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| Ethiopia: Wesenseged Gebrekidan |
In Ethiopia, you don’t even have to be the author of allegedly defamatory comments to find yourself in prison. Wesenseged Gebrekidan was arrested in November 2005 and convicted of “criminal defamation” a month later even though he was merely the editor of the issue of the newspaper that contained an apparently defamatory article.
Gebrekidan’s eight-month sentence stemmed from an opinion piece that appeared in Ethiop in 2002 regarding former diplomat Habtemariam Seyoum. In the column Seyoum was censured for comments he had made in praise of the diplomatic strategy Ethiopia had adopted towards their neighbours Eritrea. Such criticism was deemed sufficiently compelling evidence to find the editor guilty under Ethiopia’s catch-all defamation laws.
Of course, had this been the only charge against Gebrekidan, he would have been freed in July having served his sentence. However, he remains in prison in Addis Ababa because he has since been condemned to 16 months’ imprisonment after being found guilty of a further charge of “criminal defamation.” The sentence, handed down in April 2006, stemmed from a 2002 Ethiop article in which the editor of Abyotawi Democracy, a publication owned by the ruling Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF), was deemed to have been defamed.
Gebrekidan’s troubles do not end there. Unlike in many other countries where defamation laws are limited to individuals, in Ethiopia, the presidency, government departments and state institutions can all be defamed. As a result, Gebrekidan faces no fewer than five further “criminal defamation” charges for articles criticising the Ministry of Justice and the Ethiopian armed forces.
Gebrekidan, who by the time of his imprisonment had moved from the editorship of Ethiop to that of the weekly Addis Zena, also faces a charge of “treason” for allegedly inciting genocide. This is in connection with the reporting of the November 2005 clashes between security forces and demonstrators protesting against supposed irregularities in the parliamentary elections earlier in the year. The spurious grounds for the charge of “genocide” include “allegations of causing fear and harm to an ethnic group, and harming members of the Tigrayan-led ruling party by excluding them from social events and funerals.” The trial opened on February 23, 2006.
The publisher of Addis Zena, Fassil Yenealem—who is also in prison facing a charge of “treason”—stated earlier this year: “We’re not against this government. It is through this government that we began to write. But when the government sees people starting to demand more democracy, freedom of expression, and development, they think it’s the fault of the press.”
Sample appeal
[Date]
H.E. Ato Meles Zenawi
Prime Minister of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia
Office of the Prime Minister
P.O. Box 1031
Addis Ababa
Ethiopia
E-mail: national.parliament@telecom.net.et
Your Excellency,
I am writing to express my concern over the arrest and ongoing charges against Wesenseged Gebrekidan, who was arrested in November 2005 and convicted of “criminal defamation” a month later. I understand that Mr. Gebrekidan remains in prison in Addis Ababa and that he faces no fewer than five further “criminal defamation” charges for articles criticising the Ministry of Justice and the Ethiopian armed forces.
I feel strongly that custodial sentences for defamation are completely inappropriate and I urge you to remove them from the Ethiopian Penal Code. I believe that Mr. Gebrekidan is being persecuted solely for the exercise of his right to freedom of expression as guaranteed by the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and therefore ask that all charges against him be dropped.
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Sincerely,
[Your name and signature]
Cc: His Excellency Dr. Samuel Assefa, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
Embassy of Ethiopia to the United States
3506 International Drive, NW
Washington, DC 20008
Fax: (202) 587-0195
E-mail: info@ethiopianembassy.org
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