Addis Abeba – Journalist Temesgen Desalegn, the owner and managing director of the Amharic weekly magazine, “Fitih”, was beaten by security forces while he was in jail, his brother Tariku Desalegn told Addis Standard.

Tariku stated that he, along with his elder brother and two friends, went to the Third Division Police Station, commonly called Sostegna, yesterday in Addis Abeba to visit Temesgen.

Describing the scene, Tariku said that during their talks with Temesgen, they couldn’t hear each other well due to very loud noises and they asked the police to tell him (Temesgen) to come closer to hear each other better. That is when two policemen started beating Temesgen, Tariku recounted.

According to Tariku, the security forces beat the journalist in front of many people who were there to visit their detained loved ones. He further stated that he had the chance to meet Temesgen in a private room in the jail and said his eyes were swollen and his clothes were tattered.

Temesgen was arrested on May 26 on suspicion of “inciting riots and creating public mistrust on the Ethiopian National Defense Forces and the government.” He has been prosecuted since then.