Independent weekly newspaper Addis Neger has been forced to close, and three of its editors have gone into exile, following a campaign of intimidation by the authorities. Mr Mesfin Negash, Managing Editor, Mr Abiye Teklemariam, Executive Editor, and Mr Tamerat Negera, Editor-in-Chief, left Ethiopia after they learned that the government was planning to prosecute them on anti-terrorism charges.

Further Information

Addis Neger, set up in 2007, was one of Ethiopia's only independent newspapers. It published its last issue on 28 November 2009, and the editors issued a statement on 4 December stating that the newspaper had closed.

It has been reported that the government intended to charge them, both individually and as a company, under Anti-Terrorism Proclamation No 652/2009, and that the newspaper had been forced to close in order to protect its owners and writers. Anti-terrorism charges carry a possible sentence of 10 – 20 years in prison for those “supporting” terrorism, and the possible additional penalty of seizure of the newspaper's assets. The fear of imminent charges was due to a smear campaign against the newspaper by the government daily newspaper, Addis Zemen, and the party-affiliated online newspaper, aigaforum.com, which had published at least ten articles targeting Addis Neger, linking its staff with terrorism and portraying them as a threat to the nation.

Mesfin Negash had previously been targeted in August 2008, when a court sentenced him to one month imprisonment for contempt of court, in connection to the trial of Teddy Afro, an iconic Ethiopian musician imprisoned for 16 months and whose songs had become a rallying cry for many critical voices.

This most recent campaign against independent media comes ahead of the elections scheduled for May 2010, in what seems a repetition of the events preceding the 2005 elections. On that occasion, several journalists were targeted and imprisoned and media outlets closed.

Front Line believes that Mesfin Negash, Abiye Teklemariam and Tamerat Negera had to flee the country and close Addis Neger due to the intense threats and harassment which resulted from their work in the defence of human rights, particularly freedom of expression. Front Line sees this as part of a pattern of ongoing harassment against journalists and human rights defenders in Ethiopia.

Front Line urges you to call on the Ethiopian authorities to:

1. Immediately end the smear campaign against Mesfin Negash, Abiye Teklemarian and Tamerat Negera and take urgent measures to prevent pro-government media from stigmatising independent journalists and human rights defenders;

2. Ensure in all circumstances that human rights defenders in Ethiopia are able to carry out their legitimate human rights activities without fear of reprisals and free of all restrictions.