Reuters cameraman arrested in Ethiopia

A cameraman for Reuters was arrested in Ethiopia after police raided his home and confiscated his computer, phone and other belongings. Reuters reported the news on Monday.

In a statement, the news agency condemned Thursday’s arrest, saying the 38-year-old was not given a reason for his arrest and that he had been arrested in front of his wife and children.

A Reuters cameraman is said to have been involved in covering up fighting between government forces and rebel forces in the northern Tigre region.

Gomera is part of a Reuters group that claims to be fair, independent and impartial from Ethiopia. Kumara’s work proves his professionalism and impartiality, and we do not know any basis for his detention, “said Reuters editor-in-chief Stephen Adler.

“Journalists should be allowed to report in the public interest without fear of harassment or harm anywhere. We will not rest until Gomera is released, ”Adler continued.

Although no reason was given for Kumara’s arrest, a judge reportedly saw his case on Friday and gave police two weeks to investigate him. Authorities have reportedly cracked down on journalists covering the government’s fighting in Tigray for the past several months, and a handful have been arrested.

Government spokesmen did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Committee to Protect Journalists, which announced earlier this month that world-renowned journalists had been imprisoned by 2020, called Kumara’s arrest “the latest example of how fast press freedom is being eroded under Prime Minister Abi Ahmed after short-term hopes of reform” in a statement to the news agency on Monday.