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Information Minister Berhan Hailu told CPJ Monday that no Web sites were blocked within Ethiopia. Another Ethiopian government official, who asked not to be named, referred queries to the Ethiopian Telecommunications Corporation (ETC), which controls Internet service within the country. Calls to the ETC today went unanswered.
A vast crackdown on the media, which began in November 2005, and the resulting widespread self-censorship have spurred many Ethiopian journalists and activists to turn to the Internet. Since the crackdown began, Ethiopian authorities have banned at least eight private publications, while others have been barred from publishing by government-controlled printers. Fourteen journalists are in jail facing trial for antistate crimes, and at least three more are imprisoned under Ethiopia’s repressive press law, according to CPJ research.
“We are deeply troubled by reports that Ethiopian authorities may be censoring the Internet, one of the few remaining avenues for free expression in the country,” said Ann Cooper, executive director of CPJ. “The people of Ethiopia have a right to access news and information on the Internet including critical Web sites.”
