Mekelle/Tel Aviv/Nairobi/Pretoria/London
Concerned Tigrayans in the United Kingdom Issue Urgent Alert Over Media Freedom Violations in Tigray
London, United Kingdom — November 10, 2025
An independent advocacy group based in London, the Concerned Tigrayans in the United Kingdom (CTUK), has issued an international alert warning of what it describes as a “grave and systematic assault” on media freedom and democratic rights in Ethiopia’s Tigray region.
In a statement addressed to the UK Media Freedom Council, the Foreign Affairs Committee, and several international human rights organizations, CTUK said journalists in Tigray are facing escalating threats, harassment, and persecution from what it called remnants of the outlawed Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) “Above the Core” faction.
The group alleges that reporters and independent media houses have been “subjected to intimidation, arbitrary detention, and smear campaigns” aimed at silencing investigative reporting on issues such as corruption, illegal mining, and human trafficking. It added that female journalists are particularly vulnerable to gender-based harassment and threats.
CTUK claims that some political elements are attempting to impose an “Eritrean-style media control model” in Tigray — characterized by state censorship, detention of journalists without trial, and the monopolization of information. It described this trend as a direct threat to democratic recovery and post-war stability in the region.
“The situation in Tigray has escalated from concerning to extremely dangerous,” CTUK said in its appeal, adding that the suppression of independent voices undermines the Pretoria Peace Agreement and hampers the region’s democratic transition.
The group called on the UK Government and international institutions to take a firm stance. It urged the Foreign Affairs Committee and the UK Soft Power Council to address the issue in diplomatic and parliamentary settings, and requested that organizations such as UNESCO, Reporters Without Borders (RSF), and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) initiate investigations into the reported violations.
CTUK also appealed to the Tigray Interim Regional Administration to strengthen constitutional guarantees of free expression and establish a secure legal environment for independent media to operate.
The statement concludes by asserting that “freedom of the press is the lifeblood of democracy” and that safeguarding journalists is essential to ensuring truth, accountability, and peace in Tigray.
CTUK identifies itself as a non-partisan advocacy group of British citizens and residents of Tigrayan origin working to promote justice, human rights, and democratic values.
Reporting by Horn News Hub – London Bureau
