Ethiopian journalists, however, have welcomed the EPRDF’s sudden openness and were hopeful that it would continue. At year’s end, only one Ethiopian journalist, Tewodross Kassa, former editor-in-chief of the Amharic-language weekly Ethiop, was in prison for his work. Four other jailed journalists—Tamirate Zuma, Lubaba Said, Melese Shine, and Zegeye Haile—were released during 2002.

Nonetheless, Ethiopia’s press corps remains wary of the Zenawi government. In late January, a joint delegation of the Ethiopian Free Press Journalists Association (EFJA) and the Media Institute of Southern Africa, a regional, nongovernmental press freedom group, marched to the headquarters of the Organization of African Unity, now known as the African Union (AU), in Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa, to deliver a petition urging the union to lobby member states to end attacks on press freedom in Ethiopia and Zimbabwe.

In July, a CPJ delegation conducted a five-day fact-finding mission to Ethiopia, which revealed that the government was planning undisclosed changes to its 10-year-old press law. While Information Minister Bereket Simon told CPJ that the new law would promote “constructive and responsible journalism,” journalists argued that the statutes would lead to a crackdown and drive many media outlets out of business. But at year’s end, journalists said that authorities appeared to have shelved the draft law.

Earlier in the year, the government released a code of ethics for reporters, which the EFJA dismissed as a book of restrictive “directives imposed on [journalists] by the rulers under the camouflage of a professional code of ethics.” Authorities said the code was necessary because, they alleged, some independent newspapers are funded by “terrorist” groups and hostile foreign countries, namely the OLF and neighboring Eritrea. Ethiopia fought a border war with Eritrea from 1998 to 2000, following Eritrea’s 30-year war for independence from Ethiopia, which ended in 1991.

Ethiopia’s Broadcast Law was adopted in June 1999, but the government, citing lack of funds and qualified personnel, delayed creating the entity charged with implementing the law’s provisions, the Ethiopian Broadcast Agency. That independent expert body, which will “ensure the expansion of high-standard, prompt and reliable broadcasting service which can contribute to the political, social, and economic development” of the country, finally opened its doors in July and received a long line of applicants, including the BBC and the local Addis Broadcasting Company (ABC), led by prominent economist and human rights activist Berhanu Nega. In an interview with the private Addis Tribune, Nega said that ABC had “no intention or any interest to oppose the government. We want to have responsible dialogue and reasoned discussion about our society.”

Despite Ethiopian leaders’ stated desire to improve relations with the media, old habits die hard. In October, the government accused the U.N. Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE) of “leaking stories” to the media, arguing that the practice could undermine confidence in the peacekeeping mission. The charge came after UNMEE officials briefed reporters on a skirmish between armed Ethiopian militia and Indian peacekeepers.

The charges stem from a January 18 Netsanet article alleging that Sheik Mohammed al-Amoudi, a wealthy businessman and owner of the Sheraton hotel in the capital, Addis Ababa, has connections with Osama bin Laden, suspected mastermind of the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States. The story also claimed that authorities had arrested al-Amoudi for questioning. After the article was published, a representative of the businessman phoned Netsanet and asked the paper to print a retraction of the story, but the paper refused. Al-Amoudi then lodged a complaint with police.

Plainclothes police officers detained Tesfaye while he was eating lunch with friends at an Addis Ababa hotel. Local sources say that Tesfaye had not responded to an earlier police summons for fear that he might be harassed. After making a statement to police, he was charged and then released on a 5,000 birr bail (US$600). On January 31, Abraha was also charged for the same article after he responded to a police summons. He was also released after paying a 5,000 birr (US$600) bail.

The charges stem from a July 2001 Ethio-Time article alleging that one general in the Ethiopian army had been dismissed from his post, while another general was being detained by police at a secret location. Asfaw was released on a 2,000 birr (US$250) bail, and a hearing was scheduled for May 29. By year’s end, CPJ could not determine the status of the case.

The charges stem from a December 2001 Ethiop magazine article alleging that ethnic bias occurred during a personnel restructuring in the Ministry of Justice and in the police force, and that there was tension between police and the public prosecutor as a result. Amlake was released on bail of 2,000 birr (US$250). He was detained again in October in connection with the same article and was released a few days later on a 2,000 birr (US$250) bail. His case remained pending at year’s end.

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 Meles Zenawi and his Tigray People’s Liberation Front. On March 26, Shine was granted bail of 10,000 birr (US$1,200). Unable to raise this sum, he remained in prison until June, when he was able to make bail.

The bail for the charge was 2,000 birr (US$250). At the time this charge was brought against him, Shine had already been in jail for nearly two months for failing to pay a 10,000 birr (US$1,200) bail from a previous charge. Shine was released from prison on June 25 after paying bail.

Sources in the capital, Addis Ababa, told CPJ that part of the basis for the lawsuit against Alemayhu was that Medina presented the article as a news item, not as commentary, as it had originally appeared on ethiopiancommentator.com. Alemayhu was released on December 4, after paying bail. His case was pending at year’s end.