Lucy Kassa, the fearless voice of Tigray

In a country where journalism can cost you your life, Lucy Kassa remains a fearless voice for the truth. The Ethiopian investigative journalist and war correspondent exposed atrocities committed during the Tigray war in Ethiopia. For Al Jazeera and other media outlets, she reported on ethnic cleansing, mass murder and systematic sexual violence.

Kassa began her career covering development issues. But when war broke out in Ethiopia's Tigray region in late 2020, she switched to exposing human rights violations. This entailed huge personal risks.

In early 2021, her work reached a dangerous turning point. After she published a story about a woman from Tigray (a region in northern Ethiopia) who was raped by Eritrean soldiers, three armed men entered her home in Addis Ababa. “They showed no identification and did not say who they were,” she told Los Angeles Times. “They searched my house and took my laptop and a USB stick with pictures from Tigray. These were images of Eritrean soldiers in uniform in villages and seized houses. These provided evidence against the Ethiopian and Eritrean governments” repeated claims that there were no Eritrean troops in Tigray."

Soon after, Ethiopian authorities publicly accused her of being ‘not officially registered’; a well-known tactic to undermine and silence critical journalists. She also received death threats demanding that she stop researching war crimes. Lucy Kassa then took the difficult decision to flee her country.

Press freedom in Ethiopia

In Ethiopia, journalists face threats, intimidation and imprisonment, especially when reporting on ethnic conflicts and human rights violations. Many journalists are forced into exile, while others face censorship and legal persecution. According to Reporters Without Borders, Ethiopia is ranked 145th out of 180 countries in the World Press Freedom Index 2025.

Lucy Kassa now lives in a secret location in Europe, where she continues her important work. She communicates through encrypted channels and carefully guards her digital trails. Despite her life in the shadows, she continues to expose the terrible truth, including in New Lines Magazine. She shows how rape is used as a weapon of war against women in the Tigray conflict. This is how she stands up for these survivors.

Beyond the lies

She also documents how Tigrayans are driven from their homes purely because of their ethnicity - facts that government officials continue to deny. Through reliable local contacts, she continues to show that foreign soldiers are participating in the war, despite government denials in Ethiopia and Eritrea. Every story she publishes helps the world understand what is really happening in Tigray beyond the lies.

For her extraordinary courage, Lucy Kassa has received international awards, including the Anna Politkovskaya Award. “They took away my evidence, but not the truth,” she said at a gathering with colleagues. “Journalism is my way of giving the victims a voice.” At a time when silence serves those in power, Lucy Kassa proves that resistance can start with a pen. And can live on, even in exile.

Profile of resistance
This article previously appeared in 360 Magazine. In ‘Profile of Resistance’, a journalist from RFG Media takes you to meet a press freedom advocate from her or his country. How do they navigate digital and physical risks? What abuses do they bring to light? Meet these warriors of free speech in this monthly feature.