Ethiopian journalist Salsawit Baynesagn detained without charge

Police arrested Salsawit at her home in the capital Addis Ababa on June 8 after telling her she was wanted for questioning, her sister Haymanot Baynesagn told CPJ. Salsawit has not appeared in court, and authorities have not disclosed any charges or specific allegations against her, Haymanot said. Salsawit was first held for two days in a temporary detention facility, where relatives were denied access, before being transferred to the Addis Ababa police commission, also known as Sostegna, according to her family and media reports. On June 16, Salsawit’s family filed a habeas corpus application seeking her release. Her lawyer, Zewdu Bekele, said Ethiopian law requires detainees to be brought before a court within 48 hours and informed of the allegations against them. The court scheduled Salsawit to appear on June 17, but her family and lawyer were unable to serve the summons on Addis Ababa police officials, who said the relevant personnel could not be reached because offices were being moved, according to Haymanot and Zewdu. Her family told CPJ that they suspect her detention is linked to videos she posted recently on TikTok, Facebook, and YouTube about the killing of Ethiopian Orthodox Christians in Arsi Zone, in Oromia regional state. In the videos, she criticized the government, religious leaders, and the public for what she described as silence over the violence. https://cpj.org/2026/06/ethiopian-journalist-salsawit-baynesagn-detained-without-charge/