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One of the exiled
journalists CPJ met in Nairobi holds up a newspaper report on a study
criticizing independent publications. (CPJ/Nicole Schilit)
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A sharp increase in the number of
Ethiopian journalists fleeing into exile has been recorded by the Committee to
Protect Journalists in the past 12 months.
More than 30--twice the number of
exiles CPJ documented in 2012
and 2013 combined--were forced to leave after the government began a campaign
of arrests.
In October, Nicole Schilit of CPJ's Journalist Assistance program
and Martial Tourneur of partner group Reporters Without Borders traveled to Nairobi in Kenya to
meet some of those forced to flee.
The group of reporters, photographers,
and editors we met had all been forced to make a tough decision that has
affected them and their families--a life in exile or prison.
All of the
journalists spoke to CPJ on condition of anonymity, out of concern for their
safety. During meetings to discuss their cases, one of them told us: "I
hope one day I can bring my family. Maybe in the future. I want to secure
myself first. Now is not secure."
Since July, a large number of Ethiopian
journalists have left behind their families, homes, and a steady income to seek
safety. The reason for this sharp increase is a government crackdown on the
independent media.
In January, the state-controlled Ethiopian Press Agency and
Ethiopian News Agency carried out a study to "assess the role of [seven] magazines in the
nation's peace, democracy and development." The results were illustrated
in two charts that claimed the magazines were promoting
terrorism and damaging the economy.
The study was followed by a series of
arrests and charges of journalists from a range of publications, as well as
those associated with the Zone 9 blogging collective.
In July six bloggers and
three journalists were charged
with terrorism. On June 25, 20 journalists at the state-run Oromia Radio and
Television Organization were dismissed
without explanation. In August, the Ministry of Justice announced that six
publications were being charged
with publishing false information, inciting violence, and undermining public
confidence in the government.
Managers at three publications were sentenced
in absentia to three-year jail terms for "inciting the public by
spreading false information." And in October, Temesghen Desalegn of Feteh
(Justice) magazine was sentenced
to three years' imprisonment for defamation and incitement.
With the threat of imprisonment hanging
over Ethiopia's press, many journalists decided to flee. Most left without much
notice. Some knew Ethiopians who had moved to Nairobi months or even years
earlier, and were able to contact them before leaving their homes.
Others
arrived without having any basic knowledge of the city, and had to find help
with everything from registering as a refugee with the United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to finding a place to stay.
CPJ's Journalist Assistance program
has had a steady flow of requests from journalists in Ethiopia and other parts
of East Africa since the program began in 2001, but we have never seen numbers
like this. With so many journalists displaced, it was important that CPJ
identified their most urgent needs and challenges before deciding how best to
support them.
The exiled journalists that CPJ and its
partner group met included journalists who worked for several independent
publications, as well as freelancers and founding members of the Ethiopian
Journalists Forum (EJF). Not all of the journalists were facing charges,
but they said they had experienced harassment, intimidation, and threats of
imprisonment over their reporting.
One of the journalists said he had been
in Angola for a conference in April when he was advised by friends not to
return to Ethiopia. While he was away, six Zone 9 bloggers had been arrested.
The journalist was not part of the Zone 9 group, but he said friends convinced
him to come to Nairobi instead of returning to Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa.
Despite the warnings he was insistent on returning to Ethiopia. "I did not
prepare to not return," he said. His wife begged him to stay in Nairobi
and told him security officials had visited their home and threatened her. She
joined him in Nairobi one month later.
All of the journalists told us they
needed financial support for basic living expenses. Despite being crammed into
homes that feel temporary, and where up to three people share a room, the
journalists struggle to afford rent and food. They have lost their incomes and,
with the desire to keep a low profile and no means to start a publication, they
do not know when they will be able to work again.
In one apartment, four journalists from
a single outlet were living together. They described how in Addis Ababa they
had been financially secure. "Most of us have no economic problems back
home. I had my own TV show and the payment from our employment was good... but
that charge. We know the meaning of that charge," one of the journalists
said, referring to accusations that they had spread false information intended
to undermine public trust in the government.
One of the journalists said he wanted
to bring his wife and two-year-old son to Nairobi, but couldn't afford their
travel, or to support them. "There is no money. And I am the
breadwinner," he said.
Nairobi has offered little solace for
these journalists. We met the majority of those we spoke to in the barely
furnished homes they were living in, which are spread out across the city.
Several of the journalists said they still did not feel safe, and were scared
of being taken back to Ethiopia. The fear that authorities
have the ability to reach over borders is common among those who have fled
into exile.
Exile and security fears have taken a
psychological toll on these journalists. They repeatedly told us their daily
movements were limited because they worry what could happen while they are
outside. "In the morning, I find myself without any plan to do. We feel
lost here," one said during meetings to assess their needs. Another added:
"It is very boring. I feel desperate."
One of the journalists told us:
"It's a kind of traumatizing experience. At night, what if someone comes
and is banging on the door looking for us? Whenever someone is shouting we
think it is a security officer who [has] come to look for us. So it is very
difficult at night. It is very scary."
Respected journalists who had
successful careers in Ethiopia are now refugees in a foreign country. Despite
being in exile because of their reporting, they all expressed a commitment to
continue working in journalism once their financial and security needs had been
fixed.
Since speaking to the exiled
journalists and assessing their needs, CPJ has been working with partner
organizations to coordinate assistance for them. In addition to providing small
grants to help cover basic living expenses, CPJ has continued to advocate on
behalf of the journalists with the UNHCR. Exiled
journalists have to register as a refugee with the organization, or other
authorities, to begin the often lengthy process of applying for refugee status
or waiting for resettlement to a third country.
The Journalist Assistance program is
funded entirely through charitable donations. More details on how you can help,
and how donations are used by the Gene Roberts Fund for Emergency Assistance
are available here.
Nicole Schilit is
CPJ’s Journalist Assistance Associate. She has a master's in public
administration from the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia
University and a bachelor's in documentary photography from Oberlin College in
Ohio.
CPJ is an
independent, nonprofit organization that works to safeguard press freedom
worldwide.
Media contacts:
Sue Valentine
Africa Program
Coordinator
Peter Nkanga
West Africa
Representative
Email: pnkanga@cpj.org
Tom Rhodes
East Africa
Representative
Email: trhodes@cpj.org
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