Police Violently Arrest, Beat Ethiopian Female Journalists,Genet Asmamaw

Security forces abduct Genet Asmamaw “Why am I being arrested for being a journalist?” you can hear Genet Asmamaw shouting on an audio recording of her unlawful arrest on April 6, 2023. Asmamaw managed to call her family while police dragged her from the office of Yeneta Media. "Don't beat me. Why are you hitting me? Why are you kidnapping me without a court order?" says the journalist. Men's voices mock Asmamaw, calling her a “vile woman” and telling her to “shut up.” "About five security men in civilian clothes are trying to take me away, saying they want me,” Asmamaw can be heard saying. “They are abusing me. They are insulting me. They are going to abduct me. I don't know where they will take me or what they will do to me." The recording indicates the journalist was taken away in a vehicle. According to Yeneta Media, Asmamaw appeared in court in the next day. She told the judge how she was beaten and insulted by those who arrested her. Her lawyer, Henok Akliku, said the court is investigating her claims of assault by security forces, Genet Asmamaw is a founding member of ASRAT media, an outlet that covers news in the Amhara region of Ethiopia. She is currently a journalist with Yeneta Media. “Genet is a strong journalist who shouts for justice,” wrote Yeneta Media after the incident, “Police arresting a journalist without court order is a clear violation of law.”