Ethiopia Revokes Addis Standard’s License Amid Escalating Crackdown on Independent Media

CPJ condemns “retaliation” as authorities silence one of country’s few independent voices ahead of June elections

NAIROBI, February 24, 2026 — The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has called on Ethiopian authorities to immediately restore the registration of independent outlet Addis Standard after the Ethiopian Media Authority (EMA) revoked its online media registration certificate effective February 24, in the latest blow to press freedom in Africa’s second most populous nation .

“This is not regulation — it is retaliation,” said CPJ Africa Director Angela Quintal. “By weaponizing vague ‘national interest’ and ‘media ethics’ provisions, the Ethiopian Media Authority is silencing independent journalism. Revoking Addis Standard’s license is part of a deliberate campaign to dismantle critical reporting in Ethiopia. Authorities must immediately reinstate the outlet’s registration and end their escalating assault on the press” .

Government Allegations and Outlet’s Response

In a February 24 statement posted on Facebook, the EMA accused Addis Standard of “repeatedly disseminating reports that compromise media ethics, violate Ethiopian laws, and endanger the national interests of the country and its people” . The authority claimed it had issued multiple warnings and that the outlet had failed to take corrective measures before canceling its registration under Ethiopia’s Media Proclamation .

However, Addis Standard Editor-in-Chief Yonas Kedir firmly rejected the decision, stating that the outlet had never received any formal notice of violations from the EMA. He described the claim of “repeated notices” as factually incorrect and said the publisher, JAKENN Publishing PLC, is reviewing legal options to ensure due process is upheld .

The EMA’s statement did not specify which reports or actions formed the basis of the decision . The authority claimed the alleged violations were confirmed through its regulatory oversight activities and were the subject of numerous complaints and tips submitted by members of the public .

A Pattern of Escalating Repression

The move comes amid a widening crackdown on independent media as Ethiopia approaches legislative elections scheduled for early June 2026 . Recent actions against journalists include:

• On February 19, an Agence France-Presse journalist was blocked from traveling to Tigray .
• Authorities declined to renew the accreditation of three Reuters journalists based in Addis Ababa and withdrew the agency’s credentials to cover the African Union Summit, days after Reuters published an investigative report alleging Ethiopia hosts a training camp for Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces .
• In January, the EMA revoked Wazema Radio’s license over alleged reporting irregularities; the station has continued publishing content from abroad .
• In October 2025, the authority suspended the licenses of Deutsche Welle’s local correspondents, two of whom remain permanently barred .
• Four journalists imprisoned for nearly three years now face terrorism charges and potential death sentences, though executions remain rare .

Addis Standard’s History of Government Targeting

Addis Standard, established in 2011 as a monthly magazine and published in Afaan Oromo, Amharic, and English, has faced repeated government harassment over the years . The outlet is one of Ethiopia’s few independent media platforms, with nearly one million followers on X .

The latest revocation is not the first time authorities have moved against the outlet:

In April 2025, Ethiopian police raided the Addis Standard office and the home of one of its senior staff members, briefly detaining three managers for several hours and confiscating multiple electronic devices, including laptops, phones, hard drives, and CPUs. The Committee to Protect Journalists expressed “grave concerns about potential misuse of sensitive data” following the raids .

During the Tigray war in June 2021, Ethiopia’s media regulator suspended Addis Standard, accusing it of advancing the agenda of what it described as a “terrorist group”—an apparent reference to the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF). At the time, CPJ criticized the move, noting that “for years, Addis Standard has been an important source of critical reporting and commentary on Ethiopia” .

In November 2020, police arrested Medihane Ekubamichael, then product editor at Addis Standard, accusing him of attempting to “dismantle the constitution through violence” .

A Deteriorating Media Landscape

Ethiopia now ranks 145th out of 180 countries in the 2025 Reporters Without Borders (RSF) World Press Freedom Index . According to RSF, the media landscape under Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, who came to power in 2018, remains “highly polarised and marked by a culture of opinion at the expense of fact-checking” .

The latest actions have raised serious concerns among press freedom advocates about the operating environment for independent journalism ahead of the June elections, as candidate registration and campaign activities are currently underway .

Addis Standard has reported extensively on unrest in Amhara, where rebels have battled federal forces for several years, as well as tensions in Tigray, where a fragile calm risks sliding back into conflict . The outlet’s critical political reporting made it a target, and the latest revocation effectively bars it from operating legally in Ethiopia .

International Condemnation

The CPJ’s condemnation follows similar expressions of concern from diplomatic missions and press freedom organizations. In a joint statement on World Press Freedom Day 2025, 14 diplomatic missions in Addis Ababa warned of a shrinking media and civic space, stressing that a free, pluralistic press is indispensable to democracy and social cohesion, particularly ahead of national elections.

CPJ’s email requests for comment to the Ethiopian Media Authority did not immediately receive a response .

As one observer noted, the revocation of Addis Standard’s license represents not an isolated incident but part of “a troubling pattern of repressive regulatory action against international and independent press” in Ethiopia . With elections approaching and civic space contracting, the future for independent journalism in Ethiopia appears increasingly precarious.

Founded in 2011, Addis Standard is known for critical political reporting, and the latest revocation effectively bars it from operating legally in Ethiopia.