The
May 2005 election is a turning point for Ethiopian political sphere, so is for
the Freedom of Expression in the country. The election ended with electoral
board’s announcement that the incumbent is a winner of the election which oppositions
called rigged. Major opposition of the time, CUD, supporters went out in the
streets to protest which had ended in death of nearly 200 people when the
government tried to crackdown.
EPRDF,
the ruling coalition, said it took lessons from the election in its news outlet
‘Abiyotawi Democracy’. In the first term of five years since the election, many
changes of control were effected against the people. Apparently, Freedom of
Expression is the first of the most victims. Here are a few of the systematic
approaches the government used to ban the freedom.
Rule
By Law
Controversial
proclamations for violating constitutional rights were passed during the first
term of post 2005 election. Among these are included the amendment of the Press
Proclamation, the Anti-Terrorism Proclamation and the Civil-Societies
Proclamation. The latter one entirely banned the role of civil societies in
‘rights’-related activities where as the former two contained articles that
limited freedom of expression given in article 29 of the Ethiopian
constitution.
Since
these proclamations were passed, at least eight journalists are convicted in
relation to terrorism and if you ask any ordinary citizen whether or not these
journalists are terrorists, the most probable answer is definitely ‘No!’.
