The Ethiopian government has passed new laws preventing newspaper and magazine publishers and owners from taking on the role of editor or deputy editor, Kenya's Daily Nation reported Sunday. Under the new regulation, an individual holding more than a 2 percent share of a media house cannot also hold either editorial position.

The new laws are a product of the Ethiopian Broadcasting Association. Initially a regulator of the broadcasting industry, the EBA now legislates for all Ethiopian press.

Desta Tesfaw, deputy director of the EBA, labelled the most recent law as an attempt to prevent media monopolies and guarantee balanced reporting across the industry.

Haile Ayale, an Ethiopian media ethics specialist at Vienna University in Austria, agreed with the theoretical basis of the law, but in practice said it is another restriction on the press freedom of the Ethiopian media, the Daily Nation reported.

All current magazines and newspapers have a three month window to re-register within the bounds of the new laws.