The U.S. Department of State reported that Temsgen was sentenced to three years for "provocation and dissemination of inaccurate information.” The report also emphasized its concern about the rights violations against the journalist, stating that Freedom of expression and freedom of the press are fundamental elements of a democratic society and government.[2][7] In addition to his conviction, HRW also reported that Temsgen's family faced repeated harassment and threats.[1]
On 4 May 2012, Desalegn was found guilty of contempt of court after Feteh published the full text of a courtroom statement by independent journalist Eskinder Nega, who was on trial for terrorism charges. In the statement, Nega asserted his innocence and criticized the charges against him. Desalegn was given a suspended four-month prison term and a 2,000 birr (US$113) fine. CPJ protested the sentence, calling it an example of "growing severity of censorship in Ethiopia".[20]
In July 2012, Feteh was closed by government order, and 30,000 copies of the paper were seized. A prosecutor stated that the paper's coverage had been found to be "detrimental to the country’s national security".[8]
On 10 August, Desalegn learned through a radio broadcast that he was being charged under three articles of Ethiopia's Criminal Code: Article 613, "defamation and calumny"; Article 486, "inciting the public through false rumours"; and Article 238, "outrages against the Constitution or the Constitutional Order", a capital offense. The charges were in response to articles published in August 2011, February 2012, and March 2012, in which Feteh had reported on youth protests against the government. The UK-based anti-censorship organization Article 19 issued a statement in support of Desalegn and called for the charges to be dropped.[6]
On 23 August, three days after the death of long-time prime minister Meles Zenawi, Desalegn was arrested on defamation charges as part of a general crackdown on government critics.[21] According to Amnesty International, he was the first journalist to be arrested since Zenawi's death. The organization described the arrest as "a worrying signal that the government intends to carry on targeting dissent", stating that Desalegn appeared to have been arrested "for exercising his right to freedom of expression in advocating for peaceful protests to take place, among other criticisms of the government".[3] CPJ also called for Desalegn's release, stating, "Temesghen is not a criminal for expressing his constitutional right to freedom of expression."[21]
The government dropped the charges against him without comment on 29 August, and he was released from prison.[22] The charges against Temesgen's publisher were also dropped, but Temsegen stated it was uncertain when Feteh would be able to restart publishing.[23]
In October 2012, Feteh and opposition party newspaper Finote Netsanet reported that the state-owned printer had refused to continue printing their papers, and that independent printers had canceled their contracts. Temesgen stated that one printer had stated it had been ordered by the Ministry of Justice to no longer print Feteh. The newspaper was unable to print copies for several weeks.[24]
According to the US-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), between 2008 and July 2011, the Ethiopian government filed 41 lawsuits against Desalegn.[5]