Like all of the journalists jailed in Ethiopia at the time of CPJ's 2017 prison census, Darsema and Khlaid were held on anti-state charges. Yared Hailemariam, executive director of the Swiss-based Association for Human Rights in Ethiopia, told CPJ the government had yet to provide any indication on "whether journalists are included" among those who will be freed. "Our contacts were not compromised ... we were able to beef up our security," Jawar told CPJ. "If this is what [Ethiopian authorities] are doing to us here abroad, imagine what they're doing to journalists in Ethiopia where they control the telecommunications." Other journalists have been targeted directly over their critical commentary on social media.

Source: Ethiopian News January 25, 2018 21:11 UTC