Ethiopia: Silencing the media abroad

Ethiopian Free Press Journalists in Exile (Amsterdam)
August 9, 2005

As part of its harsh campaign against independent journalists and producers in and outside the country, the EPRDF regime has just announced suing of four Ethiopians in USA for alleged labeling. The EPRDF-controlled media said on 8 august 2005 the accused are Ato Goshu Habte, Ato Yonas Habte, and Ato Dawit Kebede who live in the United States and Ato Lishan Gizaw who resides in Germany.

This is not the first move of the regime in power trying to sue journalists who fled from its brutal attack. Two former independent journalists, who reside in the Netherlands, were also charged with yet another “crime of drug dealers” simply for exposing the imminent danger of the life of journalists in the country. Unsuccessful attempt, however, it was an obvious fabrication of crime to silence the media abroad.

One other example is the recent case of radio-journalist Mirchaw Sinishaw, who was actively campaigning for a demo in the US against Meles’ act of terror. Finally he is compelled to close his radio by Sheik Al Amudi allegedly for disseminating defamation.

Background

It is unfolded by several international human right and media groups that since the inception of the free press in Ethiopia, dozens of independent journalists and publishers are regularly charged in flimsy indictments of fomenting dissension. The courts sentence journalists to politically prescribed long-term jail time and heavy fines.

Along with the frequent harassment, intimidation, threats of torture and killings, other attacks have been made against the media. The burning down of free press offices, robbing of their office equipments, burn copies of the news papers by armed agents are some of cases in point.

Amnesty international has reported that seven journalists of the free press are killed by TPLF soldiers simply for exposing government corruptions.

According to the New York based committee to protect journalists, one of the most glaring instances of the intensity of the EPRDF-driven persecutions of the free-press journalists is the large number of those who have fled the country in exile to save their lives. The exodus of the 51 journalists manifests the ever-increasing intensity of the ordeals faced by the press in Ethiopia. Although hindered by their exile, these journalists are working from abroad and throwing their human resources together to continue their work toward freedom of expression.

Dawit Kebede

Among the accused, Ato Dawit Kebede is the former publisher and editor-in-chief of the bi-weekly newspaper, Fiameta. He had also served in the EFJA executive committee as head of the public relations. He is one of the 51 journalists who fled their country from persistent persecutions by the incumbent TPLF regime. He had to face more than 15 arbitrary charges and detention for alleged “crimes of defamation” against the government. He had 12 cases pending while he left his country. Along with colleague producers of TENSAE radio, he has continued his work toward freedom of _expression from abroad. The current charge is nothing but the extension of the harassment in Ethiopia.

TENSAE Ethiopia.Inc is a registered organization under the US law. It is governed by its editorial board members. There is no person called Ato Goshu Habte in its board. If the accuser meant Dr. Gashu Habte, he is not chair-person of UEDP-MEDHIN support group in USA. Ato Yonas habte is a brother and has nothing to do with TENSAE radio. Strong enough, Ato Lishan Gizaw is not known by TENSAE radio at all.

Paranoia

After the election-crisis in Ethiopia , various media groups are unfolding that journalists are being used as scapegoats for the country’s instability and chaos.

“Beneath a facade of democracy, the government of Meles Zenawi is riddled with taboos,” said the Paris based Reporters without Borders. “Once again journalists are paying the price for an unhealthy political climate, under the easy pretext of defamation.”

As victims of terror by the Meles regime, two journalists of the US news agency, the Associated Press, photographer Boris Heger and reporter Anthony Mitchell, were arrested together with eight editors of the free-press journalists in the aftermath of the election. The credentials of five journalists working for the Amharic-language services of the German public radio, Deutsche Welle (DW), and the US government’s Voice of America (VOA) were revoked. These moves clearly show how paranoid the regime is and it would not be a surprising if it went further to sues the journalists abroad.

A warning message

Although desperate and rhetoric, the lawsuit dream, it is a warning message for all of us to be silent about the crimes of TPLF in its recent election fraud, arrest, and killings of innocent civilians.

It could, instead, be used as backfire against the accuser. It is time for the international community to resist the regime in power. The lawsuit would be a good begin for us in Diaspora to expose the corruption of the TPLF. Using its power, TPLF has amassing billions of Ethiopian funds in the name of privatization. With its 70 illegal companies, the TPLF has stolen multi-billion birr from the poor, the money that was supposed for the development of the country.

We would not allow the accused became accuser. The move would rather awaken us not only compiling and digging a list of the companies abroad that are linked to the TPLF, it shall also be the awakening of the international community to come together, organize and file crimes against humanity perpetrated by the Meles regime.

Furthermore, we have to expose the regime of using the free-press for its diplomatic consumption and to manipulate international donors and financial institutions.

Finally, the nervous and paranoid regimes seem confused with the legal suit. It accused the four Ethiopians of defamation of individuals and at the same time sued them via its ministry of foreign affairs. According to legal analysts, defamation is personal. That means that each individual should have brought his case personally and not via government authority. In this case we wonder if the TPLF is going to use the hard-earned public money for private cases. Let us wait and see.

More information is available on the links below.

http://waltainfo.com/EnNews/2005/Aug/09Aug05/Aug09e3.htm
http://www.TENSAE.com

Contact

Ato Dawit Kebede at 678 437 5597
Dr. Gashu Habte at 202 276 1645