Ethiopian PM attacks social media, Internet at UN

ESAT News (September 22, 2016)

The Prime Minister of Ethiopia, a country known for jailing journalists, muzzling the press and restricting free access to the Internet, complained of the use of social media and the Internet.

Ethiopia
H.E. Mr. Hailemariam Dessalegn
Prime Minister
General Assembly Seventy-first session 10th plenary meeting
General Debate

Addressing the United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday, Hailemariam Desalegn grumbled about negative impacts of the social media and the Internet. His statement came as no surprise to Ethiopians, who took to the social media to ridicule his complaints. The complaints were coming from one of the world’s leading jailers of journalists and a regime that routinely restricts the already weak Internet in the country.

“Social media has certainly empowered populists and other extremists to exploit people’s genuine concerns and spread their message of hate and bigotry without any inhibition,” he was quoted as saying by various media.

Scores of journalists still remain in the regime’s dungeons in Ethiopia where there is no independent press. The regime frequently shuts down the internet and telephone lines especially during anti-government protests to disrupt communication among the protesters.

“Can you believe [it] Hailemariam Deselegn wasted his UN address on whining about social media?” said Farso Papi on Twitter.

A Faceboker, Simegnish Yekoye, questioned the wisdom of the PM, widely seen as a puppet of TPLF’s kingmakers. “Funny to see the level Hailemariam and his government is threatened by the power of social media that only reaches below 2% of the population. He specifically mentions the youth, which in Ethiopian context is actually part of the society that is demanding for change in the ongoing protests, as falling into the traps of social media.”

Observers believe that the regime’s intent was actually to set the stage to further impose restrictions on access to the Internet and social media.