Formerly Imprisoned Ethiopian Journalist Continues Quest for Press Freedom

In a 2021 report by Reporters Without Borders, RSF, it was documented that a record number of 488 journalists had been detained worldwide including 60 women. The study showed a 20 percent surge in the number of journalists being arbitrarily detained. RSF also chronicled a rise in the number female journalists in prison with a 33 percent increase from 2021. VOA’s Simegnish Yekoye spoke to Ethiopian journalist Reeyot Alemu who was imprisoned for five years and branded a terrorist by the Ethiopian government. Reeyot shares her experience being arrested, interrogated, and threatened in her country. She continues to work as a journalist and fight for independent media and explains the difference between working in Ethiopia versus now here in the United States.