Free Zone9 Tumblr collage. Images used with permission.
Join Global Voices bloggers for a worldwide, multilingual tweetathon in support of the ten bloggers and journalists [1] facing terrorism charges in Ethiopia.
The Global Voices community and our network of allies are demanding justice for these men and women, all of whom have worked hard to expand spaces for social and political commentary in Ethiopia through blogging and journalism. We believe their arrest is a violation of their universal right to free expression, and that the charges filed against them are unjust. Learn more about their story and the campaign for their release at the Zone9 Trial Tracker blog [2].
The bloggers’ trial begins on August 4, 2014. Until then, and beyond, they will need all the support they can get. So this Thursday, we as a global community of bloggers, writers, activists, and social media experts will share this message around the world, tweeting in our native languages at community leaders, government and diplomatic officials, and mainstream media to draw public attention to the case.
Six of the detained bloggers in Addis Ababa. Photo used with permission.
#FreeZone9Bloggers: A Tweetathon Demanding the Release of Jailed Ethiopian Bloggers
Date: Thursday, July 31, 2014
Time: 10am – 2pm — no matter what time zone you're in!
Hashtag: #FreeZone9Bloggers
Hosts: Nwachukwu Egbunike (@feathersproject [3]), Ndesanjo Macha (@ndesanjo [4]), Ellery Roberts Biddle (@ellerybiddle [5])
Want to join us this Thursday? Or help spread the word? Add your name and Twitter handle to our community planning sheet [6].
Sample Tweets:
- @Zone9ers deserve a fair trial under international standards #FreeZone9Bloggers http://bit.ly/1g65ijg
- Free the @Zone9ers… because blogging is not a crime! #FreeZone9Bloggers http://bit.ly/1g65ijg
- “We blog because we care” #FreeZone9Bloggers http://bit.ly/1g65ijg
- Blogger arrests in #Ethiopia are a violation of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights #FreeZone9Bloggers http://bit.ly/QlzRuG
- Blogger arrests in #Ethiopia violate the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights #FreeZone9Bloggers http://bit.ly/1g1MUNM
Tweet until your fingers hurt and demand justice for the Zone9 bloggers!