Ethiopian security forces have disrupted the distribution of free press newspapers and magazines in the capital, Addis Ababa, since rounding up vendors on 18 April. The Canadian-based International Freedom of Expression Exchange (IFEX) said in an alert issued on 23 April that police had arrested newspaper and magazine vendors during the riots in Addis Ababa, and that distribution of private publications had not yet resumed. Vendors were picked up by the police all over Addis Ababa, including the Merkato, Lagare, Piazza, Menelik Square and Arat Kilo areas. According to IFEX, the vendors were released on 21 April, on condition that they stopped their vending activities. The EFJA statement said that while the organisation did not oppose arrests necessary to re-establish law and order, the crackdown on the vendors appeared to be “an action calculated to destroy the free press”. It called on the government to take a “sober” approach in resolving current problems.
This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions
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