(July 23,
2012, Nairobi)--Ethiopian authorities blocked the publication of a prominent
independent newspaper over the weekend in connection with its stories on the health
of Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, according to local journalists.
The state-run
printing company Barhanena
Selam told the weekly Feteh on
early Sunday morning that the government had ordered that week's edition of the
paper, about 30,000 copies, to be blocked on grounds of inciting national
insecurity and endangering the government and the public, local journalists
said.
The paper had prepared pieces citing reports from the BBC and the exiled opposition group, Ethiopian National Transitional Council, local journalists said. A government spokesman did not return CPJ calls seeking comment.
News accounts have reported that Meles has been hospitalized in Brussels with an undisclosed condition. "The ban on Feteh's latest issue illustrates the depth of repression in Ethiopia today, and authorities' determination to suppress independent coverage of the prime minister," CPJ East Africa Consultant Tom Rhodes said.
"Every citizen has a right to be informed about the well-being of their leader and the conduct of their government. Authorities should reverse their decision and allow the publication of Feteh's weekend edition to proceed." Read more from Committee to Protect Journalists »
Related topics:
Award-winning Ethiopian journalist Eskinder Nega jailed for 18 years
The paper had prepared pieces citing reports from the BBC and the exiled opposition group, Ethiopian National Transitional Council, local journalists said. A government spokesman did not return CPJ calls seeking comment.
News accounts have reported that Meles has been hospitalized in Brussels with an undisclosed condition. "The ban on Feteh's latest issue illustrates the depth of repression in Ethiopia today, and authorities' determination to suppress independent coverage of the prime minister," CPJ East Africa Consultant Tom Rhodes said.
"Every citizen has a right to be informed about the well-being of their leader and the conduct of their government. Authorities should reverse their decision and allow the publication of Feteh's weekend edition to proceed." Read more from Committee to Protect Journalists »
Related topics:
Award-winning Ethiopian journalist Eskinder Nega jailed for 18 years
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