AWRAMBA TIMES HIGHLIGHTS TENSION BETWEEN PRESS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ADDIS ABABA 002291 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/15/2018 TAGS: PGOV PHUM KPAO ET SUBJECT: AWRAMBA TIMES HIGHLIGHTS TENSION BETWEEN PRESS FREEDOM AND RESPONSIBLE JOURNALISM REF: ADDIS ABABA 2162 Classified By: CDA Deborah Malac. Reasons 1.4(b) and (d). Summary -------------- ¶1. (C) The Editor-in-Chief of the private Amharic weekly Awramba Times met with Emboffs to provide details on what he described as a police threat to curb his newspaper's activities following the publication of stories related to the controversial new opposition movement Ginbot 7, which publicly advocates change "by any means necessary." In one instance, the police called to warn the editor against publishing an unspecified article. Awramba Times withheld publication of the article but detailed the police warning. While the Ethiopian Government (GoE) continues to keep a tight hold on the press, Ethiopia's immature and often partisan press sometimes operates in conflict with the GoE's legitimate sensitivities. It is not clear whether Awramba Times intends to cross this line, but the editors' ill-advised decision to cover a police warning, a move likely only to antagonize the police, highlights both the persistent challenges posed by the restricted climate for press freedom (reftel) and the clear need for greater professionalism of the media. Post will continue to encourage the return of both press freedom and responsible journalism through workshops, support for the Addis Ababa University journalism program and the facilitation of government-media dialogue. End Summary. Awramba Times Background -------------- ¶2. (U) Awramba Times' Editor-in-Chief Dawit Kebede was among the journalists jailed after the 2005 elections. After sharing a cell with Ginbot 7 founder Berhanu Nega and others, Dawit was convicted and pardoned in July 2007. Following his release, he applied for a license to reopen his newspaper, "Hadar," but was refused by the Ministry of Information. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) advocated on his behalf and in February, 2008, the Ministry of Information granted Dawit a license to open Awramba Times, a "political and social" paper. The first issue was printed on March 4, ¶2008. Despite a current circulation of around 23,000, its readership is assumed to be higher since people "rent" and share papers in Ethiopia. Awramba Times regularly covers Ethiopian opposition movements, including Ginbot 7. Awramba Times does not regularly cover the ruling Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) because the paper is not invited to government events, Dawit said. Awramba Times: A Threat to the Constitution? -------------- ¶3. (C) According to Dawit, a source told him that the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) recently circulated a 30 page document to various other government ministries that identified Awramba Times as, essentially, a threat to the Ethiopian Constitution. Dawit said the document accused his newspaper of promoting or publicizing people who seek to undermine the Constitution (presumably referring to coverage of opposition movements),and added that the document urged the police to investigate Awramba Times. Dawit did not offer other specifics, but noted the newspaper continued to report on opposition movements even after the editorial board learned of the MOJ circular. Dawit alleged five issues of Awramba Times are currently under police investigation. Most issues include stories about Ginbot 7, and one includes an editorial written by Berhanu. (Note: Dawit said that Awramba Times made it clear that the views expressed in Berhanu's editorial were not endorsed by the paper. End note.) Accusation of Police Harassment -------------- ¶4. (C) Already on thin ice, Dawit claimed that on August 4 he received two telephone calls from the Ethiopian Federal Police. The police said they had been tipped that Awramba Times would publish an article that "entertains people who are trying to dismantle the Constitution. So, if it is published, it will not be distributed." The paper was printed and distributed as scheduled on August 5, but the editors excluded any news about Ginbot 7. Instead, they published a description of the police phone calls. The August 12 edition was likewise published and distributed as ADDIS ABAB 00002291 002 OF 002 scheduled, but without reference to Ginbot 7. When asked to speculate on the reason for police interest in his publication, Dawit said only "the government said we do not have the right to cover (opposition movements)." When asked if any other publication had received such warnings from the police, he said no, although, he contended, many others publish stories about opposition movements. When asked why his paper was singled-out, he suggested that other publications cover opposition parties differently than Awramba Times. By way of example, he cited the Berhanu editorial. Dawit said that Awramba Times would continue to publish stories on the opposition. Comment -------------- ¶5. (C) Press freedom also requires responsible journalism. Ginbot 7 is a diaspora-based political movement that has called for political change in Ethiopia by any means necessary. While it is not clear whether Awramba Times ever published news of Ginbot 7's call for change by any means necessary or simply published news about the Ginbot 7 movement, it is clear the newspaper breached the Ethiopian government's legitimate sensitivities. The editors' ill-advised decision to cover a police warning, a move likely only to antagonize the police, highlights both the persistent challenges posed by the restricted climate for press freedom and the clear need for greater professionalism of the media. Post will continue to encourage the return of both press freedom and responsible journalism through workshops, support for the Addis Ababa University journalism program and the facilitation of government-media dialogue. End Comment. MALAC