UN Finds Imprisonment of Ethiopian Journalist Eskinder Nega Arbitrary under International Law and Calls for Immediate Release

WASHINGTON DC – In an opinion released today by Freedom Now, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention found the Government of Ethiopia’s continued detention of independent Ethiopian journalist and blogger Eskinder Nega a violation of international law.

The panel of five independent experts from four continents held that the government violated Mr. Nega’s rights to free expression and due process. The UN Working Group called for his immediate release.Mr. Nega is serving an 18-year prison sentence on terror and treason charges in response to his online articles and public speeches about the Arab Spring and the possible impact of such movements on the political situation in Ethiopia. Arrested in September 2011, Mr. Nega was held without charge or access to an attorney for nearly two months before authorities charged him under Ethiopia’s widely criticized anti-terror laws. This is the eighth time during his 20-year career as an independent journalist and publisher that the Ethiopian government has detained Mr. Nega. His appeal has been repeatedly postponed, most recently on March 27, 2013.

In the attached opinion, released in conjunction with an op-ed by the renowned Ethiopian opposition leader and former prisoner of conscience Birtukan Mideksa, the UN Working Group found that the application of overly broad anti-terror laws against Mr. Nega constituted an “unjustified restriction” on his right to freedom of expression. The UN Working Group’s opinion also recognized “several breaches of Mr. Nega’s fair trial rights,” further rendering his continued detention arbitrary under international law.

“The Ethiopian government cannot continue to use anti-terrorism legislation to muzzle the work of independent journalists, even when it does not like what is being reported,” said Freedom Now Executive Director Maran Turner. “The targeting of journalists by resorting to overly broad anti-terror laws, just like the use of anti-state charges in the pre-9/11 era, is a violation of the internationally protected right to free expression and undermines international efforts to address real security threats.”

Freedom Now represents Mr. Nega as his international pro bono counsel.

http://ethiograph.com/album/albums/v1/U … onment.pdf

የህወሃት አራዊት አመለካከት

ስጋቸው በሃያ አንደኛው ክፍለ ዘመን እየኖረ ህሊናቸው በአስራ ሁለኛው ክፍለ ዘመን የጎሳ-ወንብድና እንደተተበተበባቸው የህወሃት አራዊት አመለካከት ከሆነ ሂትለር፣ ሙሶሊኒ ወይም በሽር አልአሳድ ከልሆኑ በስተቀር ማርቲን ሉተር ኪንግም ሆኑ ማህታማ ጋንዲ ጀግና የሚለው የክብር መጠሪያ አይገባቸውም። እንደ ኋላ ቀሮቹ ህወሃቶች ግንዛቤ ከሆነ ጠመንጃ በትከሻው አንግቦ የሰው ልጆችን ደም የሚያፈስ እና የሚገድል እንጂ በህሊናው እውነትን እና የህዝብ አጋርነት አንግቦ ገሎ ሳይሆን ሞቶ ነጻነቱን ለማስከበር የሚነሳ ጀግና ሳይሆን ጅል ነው የሚባለው። ይሄ ህወሃቶችን ከሰለጠነው አለም የሚለያቸው ትልቅ የእምነት መስመር ህወሃቶች በፈቃዳቸው የመረጡት ሳይሆን ሊበጥሱት ያልቻሉት የአህዛብነት ሰንሰለታቸው ወደ ፊት እንዲራመዱ ሳይሆን ወደ ኋላ እየጎተተ አለም ጥሎት ከመጣው የህገ-ዓህዛብ ጋር አቆራኝቶ ስለያዛቸው ብቻ ነው። የወው ልጅ መቼም እንደራሱ ንቃተ ህሊና እንጂ እንደሌሎች ብስለት ሊኖር አይቻለውም እና፣ ባልናዝንላቸው፡ የችግራቸውን መንስዒ ልንረዳላቸው ግን ይገባል። በጎሳ እና በመንደር ከእርሱ የተለዩ ትን እየቀማ እና እየገደለ የሲኖር እድሜውን የፈጀ አረመኔ በምን ብስለቱ ነው “እንኳን የሰው ልጆች እንሰሳትም መብት ሊኖራቸው ይገባል” ብሎ የሚገራከርን የሃያ አንደኛው ክፍለ ዘመንን የሰለጠነ እና የበሰለ ግንዛቤ ሊረዳው የሚችለው?

The Silent Genocide on the Amhara

Press Release: Ethiopians in Norway

Ethiopians in Norway
The recent forceful eviction of members of the Amharas from Benishangul-Gumuz andSouthern region in Ethiopia was an obvious case of ethnic cleansing. This is a serious crime, racist act as well as a gross human rights violation. The eviction has been done in an inhuman way which even led to the death of many innocent people including children and women. Human rights advocates also confirmed that the deportation is illegal according to Ethiopian and international law.
The TPLF\EPRDF regime in Ethiopia has been committing several crimes against the people of Ethiopia in the past many years. As it has been documented by several independent local and international organizations like human rights watch, so many innocent Ethiopians including political activists and journalists who criticized TPLF have been killed, tortured, imprisoned and forced to fly out of the country by this cruel group so called TPLF.
We Ethiopians who are living in Norway hereby strongly condemn this barbaric act of eviction of the Amharas from Benishangul-Gumuz, Southern and other parts of Ethiopia. We also condemn all human rights atrocities committed by TPLF.
In this regard we will hold a protest demonstration and other activists in order to;

1. Be the voice for the voiceless,
2. Show our solidarity with the victims,
3. Expose this diabolical act,
4. Create an international pressure,
5. Confirm our continual struggle for freedom and justice in Ethiopia.

It is a shame realy to those who speaks only the language of terrorism

It is a shame to those who speaks only the language of terrorism and fear on innocent people. After two bombs exploded during the Boston Marathon, the street filled with wounded runners instead of jubilant ones. and the race was interrupted after that. This is an evil act. My heart goes out to the victims and their families.

Photos of the Boston Marathon Bombing

Apr 15, 2013 |

Several explosions erupted near the finish line of the Boston Marathon today, in downtown Boston, Massachusetts. Police are reporting 2 deaths and at least 23 hurt, as authorities begin their investigation. For further details, see coverage on the Atlantic Wire. [16 photos]

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Medical workers aid injured people at the finish line of the 2013 Boston Marathon following an explosion in Boston, Monday, April 15, 2013. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

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Medical workers aid injured people at the finish line of the 2013 Boston Marathon following an explosion in Boston, Monday, April 15, 2013. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa) #

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Medical workers aid an injured man at the finish line of the 2013 Boston Marathon following an explosion there Monday, April 15, 2013 in Boston. Two explosions shattered the euphoria at the finish line on Monday, sending authorities out on the course to carry off the injured while the stragglers were rerouted away from the smoking site of the blasts. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa) #

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A Boston police officer wheels in injured boy down Boylston Street as medical workers carry an injured runner following an explosion during the 2013 Boston Marathon in Boston, Monday, April 15, 2013. Two explosions shattered the euphoria at the marathon's finish line on Monday, sending authorities out on the course to carry off the injured while the stragglers were rerouted away from the smoking site of the blasts. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa) #

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Medical workers aid injured people at the finish line of the 2013 Boston Marathon following an explosion in Boston, Monday, April 15, 2013. Two explosions shattered the euphoria of the Boston Marathon finish line on Monday, sending authorities out on the course to carry off the injured while the stragglers were rerouted away from the smoking site of the blasts. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa) #

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Medical workers wheel the injured across the finish line during the 2013 Boston Marathon following an explosion in Boston, Monday, April 15, 2013. Two explosions shattered the euphoria of the Boston Marathon finish line on Monday, sending authorities out on the course to carry off the injured while the stragglers were rerouted away from the smoking site of the blasts. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa) #

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A Boston police officer clears Boylston Street following an explosion at the finish line of the 2013 Boston Marathon in Boston, Monday, April 15, 2013. Two explosions shattered the euphoria at the finish line on Monday, sending authorities out on the course to carry off the injured while the stragglers were rerouted away from the smoking site of the blasts. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa) #

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[Warning, very graphic] Medical workers run a badly injured man past the finish line of the 2013 Boston Marathon following an explosion in Boston, Monday, April 15, 2013. Two explosions shattered the euphoria of the Boston Marathon finish line on Monday, sending authorities out on the course to carry off the injured while the stragglers were rerouted away from the smoking site of the blasts. (Note: An earlier version of this gallery featured this photo with the graphic warning but without the image blurred. We have since decided to blur the subject's face out of his respect for privacy) (AP Photo/Charles Krupa) #

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A man is loaded into an ambulance after he was injured by one of two bombs exploded during the 117th Boston Marathon near Copley Square on April 15, 2013 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Jim Rogash/Getty Images) #

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Medical personnel work outside the medical tent in the aftermath of two blasts which exploded near the finish line of the Boston Marathon in Boston, Monday, April 15, 2013. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola) #

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A woman is comforted by a man near a triage tent set up for the Boston Marathon after explosions went off at the 117th Boston Marathon in Boston, Massachusetts April 15, 2013. (Reuters/Jessica Rinaldi) #

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Public safety officials evacuate the scene after several explosions near the finish line of the 117th Boston Marathon in Boston, Massachusetts April 15, 2013. Two explosions hit the Boston Marathon as runners crossed the finish line on Monday, killing at least two people and injuring 23 on a day when tens of thousands of people pack the streets to watch one of the world's best known marathons. (Reuters/Neal Hamberg) #

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A member of the bomb squad investigates a suspicious item on the road near Kenmore Square after two bombs exploded during the 117th Boston Marathon on April 15, 2013 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Alex Trautwig/Getty Images) #

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People leave the scene after explosions went off at the 117th Boston Marathon in Boston, Massachusetts April 15, 2013. (Reuters/Jessica Rinaldi) #

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A runner embraces another woman near Kenmore Square after two bombs exploded during the 117th Boston Marathon on April 15, 2013 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Alex Trautwig/Getty Images) #

ትላንት መራጭ አልባ ምርጫ ተደረገ

ትላንትየተደረገው የአካባቢና የከተማ አስተዳደር ምርጫ መራጭ አልባ እንደሆነ ተጠናቀቀ፡፡

ሚያዝያ 6 የተደረገው የተደረገው የአካባቢና የከተማ አስተዳደር ምርጫ መራጭ አልባ እንደሆነ ተጠናቀቀ፡፡
ከተለያዩ የሀገሪቱ ክፍሎች ለፍኖተ ነፃነት የደረሱ መረጃዎች እንዳመለከቱት ምርጫ ጣቢያዎች ባዷቸውን መዋላቸው ኢህአዴግን አስደንጦታል፡፡ ከማለዳ እስከአረፋዱ ድረስ ቁጥራቸው እጅግ አነስተኛ የሆኑ መራጮች በምርጫ ጣቢያዎች ውስጥ ቢታዩም ቀኑን ሙሉ ምርጫ ጣቢያዎች በዷቸውን ውለዋል፡፡ የኢህአዴግ አባላት ሆነውም ጭምር በምርጫው ያልተሳተፉ መኖራቸው በፓርቲው ውስጥ ውዝግብ የፈጠረ ሲሆን በተለያ በትግራይ እጅግ አነስተኛ ቅጥር ያለው ህዝብ በመገኘቱ የኢህአዴግ ካድሬዎች ቤት ለብቴ እየዞሩ ያልመረጡ ነዋሪዎችን ያልመረጡበትን ምክንያት በመጠየቅ ያልመረጡትን ሰዎች የምርጫ ካርዳቸውን እየቀሙ መዋላቸውን ከስፍራው የደረሰን መረጃ አመላክቷል፡፡
የመንግስት መገናኛ ብዙሀን ለመምረጥ ከተመዘገበው ህዝብ መሀከል 85 በመቶው የሚሆነው ህዝብ እንደመረጠ ቢናገሩም የብሔራዊ ምርጫ ቦርድ ህዝብግንኙነት ኃላፊ አቶ ይስማ ጅሩ ለቦርዱ የተጠናቀረ መረጃ ገና እንዳልደረሰው ተናግረዋል፡፡

 

Ethiopia ready to censor, crackdown on Internet, radio and TV

 

Ethiopia ready to censor, crackdown on Internet, radio and TV

Mohammed Awad In: East Africa, Latest News, 

Ethiopia wants to censor Internet, radio and TV.

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ADDIS ABABA: Worries are abounding in Ethiopia that the government is preparing to pass new legislation that would censor almost all forms of media, both traditional and new.

The new draft law is reportedly being prepared by a steering committee constituting the Ethiopian Broadcasting Authority, Ethiopian Ministry of Communications & Information Technology and Information Network Security Agency.

The Ethiopia Radio & Television Agency is also participating in the drafting process of the new law.

Activists and journalists and have lashed out at the government, saying it is a way of stifling any dissent and opposition to the government’s policies.

“We are fed up with this and hope that it will not come and happen because it would mean the end to any semblance of freedom of speech in the country,” 29-year-old activist and blogger Geteye told Bikyanews.com.

“We cannot allow the government to stifle our ability to be free and have fair discussions in our media. This is dictatorship.”

The bill is required to regulate Internet, television and radio broadcasts, once the current analogue infrastructure is transformed to a digital system.

“The law is needed, in order to prepare for the management complexities that will follow digitization,” Leul said.

A federal agency will also be established  to administer the broadcasting network and radio waves, with Ethiopian Broadcast Authority controlling the content transmitted on different channels, according to Leul.

Under the new bill, additional licenses are expected to be issued, including mobile TV broadcasting license, Bedlu Weldemariam, mass media registration & license director, at the Ethiopian Broadcast Authority.

It comes after a report suggested that the Ethiopian government was using spyware to keep tabs on activists and opposition leaders in the country, which also angered activists, who have called for the international community to take note of what is happening in the country on freedom of speech issues.

Ethiopian Authorities to Disable Viber Internet Phone Service

Ethiopian authorities are discussing on disabling Viber internet phone service.

 As we all know that Ethiopian technology system is first about maintaining dictatorship than serving its natural purpose of being of service to the people.

Viber introduced itself:

Millions of Viber users call, text, and send photos to each other, worldwide- for free! Viber calls are in HD quality and often offer better sound quality than regular carrier networks.
We are free and do not accept advertising. We are committed to constant innovation and to keep bringing you new features and possibilities.
We respect and value your privacy and the confidentiality of your communications.

In 2012 Ethiopian authorities passed legislation to criminalize the use of skype.