FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 31, 2025

Alexandria, Virginia – July 30, 2025 – The Ethiopian Satellite Network TV (ESAN TV) strongly condemns YouTube’s arbitrary termination of multiple independent Ethiopian media channels, including ESAN TV’s main channel, Maede Zena, which was also owned by ESAN ,and EVN Media. This is particularly disturbing as high-powered and well-paid lobbyists have been pressuring platforms to submit to the will of tyranny.

ESANT TV’s main YouTube channel was terminated on Jully 30, 2025 while Maede Zena and EVN faced the same on July 21, 2025. These coordinated terminations targeting critical voices represent a devastating blow to press freedom and the Ethiopians right to access objective but critical voices.

Since its launch in February 2024 by a group of exiled journalists and human rights advocates, ESAN TV has faced relentless challenges from multiple fronts from exclusion of satellite services to intimidation and systemic efforts to silence the voice of truth. The repressive regime of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has deployed high-powered international lobbyists and engaged in systematic efforts to disrupt both satellite and online broadcasts of independent Ethiopian media. The impact of the termination is severe operationally and financially which is forcing ESAN to interrupt its satellite broadcast.

On July 21, 2025, YouTube simultaneously terminated the Maede Zena and EVN Media channels without prior warning or adequate explanation. Nine days later, on July 30, 2025, YouTube terminated ESAN TV’s main channel, effectively silencing one of the few remaining independent voices serving Ethiopian audiences worldwide. These coordinated terminations have created significant disruption to the flow of independent information to millions of Ethiopians both domestically and in the diaspora.

ESAN TV was founded by award-winning journalists and human rights advocates who fled Ethiopia due to systematic persecution, imprisonment, and the criminalization of press freedom. Our mission-driven coverage focuses on abuse of power, human rights violations, government corruption, and the pursuit of justice—precisely the type of independent journalism that authoritarian regimes seek to silence.

The terminated channels produced high-quality content that served as a vital source of information for Ethiopian communities worldwide, similar to how Radio Londres served the French people during Nazi occupation. ESAN TV’s work has been essential in documenting and reporting human rights abuses and providing factual reporting when Ethiopian state media serves primarily as a propaganda instrument.

YouTube’s enforcement actions appear to be driven by automated artificial intelligence systems that lack the nuanced understanding necessary to evaluate legitimate journalism. These AI-driven moderation systems cannot comprehend the human elements and contextual complexities that define responsible reporting on sensitive political and human rights issues.

“Every story has a human element that machines cannot fully understabd based on algorithmic patterns,” said Abebe Gellaw, CEO of ESAN TV. “YouTube’s systematic termination of independent Ethiopian media channels without due process represents a dangerous precedent that threatens press freedom globally.”

Despite extensive efforts through YouTube’s official channels, the platform has provided only generic responses with no meaningful opportunity for creators to understand or address alleged violations. The identical timing and language of rejection letters suggest automated decision-making rather than the “careful human review” that YouTube claims to provide.

YouTube’s actions follow a troubling pattern where the platform’s enforcement systems effectively enable authoritarian censorship objectives without direct government involvement. By systematically removing independent journalism channels, YouTube has become an unwitting tool of authoritarian suppression, eliminating primary digital platforms through which diaspora communities access factual reporting about systematic human rights violations and democratic resistance efforts.

Despite these significant challenges, ESAN TV remains committed to its mission of providing independent journalism to Ethiopian communities worldwide. The organization continues to operate through multiple platforms to ensure uninterrupted access to factual reporting:

  • Satellite Broadcasting: Via Eutelsat 7° West (H 11449) serving audiences across the Middle East, North Africa, and Europe
  • Website: www.esantv.net providing streaming access and archived content
  • Alternative Platforms: Exploring multiple digital distribution channels to ensure continued access

ESAN TV calls upon Ethiopians both in the homeland and throughout the diaspora who believe in press freedom to stand in solidarity with independent journalism. Community support is essential to maintaining these vital information services in the face of systematic suppression efforts from both authoritarian governments and technology platforms.

Last May, Secretary of State Marco Rudio said in a statement:  “It is unacceptable for foreign officials to issue or threaten arrest warrants on U.S. citizens or U.S. residents for social media posts on American platforms while physically present on U.S. soil.  It is similarly unacceptable for foreign officials to demand that American tech platforms adopt global content moderation policies or engage in censorship activity that reaches beyond their authority and into the United States.  We will not tolerate encroachments upon American sovereignty, especially when such encroachments undermine the exercise of our fundamental right to free speech.” ESAN will be undeterred by those who are out to intimidate and silence its voice. The struggle for press freedom will continue unabated.

ABOUT ESAN TV

Ethiopian Satellite Network TV (ESAN TV) is a professional international broadcasting operation incorporated in Virginia and serving Ethiopian communities worldwide through satellite transmission and digital platforms. Founded by distinguished exiled journalists and human rights advocates, ESAN TV provides independent coverage of Ethiopian political developments, human rights issues, and diaspora community news.

 

Contact

ESAT Management

Tel. + 7712298971