CPJ letter outlines press freedom agenda for government
Your Excellency: The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) recently completed a fact-finding mission to Ethiopia to assess conditions for local journalists. During a one-week stay, CPJ Africa program coordinator Yves Sorokobi met with senior government officials, with opposition and human rights activists, and with journalists from both the state and private media.
CPJ URGES ETHIOPIA TO REMOVE REMAINING PRESS RESTRICTIONS
New York, October 31, 2001—Following a recent fact-finding mission to Ethiopia, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) today sent a letter to Prime Minister Meles Zenawi listing a host of restrictions that still hamper the growth of a genuinely independent and professional press in the Horn of Africa nation.
CPJ COMPLETES FACT-FINDING MISSION TO ETHIOPIA
Addis Ababa, October 9, 2001—The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) today completed a fact-finding mission in Ethiopia with a visit to jailed journalist Tamirate Zuma at the Kerchele Penitentiary in the capital, Addis Ababa. In the last year, Ethiopia has seen a gradual improvement in its press freedom climate after nearly a decade as Africa’s…
Jailed editor faces multiple charges
New York, June 13, 2001-The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) calls on Ethiopian authorities to halt the unjust prosecution of Tamirate Zuma, former publisher and editor-in-chief of the defunct Amharic weekly Atkurot, on incitement and other charges relating to his work. Zuma is due to appear in court tomorrow on the incitement charge. We urge…
Two journalists freed, two still detained
New York, May 16, 2001 — CPJ welcomes the release of two journalists held in an Addis Ababa prison since 1997 under local press and anti-terrorism laws. Ethiopia has been Africa’s foremost jailer of journalists in recent years, with seven journalists in prison at the end of 2000. Since January 2001, however, authorities have released…
Journalist disappears during riots
New York, April 23, 2001 — CPJ is greatly concerned about the disappearance of Seifu Mekonnen, a reporter for Mebrek, an Amharic-language weekly based in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa. Mekonnen was last seen on the afternoon of April 21 at a press conference of the Ethiopian Human Rights Council, a local non-governmental organization, sources…
Attacks on the Press 2000: Africa Analysis
PRESS COVERAGE OF ARMED CONFLICTS CONTINUED TO STIR THE HOSTILITY of governments and rebel factions alike and claim reporters’ lives, but the prominent role of the press in the often-volatile process of democratization also brought unprecedented challenges to journalists working in Africa. CPJ confirmed that in 2000, five journalists were killed specifically because of their…
Attacks on the Press 2000: Ethiopia
AFTER PRIME MINISTER MELES ZENAWI AND ERITREAN PRESIDENT Isaias Afeworki signed a peace treaty on December 12, 2000, Zenawi announced that the end of the two-year-long border war would allow his government to strengthen Ethiopian democracy. But with seven journalists in jail at year’s end, it was unclear whether the newly reelected prime minister would…
Attacks on the Press in 2000: Journalists in Prison
EIGHTY-ONE JOURNALISTS WERE IN PRISON AROUND THE WORLD at the end of 2000, jailed for practicing their profession. The number is down slightly from the previous year, when 87 were in jail, and represents a significant decline from 1998, when 118 journalists were imprisoned. While jailing journalists can be an effective means of stifling bad…