Global Voices » Ethiopia

Ethiopia: a Body of Legislative Acts Opposing Freedom of Speech

Dieyna Ba — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 17:27:44 +0000

Reporters without Borders released a report on freedom of expression [fr] a report regarding the freedom of expression and the working conditions of Ethiopian journalists stating : “During the last three years the country has adopted a series of laws - on civil society, anti-terrorism etc. - against alleged breaches on the constitutional guaranteed rights of Ethiopia's people. It is partly this body of legislation that results in the contraction of democratic rights and degradation of freedom of speech.”

Ethiopia: Freedom of Expression in Jeopardy

Endalk — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 16:13:38 +0000

More than ten journalists have been imprisoned in Ethiopia since June 2011 and according to the Committee to Protect Journalists about 25% of exiled journalists in Africa are from Ethiopia, making the country the world's main enemy of the major driving forces of free expression: journalists, bloggers and political dissidents.

Two of those in jail, Martin Schibbye and Johan Persson are Swedish journalists who have been labeled by Prime Minster Meles Zenawi as terror accomplices. They are serving 11 year sentences for “helping” and “promoting” the outlawed Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) rebel group and entering the country illegally.

Three other local journalists received 14-16 year sentences and heavy fines recently for “terrorism-related” offenses. Exiled blogger Elias Kifle was sentenced in absentia to life imprisonment. One other journalist and blogger, Eskinder Nega, who is indicted with six different terrorism charges is facing the death penalty.

Jailed in Ethiopia: left, Martin Schibbye and Johan Persson. Photo courtesy of freejohanandmartin.org

Nicholas Kristof draws attention to Ethiopia’s worsening situation of journalists with his wounding criticisms of Prime Minister Meles Zenawi's government:

In countries like Ethiopia, there are no reliable institutions to look after human rights and create checks and balances. There isn’t a free election system, independent court system, opposite party structure or all the other mechanisms that keep a regime honest. So one of the few ways to provide accountability is through journalists, local and international. And when Meles or another dictator arrests these journalists or drives them into exile, the losers are all the citizens of the country.

Human rights and free press advocacy organizations are incessantly campaigning for the release of imprisoned journalists. The New York based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), Reporters Sans Frontières, Index on Censorship and the International Federation of Journalists are all protesting the government’s treatment of journalists.

Facebook image calling for the release of all political prisoners. Image courtesy of Ethiopia Mitmita Facebook page.

Endalk summarises the global press outcry and highlights the context in which the Swedish journalists were being tried in Ethiopian court. He adds:

My reporting has included analyses of how the Ethiopian media both private and government media is covering court proceedings; how David Isaac, Eritrean-Swedish, was reported in Ethiopia’s media and the state of freedom of expression in Ethiopia such as continues brandish of arrests and accusations of journalists and opposition leaders. These malaises are most visible in Ethiopian media landscape since the ratification of the contentious anti-terrorism proclamation in 2009 which lead to the closure of independent newspapers, accusations, detentions and kicking out of journalists and bloggers out of their country.

Netizens' opposition to Meles Zenawi's government gained new momentum after Kristof asked his Twitter followers to report Meles sightings in Davos, Switzerland. Kristof wanted to ask Meles why he has driven more journalists into exile over the last decade than any other leader in the world. He wrote:

I’m in Davos, Switzerland, for the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum, and so is Meles I’ve been pursuing him for the last few days, trying to confront him and ask him about his worsening pattern of brutality. He has refused to see me, so I enlisted (https://twitter.com/nickkristof )my Twitter followers to report Meles sightings. I want to ask him why he has driven more journalists into exile over the last decade than any other leader in the world, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists in New York City.

Ethiopian blogger and journalist, Eskinder Nega, is facing the death penalty. Photo courtesy of FreeEskinderNega.com

One anonymous reader responded to Kistof’s opinion piece:

Meles has hoodwinked or scared many Western journalists from writing the plight of the Ethiopian people. Kristof is the exception to lay it out there. Meles is the most sophisticated dictator who cornered the market in PR or deception by buying senators, congressional representatives, columnists and professors with money and lies, thus piling up himself as a leader. At the same time, he is running Ethiopia as his fiefdom by confiscating land and industries, by denying access to technology and property rights, while applying the severest punishment to journalists and civil society members who oppose his policies. To stave off any Arab Springs type revolt, he has crafted an anti-terrorism law, where he stands as the most dangerous terrorist of all as far as the Ethiopian people are concerned.

Addis Neger’s Facebook page shared a link of a petition demanding the release of Swedish journalists in Ethiopia. Over 1300 people have signed Kelsey Crows petition and the number of petitioners are growing quickly about a pace of 100 signatures/hour. However, netizens wonder why the petition does not take into account the Ethiopian journalists who are suffering with Swedish journalists.

Ethiopia Mitmita comments on Addis Neger's page:

Where is the petition for our journalist????

Another Facebook user asks:

Why is the petition only for the Swedish journalists? It is really very depressive.

Habtom Gabreegziabher says:

Ethiopia has done nothing that any other country cannot do if it faces with the same situation.
every body has to know the reason behind the arrest was not because the Swedish were Journalist, they were arrested because they crossed sovereign border of a country called Ethiopia.
let me ask you a question,
How many peoples are arrested in the united states because of crossing the border from south America regardless their occupation??
The Americans has the right to protect their border.
the difference in our case is, the criminals who cross our border are Swedish and Europeans and we are Ethiopians and Africans.
JUST BECAUSE SOME BODY IS RICH HE DOES NOT HAVE THE RIGHT TO COME INTO MY BACK YARD AS HE WISH. HE HAS TO ASK ME POLITELY TO DO THAT.

A highly politicized trial of a blogger Eskinder Nega will continue in March in the midst of a global outcry for his release.

Ethiopia: Standing With Ethiopia's Tenacious Blogger

Ndesanjo Macha — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 11:27:50 +0000

Standing with Ethiopia's jailed blogger: “It would be hard to find a better symbol of media repression in Africa than Eskinder Nega. The veteran Ethiopian journalist and dissident blogger has been detained at least seven times by Prime Minister Meles Zenawi's government over the past two decades, and was put back in jail on September 14, 2011…”

Ethiopia: Reflecting on Corruption

Endalk — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 15:39:03 +0000

A report by Global Financial Integrity shows that Ethiopia has lost $11.7 billion to outflows of illicit funds in the last decade. In 2009 alone, the figure was $3.26 billion, exceeding both the value of its total annual exports and the total development aid it received that year. And it is on the increase.

The report painted the outflows of illegal fund in a more plain language noting:

The people of Ethiopia are being bled dry. No matter how hard they try to fight their way out of absolute destitution and poverty, they will be swimming upstream against the current of illicit capital leakage.

Meles Zenawi (Prime Minister of Ethiopia) at the World Economic Forum in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, May 2010. Photo courtesy of World Economic Forum (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Janice Winter, a South African, wrote an opinion piece on Daily Maverick titled ‘Climate of Corruption in Ethiopia‘, which prompted many responses from both Ethiopians and non-Ethiopians. In her article, Janice highlighted the state of corruption in Ethiopia and called for strict examination of Melese Zenawi’s regime before the release of the Green Climate Fund which was a major point of discussion in COP17 climate talks in Durban.

The Green Climate Fund is a mechanism for transferring money from the developed to the developing world in order to assist the developing countries to counter climate change.

Reacting to Janice's article, Peter Auld said:

It should be fairly self evident that if you pay dictators to be dictators they will remain dictators.

Hopefully the Green Fund will remain at zero, and African begging bowls become a thing of the past.

Gabe A. Adamou praised Janice:

Kudos for Ms. Winters for setting the record straight. It is disgusting to see this blood-soaked tyrant who repeatedly ordered his security forces to shoot on peaceful protesters and who sent journalists and opposition political figures to jail for criticizing his dictatorial rule get a pass in the West, while the likes of Mugabe who are also tyrants but with less human right violations record than Meles are given pariah status. What is more repulsive is to hear that Western leaders and some in policy circles give him all the accolades for “his intelligence” and see that he is given large stage in regional/world affairs. It is encouraging to see independent journalists question the myth about him created by self-serving Western leaders and some lazy Western media journalists who parrot what they hear from official circles.

Al Mariam, a famous Ethiopian political commentator, in his rather extended response to Janice’s article further detailed the state of corruption in Ethiopia. In his article titled ‘Ethiopia: The Art of Bleeding a Country Dry: Ethio-Corruption, Inc. (Unlimited)‘ he stated:

I have long argued that the business of African dictatorships is corruption The devastating impact of corruption on the continent's poor becomes self-evident as political leaders and public officials siphon off resources from critical school, hospital, road and other public works and community projects to line their pockets. For instance, reports of widespread corruption in Ethiopia in the form of outright theft and embezzlement of public funds, misuse and misappropriation of state property, nepotism, bribery, abuse of public authority and position to exact corrupt payments and gain are commonplace. The anecdotal stories of corruption in Ethiopia are shocking to the conscience. Doctors are unable to treat patients at the public hospitals because medicine and supplies are diverted for private gain. Tariffs are imposed on medicine and medical supplies brought into the country for public charity. Businessmen complain that they are unable to get permits and licenses without paying huge bribes or taking officials as silent partners.

But Mulugeta Kassa does not agree with both Janice and Al Mariam:

Here comes Janice with her liberal contemplations and dare I state, jaundiced view of a South African who has turned livid by President Zuma being eclipsed by Meles Zenawi on issues of African concern. Her smear and sneer attack on Meles is nothing more than a punitive action by neo-liberals on an African leader who adamantly refuses to be arm-locked into accepting failed liberal policies. Much to the indignation and chagrin of Janice Winter and her army of befogged individuals from the discredited school of economic liberalism, Ethiopia today is a pluralistic democracy and as such would not sit on its hands while others try to circumvent democracy for there cannot be such thing as lawless freedom. To, therefore, claim that Meles is a dictator is as futile as trying to claim that the world is flat.

As the mainstream media kept on reporting the issue, Ethiopians on Facebook joined the debate. Abiy Tekelmariam, Ethiopian exiled journalist, who shared the link of the story wrote:

Officials of our generous developmental state share our wealth with rich nations.

Another Facebook user, Tessema Belay, reacted to Abiy’s status update:

“Yes!” We are being bled dry” … story of misery goes on…”

Another journalist in exile based in USA posted on his Facebook page:

After serious scrutiny of robbery of construction materials by some Ethiopians, Chinese construction workers said “do Ethiopians have a country called Ethiopia somewhere else?” and here, following an estimate of $11.7 billion of illicit money outflow, lets ask EPRDFites. “is that “Etvopia” real country geographically located around Malaysia and Arab banks?

Kiflu Hussein, Human Right activist based in Kampala posted the following comment on his page:

Daily stories of corruption in Uganda but no stories of corruption in Ethiopia.Why?Is it because like Joachim Bwembo put it in his recent piece that Meles & Co.are aboveboard & beyond reproach or is it because the press is totally muzzled? After finishing the piece I started, perhaps,I’ll jot down a word or two titled “Seeing Addis or Kigali from the sorry state of Kampala.”That may help to expound what Timothy Kalyegira rightly found a silly comparison between the “dysfunctional & normal “duties of a government.

According to the Transparency International’s annual Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), Ethiopia ranks 120 out of 182 countries and territories in the world.

Ethiopia: How Netizens Reacted to Suspension of Athletes

Endalk — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 13:03:25 +0000

Did online reactions from Ethiopian netizens contributed to the move by the Ethiopian Athletics Federation to lift the suspension of Ethiopian athletes banned for not reporting for an early pre-Olympic camp? On Friday January 20, 2012 Ethiopian State Television (ETV) broke the news that the Ethiopian Athletics Federation has banned 35 athletes for an indefinite period - including double Olympic champions Kenenisa Bekele and Tirunesh Dibaba from the London Games in a dispute over training. The suspension was lifted Tuesday January 24, 2012.

As the London Olympic championship is looming and resentment is fermenting amongst the public over deteriorating results of Ethiopian athletes in the past few years, the news of their suspension captured the interest of netizens.

The decision ignited hullabaloo and mixed reactions online. On January 20 journalist Ermias Amare responded in Amharic to the decision of the athletics governing body on his Facebook page:

Kenenisa Bekele at the World Championship Athletics 2009 in Berlin. Photo courtesy of Erik van Leeuwen.

የፍፃሜው መጀመሪያ እንዳይሆን፡፡ ቀነኒሳ፣ ጥሩነሽ፣ ስለሺ እና ሌሎች 13 ዕውቅ አትሌቶች በኢትዮጵያ አትሌቲክስ ፌዴሬሽን የቅጣት መዝገብ ላይ ሰፈሩ፡፡ ቅጣቱ ከማንኛውም ዓለምአቀፍ እና የሀገር ውስጥ ውድድር አትሌቶቹን ማገድ ነው፡፡ ቀጪውም ሆነ ተቀጪዎቹ ጋር ሥር የሰደደ ችግር እንዳለ በደንብ አውቃለሁ፡፡ የቀጪው አካሄድ ካልደፈረሰ አይጠራም ይመስላል፡፡ ጣጣው ግን ደፍርሶ ያልጠራ ዕለት ነው፡፡ እኔ በግሌ ማንን “ሃይ” እንደምል ጨንቆኛል፡፡

I am afraid this could be the beginning of the end. Kenenisa Bekele ,Tirunesh Dibaba ,Seleshi Sehen and other 13 prominent athletes are banned from taking part in any local and international competitions. I know that both the Ethiopian Athletics Federation and the banned athletes have deep rooted problems. It appears the Federation approached the crisis with shake it to get right state of mind but the hitch will be even worse when the Federation fails to get it right. Personally, I find myself in a deadlock whom to address.

Addis Neger’s Facebook page linked to an article quoting Kenenisa Bekele's agent Jos Hermens:

It's good for forthcoming new athletes, but for people like (double Olympic champion Tirunesh Dibaba) Dibaba or Kenenisa or (long distance great) Haile Gebrselassie, they have their individual programmes so you cannot just put them in a general programme from the federation.

Kiflu Hussain asked:

I wonder how much of this is politics & how much of it is pure matters of sport.

Tirunesh Dibaba at June 2008(2008-06-07), 21:13 Source Exxon Mobil ÅF Golden League Bislett Games 2008. Photo courtesy of Ragnar Singsaas (CC BY-SA 2.0)

The story took another turn when Kenenisa allegedly asked to run for another country after he learnt that he is banned. An anonymous commentator from Eretria wrote:

Eritrea would kill to have him run under its flag. If he is really considering running for another country, who else could be more Ethiopian than Eritrea? Let him run for us and we will give him a thousand soldiers march in as Asmara when he come back victorious. And, Weyanes would learn how to treat a hero.

Another commentator wrote:

It's shame to hear this news from the federation. It's amazing all management staff members are politicians they do everything for the benefit of a leading party in the country. Kennenisa for Abyssinia

Sola said:

Ban is a last resort measure .I don't think the EAF is serious banning all those great athletes ,it just want to give a harsh notice .I believe they can sort out a solution.

Jean larque argued that the problem is mixing politics with sports:

It's shame to hear this news from the federation. It's amazing all management staff members are politicians they do everything for the benefit of a leading party in the country. Kennenisa for Abyssinia

This is Micky's analysis of the problem:

Anyone who has ever dealt with officials in Ethiopia knows that the little power they have tends to go to their head.

The Ethiopian Athletics Federation (EAF) said that the suspension was lifted after the athletes apologized. Ethiopia has been a major participant in the Olympic Games since 1956.

Video Highlights: Activism, Freedom of Speech, Identity and Culture

Juliana Rincón Parra — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 23:57:18 +0000

This section aims to showcase interesting and recent posts in Global Voices that show the many ways in which videos are helping people tell stories all around the world. You can follow the activity by regions in our YouTube channel or by clicking on the regional header links.

Middle East North Africa:

Yemen: The Amazing Life March Arrives in Sanaa
From Yemen we have the amazing story of the historic 264km Life March, which is the longest since Mahatma Gandhi's 390km long Salt March in 1930. During the Life March, villages and towns came together to give food and drink to the thousands of people who marched for four days straight through winding mountain passes protesting the immunity that outgoing President Saleh asked for himself and his aides and family for the killing of protesters in the Yemen uprisings.

However, the march didn't seem to sway the newly formed cabinet members who approved the bill: it will now go on to parliament for it to become a law.
Yemen: Saleh Gets Away With Murder…He Gets Immunity

It is those martyrs who sacrificed their lives for the rest of Yemen to live a life of freedom and democracy, whom Yemenis feel they must never be forgotten nor should their blood go in vain.

This next video is a silent remembrance for those who died during the peaceful uprising:

Some online activists are also promoting an online campaign against a stimulating herb chewed by many Yemeni men and women for hours on end, sometimes daily. The campaign is for a day without using the leafy green plant, Qat:
Yemen: January 12, a Day Without Qat

As blogger @Afrahnasser, proposed on Twitter:

An average citizen in Yemen wastes 8 hrs in searching money for qat, another 8 hrs in chewing qat & the rest 8 hrs in sleeping @NoonArabia

The idea of the campaign is to turn those hours spent on qat into active endeavors which build up Yemen.

Sub-Saharan Africa:

Ethiopia: Swedish Journalists Found Guilty of Terrorism Charges
Swedish journalists Martin Schibbye and Johan Persson crossed from Somalia to Ethiopia illegally which caused the Ethiopian authorities to detain and put them on trial for supporting terrorist activities and crossing illegally into the territory, although the defense claims that they were performing their duty as journalists to report both sides of the conflict. This next video was used as evidence during the trial, where the journalists are seen planning their journey as journalists

Western Europe:

Spain: Fighting for the Right to a Home

Families who got into debt to buy a home and ended without jobs or income to pay for them are being helped by an organization aiming to stop families from being evicted and to give them temporary homes in foreclosed and empty houses when they aren't able to stop the banks. The video on this post shows their success in avoiding an eviction and keeping a man and his 13 year old son off the streets.

Eastern and Central Europe:

Hungary: Memories of Barvalipe Roma Pride Summer Camp
Growing up Roma in Europe can make children feel stigmatized and rejected by their peers, causing them to hide their origins and feel ashamed of their heritage. The Barvalipe Roma Pride Summer Camp aimed to give Roma youth a chance to discover their roots by learning the language, history and cuisine of the Roma people.

East Asia:

Hong Kong: Protest Against Luxury Brand to Defend Local Identity
A luxury brand which doesn't allow for photographs to be taken of its store is not news, but when they stated that the rule only applied for local residents of Hong Kong and not tourists from Mainland China, the people of Hong Kong made their anger known through a flashmob outside the store.

Latin America:

Chile: Wildfire in Torres del Paine Shocks Netizens
The wildfire in one of Chile's top touristic spots, National Park Torres del Paine had netizens blogging and tweeting about the fire, both as experienced by those inside the park at the time of the evacuation and recorded it on video as well as from concerned people following the news and updates.

Central America: LibreBus Project Presents its Documentary
The documentary follows the activists who climbed on board a bus driving through 5 different Central American countries to spread the message of free software, the defense of freedom of speech and content sharing.

Colombia: Salsa Song Criticizes Bus Rapid Transport System
Public transportation makes it easier for people to get from one location to another without having to use their own vehicle, however, when that public transportation system is overcrowded, it can become a torture instead of a relief. The salsa song (with translated captions) shows what it is like for people to use the popular Transmilenio System in the capital city of Bogota.

Madagascar, Ethiopia: Arable Lands on Sale

Lova Rakotomalala — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 15:30:27 +0000

The association “Collectif TANY” for the Protection of Land in Madagascar has published an exhaustive list of the instances of Land Grab by foreign entities in Madagascar [fr]. They warn the public opinion that sales or leasing of arable lands at discount prices are still taking place in Madagascar (2 euros/m2 in Nosy Be) and in Ethiopia [fr] (rental of 2,500 km2 of land for 180 euros/week). As an example of such deal, the association links to the current land contractual agreement between Ethiopia and the International Sannati Agro Farm Entreprises. The contract allows the Sannati group to be exempt of taxation on capital rapatriation and import duties.

Israel, Ethiopia: Ethiopian Jews and Other Black Immigrants in Israel

Abdoulaye Bah — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 11:41:42 +0000

Sibo Kanobana wrote in the blog Afro-Europe: “I visited Israel en Palestine during the Christmas holidays and saw many things I didn’t expect to see. One of these things is the striking presence of black people in urban Israel. They represent a diverse people of whom most are Ethiopian Jews who made aliya (i.e. the migration of the jewish diaspora back to Israel) and settled in Israel in the 80’s and early 90’s.”

Ethiopia: Swedish Journalists Handed 11-Year Prison Sentence

Sven Hultberg Carlsson — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 14:07:53 +0000

An Ethiopian court handed prison sentences of 11 years on Tuesday 27 December, 2011 to Martin Schibbye and Johan Persson, two Swedish journalists on trial for supporting rebel forces in the country. The sentences are shorter than the minimum of 15 years the judge Shemsu Sirgaga had previously called for on 21 December.

No relatives were present in the courtroom when the sentences were handed down. The announcement caused a small crowd of protesters to gather outside the Ethiopian embassy in Stockholm [sv].

Neither the Swedish prime minister, Fredrik Reinfeldt, nor the foreign minister, Carl Bildt, commented the sentence on Tuesday, but many others spoke out on Twitter.

Johan Persson (left) and Martin Schibbye. Images © Kontinent Agency AB, used with permission.

Jonas Nordling, chair of the Swedish Union of Journalists, commented:

@jonasnordling: The Swedish government now has something to prove. Will they stand up for journalism today? #EthiopiaSwedes

Josefin Hammarstedt demanded a ministerial statement:

@Klockarbarbro: Sorry. But are the prime minister and the foreign minister are declining to comment the sentence? DECLINING? Why? #EthiopiaSwedes

Anders Jorle, spokesman for the Swedish foreign ministry, commented:

[The sentence] is regrettable in light of their journalistic assignment. The Swedish government's view is known, among other things through the prime minister's statement last week.

Schibbye and Persson's defence team, which consists of one Swedish and two Ethiopian lawyers, now has until 10 January to appeal the decision. An alternate route is to plead for clemency with the Ethiopian state.

Kjetil Tronvoll, a professor at the Norwegian Centre for Human Rights who specializes in Ethiopia, told [sv] Swedish daily newspaper Dagens Nyheter about the journalists' chances of pleading for clemency:

A clemency process is an informal political negotiation once the verdict has been handed down. That would be the easy way out.

It is relatively unthinkable that the Supreme Court, which is even closer to the government and more political in its judgements, would acquit Schibbye and Persson.

A plea for clemency would mean Schibbye and Persson recognize their guilt in supporting terrorism, a charge they denied during the trial.

Schibbye and Persson were found guilty of entering Ethiopia illegally and of supporting terrorism in the country. The pair had entered Ethiopia from Somalia embedded with Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) forces on 1 July. The Ogaden province has long been the scene of a bloody conflict between the ONLF and the Ethiopian government.

The Ethiopian government, headed by Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, has been criticized for of its recently-adopted “deeply flawed anti-terorrism act”. Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have claimed the law is used for “stifling peaceful dissent”.

Over 100 journalists and opposition leaders are currently awaiting trial under the new law. Among them are Reeyot Alemu and Woubshet Taye, who were detained six months ago.

Karin Schibbye, the mother of Martin, told Swedish public television SVT [sv] that it is now down to the Swedish and Ethiopian governments to find common ground in the case of Schibbye and Persson:

The government has the solution. A negotiation process has to start. I think that the issue Johan and Martin have been caught in is much larger than just them, that it's a game being played by our two governments. How the government acts going forward will be decisive in the outcome of this issue.

According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, Ethiopia trails only Eritrea among Africa's worst jailers of journalists.

Ethiopia: Swedish Journalists Found Guilty of Terrorism Charges

Sven Hultberg Carlsson — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 10:57:56 +0000

Two Swedish journalists, Johan Persson and Martin Schibbye, were found guilty on Wednesday 21 December, 2011, of supporting terrorism in Ethiopia and entering the country illegally.

The pair entered Ethiopia embedded with forces of the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) on 1 July this year and were detained by the Ethiopian military shortly afterwards. Schibbye and Persson had traveled as freelance journalists aiming to report from the Ogaden province, the scene of a brutal conflict between Ethiopian armed forces and the ONLF.

Jesper Bengtsson, chair of the Swedish section of Reporters Without Borders, commented on the verdict on Swedish Public Radio:

I had hoped, and I think everyone had hoped, that the Ethiopian authorities had already made an example of Persson and Schibbye by starting the trial process and jailing them for six months. Obviously that wasn't enough of an example.

Journalist Martin Schibbye (right) ©Kontinent Agency AB, used with permission.

Early on Wednesday morning, Judge Shemsu Sirgaga denied the defense's main argument, which held that Schibbye and Persson travelled professionally and had a journalistic duty to report on the conflict from the side of the rebel forces as well as that of Ethiopia's military, and sided with the prosecution.

Sirgaga commented that the Swedes had “used their profession as a cover for terrorist activities” and called for an 18-year prison sentence to be handed down on 27 December, despite Schibbye and Persson's background in reporting from dangerous parts of the world and the testimony by two of Schibbye's and Persson's colleagues, freelance journalists Adrian Blomfield and Phillip Ittner, who had been flown into the capital Addis Ababa to take part in the court proceedings.

The video below shows Martin Schibbye and Johan Persson, filmed by Ethiopian authorities after being detained, uploaded to YouTube by user rug571 on December 16.

During the trial, Schibbye and Persson admitted to entering Ethiopia illegally embedded with the rebels, but denied any charges of supporting terrorism. In November, the pair were acquitted of the third charge against them, of being “members of a terrorist group”.

“Political prisoners”

Mattias Göransson, the editor-in-chief of Filter magazine - the only client of Schibbye and Persson's to publicly acknowledge it had been in touch with the pair before their African trip - was called as a witness during the trial, and expressed disappointment with the verdict when interviewed by Reuters in Sweden:

When the judge read out the grounds it sounded positive, he had virtually nothing against them. Everything he said was speaking for an acquittal, and then he found them guilty anyway. This indicates they are political prisoners and nothing else.

The case against Schibbye and Persson has brought further attention to Ethiopia's vague anti-terrorist legislation, under which over 100 opposition leaders and journalists have been jailed up to 20 years. Three Ethiopian journalists are currently on trial for terrorism charges.

The Swedish section of Amnesty International said it is critical of Ethiopia's arbitrary interpretation of the anti-terror legislation. Lise Bergh, the General Secretary, said she is convinced of Schibbye and Persson's innocence [sv]:

Amnesty International does not believe there is any evidence of the men supporting the ONLF or its operations, nor that they are guilty of any criminal act. We regard Johan Persson and Martin Schibbye as prisoners of conscience, as they have been prosecuted due to their legitimate work as journalists.

Until the day of the verdict's announcement, the Swedish government had been fairly silent on the case. Carl Bildt, the foreign minister, had referred to methods of quiet diplomacy when asked about how the Swedish Foreign Ministry were working for the release of the journalists.

The situation has been further complicated by Bildt's personal history. Until 2006, when Bildt was appointed foreign minister, he served as a board member of Lundin Petroleum, the Swedish oil company whose activities Schibbye and Persson were intending to investigate in the Ogaden province.

Johan Persson prior to his and Martin Schibbye's detainment ©Kontinent Agency AB, used with permission.

After the verdict was announced, Bildt commented on the case on Twitter:

@carlbildt: Sweden expresses grave concern over hard sentence against Swedish journalists in Ethiopia. We will continue to work to set them free.

Bildt's comment was followed by a statement from Fredrik Reinfeldt, the Swedish prime minister:

Our position is and continues to be that they were in the country on a journalistic assignment. They must be released as soon as possible in order to be reunited with their families in Sweden.

At an afternoon press conference [sv], Bildt stated that high-level diplomacy was now the prioritized course of action:

We are now making sure that the prime minister's strong message gets through to the Ethiopian government. We will then reason with the parties involved over the formal steps to be taken in this process.

A mellow reception awaited the official statements in social media. Under the hashtag #EthiopiaSwedes, tweets were sent out blaming the Swedish authorities for what is perceived as several months of perceived inertia regarding the case. Twitter user @tommyskot asked:

@tommyskot: When will @sweden and @carlbildt do something to get our journalists home? #EthiopiaSwedes

Below is a sample of reactions from Twitter:

@annalindberg: Now we begin to understand what conditions African journalists are working under. #ethiopiaswedes

@sweden: I'm shocked and appalled by the verdict against #ethiopiaswedes

@hurriya: spread this initiative to build solidarity for #ethiopiaswedes http://www.facebook.com/freejohanandmartin #svpol

Seleshi Ketsela, one of Schibbye and Persson's lawyers, said that his clients would now consider whether to appeal. An alternative route may be to seek a pardon from the Ethiopian state.

Ethiopia: Homosexuality Debate as Capital Hosts AIDS Conference

Markos Lemma — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 17:43:32 +0000

An upcoming conference on AIDS and sexually transmitted infections in Africa has sparked controversy after religious leaders and government officials in Ethiopia held a meeting on Tuesday 29 November, 2011, over whether or not to ban gay rights activists gathering on the fringes of the international meeting. The meeting came after religious leaders canceled a news conference called to denounce the planned conference of gay rights activists.

The 16th International Conference on AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Infections in Africa will be held in the capital Addis Ababa this coming Sunday, where more than 200 activists, experts and UN officials are expected to participate.

Following the attempt by the religious community to ban the conference, Ethiopian netizens turned to Facebook to discuss homosexuality in their country. Homosexuality in Ethiopia is a crime and is punishable by up to 15 years imprisonment.

ICASA 2011: Own, Scale-Up and Sustain. Image source: ICASA 2011 site.

According to the 2007 Pew Global Attitudes Project, 97% of Ethiopian residents said that homosexuality should be rejected by society, which was the second-highest percentage rejecting homosexuality among the 44 countries surveyed, exceeded only by Mali with 98%.

However, some Ethiopians netizens on Facebook start to have a different perspective on homosexuality.

Hallelujah calls for a civilized public debate about the issue:

Sooner or later we need to have a civilized public debate about the issue. We shouldn't hate or discriminate,but rather be bold,articulate and critical enough to express our disapproval of the practice of Homosexuality from a spiritual,moral,social,health and nature and survival perspectives.

Below is a comment thread that followed Hallelujah's message on his wall.

Lilly Kidane thinks that we need to be compassionate about the issue:

We need to address it and try to be compassionate about it as well, we have created God in our image and what ever we dont like and we dont understand and we judge we say God doesnt like it either, but God should be, in my opinion, beyond all this small stuff of who is sleeping with whom. We all need to find what makes us happy and be greatful for it

She adds:

how boring would it be if the whole world be the same. It takes all kinds of people to fill up the world

Bisrat Teshome says emotional reactions to homosexuality are unacceptable:

As to me, i don't consider homosexuality as a problem by itself. It is preference of people. People are rational and have the right and full knowledge to choose what is good for themselves (of course under the umbrella of the legal system of the country). These types of emotional and discriminatory reactions from religions are unacceptable.

Osman Mohammedsiraj says that the debate should be on how to protect Ethiopians from “the spread of the epidemic”:

Gay and lesbian rights are among issues that are not worth discussing in Ethiopia, since it is forgone conclusion that everyone across all religious affiliation disapproves them. But the discussion should rather be how to protect our people from spread of the epidemic

Nuhamin Getachew believes homosexuality has no place in Ethiopia:

i am thanking God for those of us who still believe it is an utterly unnatural act. Also,i CAN NOT believe i am reading approvals for it from ETHIOPIANS?? Guys please,let us keep the dignified country our proud forefathers handed to us and not confuse civilization and plain immorality!!

Markos asks:

I think we are missing the ONLY point here….Since when people treated so awfully like this for THINGS they practice on themselves?

Mesfin Tekle says that Africa needs to deal with the issue:

This issue is very complex but sooner or later our country and the continent of Africa will have to deal with it. This is not a curable disease like polio that you can prevent with a vaccination.

Bob Herold asks:

Something to think about. What if one of your children who you have LOVED, nutured, and provided for came to you and said, ” I am gay”. Could you just turn your back on them. Does this make them a terrible person. As a matter of fact does this change them in any way other than what they do in the PRIVACY of there on home. Hmmm.

Selam Araya sees homosexuality as a sign of a confused generation:

I was trying to read the comments and debates above. and just wondered “what would be the response of the past generation to this issue.” I would guess completely against homosexuality” even better, how about the next generation. I would guess completely pro to it. we are the confused generation!

Sewinet Belete posted the following protest message in Amharic on Facebook:

A message of protest against the conference

Agenda of the Meeting at Jupiter hotel revealed.

For the World HIV conference which will be held at millennium hall, the main point of the agenda is “To stop the spread of HIV AIDS and homosexuality as a solution” … another objective of this meeting is to influence the Ethiopia government to make a supportive law to accept this extremely bad practice which leads to corrupt families and the country.

To do this, they are trying spend a lot of money and plead support of the international organizations.

Well respected, rich and educated people in Ethiopia are actively participating in this as if this is the peak of their knowledge and wisdom.

And anyone who believes in the existence of God …. anyone who knows how to live in a society should object/protest this bad practice which spoiled Europe and the Western world.

The debates continues on Facebook, which more than 90% of Internet users in Ethiopia have access to.

Ethiopia: Online Platform to Discuss Sustainable Technologies

Ndesanjo Macha — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 17:29:20 +0000

GreenTech Ethiopia is an online platform to learn about and discuss environmentally friendly and sustainable technologies suitable for the Ethiopian context.

Ethiopia: Is Ethiopian Blogosphere the Smallest in the World?

Ndesanjo Macha — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 17:14:04 +0000

Markos wonders whether the Ethiopian blogosphere is the smallest in the world: “A few months ago Joern and I made a little research and we found out that Ethiopia had less than 20 bloggers in the country. This is rather shocking stats compared to 160,000 (July 2008) Bloggers in Egypt. On contrary, Ethiopian love to socialize using social media like Facebook. 90.07% of internet users use Facebook in daily basis.”

Ethiopia: Terrorists of Ethiopia Unite!

Endalk — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 15:27:41 +0000

Ethiopia has been in the international media spotlight since July 2011 for its harassment of journalists. Global Voices has written about Ethiopian netizens' reactions to the trial of two Swedish journalists accused of terrorism; apparently it seems that Ethiopian government has significantly stepped up similar allegations on journalists, dissidents and senior opposition politicians since then.

The latest terrorism charges against 24 people, including senior opposition politicians and an outspoken online journalist, have received condemnation from Ethiopian bloggers, Facebook users and Twitter users. The Ethiopian blogosphere is awash with the derisive and informative messages for the plaintiff in Addis Ababa. Only eight of the defendants appeared in court to hear the charges, the rest will be tried in absentia.

Ha ha ha! You're stupid Meles (Ethiopia's Prime Minister Meles Zenawi). Image courtesy of addisvoice.com

Abebe Gellaw, an exiled Ethiopian journalist, who will be tried in absentia sardonically thanked the Ethiopian Prime Minster for the reputation he gave him as a ‘terrorist’:

Dear Prime Minister Ashebir Zenawi,

First of all, I would like to thank you profusely for including me in the latest roll call of patriots and freedom fighters. I am extremely humbled for the honor. Though I have not done enough to deserve one of your highest medals of good citizenship and patriotism, I assure you that the honor will inspire me to do even more to accomplish what is expected of me more effectively and efficiently.

I must also thank you for the free global promotion you have given me and others. I am pleased to report back to you that I have received not condolences, but numerous congratulatory messages from across the world.

Prime Minister Ashebir, I should, however, suggest that the list of honorees be expanded to include more deserving patriots and the criteria be more logical. People like me have not done enough to be in this prestigious roll call of freedom fighters.

“The “T” Word: Terrorists’ of Ethiopia unite!,” wrote Derese G Kassa of Addis Neger Online:

No word sounds banal like the term “terrorist” or its noun variation “terrorism”. Terrorism is not an ideology, a conviction or a political program. It signifies sheer belief in brutalizing others; innocent others at that! It never flies for something substantive. That is why seasoned scholars, for instance, avoid hollow terms like “international terrorism” and resort to the reasons that invoke people to resort to such techniques like suicide bombing.

It is not strange to summarily dismiss political opponents in crimes of “treason” and ban them as out front “terrorists.” The Rivonia Trial is remembered for charging almost all senior ANC leaders as “terrorists” set for banishment at the Robben Islands. Margaret Thatcher once dubbed Nelson Mandela a dangerous “terrorist”. Madiba featured as one of America’s terrorists. His name was not scrapped from the terrorist list until very recently.

He continued:

Only 8 of the 24 live in the country and hence are arrested. The remaining 16 were all outside the country. Plain Mathematics has it that the proportion of terrorists outside the country is DOUBLE the number of terrorists in the country! We have to take this data with a caution; the sampling error is not mentioned. Secondly, terrorism “infects” those who are prone to think out loud, write, blog, and debate about Ethiopian politics. This is more so for individuals who do not declare allegiance to any one single party; but could be journalists, students, civil society leaders etc. All of this is euphemism for terrorism…..

We now cry out loud! Long behold, “‘Terrorists’ of Ethiopia unite! You have nothing to lose but your terror!”

Endalk argues that the recent action against journalists and activists by the government is basically a problem of attitude. He fears that this will harshly affect the budding Ethiopian blogosphere and social media space:

Ethiopia’s problems in treating journalists and dissident opinion leaders are much deeper. They are basic attitudinal problems of government and they harshly will affect at least budding Ethiopian blogosphere and social media sphere. I have received a lot of advice not to write some critical issues about government on my blog. Some friends of mine even went on to fall out with me for fear of that similar cases could be implicated on me. They always wonder why I would play with fire. Considering Ethiopia’s behavior on journalists of the last five years at least they might appear reasonable as an atmosphere of fear go sky-high with each accusations and arrests. Since the disputed election of 2005 alone, the government retracted the accreditation of foreign correspondent journalists from Voice of America, Deutsche-Welle and others as part of an effort to obstruct attention garnered by foreign press though all of them regained their accreditation later. The government points finger at the journalists of filing biased reports on Ethiopia’s effort in building democracy and developmental endeavor. Besides many pro-government people give a piece of advice for dissident opinion leaders not to write critical issues as they believe critics would destroy Ethiopia’s good image on global media.

Ethiopian journalist and scholar Abiye Teklemariam facing prosecution in absentia. Photo source: Abiye's Facebook page.

Scholar and journalist Abiye Teklemariam whose philosophical and critical Facebook status updates usually spark hundreds of comments and likes from his online friends also faced prosecution in absentia. Though the charge reads that Abiye is going to be prosecuted for his editorship of Addis Neger Online, it appears that Abiye's critical Facebook status updates added fuel to his plight:

For loving my country, for spending my waking hours thinking and talking about my country, for dreaming to see my country achieve its promise and potential, I am charged of terrorism by Meles Zenawi.

Kiflu Hussain another dissident and human right defender based in Kampala Uganda wrote:

I heard about the additional trumped up charge of terrorism against my compatriots, friends & comrades in absentia.As the editorial of Ginbot 7,an opposition party outlawed by the outlaw & hoodlum company of Meles Zenawi,said on its website sometime back, to be charged by Meles’s Kangaroo court on terrorism is the highest medal to be bestowed upon an Ethiopian patriot. So my friends; Mesfin Negash, Abiye Teklemariam, Zelele etc, I envy you so much. I wish Woyanne unwittingly honor me like you.

Aluta continua!

Another journalist facing government’s allegation is Mesfen Negash who already faced prosecution in 2008-09 before he left the country for Sweden. This time Mesfen is accused under the anti-terrorism law for being a member of a terrorist network and aiding and abetting a terrorist group. Mesfen was also not reticent about the allegation and he updated his Facebook status by saying:

Special Status Update:My official Status according to Meles Zenawi’s book is changed to “a wanted terrorist.” It’ll inspire us all; don’t expect us to give up!!!

The hearing of Johan Persson and Martin Schibbye's trial and other indicated journalists will continue next month.

Open Access Africa: Spreading Knowledge, Increasing Collaboration

John Liebhardt — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 20:19:00 +0000

In August 2011, the Malaria Journal published a 12-author study called, “Strict adherence to malaria rapid test results might lead to a neglect of other dangerous diseases: a cost benefit analysis from Burkina Faso.”

Just a few months earlier in May, the journal Health & Place published, “Malaria, environmental change, and a historical epidemiology of childhood ‘cold fevers’: Popular interpretations from southwestern Burkina Faso.”

Two similar topics, published just months apart. But they come with a big difference. The first article was published in an Open Access Journal, free and available to anyone willing to click on it and read it. The second article hails from a scientific journal published by a large conglomerate. Unless you have institutional access, which costs hundreds of dollars, you most likely must pay the publisher $31 (€22) to read the piece.

Disseminating ideas

The internet opened up new methods to disseminate information and, for users, to access it. It also reduced distribution costs. But if research about diseases like Malaria continues to remain behind pay walls, Open Access proponents ask, what good is it? All over Africa, financial models from the world of print keep scientists, students and policy makers separated from new ideas and research.

David Apinga, a blogger from Ghana points out:

Currently, Sub-Saharan Africa remains the least developed region of the world in the area of research. This is partly attributed to inability of research centres in developing countries to pay for the high cost of online journal access as well as subscriptions to print versions.

Open Access scholarship also offers scientists and researchers a chance for greater collaboration. From the Open Access Central blog:

Open access offers many opportunities for scientists in the developing world – not only improved access to international scientific literature, but also the opportunity to develop (or re-develop) their own national and regional journals. Such journals have a pivotal role to play in creating the environment and infrastructure needed for research to flourish.

Open Access Week (in Africa)

Information professionals, scholars and publishers around the world are currently celebrating the fifth annual Open Access Week. Events across Africa are taking place to help solidify those gains across the continent.

The group Duraspace.org – makers of two Open Source repositories – highlight a few Open Access programs from around Africa:

UBRISA, the University of Botswana Research, Innovation and Scholarship Archive, allowing faculty and students from the institution to place their research in a central repository where it can be stored and accessed.
Ethiopia is home to three repositories: The Economic Commission of Africa, the International Livestock Research Institute and Addis Ababa University Library Dspace.
KNUSTSpace, the institutional repository for the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Kumasi.
From a European-based repository, a list of South African Open Access projects.

Benefits for Africa

In this video by Leslie Chan, Dr. Paul Nampala, Science Editor of African Crop Science Journal (ACSJ), argues that greater open access will actually increase journal readership, even if it does decrease the overall number of paid subscriptions.

Charles J. Greenberg, a Medical Librarian at Yale University in the United States, blogs at OpenBioMed.Info. He recently interviewed Raoul Kamadjeu, a physician and co-founder of the Pan African Medical Journal.

Greenberg: You are a founding editor of the Pan African Medical Journal (PAMJ). To promote the online publication of original studies from the African medical and public health communities, PAMJ will not charge article-processing fee for any accepted article submitted from African researchers or institutions or from any researcher and institution around the world. How can you afford to support this generous business model?

Kamadjeu: Yes, we do not currently charge authors fees. Our 2011 author’s survey (http://www.panafrican-med-journal.com/pamjnews/NewsArticle.php?NewsId=news4dffa0d8f2713) showed this as one of the main reasons why authors submit to us. We are able to afford this business model because we currently benefit from the generous support of the African Field Epidemiology Network (AFENET) with which we have a memorandum of understanding; but we are not naïve, reaching financial independence is key if we want to sustain our current growth and remain a journal of continental scope. Your question brings the wider issue of the financial viability of African journals? They rely heavily on support from donors, some journals charge authors fees; it will be interesting to know how these models work for them. We are looking into traditional and innovative ideas to reach financial sustainability; article processing fees is part of the plan in the medium term; however, establishing a reputable journal remains our main priority; this will help ensure financial sustainability. I just want to add that support to African journals is important if we want to ensure that some level of medical publishing survives on the continent, particularly nowadays, with the explosion of medical journal franchises.