Editor Tigist Zerihun and reporter Mintamer Tsegaw of Sheger FM 102.1 were released from custody on 24 September after the Federal Supreme Court’s Second Criminal Bench upheld an earlier Bail order by the Federal High Court, Lideta Division. The court confirmed bail of 50,000 birr for each journalist and rejected an appeal by the Federal Police Crime Investigation Bureau to deny release on the grounds that the pair might tamper with evidence.
Sheger FM said the journalists — who had been detained since 29 August following a broadcast about a Ministry of Health circular and healthcare workers’ demands for better pay and benefits — were freed in the afternoon of 24 September, their 21st day in custody. The station also reported that Head of News and Programs Eshete Assefa was detained on 29 August but released the same day after giving a statement.
The contested radio segment, which aired twice before being removed from Sheger FM’s online platforms, included interviews and commentary that Ethiopian authorities said amounted to “incitement to violence and bias.” The Ethiopian Media Authority ordered the report’s removal; police later detained the journalists despite the deletion. The Federal Police Criminal Investigation Bureau appealed the lower court’s bail decision, arguing that releasing the journalists could allow them to interfere with the investigation — an argument the Supreme Court rejected.
International press freedom organisations had called for the journalists’ release. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) warned against censorship and urged authorities to free Tigist and Mintamer “immediately and unconditionally,” stressing the public interest in independent reporting on health issues. Human Rights Watch and other groups framed the detentions as part of an escalating pattern of arrests that threatens media freedom ahead of national elections.
With bail granted, the journalists are free pending further proceedings. The Supreme Court’s decision to uphold bail does not end the substantive case against the pair; prosecutors may still pursue charges, and further court dates are expected as the investigation continues. Sheger FM described the release as a welcome moment but said it remains concerned about the broader climate for independent media.
