State of the media in Southern Africa - 2003 Selected press statements issued by MISA Secretariat and chapters during 2003 ■ INTERNATIONAL Letter of Appeal January 28, 2003 TOPIC: Deterioration of the media freedom situation in Ethiopia His Excellency Ato Meles Zenawi Prime Minister of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia Addis Ababa, Ethiopia C/o Permanent Representative to UN Email: ethiopia@un.int Dear Prime Minister, T he Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) is greatly perturbed by the unhealthy media environment in Ethiopia. We are concerned by the government’s attempt to pass media legislation without consulting relevant stakeholders, including the independent media. MISA believes in the protection of freedom of expression including media freedom. We regard unbridled media as vital for the protection and safeguarding of the people’s right to free expression. MISA has, since its establishment in 1992, campaigned against harassment, intimidation and imprisonment of journalists and we condemn such actions wherever they occur. The Ethiopian Free Journalists’ Association (EFJA) is an important player in promoting media freedom in Ethiopia, a key stakeholder in media issues and has played a vanguard role in creating an environment in which journalists may exercise their right to freedom of expression. We further support the stance of EFJA that the matters of a journalists’ professional code of ethics and a press council should be addressed by those parties that are directly concerned, and not by the government. MISA therefore condemns the marginalisation of local media organisations, including EFJA, in matters that affect the regulation of the media in Ethiopia and appeal to the government of Ethiopia to consult widely in this vital process of media law reform. Luckson Chipare, MISA Regional Director cc The Right Honourable Ato Bereket Simon Minster of Information of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia Addis Ababa, Ethiopia E-mail: Minoi@telecom.net.et So This Is Democracy? 2003 131 Media Institute of Southern Africa