The Committee to Protect Journalists examines the adversity facing journalists in the volatile Horn of Africa through the stories of two newsmen who tried to flee the region. In a two-part special report released today, CPJ recounts editor Befekadu Moreda’s remarkable journey out of Ethiopia and sportscaster Paulos Kidane’s fateful effort to flee Eritrean government oppression.
Jailed for his work nine separate times in his native country, Moreda is among 34 Ethiopian journalists who have been forced into exile. He tells CPJ’s Karen Phillips that he decided to flee after a 2005 government crackdown shuttered most of the independent press. Moreda and his family have resettled in Houston, Texas—but like many other exiled journalists, he is struggling to adjust professionally in the United States.
CPJ’s Mohamed Hassim Keita tells the story of Kidane, an Eritrean sports reporter who was forced into state media service. After years of harassment, Kidane joined a small group of refugees who tried to cross into Sudan on foot. Kidane did not survive the journey. A French version of this story is available.
The report is available online and will appear in the coming edition of CPJ’s magazine Dangerous Assignments.
CPJ is a New York–based, independent, nonprofit organization that works to safeguard press freedom worldwide. For more information, visit www.cpj.org.