--- For
immediate release ---
Washington, DC –
The IWMF is gravely concerned about freedom of the press in Ethiopia upon
learning the cassation court's decision to uphold Reeyot Alemu's conviction and
prison sentence in Addis Ababa today.
Ethiopia has
become one of the most oppressive in the world for press freedom, with numbers
of jailed journalists rising steadily each year. Under late Prime Minister
Meles Zenawi, Ethiopia jailed more journalists than any other country in
Africa, except for Eritrea.
The repeated use
of Ethiopia's vague Anti-Terrorism Proclamation to silence government-critical
voices is highly alarming. After her arrest in June 2011, Alemu was held for
months without charge and subsequently convicted of terrorism although her
activities have been purely of a journalistic nature.
"As a
journalist, I was preparing articles that oppose injustice", Alemu has
told the IWMF. "When I did it, I knew that I would pay the price and I was
ready to accept that price. Because journalism is a profession that I am
willing to devote myself to. For me, journalists are the voices of the
voiceless. That's why I wrote many articles which reveal the truth. Even if I
am facing a lot of problems because of it, I always stand firmly for my
principle and profession."
After a
partially successful appeal in August 2012, Alemu's initial 14-year sentence
was reduced to 5 years. Every day of the 19 months she has already served and
the 41 months in prison that lie ahead of her, is a reminder that the Ethiopian
government has yet to understand the value of press freedom.
Alemu has been
honored with the 2012 IWMF Courage in Journalism Award and the 2012
Hellman/Hammett Award.
For more
information about this case and the IWMF, visit iwmf.org/courage, contact Anna
Schiller (aschiller@iwmf.org, (+1) 202.567.2613), and follow #IWMFcourage
(@IWMF) on Twitter.
No comments:
Post a Comment