Reporters Without Borders condemns the arrest of Alemayehu Mahtemework, the publisher and deputy editor of the entertainment monthly Enku, on the night of 2 May in Addis Ababa, and the seizure of 10,000 copies of its latest issue.
The press freedom organisation also condemns the arrest of three people with no connection to the magazine who happened to be in the vehicle carrying the copies that were about to be distributed.
“The Ethiopian authorities have sent a very negative signal by choosing the eve of 3 May, World Press Freedom Day, to arrest a journalist and seize an issue of an independent magazine,” Reporters Without Borders said.
“Although aware of the climate of self-censorship prevailing in Addis Ababa, we chose to send the government a positive signal by withdrawing Prime Minister Meles Zenawi from our list of press freedom predators, in order to salute the efforts it has made in the past year,” the organisation added. “But if this case is not resolved quickly and this kind of incident recurs, we will have to review our decision.”
The cover story of the issue that was seized by the police was about the controversial arrest of Tewodros Kasahun, a very popular singer who supports the opposition.
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RSF withdrawing Meles from the "Top Press Enemy" list was a wish! They had him wrong!
Meles will never change. Has anyone ever known a hyaena, a carnivorous, becoming a herbivorous? Meles feeds on human blood and meat. That is what he loves for breakfast and dinner. The day he stops feeding on human flesh is the day a hyaena becomes a herbivorous.
May 6th, 2008 at 2:09 pm
for weyanes it does not matter wether it`s Press Freedom Day or not if they thought that would creat something against them.Weradoch.what amazed me more is that the weyane regime has put its "Joros" in every institutions,organaizations…it is now clear that they got the information about ENKU megazine from thier informant working in the printer.
May 6th, 2008 at 3:18 pm