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Tuesday, March 30, 2010

VOA says Ethiopia blocks website as US row escalates

By Barry Malone

ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - U.S. funded-broadcaster Voice of America said on Monday that Ethiopia may have blocked its website in a move which may lead to further U.S. criticism of its closest ally in the Horn of Africa.

Ethiopia holds national elections on May 23 and international press freedom advocacy groups say the government is intimidating and harassing journalists ahead of the vote. The government denies that.

"We have received reports that VOA's website is unavailable inside Ethiopia, and we are investigating the causes," VOA Director Danforth Austin said in a statement.

Government spokesmen were not immediately available to comment.

Prime Minister Meles Zenawi this month accused VOA's radio service in Ethiopia's dominant Amharic language of broadcasting "destabilising propaganda" and said his government was testing its ability to jam it.

Meles compared VOA to Radio Mille Collines, whose broadcasts are blamed by many for sparking the 1994 Rwanda genocide. He said he would order the service jammed if testing succeeded. Read Full Story≫

2 comments:

  1. First Weyane blocked the VOA radio and now the internet. This shows that weyane is out of touch even by bigger doner, USA

    This is the sign of disintrigration of Weyane

    Selam

    ReplyDelete
  2. US don't interfir with other countries internl affaire. Yerasua eyarerebat yelelasew tamaselalech yembalw teret derese.

    ReplyDelete

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