Posts Tagged ‘Ethiopia’
December 27th, 2011
An Ethiopian court has
sentenced two Swedish journalists to 11 years in prison on charges of supporting terrorism after the pair illegally entered the country with an ethnic Somali rebel group.
Photojournalist Johan Persson and reporter Martin Schibbye were
detained by Ethiopian security forces in July while travelling with the outlawed separatist group, the Ogaden National Liberation Front, and were put on
trial in October. The chairman of the Swedish Union of Journalists, Jonas Nordling,
has been reported as saying that the sentence is aimed at deterring journalists from investigating alleged human rights abuses in the tense Ogaden region, adding that there is no evidence to support the pair’s conviction on terror charges.
October 12th, 2011
Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zanawi
publicly accused two imprisoned
Swedish journalists of being terrorists on Monday. In an interview with Norwegian newspaper
Aftenposten, Zenawi said Johan Persson and Martin Schibbye, of Sweden-based photo agency Kontinent, were accomplices to terrorists. “They are, at the very least, messenger boys of a terrorist organisation. They are not journalists,” the prime minister said. Persson and Schibbye
were arrested after they crossed with rebels of the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) into Ogaden. Zanawi added: ”Why would a journalist be involved with a terrorist organisation and enter a country with that terrorist organisation, escorted by armed terrorists?”
September 19th, 2011
Two independent journalists
have been arrested by
Ethiopian authorities for being involved in a terrorism plot. Security forces took journalist Sileshi Hagos from his home on 9 September. Hagos worked as the managing director for Change, a magazine that covered Ginbot 7, Ethiopia’s leading opposition party which has also been banned under allegations of terrorism. On 14 September, officials also arrested Eskinder Nega, a dissident blogger and journalist. Local journalists speculate that Nega’s arrest was sparked by a column critical of the arrest of a famous Ethiopian actor on charges of terrorism. Four journalists were
arrested on similar charges earlier this month.
September 15th, 2011
An Ethiopian reporter cited by name in US diplomatic cables
disclosed last month by WikiLeaks has been
forced to flee the country after police interrogated him over the identity of an unnamed government source in the cable. On 5 and 6 September, officials from Ethiopia’s Government Communication Affairs Office (GCAO) summoned journalist Argaw Ashine to their offices in Addis Ababa with his press accreditation. Local journalists said the reporter was cited in an 26 October 26 2009
cable from the US embassy in Ethiopia regarding purported GCAO plans in 2009 to silence the now-defunct Addis Neger, then the country’s leading independent newspaper.
September 8th, 2011
Terrorism charges have been filed against five journalists in
Ethiopia. Four independent journalists and the editor of a US based news forum have been detained in the country since June and July. The group were formally charged before the High Court on Tuesday, following their entry to Ethiopia in June with the Ogaden National Liberation Front, which is classed as a
terrorist organisation by the government. Terrorism charges were also filed in absentia against Elias Kifle, editor of US-based anti-government forum Ethiopian Review.
August 11th, 2011
On July 17, an
Ethiopian court ruled that two journalists would
remain imprisoned for an additional 28 days, without access to legal counsel or charge. Woubshet Taye, from Awramba Times and Reeyot Alemu, from the Feteh newspaper, were
initially detained on June 19 and 21 respectively. The journalists were charged with “conspiracy to commit terrorism”, under the Anti-Terrorism Proclamation, adopted in 2009. In addition to Taye and Alemu, government officials accused members of the opposition party and five other individuals of the same violations.
July 5th, 2011
Swedish journalists, Johan Persson and Martin Schibbye, were arrested by troops in
Ethiopia when they were found travelling with rebels from the
Ogaden National Liberation Front. The Ethiopian government has branded the ONLF a terrorist organisation, 15 individuals were killed when the troops ambushed the group. The two freelancers entered the country to report about allegations of the torture and rape of locals. Schibbye and Persson are currently being treated for minor injuries and
could face trial later this week.
July 1st, 2011
Two journalists detained on 19 and 21 June are suspected by police to have planned terrorists acts in Ethiopia. The police chief
accused Woubishet Taye, from Awramba Times, and Reyot Alemu, from the Feteh newspaper, of recruiting others to undertake terrorism activities, with the support from Eritrea, and said the group will be charged upon completion of investigations. Amnesty international
reported that Ethiopia has often used such charges to silence dissenters and the Committee to Protect Journalists has called for their release.
