WASHIGNTON, DC – The U.S. Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) on Wednesday
unanimously passed a resolution condemning the Ethiopian government’s charges against five
Voice of America (VOA) Horn of Africa broadcasters as “a blatant attempt to criminalize
freedom of the press” and calling upon that country’s government to drop the charges without
delay.
The BBG resolution further states, “The people of Ethiopia deserve unfettered access to accurate,
balanced and comprehensive information. For the past 24 years, the Voice of America has
provided them with precisely that, and will continue to do so.”
The Board action comes one day before the Federal High Court in Addis Ababa is scheduled to
start the trials of more than 80 opposition leaders, journalists, and aid workers who are in
Ethiopia and have been charged with crimes such as treason and incitement to genocide.
The five Ethiopian-born VOA employees accused in the case all work in Washington and are all
American citizens. All were charged in absentia. According to Amnesty International, 14
independent journalists are included in the full list of 131 defendants, which includes individuals
who live outside Ethiopia but may be tried in absentia.
VOA Director David S. Jackson hailed the BBG’s resolution and added: “VOA continues to
stand behind its reporting and its reporters. Our Ethiopian listeners deserve news that is accurate
and uncensored, and we will not be intimidated.”
To download the original BBC press release in PDF, please click here.
