Ethiopia revokes press accreditation for five VOA, German radio reporters
ADDIS ABABA, June 7 (AFP) — The Ethiopian government said Tuesday it had revoked the press credentials of five local journalists working for the US-funded Voice of America and German radio Deutsche Welle, accusing them of reporting false information in the aftermath of disputed elections last month.
The move by the information ministry came as student protests against alleged massive vote fraud by the ruling party in the elections spread in the capital, prompting police crackdowns and clashes in which at least one person has died.
“Since the May 15 elections, (the five reporters) have been reporting misinformation and falsified reports, so the ministry has decided to cancel their accreditation,” it said in a statement.
“If they are found reporting as of today, legal action will be taken against them,” the ministry said.
The statement did not identify the reporters, all of whom are Ethiopians who were stringers for the Amharic-language services of VOA and Deutsche Welle, by name or specify the exact nature of the alleged misreporting.
But it stressed the ministry was prepared to take similar measures against other journalists as tension over opposition allegations of fraud and ballot rigging rise.
“These actions will continue,” it said.
The revocation of credentials for the five journalists was announced two days after police arrested 520 protesting university and college students in Addis Ababa who had defied a government ban on post-election demonstrations.
It also came just hours after baton-wielding riot police raided two colleges in the capital to break up similar protests.
In addition to the move by the information ministry, Ethiopian police announced on national television late Tuesday that they had arrested 12 people who were printing leaflets calling for the citizens of Addis Ababa to join the protests.
The government has accused the main opposition group, the Coalition for Unity and Democracy (CUD) of fomenting the illegal protests and violence in a bid to discredit the polls.
The CUD denies the charges but insists that the ruling Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF), which has conceded losses in the election but holds a parliamentary majority according to provisional returns, rigged the vote.