The Voice of America (VOA) said yesterday that Ethiopia may have blocked its website in a move which may lead to further US criticism of its closest ally in the Horn of Africa. Ethiopia holds national elections on 23 May, 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 broadcastng “destabilising propaganda” and said his government was testing its ability to jam it. Mr 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. Residents of the capital, Addis Ababa, told Reuters they had not been able to access the VOA website since early on Sunday. Rights groups accuse Ethiopia of routine Internet censorship.
VOA says listeners in Ethiopia have been unable to hear its Amharic-language broadcasts for more than four weeks. Meles’ comments were sharply criticised by the US State Department. Ethiopia - reliant on foreign aid - is the key US ally in the Horn of Africa. VOA launched satellite broadcasts into Ethiopia a few days after Meles’ remarks and said it was exploring other methods of overcoming the jamming.
(Source: Reuters)
Related stories:
- VOA Amharic now available via satellite
- PM says Ethiopia plans to jam VOA broadcasts
- VOA Amharic broadcasts jammed in Ethiopia
Andy Sennitt adds: Kim Andrew Elliott points out that the number of shortwave frequencies used for the VOA Amharic broadcast at 1800-1900 UTC has been increased to nine: 9620, 11520, 11905, 11925, 11975, 12140, 13835, 13870 and 15730 kHz.
on Mar 30th, 2010 at 10:35
Hi VOA,
Yes i can’ t open the website since yesterday.
I am really really disappointed on the blockage of VOA Amharic radio website in Ethiopia. i was a permanent listener of your service. look now, how we are treated by our government. We lose one of best alternative news media and will happen for VOG . It happened in radio programme now in website! what a mess. do i have any other alternative to hear your Amharic programme. We are in real problem. Don’t you have any technology to re-open website?
Your listener.
Tolosa Bumsa
on Mar 30th, 2010 at 10:39
Hi VOA,
What has happed? what we are going to do? I miss u much and alternative news source. we pray this also not to happen for “Docho Welle’. ” Ere and neger adergu bakachihu”
Kebede Ayele
Nazeret
on Mar 30th, 2010 at 10:55
Maybe this will help you to access the VOA website.
It says “The toolbar has an embedded proxy that serves users in countries like Ethiopia where the government has deployed devices and employed people that try to jam radio stations, close down newspapers and censors content on the Internet.”
http://www.tadias.com/03/29/2010/addis-voice-toolbar-delivers-breaking-ethiopian-news-to-your-desktop/
on Aug 14th, 2010 at 21:27
Here is alternativ link to hear voa:
http://www.voa-archive.com/voaarchive.cfm