(CPJ/IFEX) – In an 8 April 2002 letter to Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, CPJ expressed outrage over the ongoing prosecution and imprisonment of journalists in Ethiopia. CPJ noted that it is particularly concerned about Lubaba Said and Melese Shine, two local journalists who are currently in jail for their work. On 3 April, Said, former […]
(CPJ/IFEX) – In an 8 April 2002 letter to Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, CPJ expressed outrage over the ongoing prosecution and imprisonment of journalists in Ethiopia. CPJ noted that it is particularly concerned about Lubaba Said and Melese Shine, two local journalists who are currently in jail for their work.
On 3 April, Said, former editor-in-chief of the Amharic-language weekly “Tarik”, was convicted and sentenced to one year in prison. The charge resulted from two 1996 “Tarik” articles alleging that government security personnel had abandoned their posts.
The prosecutor said that, “…by publishing such articles the accused has disseminated at [the] national level fabricated news that could have [a] negative psychological effect on members of the Defence Army and cause disturbances in the minds of the people,” according to the Ethiopian Free Press Journalists Association (EFJA).
Said, who is married with children, began her prison term the same day.
Shine, editor-in-chief of the Amharic-language weekly “Ethiop”, appeared before an Addis Ababa court on 20 March to face two charges of violating Ethiopia’s Press Proclamation, including “defaming the head of state,” and “publishing an illegal article in collaboration with an outlaw.”
The charges stem from two articles that appeared more than a year ago in “Ethiop”. Both stories were based on an interview with Col. Emiru Wonde, leader of an illegal opposition party, in which Wonde criticized Prime Minister Zenawi and his Tigray People’s Liberation Front.
On 26 March, Shine was granted bail of 10,000 birr (approx. US$1,200). Unable to raise this sum, he remains in prison. Shine is also scheduled to appear in court in May to face a separate charge of violating the Press Proclamation, but CPJ was unable to determine the nature of the charge.
According to the EFJA, more than thirty Ethiopian journalists currently face criminal charges for practicing journalism. Because courts often impose exorbitant bail requirements, many also face potential jail time.
Meanwhile, during the last two months, at least ten journalists have been either summoned to court to face criminal charges or questioned by authorities because of their writing.
According to the EFJA, these include:
* Kebebew Gebyehu Filate, editor of the Amharic-language weekly “Tobia” (see IFEX alert of 20 March 2002).
* Arega Wolde Kirkos Ayele, deputy editor of “Tobia” (see IFEX alert of 20 March 2002).
* Wondwossen Gebre Kidan, deputy editor-in-chief of “Ethiop” (see IFEX alert of 20 March 2002).
* Shimelis Asfaw, former editor-in-chief of the Amharic- and English-language weekly “Ethio-Time” (see IFEX alert of 20 March 2002).
* Tsega Moges, editor-in-chief of the Amharic-language weekly “Zare New” (see IFEX alert of 29 March 2002).
* Berhanu Mamo, editor-in-chief of the defunct Amharic-language weekly “Abyssinia” (see IFEX alert of 26 March 2002).
* Kifle Mulat, publisher and editor-in-chief “Ethio-Time” (see IFEX alerts of 4 March, 25 and 22 February 2002).
All the prosecutions violate Ethiopian journalists’ right to press freedom, which is guaranteed both by the Ethiopian Constitution and by Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Ethiopia’s Press Proclamation No. 34 of 1992 is one of the most repressive press codes on the continent, and authorities regularly use it to silence critical journalism.
Ethiopia was Africa’s leading jailer of journalists at the beginning of 2001, with seven in prison. Alarmed by this situation, a CPJ representative visited Addis Ababa on a fact-finding mission last October (see IFEX alert of 9 October 2001). The organization was encouraged by the release of the last jailed journalist in March (see IFEX alerts of 6 and 5 March 2002, 5 December, 9 October, 2 August, 24 and 5 July and 14 June 2001).
Today, the fact that journalists continue to be regularly prosecuted and incarcerated for their work demonstrates that the threats to press freedom in Ethiopia are systemic. According to CPJ, this problem will not be resolved until the Press Proclamation and criminal defamation laws are repealed and the Penal Code is modified.
Recommended Action
Send appeals to the prime minister:
– urging him to release Said and Shine immediately, to drop pending charges against more than thirty other Ethiopian journalists, and to stop prosecuting journalists for doing their jobs
– asking him to do everything within his power to ensure that the Press Proclamation and all other legislation that criminalizes press offenses are repealed
Appeals To
His Excellency Prime Minister Meles Zenawi
Office of the Prime Minister
P.O. Box 1031
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Fax: +251 155 2020
Please copy appeals to the source if possible.
