(IPI/IFEX) – The following is an IPI letter to Prime Minister Meles Zenawi: His Excellency Meles Zenawi Prime Minister of Ethiopia Office of the Prime Minister P O Box 1031 Addis Ababa Ethiopia Fax: +251 1 552 020 Vienna, 10 February 2005 Your Excellency, The International Press Institute (IPI), the global network of editors, leading […]
(IPI/IFEX) – The following is an IPI letter to Prime Minister Meles Zenawi:
His Excellency Meles Zenawi
Prime Minister of Ethiopia
Office of the Prime Minister
P O Box 1031
Addis Ababa
Ethiopia
Fax: +251 1 552 020
Vienna, 10 February 2005
Your Excellency,
The International Press Institute (IPI), the global network of editors, leading journalists and media executives, is writing to you to express its grave concern for the safety of two Ethiopian journalists held by the authorities.
According to IPI’s sources, two journalists, Dabassa Wakjira and Shiferaw Insarmu, who both worked for the Oromo-language television service, are currently being held by the Ethiopian authorities. The two journalists have been accused of passing information to the rebel Oromo Liberation Front (OLF).
Originally arrested by the Ethiopian authorities in late April 2004, the Federal High Court ordered the journalists released on bail. Shiferaw made bail and was released from detention on 9 August 2004. Regarding Dabassa, the authorities ignored the court order and kept him in detention.
On 17 August 2004, Shiferaw was re-arrested. Once again the Federal High Court ordered the journalist to be released on bail. When released, Shiferaw requested the right to return to work as a journalist, but his application was denied. The authorities subsequently re-arrested Shiferaw and took him into custody on 11 January 2005.
Based on local newspaper reports, both journalists are being held in darkened rooms and there are allegations they have been tortured. Neither of the journalists has received medical attention.
Aside from Shiferaw and Dabassa, up to 12 Oromo journalists have fled the country since March 2004 as the result of the government’s repression. Many of these journalists fled to countries such as Kenya or Egypt, while others are in Europe or the United States.
Journalists who fled to countries bordering Ethiopia live in fear of retribution from the Ethiopian authorities, while others are having difficulty surviving and are in dire need of assistance from the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR).
With regard to the treatment of Dabassa and Shiferaw, IPI is deeply concerned that the Ethiopian authorities have failed to observe proper legal procedures. The decision to ignore the Federal High Court not only flouts Ethiopian law, it undermines the independence of the judiciary and the separation of powers. The Ethiopian judiciary should be the final arbiters in this matter and the case provides further evidence to the international community that the executive is undermining the rule of law in the country.
Moreover, the decision to release Shiferaw and then to re-arrest him is little short of an officially sanctioned attempt at playing “cat and mouse” with the defendant; either the authorities have sufficient evidence against him or they do not. Either way such evidence should be presented to the courts for their sole determination.
Instead, based on these facts, it appears that the authorities are using the Ethiopian legal system to punish the journalists while at the same time seeking to gather evidence that the two are guilty of an offence. Fundamental to the legal process is the underlying principle that defendants should be proven to be guilty and that the prosecuting authorities should, within a reasonable time, prove the offence.
In the case of Shiferaw and Dabassa, it appears that authorities have turned this essential principle on its head. In essence they have arrested the two journalists and are only now seeking to prove the allegations against them. IPI believes that the authorities have failed to make a case to the satisfaction of the courts. On this basis, both journalists should be released immediately.
IPI is also deeply concerned that the Ethiopian constitution’s commitment to press freedom is not being upheld in the Oromo region. The Ethiopian government appears to have waged a war against the journalists in this area; a war that has decimated the media profession, preventing the free flow of information and causing numerous journalists to flee the country.
With this in mind, IPI calls on the Ethiopian government to accept the decisions of the Federal High Court and to release Shiferaw and Dabassa. In addition, IPI invites the government to uphold its international and domestic commitments to a free and open media.
We thank you for your attention.
Yours sincerely,
Johann P. Fritz
Director
