-NED cancelled Awramba Times funding over concerns
By Tamru Ayele
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), Oakland Institute (OI) and Survival International (SI) have strongly rejected and condemned Dawit Kebede’s recent allegations against several global advocacy groups. The groups said such an irresponsible and unsubstantiated allegation that has no factual basis is not expected of someone who claims to a journalist committed to informing others.
Dawit Kebede, who was one of the four recipients of CPJ’s International Press Freedom Award in 2010, recently appeared on the state-run ETV and accused CPJ, Oakland Institute , Freedom House, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, International Rivers, Survival International and the International Crisis Group of being tools of imposing Western hegemony. “These organizations are part of an overall allegiance to control the world under one single ideology,” he had asserted.
Sue Valentine, CPJ Africa Program Coordinator,said in a statement that CPJ was very disappointed with Kebede’s unwarranted attacks. “We were hurt and disappointed when we read articles summarizing a television interview with Dawit in which he was critical of CPJ.”
Valentine indicated that CPJ had requested Kebede to clarify his allegations, but blamed it on inaccurate translation. CPJ had the 28-minute long interview translated and verified that the former press freedom hero had indeed tried to defame the reputable defender of press freedom with allegations that are contrary to the missions of the organization. CPJ also campaigned for the release of Kebede when he was unjustly incarcerated in 2005.