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EBC Owes Apology to “Nuer” Community Following the incident that occurred in Gambella Region in June, it was indicated that Gambella Liberation Front and Oneg Shenie Militants jointly attacked Federal Police Camp and the region’s Special Forces. Of course, it was heartbreaking to all of us (Ethiopians) who witnessed footage that demonstrate the killing of civilians around 03 Kebele.

In a report published and broadcasted on Thursday by Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation (EBC), a giant government-based media unethically defamed the name of the “Nuer” community in Gambella saying that the EFDR Attorney General’s acknowledged the accusation of the Deputy Commissioner and Head of Special Forces of the region that he ordered in Nuer Language that to “Band Habesha and Finish Them” in which the statement from the EFDR Attorney General Facebook page did not verify such kind of pledge.

Literally looking at the statement “Band Habesha and Finish Them” denotes that Nuers are not Habesha. If that could be the case then who are Nuers in Ethiopia?

On the other hand, the importance of media is to unite nations let alone in this time of trial that our country is going through to create hatred among nations. Balancing reports is a core principle in the journalism profession but EBC did not abide by it in that particular report balance instead it seems like the report has a tendency to implicit further exaggerate of matters that the Nuer community should be held responsible for the incident that has happened in Gambella. What Did the Constitution of Ethiopia Say About Defamation? The Constitution of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, the Civil Code of Ethiopia, the Criminal Code of Ethiopia, and Freedom of Mass Media and Access to Information Proclamation No. 590/2008 indicates as follows:

According to Article 24 (1) of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia’s constitution, everyone has a right to respect for his human dignity, reputation, and honor. This specific sub-article implies that each individual can sue and claim damage against others where it is found that his dignity, reputation, and honor have been violated unjustifiably.

According to article 2044 (1) of the Ethiopian Civil Code, the act of defamation comes into the picture when a person commits an offense whereby his words, his writings, or by any other means he acts in such a way as to make another living person detestable, contemptible or ridiculous and to jeopardize his credit, his reputation or his future.

Article 607 of the Ethiopian Criminal Code clearly indicates that crimes against honor and reputation are punishable despite the status and rank of criminals and injured parties.

Therefore: 1.	EBC should publicly apologize for the alleged ill intention of the report which damage the reputation of the Nuer community. 2.	The Editor in Chief of the institution should be questioned for letting unbalanced and biased reports into the public sphere hence destroying the good image of Nuers across the country.