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Ethiopian cops 'harass journos'
14/10/2005 22:17 - (SA)
Addis Ababa - An international media watchdog accused Ethiopian police of harassing independent journalists who had criticized how parliamentary elections were conducted earlier this year.
The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists said the detention for several hours of officials of the Ethiopian Free Press Journalists Association was an "intolerable assault" on press freedom. Police were not available for comment.
The committee said the association's president, Kifle Mulat, vice-president Taye Belachew, treasurer Sisay Agena and accountant Habetamu Assefa were fingerprinted and questioned before being made to guarantee a $237 198 bail.
Authorities ordered a fifth official to report to police, but he was believed to have fled abroad earlier this year.
Court rules the ban illegal
Ann Cooper of the committee said: "This is an intolerable assault on a press freedom organisation whose right to operate has been upheld twice by the federal court."
Authorities banned the Ethiopian Free Press Journalists Association from operating in November 2003, but in 2004 the federal high court ruled the ban illegal.
Opposition parties made strong gains in the May polls, but continued to argue they were robbed of a victory by Prime Minister Meles Zenawi's Ethiopian Peoples Revolutionary Democratic Front.
This was officially declared the winner with 327 seats in the 547-seat parliament.
Human-rights groups said security forces killed 42 people after they fired on protesters angered by alleged election fraud.
According to international media watchdogs, at least eight local editors await trial on recent charges related to their work before, during and after the elections.
The information ministry had revoked licences of five Ethiopian journalists working for Voice of America and Deutsche-Welle Radio that broadcasted in the local Amharic language.
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