Authorities in Ethiopia revoked the licence of independent online outlet Addis Standard on Tuesday, citing harm to national interests, marking the latest restriction on press freedom. Africa’s second-most populous nation ranks 145th out of 180 in the Reporters Without Borders Press Freedom Index.
A statement posted on Facebook by the Ethiopian Media Authority (EMA), whose director is appointed by the lower house of parliament, said Addis Standard “has been repeatedly disseminating reports that violate media ethics, Ethiopian laws, and endanger the national interests of the country and its people.”
The authority added that the outlet had ignored several warnings “to correct its course and refrain from its detrimental practices.”
“Therefore… the registration certificate of Addis Standard online media has been revoked effective from today, February 24, 2026,” EMA said. The outlet, one of Ethiopia’s few independent media platforms, has nearly one million followers on X.
Reporting by Addis Standard has focused on the conflict in Amhara, where rebels have battled federal forces for years, and in Tigray, where renewed tensions threaten another conflict. The government’s crackdown on journalists has intensified ahead of legislative elections scheduled for early June.
Earlier in February, the press credentials of three Ethiopian correspondents for Reuters were not renewed after an investigation revealed Ethiopia hosts a training base for the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which have been engaged in fighting in Sudan since April 2023.
In December 2025, local journalists at Deutsche Welle were permanently suspended, and BBC correspondents had their credentials revoked.
Four journalists, imprisoned for nearly three years, face terrorism charges and the death penalty, although capital punishment is rarely carried out in the country.
Reporters Without Borders has described Ethiopia’s media landscape under Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, in office since 2018, as “highly polarised and marked by a culture of opinion at the expense of fact-checking.”