Germany's international broadcaster DW protested the permanent suspension of two of its correspondents by Ethiopian authorities on Friday. 

DW said the Ethiopian Media Authority (EMA) did not provide concrete reasons for the journalists' reporting.

The German broadcaster said it was considering legal steps.

"It is unacceptable that our two correspondents must stop their work without any concrete explanation," said DW Editor-in-Chief Manuela Kasper-Claridge.

"Millions of Ethiopians rely on our Amharic-language programming, trusting us to deliver well-researched reporting from across the country," she said. "We also firmly reject the sweeping accusations made by the Ethiopian media regulator against our staff and stand fully behind our correspondents and editorial team."

What do we know about the correspondents' suspension?

DW said that on October 23, the EMA temporarily suspended nine DW correspondents. In a letter to DW on Monday, the Ethiopian authority said seven correspondents were cleared to resume their work, while the remaining two were permanently suspended.

The two had been covering events in Ethiopia's Tigray region, the scene of a two-year conflict, and Amhara, where Ethiopian forces have battled rebels for years.

The EMA letter based the suspension on claims of "continued non-compliance with Ethiopian laws and professional ethics," DW said, adding that it repeatedly inquired about specific complaints but received none.

"Even when justifying the earlier temporary suspensions of all DW correspondents, the regulator cited only vague violations of two media regulations, without referencing any specific DW reports," DW said in its statement.

The EMA letter also accused DW's Bonn-based Amharic editorial team of publishing "misleading information" and "dangerously framed narratives and material."

DW said there was no evidence to support the EMA accusations.

"DW maintains that none of the allegations are justified and says it would review any concrete examples if the authority were to provide them," the broadcaster's statement read.

Press freedom in retreat in Ethiopia

Rights groups regularly criticize Ethiopian authorities for curbing public freedoms.

The media watchdog Reporters without Borders (RSF) said that most of the recent gains in press freedom, achieved after Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed came to power in 2018, have been reversed.

RSF's annual press freedom index ranked Ethiopia 145th out of 180 countries this year, down four places.

Five journalists remain detained in Ethiopia today, according to RSF figures.

RSF denounced the "arbitrary decision" concerning the DW journalists and urged Ethiopia to "end intimidation targeting the broadcaster's Amharic service."

DW operates the most widely used Amharic-language service of any international broadcaster in Ethiopia, reaching about 10% of Ethiopians aged 14 and older.