Mekelle፡Telaviv, Nairobi, Pretoria, London, (Tigray Herald).
Six Journalists and Media Workers Arbitrarily Detained in Wajerat, Tigray
By Staff Writer
In a serious blow to press freedom in northern Ethiopia, six journalists and media workers from TBS TV and TPM were arbitrarily detained on Saturday while on assignment in Southern Eastern Tigray. The team was traveling from Mekelle to Mekoni to cover a planned public demonstration but was intercepted and detained in Wajerat before reaching their destination.
The detainees include:
Meaza Wubetay, Camerawoman, TBS TV
Merhawi, Journalist, TBS TV
Sirak, Cameraman, TPM
Eyerusalem, Journalist, TPM
Tesfu, Local Administrator of Wajerat 20 Adi
Mengistu, Driver for the media team
Sources confirm that the detentions were carried out under orders from the commander of Army 44 of the Tigray Defense Forces (TDF). The group was reportedly stopped and taken into custody without warrant or explanation before they arrived at Mekoni, where a massive demonstration against the TPLF’s militarized interference in Raya’s local governance was underway.
Eyewitnesses say the media team had all necessary credentials and were peacefully traveling to cover the protest, which drew thousands of Raya residents opposing attempts to dissolve the Southern Tigray administrative structure.
“These journalists were fulfilling their duty reporting on a public event of high relevance. Detaining them before they could even arrive at the protest site is a deliberate act of censorship,” said a colleague from Mekelle.
Even more concerning is the inclusion of Tesfu, the local administrator of Wajerat 20 Adi, among the detainees. His arrest, alongside the media team, points to growing tensions and confusion between administrative and military command structures in the region.
The detained individuals remain in custody at an undisclosed location, with no official charges filed. Civil society groups and media rights organizations are demanding their immediate release and condemning what they call a systematic effort to suppress truth-telling in Tigray.
“This is not just an attack on journalists, it’s an attack on the people’s right to know,” said Hiluf Kahsay, a prominent journalist and outspoken critic of the TPLF, in a statement posted on his verified Facebook page. “Using military power to silence the press is unconstitutional and unacceptable. Journalism is not a crime it is a noble profession. But in Tigray today, journalism is treated like a crime.”
The Pretoria Agreement, which outlines post-conflict conduct in Tigray, guarantees protection for civilians and media workers. Rights advocates warn that continued violations like this will only deepen mistrust and instability in the region.
As the people of Raya rise to assert their right to self-governance, the unlawful detention of journalists trying to cover their story threatens to turn a political crisis into a broader human rights emergency.
