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IOHR to Broadcast from the 26th Celebration of World Press Freedom Day in Ethiopia

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The International Observatory of Human Rights is delighted to announce it will be attending and broadcasting from the 26th celebration of World Press Freedom Day which will take place in Addis Ababa on 1 – 3 May. The event is jointly organised by UNESCO, the African Union Commission and the Government of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia.

Under the new government led by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, Ethiopia has changed immensely and gone from being among Africa’s leading jailer of journalists in 2017 to having no journalists in jail for the first time since 2004. In addition, several reforms vital for improving human rights in the country have been carried out and thousands of political prisoners and journalists have been freed.

That is why the International Observatory of Human Rights is proud to not only be participating in, but also to be covering the 26th celebration of World Press Freedom Day in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, this year and IOHR will be livestreaming the conference from their mobile studio. IOHR will be promoting and highlighting the campaign #ProtectJournalists, which calls for the appointment of a Special Envoy dedicated to the Safety of Journalists and serves as a reminder that in dozens of countries around the world, publications are censored, fined, suspended and closed down, while journalists, editors and publishers are harassed, attacked, detained and even murdered.

IOHR Activities

16 April 2019 – IOHR organised a cocktail reception in preparation for World Press Freedom Day at the Ethiopian Embassy in London, hosted by H.E. Mr Fesseha Shawel Gebre, Ethiopian ambassador to the UK.

30 April 2019 – IOHR is hosting a panel event at the Addis Ababa University School of Journalism with approximately 80-100 future journalists attending. Among the speakers will be Woubshet Taye, a renowned journalist and formerly imprisoned in Ethiopia and the famous Swedish journalist Martin Schibbye, who was held in a prison in Ethiopia for 438 days, will be sending a pre-recorded message and presentation.

1 – 3 May 2019 – World Press Freedom Day: Global Conference, Addis Ababa. IOHR will be broadcasting the global conference, interviewing speakers and guests and promoting our campaign #ProtectJournalists calling for the appointment of a Special Envoy dedicated to the Safety of Journalists.

About World Press Freedom Day

Since 1993, 3 May is celebrated as World Press Freedom Day after a proclamation by the UN General Assembly following a Recommendation adopted at the twenty-sixth session of UNESCO’s General Conference in 1991. It is a day celebrating the fundamental principles of press freedom and serves to evaluate press freedom around the world, to defend the media from attacks on their independence and to pay tribute to journalists who have lost their lives in the exercise of their profession.