Ethiopian authorities said on Wednesday, February 28, that a French journalist detained there since February 22 had been operating outside his legal accreditation and "collecting information related to internal political affairs."

Antoine Galindo had traveled to Ethiopia to cover the African Union summit earlier this month for the specialist publication Africa Intelligence. He was arrested last week on suspicion of conspiring "to create chaos" in the country, his employer said Monday.

The 36-year-old's detention was extended until March 1, following his appearance before a judge over the weekend, his employer said, denouncing the "spurious accusations" against him. Selamawit Kassa, a spokeswoman for Ethiopia's government said Wednesday that Galindo had been given permission to cover the African Union summit. But he had "engaged in activities in total contradiction with the reason for his visit, in particular collecting information related to internal political affairs," she added.

"Moreover he was speaking with political party leaders and members," Kassa said, in the first public remarks by the Ethiopian government about the arrest. "We were able to confirm that he was meeting and collecting information from social media activists and other entities related to the internal political affairs of the country," she told a press briefing for state media.

Media watchdogs have urged the government to release Galindo, with the Committee to Protect Journalists saying Monday that his "unjust arrest highlights the atrocious environment for the press in general in Ethiopia."

According to media watchdog Reporters Without Borders, as of January 1 this year, 15 journalists were in prison in Ethiopia. Ethiopia has expelled several foreign journalists since the end of 2020. But until Galindo's detention, authorities had not arrested a foreign journalist in more than three years.