Journalists say draft press law breaches NEPAD goals

A controversial new Ethiopian draft press law violates African goals of freedom of expression and good governance, Ethiopian journalists said on Tuesday. The Ethiopian Free Press Journalists' Association (EFJA) said the planned law breaches the New Partnership for Africa (NEPAD) which governments have signed up to. Under NEPAD – which is heralded as a development lifeline for the continent - governments have agreed to enshrine the rights of freedom of expression. The criticism follows a symposium over the weekend where journalists and government officials tried to thrash out sticking points over the new law. Although the EFJA welcomed the weekend talks as “historic” and said it would try to overcome weaknesses in the fledgling private press, it refused to accept the new law. “It is a law that is directed against our very existence and designed to render us completely ineffective,” the EFJA said in a joint statement with editors, publishers and media professionals. “Any law that is issued in the future in connection with the press without the participation of publishers and newspapers is irrelevant,” it added. Elements of the new law include sections whereby newspapers will have to pay tax on press releases and government officials have 30 days to respond to a question. Diplomats in Addis Ababa have also been showing increasing interest in the new draft press law which could come into force later this year. The British embassy has helped organise various workshops where journalists and officials can discuss the new law.