Ethiopia’s media war
Ethiopia’s jailed Zone 9 bloggers are on trial this week for terrorism and treason, charges facing more than two dozen journalists, bloggers and publishers. To avoid arrest, 30 journalists fled the country in the past year. The government says they’re criminals, destabilising Ethiopia’s fragile democracy in the name of “press freedom.” Rights groups say they’re victims of repression. Join us at 1930GMT.
On this episode of The Stream, we speak to:
Soliyana Shimeles Gebremichael @Soli_GM
Exiled co-founder of the Zone 9 Bloggers
zone9ethio.blogspot.ca
Tamerat Negera Feyisa @AbbaSheger
Exiled journalist and co-founder of Addis Neger newspaper
Tamrat Gebregiorgis @Tingert
Managing editor of Addis Fortune
addisfortune.com
Abiy Berhane
Minister counselor for public diplomacy & communication, Ethiopian Embassy in UK
ethioembassy.org.uk
What do you think? How much dissent should Ethiopia allow its media to exercise? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.
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Ethiopia’s media war
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Ethiopia’s media war
Ethiopian anti-terrorism laws are forcing journalists into exile and prison, a push the government says will secure the nation.
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For almost a year, nine Ethiopian journalists and bloggers have sat in an Addis Ababa prison facing terrorism charges. The government says the “Zone 9” collective is aligned with a banned opposition group. But across the country and the diaspora, the case has sparked a press freedom movement that advocates hope will highlight concerns about Ethiopia’s alleged crackdown on journalists and opposition voices.
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Ethiopia ranks 142 out of 180 countries on Reporters Without Borders’ 2015 Press Freedom Index. The challenging press landscape has compelled at least 60 journalists to flee the country since 2010, according to Human Rights Watch.
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Ethiopian government officials defend their stance on restricting media. They accuse the Zone 9 bloggers and other dissenting voices of having connections to a “terrorist network” centered around nearby Eritrea that extends to Somalia, Kenya and South Sudan. Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn has said anyone found to be associated with such networks would be “eligible for the course of law”, regardless of profession.