Misleading post claims Ethiopian religious TV station licence was shut down

The post in Amharic translates in part to: “The OPDO/OLF group decided to shut down a Television station which serves as the voice of the Holy Church and its followers.”

Oromo People’s Democratic Organization (OPDO) refers to a ruling party in the Oromia region that was rebranded to ODP in 2019, while the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) is an opposition party operating in the same region.

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A screenshot of the misleading post, taken on May 30, 2023

The post was published on May 21, 2023 and has been shared more than 370 times.

The post adds: “Today Mahibre Kidusan’s TV station's licence was officially permanently revoked to deny the Holy Church a voice and hide from the public the abuses committed against church leaders.”

The religious channel Mahibere Kidusan TV is owned by Mahibere Kidusan, an association affiliated with the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church.

The post also claims that the revocation of the licence showed that the ruling party aims to influence a meeting of the church’s ruling body, the Holy Synod, about the appointment of church leaders.

The post further includes a screenshot of a letter from the EMA announcing a suspension of the TV station’s licence, as well as a photo showing the Patriarch of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, Abune Mathias, along with two other church leaders.

Holy Synod meeting

The Holy Synod of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church announced (archived here) on its official website that it held a two-week annual Assembly of Priests summit from May 9-24, 2023. The statement indicated that the Holy Synod established a “Peace Committee” to address recent turmoil in the church.

The church faced a rift after archbishops from the Oromia region established a separate synod in January 2023. The following month, the Holy Synod said that the crisis was resolved (archived here) through discussions with the rebellious archbishops.

At the end of their annual summit on May 24, 2023, the Holy Synod announced the appointment of seven archbishops for the Oromia region to address problems that led to division in the church.

The clergy from Oromia that rebelled earlier this year have recently been demanding (archived here) fair representation in the Holy Synod, as well as church services being held in native languages and not only Amharic.

However, the licence of the church-affiliated TV station was not permanently revoked, as claimed.

Suspension of licence

Instead of permanently revoking the licence, the EMA initially temporarily suspended it (archived here) over alleged “reports that instigate conflict”. The suspension was shortly lifted a few days later.

The Ethiopian federal media law (archived here) gives the EMA the power to suspend and revoke broadcasting licences.

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Screenshot of the EMA’s post, taken on May 30, 2023

On May 21, 2023, the EMA announced in an official statement published on its verified Facebook page (archived here) that the station was temporarily suspended pending a decision by the authority’s board.

The authority said the station aired content that could “instigate conflict” among followers of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church and disrupt the summit of the Holy Synod.

A few days later, the EMA announced (archived here) that the temporary suspension had been lifted effective May 26, 2023.