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Veteran Journalist sentenced to one year
imprisonment
Eskinder Nega ǀ
January 29, 2010
Addis Ababa:
 Judge
Mohammed Omar of the tenth bench of the Federal High Court today sentenced
Ezeden Mohammed, editor and publisher of of Ethiopia’s largest Islamic
weekly,Hekima, to one year imprisonment.
The court convicted Ezeden Mohammed, whose fourteen year span as an independent
journalist is rare after the clampdown in 2005, for incitement in connection
with a 2005 Guardian newspaper interview with PM Meles Zenawi.
Ezeden has been imprisoned since Monday morning until the judge considered the
plea for monetary fine by the convicted journalist, and the stringent demand of
the public prosecutor for the maximum prison sentence under Ethiopia’s old press
less, which was recently replaced by a much harsher new law.
Ezeden now joins two other journalists, Ismael Mohamed, editor of Ethiopia’s
other Islamic newspaper, and Asrat Wedajo, editor of Ethiopia’s once largest
Oromo-centric newspaper, Seife Nebelbal, which was shut down by the government
in 2005.
This sentencing comes after editors of Ethiopia’s popular post 2005 political
newspaper, Addis Neger, hastily fled the country after being informed by sources
of the government’s intent to try them under the much feared anti-terrorist law.
The Supreme Court is also expected to pass final ruling on Friday with regards
to a government plea to collect hefty fines imposed against four publishing
houses in the infamous treason trial of 2005.
Four years after the clampdown against thirteen independent political newspapers
in 2005, not one amongst them has been allowed to resume publication to date.
The Ethiopian government still continues to deny press licensees to Ethiopia’s
independent journalists despite the near paralysis of the private media few
months short of the national elections.
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Meles offers "safe return" for exiled journalists
January 24, 2010:
Ethiopia's ruler Meles Zenawi reportedly pledged
yesterday to
strengthen independent journalism and to
provide a "safe return" for exiled journalists. The unprecedented pledge came up
during a meeting he held with a delegation of the International Federation of
Journalists. Despite the pledge, exiled journalists are unlikely to take
Zenawi's words seriously as there has been a huge
gap between what he says to Westerners and what he does on the ground. According
to an IFJ press release,
Meles said that more than 100 journalists
currently in exile had nothing to fear from coming home. "Legal
actions had been dropped and there would be no action taken against them," he
said.
While Addis Voice welcomes Zenawi's positive tone,
we call on him to take a series of measures to prove the worth of his pledge. He
should prove his sincerity by unblocking blocked websites, allowing journalists
banned from running newspapers in violation of their basic rights to get
operating licences, he should also privatize the state-owned media fully
controlled by the TPLF and its hirelings, stop harassing and jailing
journalists, stop jamming VOA and Deutsche Welle and open up the electronic
media that is minimally open to loyalists and those who broadcast only
entertainment and sport programmes.
Meles, who has killed the free press in
Ethiopia, told the IFJ delegation that he was concerned with lack of press
freedom in Eritrea and Somalia, two countries he singled out for tarnishing the
record of press freedom in Africa.
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Following is the full text of a press release from the
International Federation of Journalists
The International Federation of Journalists and its African
Regional Organization today welcomed pledges from Ethiopia to support efforts to
strengthen independent journalism as well as a promise to provide a safe return
for journalists currently in exile.
The IFJ says a meeting with Prime Minister Meles Zenawiin
Addis Ababa yesterday provided signals of a “fresh start” for press freedom in
the country.
“The message is clear – it’s time for a fresh start and time to move from
confrontation to dialogue,” said Omar Faruk Osman, President of the Federation
of African Journalists (FAJ). “Ethiopia is ready to work with its journalists to
build a strong, well-informed and confident media community. This is good for
the country and good for Africa .”
In the talks the Prime Minister said the government
welcomed IFJ proposals to strengthen ethical journalism. It was ready to support
discussions on how to create a viable form of self-regulation to build public
trust in media. He also said that more than 100 journalists currently in exile
had nothing to fear from coming home. Legal actions had been dropped and there
would be no action taken against them.
The meeting took place on the initiative of leaders of the
Federation of African Journalists (FAJ) who were joined by the IFJ President Jim
Boumelha and the federation’s General Secretary Aidan White.
Omar Faruk Osman told the Prime Minister that African
journalists were engaged in a historic process of building regional solidarity.
He highlighted a FAJ report on violations of journalists’ rights in African
states issued a day earlier. Some 13 African journalists were killed in 2009 and
there were numerous violations of press freedom across the continent.
“African journalists are finding their voice and demanding
change,” he said. “We need to criticise, but we also seek co-operation and
partnership in efforts to find solutions to this crisis.”
IFJ leaders asked Ethiopia to use its influence within the
African Union to engage with journalists’ unions and in particular to support a
United Nations resolution calling on governments to protect journalists in
conflict zones. They also set out proposals for programmes of training on
ethical journalism and urged more action to improve the social and professional
conditions of journalists.
In his response the Prime Minister said governments could
no longer play the game of democracy without acting responsibly. At the same
time press freedom groups undermined their own credibility and were increasingly
ignored because of their “holier than thou” attitudes. He said dialogue and
co-operation based upon mutual respect were needed to tackle the problems faced
in Ethiopia and other countries of Africa .
The FAJ delegation included journalists’ leaders from
Ethiopia, Nigeria, Sudan, Somalia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Burundi,
Rwanda, Uganda, South Africa, Morocco, Tunisia and Zimbabwe.
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For more information contact +221 33 867 95 87
The IFJ represents over 600,000 journalists in 125 countries worldwide
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