[ad_1]
The Ethiopian government risks reversing the important progress made in press freedom last year, Amnesty International said after the government announced its intention to prosecute journalists and journalists. media for their reporting on the armed forces.
Since taking office in April 2018, the government of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has canceled the repressive law on civil society and freed dozens of detained journalists and bloggers. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, by the end of 2018, not a single journalist would have remained behind bars, and in 2019, Ethiopia jumped 40 places in the world press freedom index..
However, following a wave of arrests of journalists in recent weeks, the Ministry of Defense yesterday announced its intention to indict journalists and media outlets for "public release". defamatory information about the Ethiopian National Defense Forces ".
"After making great progress in press freedom, the government of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has received commendable tributes and the honor of holding World Press Freedom Day this year," said Joan. Nyanyuki, Director for East Africa, Horn and the Great Lakes.
"This new wave of arrests is an extremely regressive gesture that may hinder the progress made in 2018. All arrested journalists must be released immediately and all charges against them without exception."
Berihun Adane, editor of the private channel Asrat and the weekly Berera, was arrested on June 26, while Elias Gebru, editor-in-chief of Enqu magazine, who has been missing since 2014, was arrested on July 6th.
The two journalists have since been indicted under the Anti-Terrorist Proclamation (2009), which had been used by previous governments to bring trumped-up charges against their critics.
The latest wave of arrests that followed the badbadination of the army chief of staff and other senior government officials on June 22, also targeted activists and members of the Amhara National Opposition Movement.
Source: Amnesty International
Source link
