Mr. Merid Estifanos

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  cpj.org/blog/2008/08/a-temporary-home-for-exiled-ethiop - [Cached Version]
  Published on: 10/7/2008    Last Visited: 8/19/2008  

  Merid Estifanos was still in his afternoon French class when I arrived at the Maison des Journalistes (MDJ) this afternoon to meet him.
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  Merid Estifanos (CPJ/Phillips)
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  Our tour ended in the basement where Estifanos and a group of his colleagues were finishing their French class.When he spotted me he jumped up to give me a hug.Though this was my first meeting with Estifanos, I felt I knew him well.
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  On May 8, following weeks of lobbying French officials for approval of his visa, Estifanos arrived in Paris and moved into the Maison des Journalistes (MDJ).
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  Merid and I spent the afternoon talking about his experience in Sudan and his transition to life in France where language is the biggest, but not the only challenge.
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  I never cooked for myself before now, so this is a good learning experience for me," Estifanos told me with a wry smile.
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  "You can't work if you can't compete," Estifanos explained.
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  Sitting at a sidewalk café near MDJ I asked Estifanos what he has found most surprising about Paris.
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  I know Merid Estifanos from childhood, we grew up in the same area.I know that he is a journalist but didn't know he faced all the hardship/his ordeal I just read.

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  www.oromoliberationfront.org/Country%20report_2003.htm - [Cached Version]
  Published on: 2/25/2004    Last Visited: 6/12/2005  

  On July 1, the former editor in chief of Satenaw, Merid Estifanos, was charged with libel against Prime Minister Zenawi.He was later released on bail of an undisclosed amount.

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  Africa Cases 2004 - [Cached Version]
  Published on: 11/5/2003    Last Visited: 6/29/2005  

  Merid Estifanos, Satanaw
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  Ethiopian authorities jailed Estifanos, former editor-in-chief of the private, Amharic-language weekly Satanaw, after he was unable to pay bail in a criminal defamation case.
  
  According to local sources, Estifanos appeared before a federal court in the capital, Addis Ababa, on April 2, in connection with a defamation charge stemming from a September 2001, opinion piece, titled "The Hidden Agenda of Prime Minister Meles."
  
  The article accused Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi of supporting the government of neighboring Eritrea and alleged that Eritrea had defeated Ethiopia during the two-year border war between the two countries from 1998 to 2000.Despite various U.N.-sponsored peace efforts, the two countries have yet to agree on a border, and severe tensions between them persist.
  
  Estifanos did not write the article, but as editor-in-chief of the newspaper, he was held responsible for its content.Following the article's publication, Estifanos was charged with defaming the prime minister, and ordered to pay bail of 1,000 birr (US$120) while awaiting trial.According to local sources, he could face more prison time if convicted.
  
  At the April 2 hearing, the court told Estifanos that since he had missed his previous court hearing, the court had imposed an additional bail of 3,000 birr (US$360).When Estifanos was unable to pay this amount, the court ordered that he be transferred to prison.
  
  Estifanos was released on May 17 after submitting the 3,000 birr.

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  Africa Daily - [Cached Version]
  Published on: 4/1/2004    Last Visited: 4/13/2004  

  Monday's IFJ report came as two international journalists associations, Reporters Without Borders (RWB) and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), expressed concern over the imprisonment of a former newspaper editor, Merid Estifanos, for defaming Prime Minister Meles Zenawi.
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  Monday's IFJ report came as two international journalists associations, Reporters Without Borders (RWB) and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), expressed concern over the imprisonment of a former newspaper editor, Merid Estifanos, for defaming Prime Minister Meles Zenawi.

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  DEHAI NEWS MAILING LIST ARCHIVE: [dehai-news]... - [Cached Version]
  Published on: 4/8/2004    Last Visited: 4/20/2004  

  editor Merid Estifanos of the weekly Satenaw in connection with a charge of defamation of prime minister Meles Zenawi.
  
  Estifanos was summoned to the Addis Ababa federal high court on 2 April
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  time, Estifanos was ordered by the court to produce proof of the allegations, which he had been unable to do.
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  A further complaint for defamation has been taken against Estifanos by the

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  Eri24 - [Cached Version]
  Published on: 1/29/2004    Last Visited: 6/25/2005  

  PRESS FREEDOM: 08 April 2004-Reporters Without Borders has protested against the imprisonment of former editor Merid Estifanos of the weekly Satenaw in connection with a charge of defamation of prime minister Meles Zenawi.Estifanos was summoned to the Addis Ababa federal high court on 2 April accused of defaming ...

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  Media Watchdog Calls for Unity among Journalists - [Cached Version]
  Published on: 7/7/2005    Last Visited: 7/7/2005  

  Monday's IFJ report came as two international journalists associations, Reporters Without Borders (RWB) and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), expressed concern over the imprisonment of a former newspaper editor, Merid Estifanos, for defaming Prime Minister Meles Zenawi.

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  NHARNET ARTICLES - [Cached Version]
  Published on: 4/8/2004    Last Visited: 9/8/2004  

  Dear Prime Minister, We are writing on behalf of the World Association of Newspapers and the World Editors Forum, which represent 18,000 publications in 100 countries, to express our serious concern at the jailing of journalist Merid Estifanos.
  
  According to reports, on 2 April a federal court in Addis Ababa jailed Mr Estifanos, former editor-in-chief of the private, Amharic-language weekly Satanaw, after he was unable to pay bail in a criminal defamation case.
  
  The defamation charge stemmed from a September 2001 opinion piece entitled "The Hidden Agenda of Prime Minister Meles", which accused you of supporting the government of Eritrea and alleging that Eritrea had defeated Ethiopia during the two-year border war ending in 2000.
  
  Following the article's publication, Mr Estifanos was charged with defamation and ordered to pay bail of 1,000 birr (US$120) while awaiting trial.Mr Estifanos could face more time in prison if he is convicted of the offence.
  
  At the 2 April hearing, the court reportedly imposed an additional bail of 3,000 birr on Mr Estifanos for failing to attend a previous bail hearing.
  
  When Mr Estifanos was unable to pay this amount, the court ordered that he be transferred to prison.
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  We respectfully remind you that Mr Estifanos should not be jailed for reasons relating to his exercising the right to freedom of expression, which is guaranteed by numerous international conventions, including Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.Furthermore, the United Nations Commission on Human Rights considers that "detention, as punishment for the peaceful expression of an opinion, is one of the most reprehensible ways to enjoin silence and, as a consequence, a grave violation of human rights".
  
  We also remind you that bail demands should at all times be reasonable and not used as a means of imprisoning someone who has not been convicted.
  
  We respectfully call on you to do everything possible to ensure that Mr Estifanos is immediately released from prison and that all charges against him are dropped.

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  PEN Canada - [Cached Version]
  Published on: 4/23/2004    Last Visited: 4/21/2005  

  Merid EstifanosPEN Canada
  
  HERE'S WHAT YOU CAN DO: Please cut and paste this letter onto your personal or institutional letterhead calling for the release of Merid Estifanos (postage CDN $1.40).
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  PEN Canada is calling for the release of journalist Merid Estifanos.
  
  Estifanos, the former editor of the independent Amharic weekly newspaper Satenaw, appeared in court on April 2, 2004 to face charges of defamation.He had been led to believe that the charge referred to an alleged defamation of the Ethiopian foreign minister Seyum Mesfin.However, in court, he discovered he was also being charged with defamation of Your Excellency.
  
  Despite the fact that Estifanos apparently presented a document attesting to the fact that he had been unable to appear at an earlier hearing due to illness, the court quadrupled his bail from 1000 Birr (c. US$120) to 4000 Birr (c. US$480) on the grounds of the earlier non-appearance.Since Estifanos was unable to raise this sum, he was sent to the central prison in Addis Ababa, where he remains to date.
  
  The two charges stem from a September 2001 Satenaw opinion piece titled "The Hidden Agenda of Prime Minister Meles", which accused you of being a supporter of Eritrea; and a June 2001 article titled "Foreign Minister Seyum Mesfin isolated himself from the ruling party".
  
  PEN Canada considers that the detention of writers for alleged defamation is wholly disproportionate to the offence, and that such cases should be dealt with through civil courts.We therefore call upon the Ethiopian authorities to release Merid Estifanos and to drop all criminal charges against him.

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  Pambazuka News - [Cached Version]
  Published on: 4/29/2004    Last Visited: 4/30/2004  

  On Friday, April 2, Ethiopian authorities jailed Merid Estifanos, former editor-in-chief of the private, Amharic-language weekly Satanaw.This was after he was unable to pay bail in a criminal defamation case stemming from a September 2001 opinion piece titled "The Hidden Agenda of Prime Minister Meles."Estifanos did not write the article, but as editor-in-chief of the newspaper, he was held responsible for its content.The Committee to Protect Journalists said: "We call on Ethiopian authorities to release Merid Estifanos immediately, and to work toward removing criminal penalties for press offences."
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  The Writers in Prison Committee of International PEN is concerned by the continued detention of Ethiopia journalist, Merid Estifanos, who has been unable to raise the elevated bail demanded of him.Estifanos, the former editor of the independent Amharic weekly newspaper Satenaw, appeared in court on 2 April 2004 to face charges of defamation.He had been led to believe that the charge referred to an alleged defamation of the Ethiopian foreign minister Seyum Mesfin.However, in court, he discovered he was also being charged with defamation of Prime Minister Meles Zenawi.

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