Ethiopia: Two more journos held

2005-11-29 15:16

Addis Ababa - Police have arrested two more journalists in Ethiopia, bringing the number held to at least 12 in a crackdown on independent media since political violence erupted, said a press freedom watchdog on Tuesday.

The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said the pair, Serkalem Fassil, publisher of three Amharic-language weeklies, and her husband Iskinder Nega, also a journalist, were being held at an undisclosed location.

The group condemned the arrests and the crackdown as an "outrage", demanding the release of all those detained and an end to intimidation and harassment of journalists in the wake of deadly violence early this month for disputed May elections.

Computers, documents seized

CPJ executive director Ann Cooper said: "The ongoing crackdown on the private press in Ethiopia is an outrage.

"The government must stop its attempt to shutter the entire local press, and release all jailed journalists immediately."

CPJ said that in addition to the latest detentions, which reportedly took place during a November 22 raid on the offices of the three publications, police last week stormed the headquarters of the Ethiopian Free Press Journalists' Association and seized computers and documents.

The CPJ said since the crackdown begun, the authorities had also prevented most independent newspapers from publishing and detained or threatened journalists and their families with arrest.

Cops shot dead 48 people

Authorities started clamping down after rioting in the capital begun on November 1 during opposition protests against alleged fraud in the May 15 polls in which at least 48 people were shot and killed by police.

At least 37 people were killed in July after police opened fire on crowds during demonstrations against the polls.

Both times, the government had responded by rounding up hundreds of opposition leaders and supporters as well as journalists seen as sympathetic to their cause.

Much of the leadership of the main opposition party, the Coalition for Unity and Democracy (CUD), which claimed the ruling party stole the polls through massive fraud, was now in detention accused of trying to foment a coup d'etat.

They had not yet been charged with any crime although Prime Minister Meles Zenawi had said they might be tried for treason and many of them begun a hunger strike on Monday to press demands for their release.

- AFP