Authorities in Central Ethiopia have detained 29 activists, a group comprising numerous pro-democracy supporters and social media activists, accusing them of inciting violence and riots among the citizens.

Hailu Matios, the head of the peace and security bureau of the Central Ethiopia region told the Hawassa-based Southern TV that 276 individuals have been identified on allegations of publishing false news using social media. “Out of this group, 145 have been prohibited from posting, while the remaining individuals have been apprehended,” he said.

Mesele Abraham, an owner of the Hadiya Media House, known for its commentary on politics and social issues, was among those arrested, his brother, Mohammed told VOA Amharic. His brother mentioned that Mesele Abraham’s recent posts focused on the challenges faced by government employees who have not received their salaries for months and the grievances of peasants regarding the unfair distribution of fertilizers in Hosanna town and other parts of Hadiya. Mohammed asserts that his brother was arrested solely based on his social media posts and coverage of pertinent issues, refuting any allegations of incitement to riot.

However, the authorities claimed that the social media posts had been inflaming conflict, citing an example of tensions between the Guraghe and Kebeina ethnic groups in Wolkite town a few months ago. “We have identified social media posts that are developmental and those that are subversive, those that offer constructive criticism and those that propagate hatred,” Temesgen Kassa, head of the security bureau of the region said.

Families of the detainees and residents of the region have stated that the individuals were detained because of their criticism of local authorities and their condemnation of corrupt practices in the region. They maintain that the arrests were not linked to the dissemination of conflict-provoking messages.

Image: Hosanna, Hadiya courtesy of Meghan W.