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Ethiopia: Opposition, Team Give Green Light to Amended Draft Press Law
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The Daily Monitor (Addis Ababa)
28 April 2008
Posted to the web 29 April 2008
Addis Abeba
Two opposition parties and a parliamentary team praised the amendments made on the bill of press proclamation, one of the issues the House of Parliament discussed on Thursday.
EDUP Medhin Chairman Lidetu Ayalew and CUDP led by Ayele Chamiso respectively told The Daily Monitor that they gave a go-ahead to the amended Draft Press Law as they found most of the issues they proposed were incorporated. "Articles 18 and 21 were among the issues of argument and we recommended for improvement which would be enacted it law," Lidetu Ayalew, Chairman of EDUP Medhin.
Lidetu said it was good that the ruling party, EPRDF implemented the amendments by incorporating the comments of the participants. He said however that there were still issues which needed further amendment specially the section on word meanings, ambiguity, and impact of their meaning.
Lidetu further noted that the proclamation must still be debated up on by the House including at regional levels before it become a law. CUDP Chairman Ayele Chamiso said on his part that most of the issues which were originally subject of contention and disagreement have now been resolved except the ones related to national security and freedom of information, specifically on the meaning of the word "exemption". The other CUDP led by Temesgene Zewde, UEDF, and OFDN did not participate the debate on Thursday owing to their decision to boycott the Draft Press Law in a previous similar session. HPR public relations officer Aregai Meressa said the three opposition MPs could not attend Thursday's session for they declined to ask the House for an apology. The bill of proclamation was sent to the Standing Committee after the comment of participants. OFDN and CUDP led by Temesgene Zewde were not immediately available for comment.
The Ministry of Information begun to draft a new law that will replace the 1992 Press Law described by independent journalists, international media watchdogs and pressure groups as one with "most significant problems" In January 2003, the Ethiopian Ministry of Information introduced a new draft press law These groups say it continues to criminalize press offences.
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There are concerns it may halt the small progress in press freedom that the country has only recently seen.
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