DECEMBER 8, 2009: ADDIS NEGER ANNOUNCES ITS IMMEDIATE CLOSURE, CITING PERSECUTION OF ITS EDITORS.

Abiye Teklemariam (b. 1978) is a founding editor of Addis Neger (”New Addis”), Ethiopia’s leading dissident newspaper. I was introduced to Abiye by the Committee to Protect Journalists, and took the opportunity to interview him on May 25, 2009 at Ledig House in Omi, New York, where he was in residence working on a book about the prospects for Ethiopian democracy. Currently, he is doing a media and democracy project as a researcher at the University of Oxford.  A follow-up interview is anticipated for early 2011 in Addis. These interviews will form the basis for a chapter in my book, Uhuru Revisited: Interviews with African Pro-Democracy Leaders (Africa World Press/Red Sea Press).                                             -Ron Singer

[Note: all material in square brackets has been added by the author -RS]

RS: Tell me about your early life and motives for becoming a dissident journalist. [Abiye was raised in Addis, where he was educated and got his first degree, in Law.]

ADDIS ABABA — The United States said Thursday it was concerned over the closure of a leading Ethiopian newspaper which said last week it had ceased publication following "months of government harassment".

Addis Neger, an Addis Ababa-based weekly often critical of government policies, had also announced that its staff had fled the country for fear of arrest.

"The United States considers a vibrant and independent media to be one of the pillars of a strong democracy," the US embassy here said in a statement.

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"As such, we are concerned about the recent closure of the Addis Neger newspaper, and the allegations of harassment and intimidation of private media," it added.

Four other media firms had also claimed that the government was seeking to freeze their assets under treason-related charges dating to electoral violence in 2005.

"The outstanding charges against private journalists, editors, publishers, and media houses may also contribute to a perception that space for independent media in Ethiopia is constrained," the US embassy statement said.

Paris-based media watchdog Reporters Without Borders had condemned what it described as a "climate of fear" prevailing ahead of elections next year.

The Horn of Africa nation is to hold elections on May 23, the first since 2005 when nearly 200 people were killed in post-poll violence sparked by allegations of vote-rigging.

ADDIS ABABA — A leading Ethiopian newspaper said Friday it had closed down as a result of months of government "persecution and harassment" against its staff.

"This is the culmination of months of persecution, harassment and black propaganda by the Ethiopian government on Addis Neger," the name of the paper launched two years ago, said executive editor Abiye Teklemariam.