የሃይለማርያም መንግስት ነጻ ጋዜጦች እንዳይታተሙ ለማተሚያ ቤቶች በኣቶ ሽመልስ ከማል በኩል ትእዛዝ አስተላልፎዋል ::

በሃገሪቱ በስፋት በየሳምንቱ ከ27 ሺህ በላይ ኮፒ የሚሰራጨው ፍትህ ጋዜጣ እና የተቃዋሚ ፓርቲው ፍኖተነጻነት ታትመው ወደ ህዝቡ እንዳይደርሱ ከመንግስት በወረደ ትእዛዝ ታግደዋል..ማተሚያ ቤቶችም በአቶ ሽመልስ ከማል የ ስልክ ትእዛዝ ከ ስፖርት እና ህክምና ጋዜጣ ዉጪ እንዳያትሙ እንደተነገራቸው ለተቃዋሚ አመራሮች አስረድተዋል::

Journalists: Ethiopia Refining Internet Censorship

JOHANNESBURG July 2, 2012 (AP)

The Committee to Protect Journalists says it appears Ethiopia is extending and refining its censorship of Internet news with a sophistication that could encourage other authoritarian regimes in Africa.

Prime Minister Meles Zenawi’s government has been blocking major news sites and blog hosts since disputed general election results in 2005 led to violent protests. Voice Over Internet Protocol such as Skype also is blocked, forcing people to use the state telephone system.

Eskinder Nega, Five Exiled Journalists Convicted of Terrorism

June 29, 2012

Supplied

Nairobi — Today’s self-assurance of 6 Ethiopian reporters on deceptive terrorism charges is an aspersion to a sequence of law and a structure in a Horn of Africa country, a Committee to Protect Journalists pronounced today. At slightest 11 reporters have been charged with terrorism given Nov 2011, according to CPJ research.

Ethiopia: Journalists Living in Fear of the ‘Terror’ Law

June 21, 2012

 In nation after nation, journalists are attempting to inform their people of their rights and encourage them to hold their governments accountable. For this, many of them are being held accountable in the most draconian of ways.

In Zimbabwe, for example, Robert Mugabe’s regime has long attempted to conceal the repression of its people. Journalists have fought back and continue to expose hidden realities, despite facing the prospect of jail as a consequence.

Most recently, this has been happening in Ethiopia, where Eskinder Nega, a journalist I visited seven years ago in Kalati Prison, along with his pregnant wife, Serkalem Fasil (who gave birth in prison), is back in jail now on charges of terrorism. What appears to have been his crime is that he continues to tell, if not yell, truth to power – although the government is actually prosecuting him for what they say is his membership in a terrorist network that advocates violence. As ‘proof’ at his trial, they showed a video in which he questioned whether an Arab Spring-type uprising could ever happen in Ethiopia.

Breaking NEWS: VOA Reporter Peter Heinlein Arrested in Ethiopia

May 25, 2012

A Voice of America reporter has been detained in the Ethiopian capital while trying to cover a demonstration Friday.

Witnesses to the arrest told VOA that reporter Peter Heinlein and his translator Simeginesh Mekoya were detained while seeking to interview protesters during a Muslim demonstration following Friday prayers in Addis Ababa.

Another Western reporter said there was a heavy police presence at the demonstration and that he also was stopped by police and told to leave the area.

Tom Rhodes, East Africa spokesman for the Committee to Protect Journalists, said he understood that Heinlein was accused of acting “unprofessionally and illegally.” Rhodes said a government spokesman accused Heinlein, who is married to a Danish diplomat, of improperly using a diplomatic vehicle and refusing to show media accreditation.

International Press Institute World Press Freedom Heroes Condemn Imprisonment …

April 27, 2012

International Press Institute World Press Freedom Heroes Condemn Imprisonment of Journalist

Press Release

Vienna — Twenty general reporters who have been recognized as World Press Freedom Heroes by a Vienna-based International Press Institute (IPI) have cursed a Ethiopian government’s preference to jail Eskinder Nega and other reporters on terrorism charges, and called for their evident release.

IPI World Press Freedom Heroes Condemn Imprisonment of Ethiopian Journalist …

April 26, 2012

Eskinder Nega, an online writer and critic of the current Ethiopian government, was arrested in September 2011 and is accused of supporting terrorism, for which he could face the death penalty if convicted. He was jailed shortly after having criticized the government’s use of anti-terrorism laws to jail other journalists and opposition figures. This is hardly Eskinder’s first brush with the authorites – he and his wife, also a journalist, were jailed for 17 months on treason charges in the aftermath of the disputed 2005 elections. Their son was born in prison. Since then, Eskinder has been banned from journalism but has continued to speak out and write.

Top PEN Prize to Honor Eskinder Nega, Jailed Ethiopian Journalist and Blogger

April 15, 2012

Ethiopia: Top PEN Prize to Honor Eskinder Nega, Jailed Ethiopian Journalist and Blogger

Source: PEN

PEN American Center today named Eskinder Nega, a journalist and dissident blogger in Ethiopia, as the recipient of its 2012 PEN/Barbara Goldsmith Freedom to Write Award. Nega, a leading advocate for press freedom and freedom of expression in Ethiopia, was arrested on September 14, 2011, and is currently being tried under the country’s sweeping anti-terror legislation, which criminalizes any reporting deemed to “encourage” or “provide moral support” to groups and causes which the government considers to be “terrorist.” He could face the death penalty if convicted.