By Daniel DeFraia | Global Post
There are 3,372 … now 3,374 signatures and counting that ask for the release of Swedish journalist Martin Schibbye and photographer Johan Persson, both serving 11-year prison sentences in Ethiopia.
The signature campaign is quickly amassing worldwide support.
In July 2011 the two journalists were arrested alongside Ogaden National Liberation Front rebels, a separatist group of Somali nationalists, in Ethiopia’s Ogaden region. On Dec. 27, 2011 the investigative journalists were convicted for “entering the country illegally and supporting terrorism.”
Their sentencing is part of a continued movement, precipitated by Prime Minister Meles Zenawi’s government, to suppress opposition reporting within Ethiopia. According to a report by Amnesty International, “There has been a sustained crackdown on members of political opposition parties and journalists [since] 2011.”
Just last month, Elias Kifle, editor of the Ethiopian Review, was sentenced to life in prison. Luckily, he left Ethiopia years earlier and now is in exile in Washington.
Part of the government’s bully tactics come in the form of an anti-terrorism law, ratified in 2009, that allows the government to curb freedom of expression in the name of national security. It is this law that provided the legal precedent used to sentence Schibbye and Persson.
The Committee to Protect Journalists says the “law criminalizes any reporting authorities deem to ‘encourage’ or ‘provide moral support’ to groups and causes the government labels as ‘terrorists.'”
Though acquitted of the charge to commit acts of terror — a sign that things are moving in the right direction — Schibbye and Persson have decided not to fight their 11-year convictions and have appealed to Prime Minister Zenawi for a pardon instead.
“In Ethiopia, there is a long tradition of pardons and we have chosen to leave it to this tradition,” they said from inside Addis Ababa’s Kality prison.
Between the inclusionary anti-terrorism law and tough attitude of Prime Minister Zenawi the two journalists need all the help they can get.
8 thoughts on “Swedish journalists appeal to Ethiopia’s dictator”
I just wondered, where is the sWedish government thrugh all this?
kuku replies:
February 8th, 2012 at 5:39 PM
to do what ?
Isn’t the president who grands the pardon? Or is it the midget dictator is a president and prim minister? What a joke.
abbaa kiyyaa replies:
February 3rd, 2012 at 12:48 PM
Alemu hahaha don’t forget that ethiopian khat addicted prime minister Meles zenawi is PM,president,king and every thing.
This midget, when cornered, will always suggest that the victims of his terror ask ‘pardon’ and they would be released. This process makes the midget feel good – for he is simply a stupid egomaniac. These two journalists are hero no matter what. Shame for those westerners including Sweden, who did support and who still support their Ethiopian bastard.
I feel like traped in my own body of paralized when I know what to do with these who only love to fight even when they are in there mom’s womb. If any body has a friend from tegray they can see how much they do’t know how to love. If you ever dated a tegray girl you will see the crave for fight(abuse). So if Ethiopia is to be free from these psycopaths we need to show there love of fight. The Swedish Govt.raised these ticks they deserve to feel the ethiopian suffering, then they will know what it means to live under this dictator.
What you sow , is what you harvest!!! The Swedish Embassy role was to co- ordinate logistics, financial, Intelegence Services for TPLF.The ambassador whose name I forgot.her role was to spy and forward infos, for this group .(1987-1991).On the speech she gave at Hilton Hotel in”91 praising them and stressing the role she played was really disappointing.what the West should learn is, it may take time, but eventually the ppl are the VICTORS!!!
Mubarak of Egypt, Musharraf of Pakistan . Museveni of Uganda,Muamer G. of Libya,Mugabe of Zimbabwe, and the worst of all Meles of Ethiopia are all the MENACE of our time. Some have already have paid their prices. The rest will soon pay for the atrocities they caused on innocent ppl.this is what the WEST failed to understand . Even thou, the killing,torture,and the broad day light robbery commited is tragic, it is the right thing to stand with the ppl of these Countries .
The swidish gvt are nothing and the Carl Bildt group are in their way to out of Swedish pilitices soon.