Amare Aregawi, editor for Ethiopian weekly the Reporter, was arrested on 22 August in connection with a libel case lodged by the Dashen brewery in Gondar. The lawsuit was filed following the publication of an article about two former brewery employees, who were quoted as saying they were wrongfully dismissed. After being arrested at the Addis Ababa headquarters of the Media and Communication Centre, which owns the Reporter, Aregawi was illegally relocated to a prison in Gondar. Media freedom campaigners have been quick to point out that the case demonstrates the harshness of the country’s defamation laws.

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