ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia — THE African Media Leaders Forum (AMLF) opened in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, yesterday amid controversy caused by the arrest of journalists by the host government. Report by Vincent Kahiya Editor-in-Chief
The sixth instalment of the forum is being held in the shadow of the recent arrests of two media workers Getachew Worku and Million Degnew, who were taken into police custody for reporting on public corruption in local administration.
Media pressure groups and representative organisations voiced concern over the arrest of the journalists and had tackled the Africa Media Initiative (AMI), the organisers of the forum, on the suitability of Ethiopia as hosts.
The AMI executive on Wednesday met with senior government officials to discuss the arrest of the media workers. The team also visited a prison where the journalists are being held, but did not get a chance to see them.
In his opening address, AMI co-chair Trevor Ncube, who is also Alpha Media Holdings chairman, told Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn — present at the opening ceremony — that media practitioners disapproved of government’s actions against the media.
“Prime Minister, we (AMI) were criticised for inviting you because of Ethiopian perceived Press and media restrictions,” Ncube said. “What we did yesterday (engaging with government) is the beginning of a journey of winning trust.”
He added: “The delegates should use the opportunity provided by this conference to highlight the plight of these persecuted journalists and to acknowledge media freedom is a cornerstone of Africa’s development.”
Apart from Worku and Degnew, the Ethiopian government is also holding other journalists Reeyot Alemu, Woubshet Taye, Eskinder Nega, Yusuf Getachew, and Solomon Kebedem who have been convicted of terrorism offences.
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The Committee for the Protection of Journalists says Ethiopia has refused to comply with a United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention ruling in the case of Eskinder, and another decision by the UN special rapporteur on torture in the case of Reeyot.
Meanwhile, Eritrean journalists Saleh Idris and Tesfalidet Kidane have been held in Ethiopia since 2006.
Ethiopia trails only Eritrea as Africa’s worst jailer of journalists, according to CPJ’s annual prison census. More than 75 publications have been forced to close under government pressure since 1993, CPJ research shows.
While recognising the huge infrastructure development taking place in Ethiopia, Ncube said more could be achieved if journalists were allowed to work freely.
“Development is only possible with free media, we hope that the AMLF meeting will start the process of improving conditions for media in Ethiopia,” Ncube said. “We believe that journalists are partners on African development. Journalists are not enemies of the State.”
PM Hailemariam in his address to open the forum steered clear of the controversy surrounding the arrest of the journalists. He said democracy in Ethiopia was “a categorical imperative not a response to external conditionality”.
He said the story of the continent was now changing to one of “Africa Rising”, adding media in Africa should write positively about the continent.
“Ethiopia was once a symbol of everything that went wrong on the continent, but it has now changed that to one of the fast growing economies,” Hailemariam said.
He attributed this to his government’s adherence to democratic norms and a new system of government that had recognised the central role of global and individual rights in development.
The Forum ends this evening with President Uhuru Kenyatta expected to deliver a keynote speech.
He will also feature in a high-level roundtable discussion on enabling a conducive media development environment in Africa. Other panellists are PM Hailemariam, Africa Development Bank president Donald Kaberuka, AU chair Nkosazana Dhlamini-Zuma and Economic Commission for Africa executive secretary Carlos Lopes.
This morning, AMH Editor-in-Chief will be a panellist on round table Media Ombudsmen in African Newsrooms
