Ethiopia asked to explain why online journalist has been held

Feb 3, 2006 (PARIS) — Reporters Without Borders today called on the Ethiopian authorities to explain why they have been holding Frezer Negash, a member of the opposition and a correspondent for the US news website Ethiopian Review, for the past week. Negash is three months pregnant.

“This new arrest once again shows that the Ethiopian authorities cannot stand their political opponents expressing their views in the media or on the Internet,” the press freedom organisation said. “As no official charge has been brought against Negash, we consider her detention to be arbitrary.”

Negash is being held at Maikelawi police station in Addis Ababa. According to the Ethiopian Review, the police searched her home on the day of her arrest, confiscating a computer, a camera and various documents. She is supposed to appear before a judge on 6 February to be told of the charges against her. Her lawyer, Solomon Demissie, was able to visit her on 1 February but he has not been told why his client was arrested. The authorities limited themselves to telling him that she was being held while the police pursue their enquiries.

Negash ran as an independent candidate in last May’s parliamentary elections. At total of 15 journalists have been imprisoned in Ethiopia in the past three months.