October 13, 2005
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TORONTO - An Ethiopian journalist who has been working for Radio Fana, a station owned by Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, has reportedly sought a political asylum in Toronto.
Journalist Andargachew Tamer ended up in the Canadian city after the International Amateur Athletics Foundation (IAAF) invited him to report on the 14th annual world half marathon championships in Edmonton, Canada October 1, 2005.
During his five years service for the radio station, the journalist was often the target of continued harassment by political cadres loyal to the government for turning down repeated requests to work as a member of the ruling Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF), a party headed by the tyrannical regime of Mr. Meles.
"Bosses are political appointees of the ruling regime who offer two choices to employees: promotions if an employee signs to serve the ruling regime as a propaganda worker, or continued demotions for those who resist membership requests," a source disclosed to Ethiomedia.
The condition of Andargachew worsened during the election period after May 2005 when he traveled to his native Bahr Dar in northwestern Ethiopia to attend the funeral of a cousin. Upon his return to his job in Addis, the journalist was treated by his superiors as an opposition suspect working for the promotion of the opposition Coalition for Unity and Democracy (CUD).
Self-censorship was rife among employees of Radio Fana, and most of those who resist joining the ruling party are often laid off as "incompetent," while others leave their jobs quietly. Recently, four journalists left the Radio Fana for jobs that pay half of what they used to earn at EPRDF's No. 1 Propaganda Center.
Efforts made to find the journalist for an extensive interview could not be successful, though sources said the journalist had left behind two kids and a wife, who was reportedly living by changing residences to keep herself away from government cadres who were questioning her to know the whereabouts of her husband.
Journalists working for the state-owned media are virtually stripped of their professional rights and are paid as propaganda workers, churning out daily reports that only tiptoe the thin line of the ruling party, thus making them safe from the harsh prosecution that befalls their counterparts in the independent press.
According to Kifle Mulat, president of the Ethiopian Free Press Journalists Association (EFJA), about 20 free press journalists recently appeared in court in the space of one month. Kifle himself was earlier this week ordered to report to the Central Criminal Investigation but was released on bail.
Source: http://www.ethiomedia.com/fastpress/radio_fana_journalist_asylum.html
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