Press freedom group says Ethiopia jailed teenage journalist without charge

By Tesfa-Alem Tekle

October 30, 2010 (ETHIOPIA) – An Ethiopian journalist has been jailed without charge since September, according to a report by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) on Friday.

The press freedom monitoring and campaign group called upon authorities in Ethiopia’s northeastern region of Afar to release the 17 year old journalist.

Ethiopian government officials were not immediately available to comment.

Akram Ezedin,a son of Ezedin Mohamed (the editor of Al-Quds, a privately owned Islamic weekly newspaper based in Addis Ababa) was jailed in Asaita, in the restive Afar region.

Last year, Ezedin Mohamed began serving a one-year prison sentence for a column he wrote in 2008 criticizing statements made by Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, Mohamed told CPJ. His son, Ezedin, was left to run the paper.

On September 11, police released Mohamed from prison and arrested his son. Ezedin’s imprisonment stems from articles that criticized the performance of Afar’s local Islamic Council or Mejilis, which Al-Quds published in July, according to CPJ’s local sources.

“Jailing Akram Ezedin without charge is against the laws of Ethiopia, where the pre-trial detention of journalists is illegal under the Mass Media and Freedom of Information Proclamation. Furthermore, any case against Al-Quds, a national newspaper, belongs in federal court, not state court,” said CPJ’s East Africa consultant, Tom Rhodes.

“We call upon authorities in Afar to adhere to national laws and release Ezedin immediately.”

Ezedin is yet to be charged, despite appeared in Afar’s court four times according to CPJ.

In 2008 the Ethiopian parliament endorsed a controversial press law, which led to fierce protest from journalists, private-own Media companies, publishers and the international media watch dogs who argued that the new bill contravenes freedom of expression and international human rights.

Ethiopia is currently holding five journalists in jail. Only Eritrea has a worse record according to CPJ research.

CPJ is a New York–based, independent, nonprofit organization that works to safeguard press freedom worldwide.

(ST)