Ethiopia

Ms. Simegnish Mengesha

The Effect of the ‘Anti-Terrorism Law’ on Ethiopian Media: A Case Study of Social Media

Ms. Simegnish Mengesha is a seasoned journalist, media consultant, and translator, who has served most recently as director of the Ethiopian Environment Journalists Association. An outspoken advocate for freedom of expression, she has worked extensively with foreign news outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Voice of America, and the BBC, working with the international media to highlight stories the Ethiopian government would rather leave uncovered.  In 2005, she began working with the Sub-Saharan Informer and covered the political unrest following Ethiopia’s national elections that year. In 2012, she assisted U.S. photojournalist Stephanie Sinclair and the United Nations Population Fund to produce the award-winning documentary ‘Too Young to Wed.’ During her fellowship, Ms. Mengesha is assessing the impact of Ethiopia’s anti-terrorism law on the country’s media landscape, with a particular focus on social media.

Written Products:

• “Crawling to Death of Expression– Restricted Online Media in Ethiopia,” Center for International Media Assistance, April 8, 2015.
• “Enough With Whispering About Media Freedom,”Center for International Media Assistance, May 20, 2015.
• “With limited independent press, Ethiopians left voting in the dark,”Committee to Protect Journalists, May 22, 2015.
• “Ethiopia: Silencing Dissent,” Journal of Democracy, January 2016.
• “In Ethiopia, a Mix of Regulations and Repression Silence Independent Voices,” Resurgent Dictatorship, January 27, 2016.

Presentations:

• Center for International Media Assistance, “How Digital Media is Changing the Landscape of Media in Africa,” April 22, 2015.
• Freedom House, “Beyond Elections: Ethiopia’s Uncertain Political Path,” June 16, 2015.
• San Francisco, Committee to Protect Journalists, “Teching the Lede: Leveraging Technology to Protect Journalists Worldwide”, June 18-19, 2015.
• National Endowment for Democracy, “Too Scared to Post: Freedom of Expression Under Ethiopia’s Anti-Terrorism Legislation,” June 23, 2015.
• Press Conference – 2016 World Press Freedom Index – Washington, Reporters Without Borders, April 19, 2016.

Interviews:

• “A Meeting with Obama,”VOA Amharic, May 4, 2015. (Amharic)
• “A Moment with Simegnish Yekoye (Lily),”VOA Amharic, May 23, 2015. (Amharic)
• “Media in Ethiopia Before and After the Election,”VOA Amharic, June 18, 2015. (Amharic)
• “Obama in Ethiopia: ‘the US president’s visit is a huge disappointment’,” France24, July 28, 2015.

Media Mentions:

• “Reflections on the World Press Freedom Day 2015 Conference, ‘Journalism on the Offensive in Africa,'”Center for International Media Assistance, April 30, 2015.
• “Remarks by the President on World Press Freedom Day,”White House, May 1, 2015. (text)
• “The President Commemorates World Press Freedom Day,” White House, May 1, 2015. (video)
• “President Obama Holds Roundtable with Persecuted Journalists to Mark World Press Freedom Day,”Getty Images, May 1, 2015.
• “World Marks Press Freedom Day,”Voice of America, May 3, 2015.
• “Obama: Press Freedom Vital to Democracy,”Democracy Digest, May 4, 2015.
• “Ethiopian polls carry lessons from past for journalists now,”IJNet, May 20, 2015.
• “Ethiopian election is an opportunity for reform: why won’t the Obama administration speak out,”Slate, May 21, 2015.
• “Obama’s visit to Ethiopia promises little for human rights activists,” New York Times, July 26, 2015.