![]() It is because of this kind of “stay away from” attitude and “belief” that I should say that I am well-aware many fellow followers of the Church may feel uncomfortable with this piece of my comment. Most of the followers including myself are still captives of the thinking that talking or writing about what is going wrong around the Church is not only kind of “religious taboo” but also being “sinful”. ![]() I think the tradition of considering followers as simply goers of the Churches and mere attendees of mass services every Sunday and holydays is troubling. After CPJ wrote a letter to Prime Minister Meles Zenawi expressing concern about the prisoners, sources said conditions improved somewhat.It was right for Aba Gebreselassie Tibebeu when he said that one of the major problems of efforts to make a meaningful progress in the process of figuring out what went wrong with the Ethiopian Orthodox Church religious rules, procedures and administrative issues (patriarch over patriarch, and ….), and the issue of what is the way out (the ideal solution) is the absence of involving the followers (the people) in the true sense of the term. The two were not told why they had been moved to another prison, the sources said. Several sources said these prisoners were abused and that their visiting rights were severely curtailed. When the trial went into recess in August and September, CPJ received reports that Nega and Agena had been moved to the capital’s Karchele Prison, known for its harsh conditions. Prisoners complained that their conditions were difficult. ![]() The delegation spoke with Nega, Fassil, Agena, and Yenealem, all of whom said they had been doing their jobs as journalists in criticizing the government. In March, a CPJ delegation was allowed to visit Kality Prison near Addis Ababa and meet with some of the jailed journalists. In April, CPJ issued a special report, “Poison, Politics, and the Press,” outlining its findings. A CPJ analysis of evidence provided by the prosecution found that the journalists’ work was often antigovernment but did not constitute incitement to violence or genocide. The journalists refused to put up a defense, saying the charges were baseless and the proceedings politicized. Charges against the journalists included “outrage against the constitution and the constitutional order,” “impairment of the defensive power of the state,” and “attempted genocide.” Nega faces additional charges of “obstruction of the exercise of constitutional powers,” “inciting, organizing and leading armed rebellion against the government,” and “high treason.” He was charged as a leader of the CUD opposition party but has denied the accusation. The joint trial of these journalists and opposition leaders began in February, with most observers expecting it to last many months or even years. ![]() The charges could bring death sentences upon conviction. They were charged in December 2005 along with dozens of opposition leaders with conspiring to overthrow the government. These editors and publishers of Amharic-language newspapers were arrested in a massive crackdown on the private press and opposition that followed antigovernment protests in the capital, Addis Ababa, in November 2005.
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