French journalist detained in Ethiopia for alleged political reporting

Ethiopian officials reveal French journalist in custody since Feb. 22 was for working without required authorization and collecting intelligence on domestic political issues

Ethiopian officials revealed on Wednesday that a French journalist who has been in custody since Feb. 22 had been working without the required authorization and purportedly collecting intelligence on domestic political issues.

Covering the African Union meeting earlier this month, Antoine Galindo, a writer for the specialized newspaper Africa Intelligence, went to Ethiopia. However, according to his employer, he was detained last week on accusations of plotting to subvert national order.

After the 36-year-old appeared before a judge over the weekend, his custody has been extended until March 1. His manager referred to the charges against him as “spurious.”

The Ethiopian government’s spokesperson, Selamawit Kassa, said on Wednesday that Galindo had originally been given authorization to report the African Union conference. She said, however, that he took part in activities at odds with his goals, including meeting with leaders and members of political parties and obtaining information on internal political matters.

At a news conference for state media, Kassa said, “We were able to confirm that he was meeting and collecting information from social media activists and other entities related to the internal political affairs of the country.”

An unnamed person with knowledge of the matter, who spoke with AFP on Monday, said that Galindo was detained at a hotel in Addis Ababa while having a meeting with a representative of the opposition Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) party.

Media watchdogs have demanded that Galindo be freed; the Committee to Protect Journalists has criticized his detention as unwarranted and brought attention to the difficult working conditions faced by journalists in Ethiopia.

Once hailed as a reformer, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has come under fire in recent years, with charges of violating human rights occurring during the Tigrayan war. His administration, however, has disregarded these allegations.

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) reports that as of January 1st, 2018, there were fifteen journalists incarcerated in Ethiopia. Although the nation has ejected a number of foreign journalists since late 2020, Galindo’s arrest is the first such instance in more than three years.

Source: AFP