French journalist Antoine Galindo was released by Ethiopian authorities on Thursday, a week after his initial arrest, according to his employer. The journalist was taken into custody in Addis Ababa last Thursday on charges of “conspiracy to create chaos.”
Quentin Botbol, the publisher of Africa Intelligence, stated in an emailed release that Galindo has departed for France and is expected to arrive on Friday.
Ethiopia has faced criticism from human rights activists for its restrictions on press freedom, especially regarding critical coverage of conflicts and security crises. The Committee to Protect Journalists, based in New York, reported that at least eight Ethiopian journalists have been detained since August.
In recent years, Ethiopia has expelled foreign journalists or denied them accreditations. The last reported arrests before Galindo were of two Swedish journalists in 2011.
