Skype users in Ethiopia face 15 years in jail

ISTANBUL

AFP Photo

People who use online voice and video communication programs could be sentenced to 15 years in prison according to a new law in Ethiopia, daily Milliyet reported today.

Skype, Voip, Viber, Paltalk, Yahoo Messenger and Google Voice have all been banned as part of a law that was enacted May 24 to control telecommunications.

"The Ethiopian government is interfering in all kinds of information exchange," Ambroise Pierre of Reporters Without Borders said in criticizing the law. "There is already huge pressure on print media. Several journalists were arrested last year."

The country has been internationally criticized for putting pressure on media and restricting freedom of expression.