Ban on media association lifted

A 17-month ban imposed on Ethiopia's only independent journalists association has been lifted by the federal high court, the president of the association told IRIN on Friday. "This is a new chapter for Ethiopian journalists and this brings us to the forefront of the fight for freedom of expression in this country," Kifle Mulat, head of the Ethiopian Free Press Journalists Association (EFPJA), said. "This is an important event in the country." Set up in 1993, the EFPJA was only granted its government licence three years ago. It aims to defend the rights of the independent press in Ethiopia. In November 2003, it was ordered by the Ministry of Justice to suspend activities amid allegations that it was breaching Ethiopian law. The decision to suspend the organisation drew widespread criticism. The International Federation of Journalists, with 500,000 members in more than 100 countries, urged the government to reassess the move and expressed concern that it was trying to silence the EFPJA. The government initially said the association was banned because it had failed to meet its legal obligations by registering with the ministry. It said the EFPJA had been operating illegally after failing to renew its annual operating licence for the last three years. Under Ethiopian law, all organisations working within the country must be licensed and are required to provide audit reports detailing financial records. The justice ministry, which originally imposed the ban, declined to say whether they would be taking any further action against the EFPJA. "I would have to look at the court papers before I said anything," Getachew Gonfa, head of registration at the ministry, told IRIN on Monday. Relations between the private press and the ruling coalition group, the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front, have often been strained in the past. Government officials criticise the private press for being unprofessional, while some newspapers in turn argue the government is overly oppressive. The government argues that freedom of speech is enshrined in the country's constitution. It points to the 82 weekly and 32 monthly newspapers in the country, which it says, proves that freedom of expression is flourishing.