Amnesty International awards prize to senior journalist

The ousted president of Ethiopia’s free press association has won a human rights prize for promoting the rights of journalists in his country. Kifle Mulat, 51, who headed the Ethiopian Free Press Journalists' Association (EFJA) for four years, was praised by Amnesty International (AI) for his fight against repression. In a statement released ahead of the award ceremony in London on 13 May, AI said he had been awarded the Global Media Award for a Journalist at Risk. AI noted that Kifle had been jailed six times as a "prisoner of conscience" in the last 12 years after helping found the EFJA. AI also described a new press law being introduced as "draconian", saying that many journalists were working under fear of repression. "Amnesty International is concerned that the proposed new press law includes harsher conditions for the press than the previous one, and could lead to more journalists being imprisoned as prisoners of conscience," it said. The EFJA was banned and its leadership overthrown and replaced by a new executive in January during a meeting organised by government officials. The move and drew international criticism from media watchdogs, who expressed "growing alarm" over government attempts to "silence" the EFJA. The EFJA, which was set up in 1993, but only granted its government licence three years ago, claims to fight for the rights of the independent press in Ethiopia. But it has drawn criticism from journalists in the private press for its "weak leadership". Critics argue that EFJA has become "over-politicised". AI said Ethiopian journalists faced harsh penalties, noting that journalists had been jailed for "vague offences" after criticising the government. "Dozens of private press journalists who were arrested and provisionally released on bond have charges pending under the Press Law and might be prisoners of conscience if tried and convicted. Many others have fled the country and sought asylum." Government officials have dismissed allegations that they repress journalists, and cite the existence of 82 weekly and 32 monthly newspapers in the country, which, they say, proves that freedom of expression and journalism is flourishing. They also draw attention to meetings held with editors and journalists to draw up the new press law, which is to replace the 1992 law, and is due to come into force later this year.