Ethiopia: Prison administration says has no information on jailed prominent journalist

Temesgen Desalegn

ESAT News (December 14, 2016)

Human rights groups are asking Ethiopia’s government to immediately disclose the whereabouts of a prominent local journalist who has been behind bars since October 2014.

According to the Associated Press report, the Association for Human Rights in Ethiopia and DefendDefenders on Wednesday called it “unacceptable” that the government was unwilling or unable to provide Temesgen Desalegn’s relatives with information after two years of detention.

The groups say Temesgen was jailed on “spurious charges.” The journalist is serving a three-year sentence on charges of defamation, incitement and false publication.

The public relations head of the Ethiopian Federal Prison Administration, Gizachew Mengiste, told The Associated Press he has no information about Temesgen’s whereabouts.

Temesgen has already served two of his three years sentence.

Ethiopia declared a state of emergency in October amid massive anti-government protests, leading to the arrest of at least two journalists.