Silencing the media abroad?
Statement by - Ethiopian Free press Journalists in Exile
Amsterdam ( 9 August 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.
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.
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
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
"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.
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.
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