An Ethiopian columnist named Temesgen Desalegn
has been sentenced to three years in prison on charges of defamation and
incitement. According to the charge sheet distributed on social medias,
columnist Temesgen was convicted in connection with opinion pieces published
two years ago in the now-defunct Feteh newspaper.“Temesgen becomes the first
journalist who’s accused and found guilty only for what he’s written in a
newspaper,” his lawyer Ameha Mekonnen told Bloomburg News. Communications
Minister Redwan Hussien on his part said that the columnist was convicted for
incitement and misinforming the public. The New York-based committee to Protect
Journalists (CPJ) promptly condemned the sentencing of Temesghen Desalegn. In a
statement published on October 27, 2014, the organization’s East Africa Representative,Tom
Rhodes urged Ethiopian authorities to overturn Temesgen’s conviction and
release him. “With each journalist sentenced to prison, Ethiopia takes another
step further from freedom of the press and democratic society,” Tom Rhodes
added. Source (Awramba Times)
Tuesday, October 28, 2014
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