Urgent Notice!
After a week-long, relentless search to establish his whereabouts, JAKENN Publishing PLC and its legal team have determined that journalist #Million_Beyene was taken from his workplace at the Addis Standard newsroom by intelligence officers and is being held at an undisclosed, informal detention facility in Addis Abeba.
No family members, colleagues, or legal counsel have been granted access to him, and his health condition remains unknown.
Moreover, he has not been brought before a court within the constitutionally mandated 48-hour period.
JAKENN Publishing PLC strongly condemns these actions, which constitute a grave violation of due process and fundamental rights.
We call for the immediate disclosure of Million’s whereabouts, full access to his family and legal representatives, and his unconditional release in accordance with the law.
Statement on the release of journalist #Million_Beyene
After two weeks in undisclosed, informal detention facilities in Addis Ababa and outside the city, following his abduction from the #Addis_Standard newsroom, Million Beyene has been handed over this afternoon to his family, as well as JAKENN’s legal team and colleagues.
Further details will be shared to the public as appropriate and in a manner that does not compromise Million’s safety and security.
JAKENN Publishing PLC, the publisher of Addis Standard, unequivocally rejects the abduction by intelligence officers and the subsequent ordeal suffered by Million.
This incident underscores the urgent need to uphold freedom of the press and protect journalists from intimidation, unlawful detention, and coercion.
A free and independent press is essential to safeguarding the public’s right to information and the rule of law.
JAKENN Publishing PLC
#Ethiopia: Statement on the abduction of #Addis_Standard Managing Editor by plainclothes men from his workplace
JAKENN Publishing PLC expresses grave concern over the disappearance of its Managing Editor, #Million_Beyene, who was taken at approximately 10:40 a.m. today (15 April 2026) from the newsroom by a group of unidentified individuals in plain clothes.
The individuals informed Million that he was “needed for questioning” before taking him to an undisclosed location.
Security camera footage reviewed by JAKENN shows a sequence of events in which multiple individuals in civilian clothing entered the building in a staggered manner over several minutes. The footage captures at least three men, wearing caps and face masks, and one without a cap and a face mask, moving through the stairwell area and coordinating their movements. Shortly thereafter, Million is seen being escorted out of the premises by the group. The individuals appear to act in a deliberate
Read more: https://addisstandard.com/?p=56522
#Ethiopia: EMMPA condemns abduction of Addis Standard Managing Editor, calls for urgent investigation
The Ethiopian Mass Media Professionals Association (#EMMPA) has condemned the abduction of #Million_Beyene, Managing Editor of Addis Standard, and called for his immediate release and a thorough investigation into the incident.
In a statement issued on April 17, 2026, the association said Million was taken from his workplace around midday on April 15, 2026 by unidentified individuals in civilian clothing, and that his whereabouts remain unknown.
The association described the incident as a “flagrant violation” of constitutional rights to liberty and security, as well as international human rights protections. It warned that the abduction reflects increasing pressure and physical threats against journalists and poses a serious risk to press freedom in the country.
Seventy-two hours into the abduction, the whereabouts of Million Beyene remain unknown.
Read more: https://addisstandard.com/?p=56552
News: #CPJ calls for release of #Addis_Standard editor seized by unidentified men
The Committee to Protect Journalists has called on #Ethiopian authorities to urgently locate and release #Million_Beyene, who was taken by unidentified individuals from the newsroom of Addis Standard in the capital.
In a statement issued on April 16, CPJ said Million was seized on Wednesday morning by a group of men in plainclothes from the outlet’s newsroom in #Addis_Abeba and taken to an undisclosed location.
#JAKENN Publishing PLC, publisher of Addis Standard, says the whereabouts of its Managing Editor, Million Beyene, remain unknown nearly 24 hours after he was taken by unidentified individuals from the newsroom.
In an update issued this morning, the publisher said concerns are growing over his safety, noting that his family is “increasingly distressed and deeply concerned.”
CPJ described the incident as alarming and urged authorities to determine those responsible
Read more: https://addisstandard.com/?p=56534
72 Hours. No trace!
#Million_Beyene has now been missing for 72 hours.
Disappeared without a trace.
He was forcibly taken from his workplace at Addis Standard newsroom, where he had continued to stand his ground and carry out his duties despite mounting pressure to walk away.
Seventy-two hours on, silence persists.
Despite repeated inquiries and appeals, no authority has provided any information about his whereabouts or condition.
#WhereIsMillion#BringMillionHome#JournalismIsNotACrime#EndEnforcedDisappearances
Five days without a trace!
It has now been five days since #Million_Beyene was taken from his work place at Addis Standard newsroom and disappeared without a trace.
Ethiopia grappling with multiple threats, a dedicated journalist who has steadfastly upheld his duty to serve the public’s right to information is one of them.
#WhereIsMillion? #BringMillionHome#JournalismIsNotACrime#PressFreedom#EndEnforcedDisappearances
96 Hours. Still Missing!
Ninety-six hours after he was taken, the whereabouts of #Million_Beyene remain unknown.
Million was forcibly removed from his workplace, where he served as a journalist, working to uphold the public’s right to access the truth. In doing so, he has now been stripped of his own freedom.
The silence is alarming.
#WhereIsMillion#BringMillionHome#JournalismIsNotACrime#PressFreedom#EndEnforcedDisappearances
#Notice: 48 hours since our colleague Million Beyene disappeared without a trace.
Addis Abeba - Forty-eight hours after he was taken, the whereabouts of #Million_Beyene, Managing Editor of Addis Standard, remain unknown.
The #newsroom has learned that his phone was briefly active at around 10:00 p.m. last night before going silent again, raising further concern about his safety and condition.
His family and colleagues are enduring growing distress.
JAKENN Publishing PLC renews its urgent call for his safe and immediate return, and urges the relevant authorities, including the Addis Ababa Police and the Federal Police Commission, to act without delay to establish his whereabouts.
We also call on the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (#EHRC) to investigate this apparent enforced disappearance and ensure accountability.
#WhereIsMillion
#JournalismIsNotACrime
#PressFreedom
#BringMillionHome