Your Excellency:
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is deeply disturbed by the
recent jailing of Melese Shine, editor-in-chief of the Amharic-language
weekly Ethiop. Another journalist, Tewodros Kassa, the former
editor-in-chief of Ethiop, has been imprisoned since May 2002.
Shine was charged with defamation under Ethiopia's Press Proclamation
No. 34/1992 after a letter to the editor published in Ethiop
in November 2001 alleged that Melkamu Gettu, the administrator of the
state-owned Ras Desta Hospital in the capital, Addis Ababa, had embezzled
hospital funds.
In an April 29 court hearing, the public prosecutor requested that Shine
be denied bail because the journalist had violated the Press Law several
times. The court refused to rule on Shine's bail request that day and
ordered him to remain in custody until a verdict on his bail is rendered—a
decision that local sources say is highly unusual. Journalists in Addis
Ababa expressed shock that a press offense could result in the denial
of bail, a ruling usually reserved for the most serious crimes. Shine
has been jailed in the Addis Ababa Prison Center since April 29. His
next bail hearing is scheduled for May 27.
Meanwhile, Tewodros Kassa has been languishing in prison since May 2002.
He was convicted on July 7, 2002, on two counts of violating the Press
Proclamation. The first charge, "disseminating false information that
could incite people to political violence," stemmed from two stories:
One reported that the ruling Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic
Front (EPRDF) had installed party supporters in positions at an air
force base; the other reported on a failed bomb plot in Addis Ababa.
The second charge, defamation, resulted from an article alleging connections
between a private investment company and the EPRDF government. Kassa
was sentenced to two years' imprisonment.
In addition, another Ethiop journalist was briefly jailed last
week. Deputy editor-in-chief Wosonseged Gebrekidan was charged with
defamation after a May 2002 letter to the editor in Ethiop criticized
Habtemariam Seyoum, a former Ethiopian ambassador to France. Gebrekidan
appeared before an Addis Ababa court on May 14 and was jailed because
he was unable to pay 2,000 birr ($US240) bail. He was released on May
16 after fellow journalists secured his bail.
As an organization of journalists dedicated to defending the rights
of our colleagues worldwide, we believe that the prosecution and imprisonment
of these journalists is designed to silence critical reporting on matters
of legitimate public concern. Journalists should never be imprisoned
for fulfilling their professional duties.
The continuing criminal prosecution of journalists in Ethiopia is especially
disconcerting at a time when the government is in the process of drafting
a new press law. Early drafts of the law show no signs of greater conformity
to international press freedom standards and instead maintain harsh
criminal penalties for press offenses and allow the government broad
powers of censorship.
We call on Your Excellency to do everything in your power to see that
Melese Shine and Tewodros Kassa are immediately released from prison,
and that the criminal cases against them are dropped. We also urge you
to work toward decriminalizing all press offenses and to allow Ethiopian
journalists to practice their profession freely, without fear of state
censorship or reprisals.
Thank you for your attention in this urgent matter. We await your reply.
Sincerely,
Ann Cooper
Executive Director
