His Excellency Meles Zenawi
Prime Minister
Office of the Prime Minister
P.O. Box 1031
Addis Ababa
Ethiopia
Vienna, 31 August 2000
Your Excellency,
The International Press Institute (IPI), the global network of editors and media executives, is deeply worried at the recent increase in printing costs in Ethiopia.
According to the information before IPI, on 16 August, the two government-owned printing presses increased the cost of printing by more than a third of the previous price. Since there is no commercial alternative for newspapers to these printing enterprises, the increase will exert a heavy toll on the free press in Ethiopia. Since the emergence of a free press in Ethiopia in 1991, the cost of printing an eight-page publication has increased by more than 100 per cent. The Ethiopian Free Press Journalists’ Association estimates that some 75 per cent of the new publications that have emerged since 1991 have been forced to close due to economic pressure. It is the belief of IPI that the recent increase will have an equally pernicious effect on the press in Ethiopia.
The increase in printing costs is merely the latest incident in a series of events that have had a detrimental effect on freedom of the press in Ethiopia. Last year was the sixth consecutive year that Ethiopia imprisoned more journalists than any other African country. Aside from imprisonment, journalists routinely face hugely disproportionate fines for “defamation” under the country’s strict press laws.
Over the last 18 months, the Ethiopian government has continued its assault on the press with an increasing number of prosecutions against journalists. A lack of funds has prevented journalists from mounting successful defences, and many journalists currently languish in jail, unable to meet their bail conditions. At present, there are over 30 journalists on bail facing criminal proceedings without the ability to pay for legal representation.
In view of the present situation, IPI urges Your Excellency to take all necessary measures to ensure that printing costs for newspapers and magazines are maintained at a level which enables independent news organisations to pursue their legitimate business.
Furthermore, we urge Your Excellency to release journalists currently imprisoned and drop the charges brought against journalists for their writing. Jailing journalists for articles they write is in gross violation of everyone’s right to “seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers”, as guaranteed by Article 19 of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
We thank you for your attention.
Yours sincerely,
Johann P. Fritz
Director
Send protests to:
His Excellency Meles Zenawi
Prime Minister
Office of the Prime Minister
Addis Ababa
Ethiopia
Via fax: + 251 1 55 2020
His Excellency Werede Wold Welde
Minister of Justice
Via fax: + 251 1 55 0722
Please send a copy of the protest to the Ethiopian Free Press Journalists’ Association:
Via fax: + 251 1 55 5021
