Woyanne kangaroo court today convicted journalists Reyot Alemu and Woubshet Taye, opposition party leader Zerihun Gebre-Egziabher and former opposition supporter Hirut Kifle. Chief Editor of Ethiopian Review, Elias Kifle, was also convicted in absentia. Listen below:
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FORUM | 9 Comments
New York, January 19, 2012–Two journalists and a U.S.-based blogger who was tried in absentia were convicted on charges of terrorism in Ethiopia today and could be sentenced to the death penalty, according to news reports.
Reeyot Alemu, a columnist with the independent weekly Feteh, Deputy Editor Woubshet Taye of the now-defunct weekly Awramba Times, and Elias Kifle, exiled editor of the Washington-based opposition website Ethiopian Review, were convicted today in Federal High Court in the capital, Addis Ababa, according to news reports.
The journalists were charged in September with lending support to an underground network of banned opposition groups, including Ginbot 7, that the government had designated terrorists, according to CPJ research. In the trial, government prosecutors presented as evidence intercepted emails and phone calls between the journalists, as well as more than 25 Ethiopian Review articles and postings on the activities of the opposition groups and calls for an Arab-style popular uprising, CPJ research shows.
All of the journalists had written articles critical of the Ethiopian government. Taye’s newspaper, the Awramba Times, was the target of a smear campaign by state media for raising questions about government policies, CPJ research shows. Alemu wrote columns criticizing the ruling party’s policies, including its five-year growth and transformation plan, according to news reports. She also compared Prime Minister Meles Zenawi to former Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi, CPJ research shows. Kifle was sentenced in absentia to life in prison in 2007 on charges of treason over critical online coverage of the government’s brutal repression of the 2005 post-election protests, according to CPJ research.
Judge Endeshaw Adane of the third criminal bench of the Federal High Court is expected to sentence the journalists on January 26, news reports said. The journalists could face the death penalty, according to news reports. Since 1992, only two people have been executed after being handed the death penalty, while other death sentences have been commuted to life in prison, according to an Ethiopian legal expert.
“The Ethiopian government has a long-standing practice of using umbrella charges of terrorism to silence critical voices,” said CPJ Africa Advocacy Coordinator Mohamed Keita. “These acts are part of a pattern to punish the Ethiopian press for their journalistic work.”
Alemu and Taye were arrested in June and held for weeks on government accusations of plotting to sabotage telephone and electricity lines. In September, they were charged under the country’s far-reaching anti-terrorism law without their lawyers present, CPJ research shows. Six other Ethiopian bloggers and online journalists were charged with terrorism in November, according to CPJ research, with only Eskinder Nega currently in custody.
Last month, two jailed Swedish journalists were sentenced to 11 years in prison on terrorism charges.
http://www.cpj.org/2012/01/three-journalists-convicted-on-terrorism-charges-i.php
[Reply]
January 19th, 2012 at 5:34 PM
The killing of foreign tourists is nothing but a plot by woyane to:
1. Make-believe Ethiopians locally and internationally that the anti-terrorism law directed against journalists and government critics locally and abroad is legitimate, necessary for peace and stability in the country and the region and the law fully enforced as such.
2. Make-believe its western enablers and supporters that the anti-terrorism law in effect is legitimate, necessary for peace and stability in the country and the region and the law fully enforced as such.
3. Convince the international community Ethiopia is fighting terrorism locally and regionally and financial and political support should continue by all means. In reality, all efforts being made by the regime in Addis is to suppress dissent locally and regionally and prolong its grip on power. That is the primary objective of the current sad story and not because prime minister Zenawi cares for human life or security of Ethiopia and the the region.
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January 19th, 2012 at 7:00 PM
i belive 101% woyane did the killing of the tourists by himself, so that he can stay stronger in power in the name of terrorisim nothing else. the westerns should t stop swallowing woyane fabrication, right immidatly if not woyane will keep doing it.
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January 20th, 2012 at 3:43 AM
Elias be strong and keep it up… you’re our hero!!!!!!!!!
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January 20th, 2012 at 3:47 AM
I don’t what the Ethiopian People are waiting, Woyanes are doing anything they Wish none of this did not even happened most north African countries but they all went out and made a change. If they don’t come out now they never will not even after Yenasew Burned himself what a shame ..
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January 20th, 2012 at 4:23 AM
I thank event was done by TPLF-meles.currently meles anti-terriorist Low was accepted nationally and internationally, So this done by Meles devil.Now in Ethiopia there is no government, only meles and azebe bandas.So this done 200% by TPLF-meles.
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January 20th, 2012 at 5:15 AM
who kills the 5 tourists ?እሄ ሻጥር የ ዎያኔ ነው በቴሮሪዝም ስም ሶማሌን ተተናኮለ የራሱን ውስጥ የ ፖለቲካ ችግር ሳያሰተካክል ዘሎ ሶማሌ መግባት ከሜሪካ በ terrorisim ስም የሰው ህይዎት ለራሱ ጥቅም ከንቱ ይቆላል እሄን usa and EU ዎያኔ ከወደቀ በሁላ ከእንሱም ከ እኛም ሰው ካለቁ በሁላ ትታዘብ ይሆናል:: እሮብ በ18.01.12 ተከስቶ እንዴት ዎያኔ በ ማግስቱ ሻብያ አለ ለምንስ እንደ ልማዱ alshebab አላለም? እራሱ ዎያኔ ስልጣኑን ላማጠናከር ካላደረገው በቀር እንደገና ጥሩ ንግድ ነው መሰለኝ ሰውን መጨረስ በ terrorisim ስም
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January 20th, 2012 at 12:07 PM
This may be a plot to start war with Eritrea
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January 22nd, 2012 at 3:45 PM
This may be a plot to start war with Eritrea. It is said that they have already accumulated enough force to start aggression, they have the puppet leader and party ready.
Ertireans be careful before they start selling you after they give some of their left overs in Ethiopia. You are to be sold to Alamoudi the Massaw port, the Assab to Arab world, the Mines to china……..be careful Addis is already sold out.
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January 22nd, 2012 at 4:30 PM