Journalists from Tigray Public Media (TPM) and Tigray Broadcasting Services (TBS) returned to Mekelle on the evening of July 27, 2025, after being arbitrarily detained and subjected to life-threatening assaults by the armed forces of Tigray. According to a joint statement issued by the two media organizations on Sunday evening via their social media accounts, the journalists were on assignment in the Wojerat 20 Adi area to report on public grievances regarding a recent dispute between the Southern Zonal Administration and the Interim Administration of Tigray.
The media crews were reportedly documenting public voices when they were surrounded, detained, and placed in extreme danger. Their release was described as the result of intensive efforts by various individuals and groups, and the statement expressed deep gratitude to media freedom advocates and the residents of Adigudem, the administrative center of the woreda, who played a crucial role in protecting the journalists during the incident.
TPM and TBS stated that their journalists were arbitrarily detained while carrying out professional duties, received death threats even after their release, and had AK-47 rifles pointed at them while filming. They also witnessed peaceful protesters being shot at, resulting in death and injuries, were separated by gunfire and unable to communicate with each other or their newsrooms, faced armed searches aimed at locating them again after their initial release, and endured extended communication blackouts along with severe psychological distress.
In the joint statement, the two media organizations described the incident as “a grave violation of press freedom, suppression of people’s voice, an exercise to keep Tigray under tyranny, and an attempt to hide the truth.”
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They emphasized that the release of their journalists does not reduce the severity of the abuse and labeled the incident “a deliberate political attack” intended to suppress independent journalism and silence the voice of the people in Tigray.
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The statement also commended the residents of Adigudem for their extraordinary solidarity and protective actions. Some families, according to TPM and TBS, even provided their children’s clothing to the journalists to help disguise them and prevent re-arrest by armed groups that were reportedly searching for them again following their initial release earlier that day.
The media organizations called on relevant authorities to launch a transparent investigation and hold the perpetrators accountable. The statement concludes with a pledge that TPM and TBS will remain “stronger than ever” in their mission to be the voice of the people.
Both organizations, notably TBS, have previously reported working under increasingly difficult conditions, including smear campaigns, repeated detentions, and attacks allegedly orchestrated by the TPLF leadership, its military wing, and affiliated fanatic supporters.
