Ethiopian journalists suspended over photoshopped image of PM and his wife

Two Ethiopian journalists have been suspended by the Ethiopian Press Agency for publishing a photoshopped image of the prime minister Abiy Ahmed and his wife Zenash Tayachew, according to a news report by Business Ghana.

The altered image shows Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed lying on the floor covered with a blanket, while his wife, Zinash Tayachew, is on a nearby bed smiling.

The image was posted on the Facebook Timeline of the Ethiopian Press Agency and remained there for at least 5 minutes.

The image has been trending on social media in Ethiopia ever since it was published on Monday in an article about the timetable for elections - expected in August.

The Agency removed the image after a few moments and issued a brief statement on social media asking for an apology for what it called a "mistake".

The statement said, “the image that Ethiopian Press Agency used for the news ‘the board will announce polling station maps on Saturday’ is a wrong one, and we apologize for the ‘mistake.'”  

Since Ahmed became prime minister in 2018, he has introduced the nation with wide-ranging political and economic reforms, including the freeing of political prisoners and opening up of the media.

But some activists and individuals have exploited the new-found freedoms to fan ethnic tensions and spread fake news targeting Ahmed's government.

This has led the government to enact new laws to tackle fake news and incitement.