An Ethiopian journalist has been jailed for one year for writing a newspaper article disagreeing with the country's prime minister, a U.S.-based press freedom watchdog said.

The Horn of Africa country holds national elections in May and international rights groups say the government is cracking down on dissent ahead of the poll. The government denies that.

Ezedin Mohamed wrote a column in Al-Quds, a newspaper marketed at Ethiopia's Muslims, questioning Prime Minister Meles Zenawi's characterisaton of the country in an interview as "Orthodox Christian Ethiopia".

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) says that is why he was jailed. The group did not say what the specific charge against the journalist was. "The jailing of Ezedin Mohamed is another example of Ethiopia's intolerance of independent and critical voices," CPJ's Tom Rhodes said in a statement. "It is high time for Prime Minister Meles Zenawi to demonstrate his commitment to democratic values by ending the practice of imprisoning journalists."

Local journalists, who did not want to be named, told Reuters they are experiencing more harassment from officials as the elections approach.

Ethiopian government officials were not immediately available to comment.
  

source: Reuters