The Ethiopian Mass Media Professionals Association has called for an immediate end to the abduction of journalists. The group condemned the disappearances of Yonas Amare and Abdulsamed Mohammed, who were abducted two days apart, describing it as “an unacceptable practice” and a failure to bring them before a court.

On Monday, August 11, Abdulsamed Mohammed, an experienced journalist and host of Kidame Gebeya, a highly regarded business program on Ahadu Radio 94.3, was reportedly seized near his workplace in Addis Ababa’s Hayahulet area. Four days later, security agents accompanied him, and his office was searched, the association said. His family members went to police stations across the city’s 11 sub-cities and the federal police, but were told he was not there.

On Wednesday, August 13, 2025, Yonas Amare, senior editor and producer at The Ethiopian Reporter, was abducted from his home in Sheger city near Koye Feche by individuals wearing military uniforms and face masks, his employer said. The news outlet added that before the arrest, the assailants confiscated the mobile phones of residents in the area to prevent any filming and warned them to keep quiet about the incident, the association said.

The Addis Ababa Police Commission said Yonas Amare was not in their custody. The Reporter added that no formal charges had been filed against him and that all attempts to contact the journalist have so far been unsuccessful.

The whereabouts of the two journalists, Yonas Amare and Abdulsamed Mohammed, who were arrested within two days of each other, remain unknown, the Ethiopian Mass Media Professionals Association said in a statement, adding that the unlawful arrests have left their families deeply distressed.

The association said that if the two journalists were suspected of any offence, they should have been brought before a court within 48 hours. The association said that if the journalists had committed any offence, they should be questioned through legitimate legal procedures. It warned that arresting journalists without legal grounds and failing to present them in court is a dangerous and unacceptable practice.