Journalist identified when US cables were republished in full 'forced to leave after government harassment and intimidation'

This article is more than 9 years old

This article is more than 9 years old

An Ethiopian reporter has fled the country after being named in a WikiLeaks cable, in what a media rights group said was the first instance of one of the leaks causing direct repercussions for a journalist.

Wikileaks recently published all its cables unredacted, naming sources that were removed by partner media organisations, including the Guardian.

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said reporter Argaw Ashine fled at the weekend after being interrogated over the identity of a government source mentioned in a leaked 2009 US cable. Argaw was the local correspondent for Kenya's Nation Media Group.

The cable said Argaw was told by an unnamed source that the government would target six journalists from a newspaper seen as critical of the government. That paper closed later that year after citing harassment and intimidation.

Joel Simon, the New York-based CPJ's executive director, said: "The threat we sought to avert through redactions of initial WikiLeaks cables has now become real. A citation in one of these cables can easily provide repressive governments with the perfect opportunity to persecute or punish journalists and activists.

"WikiLeaks must take responsibility for its actions and do whatever it can to reduce the risk to journalists named in its cables. It must put in place systems to ensure that such disclosures do not reoccur."

Ethiopian officials on Thursday denied Argaw's account to the CPJ that he had been harassed and intimidated because of the cable.

A government spokesman said officials had separately arrested five opposition figures on Wednesday, including a journalist, on allegations of terrorism. They follow dozens of other terrorism-related arrests and detentions in recent weeks, including those of two Swedish journalists.

The main opposition coalition said recent events illustrate a pattern of oppression as citizens tire of the longtime leadership and seek change. Human rights groups have long accused Ethiopia of cracking down on political dissent.

Shimeles Kemal, the government spokesman, said Argaw was not pressured to name a source and that Ethiopian law allows journalists to protect their sources.

"This is a very absurd and ridiculous accusation, the allegation that he was threatened by security to leave the country or disclose a source," Shimeles said.

Argaw has asked the CPJ to not reveal his location.

Eskinder Nega, a journalist and publisher whose newspaper was shut down over allegations that the paper incited violence during disputed elections in 2005, was among the five opposition figures arrested on Wednesday, Shimeles said. After the newspaper was shut down, Eskinder continued to speak critically of the government in public forums, and articles under his byline appeared on opposition-aligned websites.

"According to the police statement, these people have been involved in activities, they have plotted, planned and carefully laid out contrived plans that are likely to wreak havoc in the country through launching terrorist attacks and throwing the country into utter chaos," Shimeles said.

Opposition party official Negasso Gidada said another person arrested, Andualem Arage, served on the editorial board of an opposition-party newspaper. He denied the charges that the five were involved in terrorist activities.

Negasso said the party newspaper had been advocating for "the right to struggle in a peaceful, democratic, constitutional and legal way.

"The people are fed up because of the social, economic and political situation and the people follow also what is happening in North Africa and Arab countries ... and people are saying, 'When is our turn? When shall we go to the streets?'" he said.

"The attitude is so strong in the country, in the people, soon it will explode, and the government is afraid of that, and by arresting political party members and leaders, the government thinks it will take precautionary measures against that."