Barbara Lochbihler, said Ethiopia is jailing journalists and activists for “exercising their legitimate right to freedoms of expression, association and religion.” The group is concerned by reports of misuse of the country’s anti-terrorism legislation to stifle dissent, she said. “Despite the country’s excellent constitution, we note flaws in the impartiality of the judicial system,” Lochbihler told journalists at a press conference Wednesday. A spokesman for the Ethiopian Prime Minister said the country doesn’t have any political prisoners and that prisoners would not be released “just because some European Union members said so.” According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, the Ethiopian government criminalizes the coverage of any group the government deems to be a terrorist group, a list that includes opposition political parties. “Among those jailed is Eskinder Nega, an award-winning blogger whose critical commentary on the government’s extensive use of anti-terror laws led to his own conviction on terrorism charges,” the group said in its latest survey, which placed Ethiopia among the world’s top ten worst jailers of journalists. The EU parliament delegation said certain broadcasters are jammed in Ethiopia and that access to the Internet and social media are “regularly restricted.” The practice is at odds with the Ethiopian constitution, the delegation said in a statement. The four-person delegation, drawn from the parliament’s subcommittee on human rights, said the Ethiopian government must guarantee freedom of speech and the right to peaceful assembly at all times in accordance with its constitution and obligations under international law. The delegation met top government officials, activists and leaders of the opposition.
Posted on: Fri, 26 Jul 2013 21:57:23 +0000
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