthman
A French journalist has been arrested and detained in Ethiopia since February 22 on suspicions of conspiring “to create chaos” in the country, his employer, the specialist publication Africa Intelligence, announced on Monday, February 26.
Antoine Galindo, who traveled to Ethiopia to cover the African Union summit earlier this month, was brought before a judge on Saturday, who ordered his detention extended until March 1, Africa Intelligence said, condemning the “unjustified arrest.” He has been held since Thursday afternoon at a police station in Ethiopia’s capital, the publication said, calling for his immediate release.
“These spurious accusations are not based on any tangible evidence that might justify this extended deprivation of liberty,” the publication said, pointing out that Galindo had informed the Ethiopian authorities of his assignment and had a visa authorizing him to work there as a journalist. The 36-year-old journalist, who heads the publication’s East Africa section, had lived in Ethiopia between 2013 and 2017 and was “known to the Ethiopia Media Authority,” which oversees media accreditations in the country.
According to media watchdog Reporters Without Borders, as of January 1 this year, 15 journalists were in prison in Ethiopia. Prior to Galindo’s detention, Ethiopian authorities had not arrested a foreign journalist in more than three years. In July 2020, a Kenyan journalist was detained for more than a month in Addis Ababa, despite an Ethiopian court ordering his release on bail.
