Nairobi, April 20 -- International rights organisations have urged Ethiopia to stop 'arbitrarily arrests' of journalists and to respect citizens' right to peaceful protests.

The calls this week by Amnesty International and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) came after Ethiopian authorities arrested at least seven journalists in the latest crackdown following an anti-government protest in the country's Amhara region.

The two rights groups urged Ethiopian authorities to immediately release the journalists and drop all charges.

"Ethiopian authorities must immediately release seven media staff detained against a backdrop of rising violence in the Amhara region, investigate allegations of physical assault against one of them and pro...