November 18, 2000

 REPRESSION AGAINST THE INDEPENDENT PRESS: ETHIOP EDITOR IN CHIEF IMPRISONED

The government of Prime Minister Meles Zenawi has continued with its repressive policies against the independent press and imprisoned the editor in chief of ETHIOP (newspaper and magazine) after sentencing him to pay a fine of 10,000 Birr which he could not afford. `ETHIOP has proved itself to be one of the serious critiques of the government policies on political and human rights questions. Melese Shine, editor in chief of ETHIOP, was brought to court because his paper published an article entitled " Eritrean Opposition forces are receiving training in areas of Rama and Assayita".

The TPLF/EPRDF government claims that the editor in chief, Melese, disseminated false information at the national level that endangers national security. Nothing could be far from the truth. Anyone who closely followed the situation knew quite well that both Eritrea and Ethiopia backed each other's opposition forces and were working at destabilization. What ETHIOP wrote of was not a national secret.

The government's action against ETHIOP was actually motivated by the desire to silence a daring and independent newspaper and magazine. Editor in chief Melese will purge a two years prison sentence because he cannot afford to pay the 1200 US dollars bail money.. The Ethiopian Free Journalists Association (EFJA) does not have the capacity to pay the bail money either. SOCEPP strongly condemns the repression against the free press and alls on all international press institutions and human rights organizations to extend their concrete support to secure the release of editor Melese Shine. Write protest letters to Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, fax +251-1-552020 with a copy to the EFJA at fax no. 251-1-552021.

SOCEPP