Ethiopia's State Of Emergency Cuts Lines Of Communication And Puts Bloggers At Risk Of Arrest

On October 4, I heard that my friend Natnael Feleke had not returned home even though it was approaching midnight in Ethiopia. Family and friends were discussing where to search for the blogger, who had only been released 11 months earlier from the notorious Kilinto prison, where he was held for 16 months over his blogging. As Ethiopia responds to months of anti-government protests, the fear of bloggers and social media activists being targeted again seemed real.

Family members went searching for Natnael and he was finally found in one of the many police stations in Addis Ababa. He and two friends had been arrested for talking about politics in public. Natnael was released after four days, but in the coming week the government declared a state of emergency in a move that has further endangered the safety of bloggers, journalists, and even ordinary citizens.

The emergency measure was imposed amid anti-government protests that started in Oromia, the largest region in Ethiopia, and spread to different parts of the country. By the time the six-month state of emergency was declared on October 10, at least 500 people had died during months of protests, according to reports . Protesters and activists had relied on social media for sources and to exchange information, but the use of platforms such as Twitter and Facebook was banned under the emergency measures.

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