Ethiopian paper quits under government pressure

ADDIS ABABA, Dec. 4, 2004 [AFP] — A leading Ethiopian newspaper said Friday it had closed down as a result of months of government "persecution and harassment" against its staff.

"This is the culmination of months of persecution, harassment and black propaganda by the Ethiopian government on Addis Neger," the name of the paper launched two years ago, said executive editor Abiye Teklemariam.

Addis Neger, a weekly newspaper often critical of government policies published its last edition on Saturday before some of its staff fled the country for fear of arrest.

"Three of Addis Neger's editors left the country this week after the paper learnt that the government was preparing criminal charges against its top editors, reporters and owners based on the new anti-terror law and the criminal code," the paper said in a statement sent to AFP.

Ethiopia's parliament adopted an anti-terror law earlier this year that opposition leaders and the New York-based rights group Human Rights Watch said would curb independent criticism of the ruling EPRDF party ahead of elections in 2010.

Four other media firms meanwhile, told AFP that the government was seeking to freeze their liquid and fixed assets under treason-related charges dating to electoral violence in 2005.

"The government has suddenly decided to pursue the case... and is appealing a pardon by the president in accordance with the law and the public pronouncements of Prime Minister Meles Zenawi in 2007," said Serkalem Fasil, speaking for the four groups.

The government was not immediately available for comment on the accusations.

Paris-based media watchdog Reporters Without Borders condemned what it described as a "climate of fear" prevailing in Ethiopia.

"The spectre of the 2005 crackdown on the opposition and on the independent press is resurfacing in the run-up to the May 2010 general elections," it said in a statement.

"We condemn the fact that a weekly has been forced to close because of a smear campaign and because its staff was gripped by fear. We hope the government?s assurances will allow it to resume publishing soon."

The Horn of Africa nation is to hold elections on May 23, the first since 2005 when nearly 200 people were killed in post-poll violence sparked by allegations of vote-rigging.
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Addis Neger ceases publication

For Immediate Release:

December 04, 2009

Washington DC - Following legal and political harassment and intimidation by the Ethiopian government, Addis Neger Publishing announced that its major publication, Addis Neger Newspaper, ceased circulation. Saturday November 28, 2009 saw the final edition of the paper.

“Addis Neger, one of the few leading independent voices in Ethiopia, became the victim of yet another crackdown on free speech and the freedom of the press in Ethiopia,” said Mesfin Negash, Managing Editor of the Paper.  “Our newspaper was one of the country’s best examples of what independent journalists with an internal capacity to act free of constraints can accomplish in being the platform for intake and synthesis of public opinion. Unfortunately, a government which had a habit of wantonly and aggressively stepping into the locus and crystallization of public opinion as both a platform controller and dictator had made our task impossible.”

Three of Addis Neger’s editors left the country this week after the paper learnt that the government was preparing criminal charges against its top editors, reporters and owners based on the new anti-terror law and the criminal code. The decision of the publishing company to close down the publication was made to protect its owners and journalists from this massive onslaught by the government. “This is the culmination of months of persecution, harassment and black propaganda by the Ethiopian government on Addis Neger,” said Abiye Teklemariam, the paper’s Executive Editor. “The preparation to use the new anti-terror law against our journalists and editors was just throwing the last wood in the chimney.”

Addis Neger was established in September 2007 with an ideal of bringing justificatory discourse to the Ethiopian public sphere. Its twin editorial plans had been “the Idea of Public Reason” and “Integrity and Independence.”  In the last two years, these pillars served as the backbones of the paper’s interaction with the public, helping it to register phenomenal growth in its circulation, influence and investment.

Addis Neger also introduced a new model of media ownership. Founded by six former journalists who were victims of the media crackdown following post election crisis in 2005, it was expanding its ownership base to other journalistic members of the paper. It was hoped that the model would bring sustainability to the press as an institution.

Addis Neger Publishing Company promised to be back to the media scene in the future. According to Mesfin Negash, the company would venture into a new multimedia media format whenever is possible. “We hope that things will change and we will be back to our country. But our immediate plan is to ensure the physical security of our staff members. Let’s keep the spirit of freedom alive.”