Nairobi, July 20, 2023—In response to the recent burglary of the privately owned news outlet Ethiopia Insider, including the stealing of video production equipment, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement:
“The burglary of Ethiopia Insider, an outlet with a reputation for critical and independent journalism, could have a devastating impact on its operations,” said CPJ’s sub-Saharan Africa representative, Muthoki Mumo. “Police should investigate this incident, transparently determine its motive, and hold those responsible to account. A credible investigation will go far to reassure other media outlets that they are safe in Addis Ababa.”
Around 7 a.m. on July 17, an Ethiopia Insider employee reporting for work found that the outlet’s office in Addis Ababa, the capital, had been robbed overnight. A locker, cabinet, and drawer were broken into, and three cameras, a smartphone, four laptops, and six camera lenses were taken, according to a statement issued by Haq Media and Communication, which manages Ethiopia Insider, and Tesfalem Waldyes, the outlet’s cofounder and editor-in-chief.
The office’s door was not broken or its lock tampered with, Tesfalem told CPJ, saying the outlet had reported the incident to police, who were investigating. Tesfalem said he did not know who was behind the burglary, but believed that the incident was “not a random robbery.” He noted that Ethiopia Insider shares a building with a photo studio, which owns similar equipment but was not robbed.
Tesfalem said it was possible that that equipment was “selectively” taken to do the most harm to the company’s video reporting capabilities, noting that other valuables, such as lighting equipment, microphones, camera batteries, and an audio recorder were left behind.
Over the last three years, CPJ has documented a difficult environment for journalists in Ethiopia, characterized by frequent arrests and physical attacks on journalists, the expulsion of at least two foreign correspondents, and internet disruptions.
Just look at what that thug in Moscow has been doing lately. He has been burning the bread of poor countries by torching grain silos of Ukraine. He has closed the shipping routes in the Black Sea so not a single gram of wheat will get out. This demon is acting so erratically that it is worrisome. The war he told others and his citizens would end in a matter of one month has been dragging on for more than 17 months now. It is estimated that close to 40,000 Russians have lost their lives in a senseless war this mugger started. He is not threatening Poland. This ruffian is losing his mind and I am really worried about him. Hitler was said to have ordered the torching down of Berlin when he finally realized that the war he started was lost to him and the Allied forces were there at his doorstep. Luckily he did not weapons considered to be of mass destruction. He did not think twice to take his own life after he ordered to wiping out of every German in that city. But this goon is sitting on a pile of nuclear arsenal and am afraid there is no another Brezhnev close by the snip the command chain from him. It will be up to the level head Russian people to show his right place to this mad man.
Ittu Aba Farda,
What the hell the war in Ukraine, Putin and Moscow and the rest of nonsense you are writing here has to do with the article here: “CPJ calls for swift and credible investigation into burglary of Ethiopia Insider office”?
I think you are totally out of your mind, it is the blood of the millions of Ethiopians killed by Abiy Ahmed, and his terrorists, OLA and OLF.
This is the Abiy Ahmed you continually defend, you are writing here to detract from his dirty deeds.
The mad man you are defending is coming down, he would be envious of the fate of Qaddafi or Saddam Hussein.
A worst fate, much worst fate is awaiting your liar in chief, bungler in chief.
Thinking of about his lying, he was talking to Zelenskyy, begging for wheat, and he went out said that hew was mediating about peace.
The beggar, the whole world is laughing at Abiy Ahmed, the delusional idiot – what a joke, Abiy Ahmed, the peace mediator!!!
Is Ittu-Abba-Farda one of the pennames of Abiy Ahmed?
Well, it could be, the level of intelligence of both, if it is a both, is virtually indistinguishable. It cannot get any lower.
Man, I don’t know how Ittu-Abba-Farda find his pie hole and stuff himself survive, he is not very intelligent.
Man, you might be onto something, I think you could be right!
Ittu-Abba-Farda and Abiy Ahmed might be one and the same!