This archive report was first published on 22 July 2021.
On July 21, 2021, the Ethiopia government reinstated the licence of private news website Addis Standard after addressing 'areas of concern' in their coverage of the Tigray conflict.
The decision came following pressure from lobbyists who argued that Ethiopia was trying to impose a narrative on independent media on how to cover the conflict in Tigray.
According to the Ethiopia Media Authority, the publisher, Jakenn Publishing Plc, offered to report within the law and assured the Authority that the 'areas of concern' were only an oversight in the editorial process.
However, the firm suggested in a statement that the Authority had erred in suspending a licence for online publications, which was not its mandate.
Meanwhile, the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) rebels have been claiming major military gains over operations they carried out in southern and Western Tigray region.
Earlier last week, TPLF forces took control of Korem, Alamata cities and the entire contested Raya zone along the common Tigray-Amhara border.
