New York, June 12, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Ethiopian authorities to reverse the expulsion of French journalist Augustine Passilly following her reporting trip to the northern state of Tigray, where residents spoke out about their fears of a return to war.
“Ethiopia’s expulsion of Augustine Passilly is a blatant act of retaliation against a journalist for reporting on developments in Tigray, an issue of significant political and security importance that authorities would rather not see scrutinized or discussed publicly,” said CPJ Africa Director Angela Quintal. “Authorities should immediately restore Passilly’s press accreditation and residency permit, allow her to return to Ethiopia and continue her reporting, and stop using regulatory powers to punish independent journalism.”
Passilly, La Croix newspaper’s Ethiopia correspondent since September 2023, told CPJ that she was forced to leave after traveling to the Tigrayan city of Shire on June 3 to report on tensions linked to the 2020–2022 civil war.
Journalists have been shot at and detained in Tigray amid a power struggle among factions of the Tigray Peoples’ Liberation Front (TPLF), which controls the state, both as a political party and a military force. The TPLF is at odds with the federal government, which banned it as a political party and did not allow Tigray residents to vote in national elections on June 1.
After her return to the capital Addis Ababa on June 6, Passilly was summoned by the regulatory Ethiopian Media Authority and questioned her about the trip, she said. Officials said Passilly’s media accreditation, which was valid until September, would be temporarily suspended due to security concerns, she told CPJ.
Passilly’s story, published on June 8, said Shire’s residents were being subjected to forced recruitment and ordered to finance military camps.
That same day, the media authority informed Passilly that her accreditation had been revoked and told her to leave Ethiopia, she said. She was issued an exit visa and left for France shortly afterwards.
Passilly’s expulsion follows recent Ethiopian restrictions on foreign and independent media, including actions against Reuters, Deutsche Welle, Addis Standard, and Wazema Radio.
The Ethiopian Media Authority did not immediately respond to CPJ’s emailed request for comment.
This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by CPJ Staff.
CPJ Staff | Radio Free (2026-06-12T16:55:11+00:00) Ethiopia expels French journalist Augustine Passilly after reporting trip to Tigray. Retrieved from https://www.radiofree.org/2026/06/12/ethiopia-expels-french-journalist-augustine-passilly-after-reporting-trip-to-tigray/
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