For the second week in a row, the opposition newspaper Feteh was prevented from being printed and distributed, according to a local news report.
Temesgen Desalegn, chief editor of Feteh newspaper, was quoted by The Reporter as saying: “It is nothing but an intention to kick us out of the publication business.”
The state-owned printing company Berhanena Selam Printing Enterprise declined to print the newspaper without permission from the Justice Ministry, according to The Reporter. In April, the company drew up a new agreement with publishers in which it reserved the right to refuse publication of anything that could be perceived as “illegal” – and the state has shown that criticism of the government could be deemed illegal under a 2009 anti-terror law, which has so far been used to jail five journalists.
As IPI documented last week, the extremely critical paper was first blocked from publication on July 20 at the request of the Ministry of Justice. The weekly planned to have articles about the prime minister’s reportedly failing health and about protests in the capital on the front page.
“The second round of censorship against Feteh newspaper is yet another blow to press freedom, and is a violation of the right of Ethiopians to receive information and ideas through any media,” said IPI Executive Director Alison Bethel McKenzie.