January 18, 2003

 SUPPORT THE EFJA AND OPPOSE THE NEW PRESS LAW

 THE Ethiopian Free Journalists Association has made an urgent call on all defenders of the freedom of the press to express their timely and vigorous condemnation of the new Press Law drafted by the EPRDF. The existing Press Law has been described as repressive and proven as such by the EPRDF that has detained, jailed, forced into exile or otherwise repressed dozens of journalists over the years.

The draft new Press Law is even more arbitrary and repressive and as the Eja has pointed out it is intended to muzzle the fledgling independent press. The EPRDF's Ministry of Information has even appropriated to itself the right of drafting the ethical code of conduct of journalists of the Free Press. It is to be noted the EPRDF has imposed state control over the radio and television and owns several newspapers (some of them claiming to be independent), the major publishing houses, etc...In the past, the EPRDF has hiked the price of paper and postage for newspapers, impose heavy bail fees and fines on journalists in an effort to bankrupt the newspapers and to close them up.

The EPRDF has been deservedly condemned as one of the predators of the free press in the world. It is not hiding its intention to step up the repression and to impose its totalitarian control over the media. The new Press Law is intended to justify this repressive ambition. At the same time, the EPRDF is preparing to license new radio and TV stations claiming to be "independent" but actually being owned by it as is the case already with Radio Fana.

Support the struggle of the EFJA and denoucne the repressive new Press Law draft.

SOCEPP