Ethiopia: Media Being Decimated
Legal, Policy Reforms Crucial Prior to May Elections
January
22, 2015, Nairobi (Human Rights Watch) – The Ethiopian government’s
systematic repression of independent media has created a bleak landscape
for free expression ahead of the May 2015 general elections, Human
Rights Watch said in a report released today. In the past year, six
privately owned publications closed after government harassment; at
least 22 journalists, bloggers, and publishers were criminally charged,
and more than 30 journalists fled the country in fear of being arrested
under repressive laws.
The 76-page report, “‘Journalism is Not a Crime’: Violations of Media Freedom in Ethiopia,”
details how the Ethiopian government has curtailed independent
reporting since 2010. Human Rights Watch interviewed more than 70
current and exiled journalists between May 2013 and December 2014, and
found patterns of government abuses against journalists that resulted in
19 being imprisoned for exercising their right to free expression, and
that have forced at least 60 others into exile since 2010.
“Ethiopia’s
government has systematically assaulted the country’s independent
voices, treating the media as a threat rather than a valued source of
information and analysis,” said Leslie Lefkow,
deputy Africa director. “Ethiopia’s media should be playing a crucial
role in the May elections, but instead many journalists fear that their
next article could get them thrown in jail.”
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