Finote Nestsanet resumes publication

Oct. 23 (ESAT News) Finote Netsanet newspaper resumed publication yesterday, a few months after it was forced to cease publication, the editor told ESAT Radio.

Bisrat Woldemichael, editor of the newspaper, said in an interview with ESAT that the resumption of publishing Finote Netsanet, which is an organ of the Unity for Democracy and Justice Party, was made possible as a result of a contract with a private publisher.

The newspaper was forced to cease publication after the government owned Berhanina Selam Printing House refused to print the paper saying some of the contents of the newspaper were illegal.

The editors argued that there was nothing illegal to publish critical opinions based on fact or any content that exposes gross human rights violations in Ethiopia. The printing house particularly refused to print the paper for submitting contents critical of former Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, a measure condemned by CPJ as a form of censorship.

The newspaper was printed in A4 size, half of the tabloid size it used to publish. According to the editor, the printing house has shortages of paper.

Bisrtate told ESAT that the change in size has not significantly affected the paper’s popularity among its loyal readers.