a guilty verdict in a femicide case
and restricting media access
Hi there,
Last week was a breath of fresh air (and not just because I recently kicked the extremely addictive habit of vaping). The Addis International Film Festival was in full swing, with films screening across four locations in the city.
Also, last week, another edition of the year-long Qibibilosh series was opened with Jessica Beshir’s film, Faya Dayi. I could say a lot more on both the event series, curated by the wonderful Dr Netsanet Gebremichael, and the film, set in Ethiopia’s Harrari region, but it’s 2 am at the time of writing, so instead I’ll suggest joining the event’s Telegram page to keep up with the screening schedules.
My name is Maya Misikir, and I’m a freelance reporter based in Addis Abeba. I write Sifter, this newsletter where I send out the week’s top 5 human rights stories in Ethiopia.
Now, to the news.
Law: judges under attack
The conflicts in Ethiopia have resulted in increased violence against women. Some of these attacks have happened in broad daylight.
One egregious case was the story of Zewdu Haftu, in Ethiopia’s Tigray region. In August 2023, Zewdu was walking on the streets when a driver from a passing car grabbed her hand and dragged her along, causing serious injuries to her body that led to her death.
A court in Tigray passed a judgment on this case earlier this month, finding two men guilty of the death of Zewdu.
This court session was disrupted by family members of the defendants, who caused a scene and threatened the presiding judges. Days later, judges in the region’s capital, Mekelle, announced that they would not return to work until they were guaranteed better protection.
The Tigray Judges Association says that judges in the region are not safe doing their work, and regularly face intimidation and disruption to their work, according to a story on Ethiopia Insider.
The association shared accounts of judges being followed to their homes, harassed, and beaten. To address these concerns, they have demanded housing and transportation services from the interim administration.
The association says more security is also necessary during trials, citing that the current arrangement of two police officers is inadequate.
Despite the interim administration saying that they are working on ensuring safety, courts remain closed.
The full story on Ethiopia Insider, in Amharic, here, and the update on the court case of Zewdu, on Wegahta Facts, here.
Labor rights: one more reason to avoid the media
Healthcare workers across different parts of the country have been on strike since May 12.
A list of demands from healthcare workers was initially shared with the Ministry of Health before the strike, most of which revolved around better salaries and working conditions for professionals in the sector.
The Ministry of Health responded by telling healthcare professionals to continue doing their work, adding that “the government’s patience in resolving the issue with an open mind has its limits.”
The strike is still ongoing, dozens have been arrested, and nine individuals have been charged with inciting riot and unrest over the past week, according to a report by Addis Standard. A doctor who had spoken to the BBC on the record was one of the individuals charged.
Here’s an excerpt from the statement by the Federal Police on the arrests made last week, from Addis Standard:
The statement claimed that some individuals “brought in non-health professionals,” had them “wear white coats,” and enter hospital compounds “to create disturbances.” It added that these actions “disrupted medical services” and “put patients and those seeking assistance at risk.”
As of last week, Amnesty International says it has received a list of 121 healthcare professionals arrested in connection with the strikes.
The impasse has caused ‘massive disruption to the provision of much-needed healthcare services across the country’ adds the statement from Amnesty.
Here’s an excerpt on what Tigere Chagutah, Amnesty International’s Regional Director for East and Southern Africa, said:
“Now is not the time for grandstanding and draconian clampdowns. Authorities must urgently come to the negotiation table, with the aim of resolving outstanding issues and allowing resumption of healthcare services.”
Preliminary talks between members of the Ethiopian Health Professionals Movement and the Ministry of Health have not been promising so far.
The full statement on Amnesty International here, and the latest story on Addis Standard, here.
Press Freedom: barring access
Last week’s edition of this newsletter included highlights on the World Press Freedom Day event in Addis Abeba along with a report by the Committee to Protect Journalists on the seven journalists arrested last month.
One of the arrested journalists, Abebe Fikir, was doing a story for The Reporter when he was jailed for ‘filming without permission’. Last October, The Reporter’s editor-in-chief was detained for several hours over an investigative story on the mining sector.
Last week, the publication announced that it had been banned from attending and reporting on parliamentary sessions.
Reporters from the paper, which has provided coverage on sessions over the past 30 years, were barred from entry for unspecified reasons.
The guards at the entrance say that they have received verbal orders, and officials the paper contacted keep denying they’ve given the orders, according to the account provided by the paper.
The full story on The Reporter, in Amharic, here.
Election: mapping out polling stations
Preparations are underway for Ethiopia’s 7th general elections set for June 2026. No, I don’t mean decisions related to nullifying the legal status of opposition political groups.
The National Electoral Board of Ethiopia says it is digitizing the registration of polling stations in the country.
This method, now in its second phase, identifies polling stations based on ‘distance, geographical location, and accessibility to voters,’ according to a story on Addis Standard.
The first phase included 3,495 polling stations across the country’s Sidama and Harari regions, Dire Dawa administrative city, and parts of the South Ethiopia region.
Here’s an excerpt on the second phase:
“… the second phase began on May 11, 2025, and covers 9,643 polling stations in the South Ethiopia, Central Ethiopia, and South-West Ethiopia regional states, in addition to the Jimma Zone in Oromia.”
By June, the electoral board plans to expand to Somali, Afar, Benishangul-Gumuz, and Gambella regions.
Security remains a top concern for the upcoming elections, as two of the country’s largest regions, Oromia and Amhara, are active conflict zones.
The full story on Addis Standard, here.
That’s all for this week. I’ll be back next week with more updates!
In the meantime, feel free to share this with anyone you think can benefit from keeping up with what’s going on in Ethiopia.
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The barring journalists from reporting in bureaucratic loop! 🙈
Re the digitisation of polling stations, will this make elections more fair do you think or is it just commentary on more modernisation in non city regions?