Government bans journalists' association

The Ethiopian government came under fire on Monday for banning the country’s sole independent journalists' association and urging its members to appoint a new leadership. The ban has been imposed amid rising tension and a growing war of words between the Ethiopian Free Press Journalists' Association (EFPJA) and the government over the former's exact role. "This action by the ministry is undemocratic and has no legal basis," said Kifle Mulat, who has been the president of the EFPJA for eight years." He added that the EFPJA "totally denounces" the move, because it "violates the rights to freedom of expression, international conventions and the rights of citizenship". However, the justice ministry said a meeting it had convened at its headquarters in the capital, Addis Ababa, on Sunday had voted in favour of a new executive committee to run the EFPJA. Mekonnen Worke, a spokesman for the ministry, dismissed claims that the meeting of EFPJA members had been undemocratic, and told IRIN that its decision would stand. The government stated that it had banned the association because it had failed to meet its legal obligation to register with the ministry. It said the ban had been imposed because the EFPJA had been operating illegally by failing to renew its annual operating licence for the last three years. Under Ethiopian law, all organisations working within the country must be licensed by the ministry and must provide it with audit reports detailing financial records. Earlier, in a statement released by state-run media on Saturday, the government accused the EFPJA leadership of persisting in conducting its operations illegally. It also said the organisation's leaders had breached the ministry’s ban by communicating with local and foreign media outlets. The EFPJA, which was established 1993, but only granted its government licence three years ago, claims to fight for the rights of the independent press in Ethiopia. However, it has been drawing criticism from journalists working for the private press for its "weak leadership". Critics also argue that it has become "over-politicised". The move to ban the EFPJA also comes amid increasing tensions between it and the government over a controversial new press law being introduced in the country. The press bill, which could be adopted later this year, has been condemned by international freedom-of-speech watchdogs as being too "restrictive". The EFPJA is a member of the international Federation of Journalists and the New York-based Committee for the Protection of Journalists. The government argues that freedom of speech is enshrined in the country’s constitution. It also asserts that the fact that 82 weekly and 32 monthly newspapers are published in constitutes proof that freedom of expression is flourishing.