Ethiopian Human Rights Defender Center (EHRDC) is a non-governmental, non-partisan, and nonprofit organization registered under Reg. No 5220 and proclamation No. 1113/2019. EHRDC is established to create a strong national human rights defenders network that is dedicated to protecting and defending human rights defenders. EHRDC is persistently working to ensure the safety, security, and well-being of HRDs. EHRDC has been continuously engaging with human rights defenders and journalists to enhance their capacity and defend their rights.
Journalists play a crucial role in ensuring citizens’ access to information by presenting information to them. According to the international declaration on the protection of journalists, ensuring the safety of journalists is critical for the promotion and protection of human rights in general and the right to information and freedom of expression in particular.
EHRDC welcomes the release of Journalist Amir Aman a freelance video journalist who contributed to the Associated Press, and Thomas Engda, a freelance camera operator on bail. Journalists Amir and Thomas Engida have safely returned home and joined their families after the illegal and prolonged detention of 120 days without any charge. On November 28, 2021, authorities arrested Amir and released them on March 29, 2022.
Similarly, EHRDC welcomes the release on 50, 000 birr bail of journalist Temirat Negara a co-founder and editor in chief of Terara Network. His release today followed a ruling by judges at the Oromia Supreme Court on April 5, granting Tamrat a 50,000 birr bail after 117 days in detention without charges. Finally, EHRDC would like to recall the Ethiopian government to end the unlawful detention of journalists and human rights defenders in the country and to bring all those responsible for the violations of the rights of journalists and human rights defenders.
