A conversation about reporting from a war zone, “the crime of being a journalist” and hopes for the future of Ethiopia, organised by Studium generale at Bucerius Law School in cooperation with the Hamburg Foundation for Politically Persecuted People.
On the evening of May 14, 2025, Amir Aman Kiyaro, Ethiopian journalist and guest of the Hamburg Foundation for Politically Persecuted People, gave insights into the political and social situation in Ethiopia, current conflicts and their historical roots. In a conversation moderated by Per Ahmerkamp, Student at Bucerius Law School, and Timon Weiler, Alumnus of Bucerius Law School, Amir also delivered an impressive account of his journalistic work, which attracted the attention of the state authorities and resulted in his imprisonment.
Amir's experience of persecution
In November 2021, Amir travelled to a war-torn region of Ethiopia. There, he researched the hostilities between the Ethiopian government troops and the “Oromo Liberation Army” (OLA), interviewed members of the OLA and reported on the consequences of the war for the local population. Upon his return to the state capital Addis Ababa, he was arrested and accused of “collaborating with Ethiopia's enemies”. What followed were months in detention without being brought before a judge, terrible hygiene conditions in prison and hours of interrogation deep into the night that could last up to seven hours at a time. “They tried to break my spirits,” recounted Amir, “but they failed - I'm alive and kicking.”
The case was ultimately dropped due to lack of evidence. However, Amir never published his report being concerned of reprisals. He and his family no longer felt safe in Ethiopia. With the support of the Hamburg Foundation for Politically Persecuted People, Amir came to Hamburg, where he has now been living with his young family for a year.
Support from the Hamburg Foundation
The Hamburg Foundation for Politically Persecuted People was established 39 years ago in memory of the victims of the Nazi regime and all those who stood up for freedom and suffered politically motivated persecution as Martina Bäurle, CEO of the Foundation, explained. “In every regime that takes away the freedom of its citizens, there are people who fight back,” she elaborated. Their protection is the Foundation’s mission. With the Hamburg Shelter Fellowship, the Foundation enables human rights defenders and activists to stay in Hamburg for 12 months with the aim of supporting their resilience, mental health and well-being and in order to provide them with a safe space to continue their valuable work. “In view of the growing pressure on human rights, the Foundation's work is more important than ever,” concludes Mrs. Bäurle.
Bucerius Law School has been cooperating with the Foundation for seven years. In regular joint events, the Foundation's scholarship holders are given a platform to speak about their experiences of persecution and the situation in their home country. Benedikt Landgrebe, Deputy CEO of Bucerius Law School, emphasized this long-standing tradition in his welcome address. He further expressed his delight that students and the wider public were once again showing great interest in learning about a country that receives little attention in Germany.
Insights into a country shaken by war
Amir's journalistic work examines the violent conflicts between various actors in Ethiopia, but above all the horrific consequences for the civilian population. Estimates from multiple sources, including Amnesty International, suggest that around 600,000 people were killed and 120,000 women raped during the Tigray conflict, which lasted from 2020 to 2022. The war was brutally waged by both sides, the Ethiopian central government and the militant rebel group “Tigray People’s Liberation Front” (TPLF). They left behind a disrupted region. Farmers in Tigray could not get fertilizer and could not cultivate their fields, which resulted in starvation. Schools were closed and children could not go to school. According to the United Nations, 40 per cent of the population in Tigray suffers from hunger. The war in Tigray also affected other regions. “What Ethiopia was able to build over many years, was destroyed. Rebuilding will take time,” said Amir.
In November 2022, the Tigray conflict officially ended when the central government of Ethiopia and the TPLF signed a peace agreement in Pretoria that prohibited all forms of hostility. Since then, Ethiopia has disappeared from the headlines. However, this silence is misleading, as the agreement has not brought lasting peace. On the contrary: There are ongoing armed conflicts. People are fleeing their homes – an estimated 4.5 million are currently displaced across rural and urban areas, mainly in the Somali, Oromia, and Tigray regions according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) – and the repression of civilians is increasing. Only a few months after the peace treaty for Tigray was signed, a conflict began in the neighbouring region of Amhara. The Amhara militia had supported the government in its fight against the TPLF and expected something in return. At the time the peace treaty was signed, they felt they had the upper hand and they considered peace negotiations by the central government a betrayal. “So technically the Tigrayan war was ended only for another one to start in Amhara,” Amir summarized.
Oromia, too, has remained a conflict zone, with government forces and the OLA continuing to fight, causing civilian harm. The unresolved humanitarian crisis in Tigray, the new conflict in Amhara, and the continued violence in Oromia are causing increasing dissatisfaction among the population with the Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.
