Eskinder
Nega, an Ethiopian publisher, journalist and blogger who is serving
an 18-year jail sentence under anti-terror legislation, has been
awarded the 2014 Golden Pen of Freedom, the annual press freedom
prize of the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers
(WAN-IFRA).
Mr
Nega was arrested on September 14, 2011 after publishing an article
criticising his government’s use of the 2009 Anti-Terror
Proclamation to jail and silence critics, including Ethiopian actor
and activist Debebe Eshetu. He was sentenced on 23 January 2012
and denounced as belonging to a terrorist organization.
In making the award, the WAN-IFRA Board sent a message to the Ethiopian government that misusing anti-terror legislation to jail journalists and those critical of his government is unwarranted and against international protocols, including the Vienna Declaration on Terrorism, Media and the Law.
“This award recognizes the courage of Eskinder Nega to speak out despite the risks that saw him
In making the award, the WAN-IFRA Board sent a message to the Ethiopian government that misusing anti-terror legislation to jail journalists and those critical of his government is unwarranted and against international protocols, including the Vienna Declaration on Terrorism, Media and the Law.
“This award recognizes the courage of Eskinder Nega to speak out despite the risks that saw him
