The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has called for the immediate and unconditional release of French journalist Antoine Galindo, who was detained in Ethiopia under alarming circumstances.
Galindo, who reports for the Paris-based news website Africa Intelligence, was detained by security forces in civilian clothing in Addis Ababa on February 22 while interviewing a political officer with the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF).
Galindo and the political officer were taken to the Bole Sub-City Police Department, where they are currently held. Galindo appeared before the Addis Ababa City Administration Bole Division Court on allegations of conspiring with armed groups to incite unrest in the capital.
Antoine Galindo, French journalist (Credits: Committee to Protect Journalists)
Despite the serious accusations, police have yet to provide substantive evidence or charge Galindo. Indigo Publications, Galindo’s publisher, stated that he had a journalist visa and had informed the Ethiopian Media Authority of his assignment.
They described the accusation against Galindo as “spurious” and not based on any tangible evidence. Ethiopia has a poor press freedom record, with at least eight journalists behind bars as of December 1, 2023, according to CPJ’s latest annual prison census.
Four of these journalists were detained as a result of a state of emergency declared in August 2023 in response to the conflict in Amhara state and have never been charged or brought to court.
CPJ’s Africa Program head Angela Quintal called Galindo’s detention “outrageous” and emphasized that Ethiopian authorities must release him immediately and without condition. She also highlighted the broader issue of press freedom in Ethiopia, urging the release of all imprisoned journalists in the country.
