NEW YORK – An Ethiopian Federal High Court judge convicted an editor today on criminal charges of “inciting the public through false rumors” over a reporting mistake, local journalists told CPJ. Editor-in-Chief Tsion Girima of the private weekly Enbilta is being held in Kality prison, outside the capital, Addis Ababa, pending sentencing on Tuesday.
Charged under article 486 of the revised penal code; Girma faces up to one year in prison, according to her former lawyer, Kassahun Asefa, who had worked for her pro bono. The October 3 edition of Enbilta mistakenly identified the judge overseeing the high-profile trial of Ethiopian pop musician Tewodros Kassahun as Judge Mohamed Amin instead of Judge Mohamed Umer, Girma told CPJ last week. Enbilta did not write a correction but used the right name in the following edition, she said.
Enbilta is one of a few politically critical independent publications that still exist in Ethiopia after a government crackdown on the independent press in the aftermath of the 2005 elections.
“It is outrageous that a journalist can be convicted over a reporting error,” said CPJ Africa Program Coordinator Tom Rhodes. “This conviction cannot stand. Tsion Girma should not be sent to prison.”
Girma, Deputy Editor Habte Tadesse, and editor Atenafu Alemayehu were arrested on October 22, the morning after reporting to police for questioning, according to local journalists. Girma was released the next day on bail of 2,000 birr (US$200) and Tadesse and Alemayehu were released on October 24 without any charges, Girma said.
Girma is the second journalist to face criminal charges this year over coverage of Kassahun’s trial. Editor Mesfin Negash of the leading weekly Addis Neger was sentenced to a one-month suspended prison term for publishing an interview with the singer’s lawyer that was critical of the former judge overseeing the trial.
Ethiopian authorities routinely use police detentions, threats, and legal and administrative restraints to censor reporting. CPJ named Ethiopia the world’s worst backslider on press freedom in 2007.
Ethiopian Airlines was presented with the prestigious 2008 “Best Airline in Africa Award” at the African Travel Award gala in Lagos, Nigeria on October 25, 2008. The award was conferred to Ethiopian for its excellent network and convenient connections in Africa.
“Ethiopian provides the traveling public with the best service possible, and the quality of its service has contributed to the growth of travel and tourism in Africa,” said Mrs. Ikechi Uko, who organized the 4th Akwaaba travel market. The award was presented to Mr. Busera Awel, Vice President-Commercial for Ethiopian Airlines, at the award dinner held at Expo Centre Eko Hotel in Lagos. Upon receiving the award, Mr. Busera said, “The award marks a joyous moment for all of us at Ethiopian which more than ever before reaffirms that our customers are standing with us and share our endeavor for excellence.”
Akwaaba Travel Market is the only international travel exhibition in West Africa recognized by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). It is organized annually by African Travel Quarter (ATQ) magazine, the first international travel magazine in West Africa.
In addition to the latest award, Ethiopian won the 2008 corporate achievement award in Johannesburg in August 2008, and Brussels Airport Award for long haul services on October 23, 2008.
Ethiopian Airlines will commence new flight services to Ouagadougou effective October 26, 2008. With six weekly flights, Ethiopian will link Ouagadougou to all the major capitals of Asia, as well as the cities throughout Africa. Ouagadougou is the capital and the largest city in Burkina Faso and is known as the center for the yearly African Film Festival events. Effective November 12, 2008, Ethiopian Airlines will introduce nonstop service from Addis Ababa to Abuja, the capital of Nigeria. This flight will be Abuja’s first direct link to East Africa.
“Our new service to Abuja is part of our strategy of expanding to more destinations in Africa, particularly West Africa,” said Mr. Busera. “We have a dedicated client base in Nigeria, and by offering new service we are giving our passengers additional options complementing our Lagos service with three weekly flights to Abuja.”
Ethiopian Airlines established itself as the leading African carrier in the 1960s and over the years has grown to serve most cities in Africa. In July 2008, Ethiopian Airlines celebrated its 10-year anniversary of direct U.S.-to-Ethiopia service. In March 2008, Ethiopian Airlines launched Ethiopian Airlines Journeys, a new collection of vacation packages showcasing the best of East Africa. Ethiopian Airlines Journeys brings together the most awe-inspiring experiences of East Africa, packaged in tours that have been designed especially for the U.S. travel consumer.
Reporters Without Borders condemns a violent attack on leading journalist Amare Aregawi on 31 October in Addis Ababa, in which he sustained serious head injuries. Aregawi edits The Reporter, a big-circulation newspaper published in Amharic and English-language versions.
“The Ethiopian police must investigate this attack thoroughly in order to identify both the perpetrators and the instigators,” Reporters Without Borders said. “A show of firmness will convince others who might be tempted to use physical violence to settle scores with the press that such behaviour would not go unpunished.”
Aregawi was dealt blows to the back of the head with a stone by one or several men as he was leaving his son’s school in the capital’s Bole district at about 4 p.m. on 31 October. He lost consciousness immediately and, bleeding heavily from his injuries, was rushed to Hayat hospital in a serious condition.
Journalists at The Reporter said one of his assailants was arrested, as was the driver of a taxi they were going to use to get away. The police are investigating.
The newspaper’s staff said the motive for the attack was not yet known. Aregawi had received threatening phone calls. He was arrested on 22 August after a large privately-owned brewery brought a libel complaint against the newspaper and was released five days later on payment of a small bail amount. The libel suit was withdrawn soon afterwards.
The Reporter is owned by Media & Communication Centre, a company created and run by Aregawi, who used to head Ethiopia’s public television broadcaster. He is one of the country’s best-known journalists.
DIRE DAWA, ETHIOPIA (IRIN) – Like many teenagers in rural Ethiopia, Shekuria Mume, 19, became pregnant, quit school and got married at 15. The birth of her first baby remains one of her most traumatic experiences, as an untrained traditional birth attendant (TBA) delivered her.
“I had heard that some women die while giving birth so I was scared most of the time during my pregnancy; I didn’t sleep much,” Shekuria told IRIN.
With no health facility near her village of Shuna, in West Hararghe zone of Oromiya state, Shekuria relied on a TBA. She was in labour for two days.
“The attendant kept checking my progress using her bare hands; when I gave birth, she used dirty sheets to wrap up the baby,” Shekuria recalled.
Although Shekuria survived, many Ethiopian women are not so lucky. According to the 2005 Demographic and Health Survey, the country has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world, with 673 deaths per 100,000 live births.
The UN Population Fund (UNFPA) estimates that 25,000 maternal deaths occur in Ethiopia annually and at least 500,000 women suffer pregnancy-related disabilities such as fistula.
After giving birth, Shekuria and her husband moved to the town of Chelenko, about 440km east of Addis Ababa. Here, she had access to family planning.
Now 19, Shekuria decided to have another baby. When she went into labour, the TBA, Fate Adem, 65, was called to assist.
This time, Shekuria was expecting twins and experienced complications. Luckily, Fate was one of 80 graduates of safe delivery techniques and referred Shekuria to Harar Hospital nearby.
“She was bleeding too much,” Fate told IRIN. “Following my training, I brought her to the hospital.”
Shekuria safely delivered the babies and is now planning to resume her schooling.
Dearth of midwives
Fate received her TBA training courtesy of the International Medical Corps (IMC) and UNFPA’s joint reproductive health response in drought-affected areas of East and West Hararghe zones of Oromiya region.
TBAs are crucial in a country such as Ethiopia, which has the lowest number of trained midwives in sub-Saharan Africa. According to UNFPA, there is only one nurse or midwife for every 62,000 Ethiopians.
“Though medical birth attendance in health facilities is the best way to prevent and address delivery-related complications, in communities where most of the women deliver at home, traditional birth attendants have proven a critical stop-gap,” a UNFPA document stated.
A high maternal mortality rate, coupled with a high under-five mortality rate – 123 children per 1,000 live births – means Ethiopia is far from achieving the Millennium Development Goal to cut maternal mortality by more than half and children’s deaths by half.
Improvements
At least 80,000 beneficiaries of the UNFPA-IMC project live in East and West Hararghe zones, where some change has become evident.
Yusuf Ibrahim, head of the health department in Meta woreda, where Shekuria and Fate live, said maternal mortality had decreased. The situation was similar in West Hararghe zone, where 88 percent of mothers delivered their children with the help of health workers or trained TBAs.
“Our assessment showed TBAs assisted 2,652 mothers to have safe deliveries in East Hararghe,” Marefia Mamo, the project coordinator for IMC, said.
Agents of change
Yusuf said besides helping in safe delivery, TBAs were “agents of change”, who advocate within the community for better health practices.
“Our people do not have enough awareness on contraceptive use; they give birth year after year and the attendants have tried to teach them better practices,” Yusuf said.
Fate said some of the tasks she had taken on since graduation included informing mothers about hygiene, vaccination, regular health check-ups at health centres and the importance of a balanced diet.
Shekuria said she had taken the advice seriously, especially on family planning. As a result, she and her husband had decided not to have another baby until she completes high school.
ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA – In a move that came as a surprise to many watchers, Prime Minister dictator Meles Zenawi announced the dissolution of the Ministry of Information and made a reshuffle in his cabinet. The dissolution of the ministry was announced on Thursday by the PM while addressing parliament.
Meles did not give any specific reason for dissolving the ministry but said in general that it is not due to a particular reason.
The dissolution of the ministry, some legal experts say, raises some questions as regards who would assume the mandates that the ministry used to have such as licensing newspapers and regulating the media.
So far, nothing has been said as to the fate of the different government media outlets and the Broadcasting Agency, which were accountable to the ministry.
It is not clear so far to which government institution the Ethiopian Television and Radio Enterprise and the state-owned newspapers will be accountable in the future.
While the Ministry of Information was dissolved, a new Ministry of Science and Technology came into existence. Parliament voted to accept the establishment of the ministry less than a month ago.
PM Meles also reshuffled his cabinet and appointed new ministers and reassigned some of the ministers to other ministries.
Junedin Sado, who was the Minister of Transport and Communications, now has become the first minister of Science and Technology.
Tefera Deribew takes over the ministerial portfolio for the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development from Deputy Prime Minister Addisu Legesse, who was heading the ministry.
Diriba Kuma replaces Junedin Sado as Minister of Transport and Communications while Muferihat Kamil, the only female amongst the newly appointed ministers, takes the place of Hirut Dilebo as Minister of Women’s Affairs.
The Ministry of Defense, which was without a minister for over five months, has now Siraj Fegessa as its new minister. The position has been vacant since the former minister, Kuma Demeksa, left to become the mayor of the Addis Ababa City Administration nearly five months ago.
Dr. Shiferaw Teklemariam now heads the Minister of Federal Affairs in place of Siraj Fegessa, who is now the defense minister.
The Ministry of Education too has a new minister, Demeke Mekonnen, in place of Dr. Sintayehu Woldemichael. The former information minister, Berhan Hailu, was appointed as the new Minister of Justice ousting Assefa Kesito.
The government’s whip in parliament, Shiferaw Jarso, was also removed from his position and replaced by the former president of the Southern Nations Nationalities and Peoples Regional State Hailemariam Desalegn.
In response to EDUP-Medhin party chairman Lidetu Ayalew’s inquiry as to why the government decided to reshuffle his cabinet, Meles said that in some ministries like the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, a full-timer minister was needed as the deputy prime minister also headed that ministry. He said that due to lack of time. the deputy prime minister could not give his full attention to the ministry.
Meles also said that the Ministry of Defense needed a new minister as the former minister left his position to become mayor of Addis Ababa.
Parliament approved the minister’s nominated by Prime Minister Meles Zenawi by a majority vote of 309 to 14 while 50 MPs abstained.
ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA (Reuters) – Ethiopia said on Monday an opposition leader had been arrested for working with insurgent groups opposed to Prime Minister Meles Zenawi’s government.
The Oromo Federalist Democratic Movement (OFDM) confirmed its general secretary Bekele Jirata was picked up on Thursday as he was going to his Addis Ababa office in what it called an abuse of rights.
“He was working hand-in-glove with terrorists,” Bereket Simon, special advisor to Meles, told Reuters.
“It is proven he had links with groups like the OLF.”
One of various rebel movements in the huge Horn of Africa nation, the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) has been fighting for independence for the southern Oromo region since 1993.
The Ethiopian government routinely accuses arch-foe Eritrea of backing the rebel group with training and financial support.
Opposition groups say they are constantly harassed by the government despite operating within the law.
“At this time, we are unable to have any meaningful dialogue with the authorities who ordered the detention,” OFDM chairman Bulcha Demeksa told Reuters in an e-mail.
“The constitution and other human rights laws would have been our guarantor, but…this is not the case in Ethiopia.”
The OFDM in April accused the government of intimidation as voters went to the polls for the first time since post-election violence in 2005 killed 199 civilians.
The party said most of their candidates in the April local elections had been threatened and forced to pull out of the race. They ran less than two percent of their originally proposed candidates.
In a separate incident, Amare Aregawi, editor of Ethiopia’s well-known Reporter newspaper, was attacked by two men as he left a parent-teacher meeting at his son’s school in Addis Ababa on Friday, colleagues said.
“They jumped him from behind and hit him with rocks,” said a senior editor at the Reporter, who asked not to be named.
“They tried to kill him. We knew there had been death threats but we never thought it would come to this.”
Amare was arrested in August after a large brewery brought a libel complaint against the newspaper but was released five days later on payment of bail.
The Reporter is one of Ethiopia’s largest circulation publications and its editorials are often critical of Ethiopian government policy.
Amare was in hospital being treated for serious head injuries after he was knocked unconscious by his attackers.
Media watchdog Reporters Without Borders demanded an investigation, saying a show of firmness would convince others tempted to use “violence to settle scores with the press that such behaviour would not go unpunished.”
Local media said two men had been arrested for the attack, one assailant and a taxi-driver used for a getaway. Police were not immediately available to confirm that. (Editing by Jon Boyle)
