Ethiopian journalist likely held under anti-terrorism law

Ethiopian journalist likely held under
anti-terrorism law

23 June, 2011 | CPJ
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New York, June 23, 2011--Ethiopian authorities have been
holding a newspaper columnist incommunicado since Tuesday,
local journalists told the Committee to Protect Journalists. Reeyot
Alemu, a regular contributor to the independent weekly Feteh,
was expected to spend the next four weeks in preventive
detention under what appears to be Ethiopia's sweeping anti-
terrorism law.

Alemu, at left, is the second journalist

picked up and held without charge in

less than a week and taken into

custody at the federal investigation

center at Maekelawi Prison in the

capital, Addis Ababa. Deputy Editor

Woubshet Taye

of the weekly

Awramba Times

has been held since

Sunday, according to CPJ research.

Authorities have not disclosed the

reason for Alemu's arrest, but a local

lawyer who requested anonymity for

fear of government reprisals told CPJ that she has been
transferred into preventive detention for a period of 28 days,
pending further investigations. This is the minimum period for
preventive detention under Ethiopia's 2009 anti-terrorism law,
according to legal experts. Ethiopia's code of criminal procedure
allows for preventative detention for a minimum of 14 days, they
said.

Ethiopian government spokesman Bereket Simon told CPJ on
Friday that he was not immediately available to comment. Local
journalists said they believe Alemu's arrest could be related to her
columns critical of the ruling EPRDF. Alemu's June 17 column in
Feteh criticized the EPRDF's public fundraising methods for the
Abay Dam project, and made parallels between Prime Minister
Meles Zenawi and Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi, according
to local journalists

"We condemn the ongoing detention of Reeyot Alemu without
charge," said CPJ Africa Advocacy Coordinator Mohamed
Keita. "Since Alemu is frequently critical of the government, we
are concerned about the possible use of far-reaching and vaguely
worded provisions of Ethiopia's anti-terrorism law to prosecute
her. We call on authorities in Addis Ababa to release Alemu
immediately."

The sweeping anti-terrorism law criminalizes any reporting
authorities deem to "encourage" or "provide moral support" to
groups and causes the government labels as "terrorists."

Alemu was picked up at a high school in Addis Ababa where she
teaches English, according to local journalists. Police then
searched her house, according to the same sources.

Ethiopia has six journalists currently behind bars, behind only
Eritrea as the nation detaining the largest number of journalists in
Africa. Eritrea holds at least 17 members of the press in its secret
prisons, according to CPJ research.

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Courtesy