Prominent Ethiopian politician and social activist Eskinder Nega has been detained by security forces, according to multiple media reports on Saturday.
Eskinder a former newspaper mogul, political prisoner and later on in 2019 a founder of the Balderas for Genuine Democracy Party (BGDP) has been detained in the northern Amhara region, multiple media reports indicate.
Back in August, Eskinder announced in a letter he is quoting his role as chairman of BGDP.
Eskinder attributed his decision to the outright repression and extreme authoritarianism of the administration of Prime Minister.
He encouraged remaining members of the party to continue their peaceful political struggle. Since, then Eskinder’s whereabouts has been a mystery as he opted out of public eye.
The exact circumstances of Eskinder’s latest arrest hasn’t yet been disclosed by authorities and his former political party.
Eskinder a veteran Ethiopian public figure has been arrested multiple times by authorities first by the defunct Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) government.
Eskinder’s last stint in prison was during the current ruling Prosperity Party from late June 2020 to early January 2022.
He was accused of an attempt to “provoke violence and endanger the constitutional order”, a charge which many saw as politically motivated.
The former Balderas party chairman but was abruptly released from prison on Ethiopian Christmas day in January 2022.
