Ethiopia: Conviction of journalist on terror charges is a miscarriage of justice
ARTICLE 19 is saddened by the conviction of 24 Ethiopians, including Eskinder Nega, a prominent journalist and blogger, who had been charged with conspiring with rebels to overthrow the government.
ARTICLE 19 is saddened by the conviction of 24 Ethiopians, including Eskinder Nega, a prominent journalist and blogger, who had been charged with conspiring with rebels to overthrow the government.
Nega along with 23 others including opposition politician
Andulalem Arage were charged last year, most of them in absentia, under the
anti-terrorism law with six counts including conspiracy to dismantle the
constitutional order, recruitment and training for terror acts and aiding
Ethiopia’s arch foe, Eritrea as well as belonging to a terrorism group, ‘Ginbo
7’ that aimed at disrupting security.
“The situation in Ethiopia is getting worse by the day
since this is the third case in six months whereby a journalist has been
jailed. The government is clearly using the anti-terrorism law to stifle
freedom of expression and clamp down on opposition figures and journalists in
Ethiopia,” said Henry Maina, ARTICLE 19 East Africa Director.
In the conviction, Nega was accused of abusing his right
to freedom of speech by threatening national security. Further, he and Arage
were accused of using examples taken from the Arab Spring uprisings in the
media to promote anti-government protest in Ethiopia.
Under the anti-terrorism legislation, the defendants face
the death sentence, but the prosecutor recommended life sentences for the 24
and sentencing is expected on 13 July. In February this year, two journalists
were each jailed for 14 years on similar charges and in December 2011, two Swedish
newsmen were imprisoned for 11 years each convicted of entering the country
illegally and aiding a rebel group.
Since the promulgation of Ethiopia’s anti-terrorism law
in 2009, ARTICLE 19 has continued to voice its opposition since the law is
overly broad, ambiguous and deprives defendants of the right to be presumed
innocent. The legislation undermines international guarantees of freedom of
expression especially through its broad definition of terrorism, which has been
applied in these cases.
ARTICLE 19 calls for the review of the anti-terrorism
legislation to ensure it conforms to internationally acceptable limitations of
the right to freedom of expression, and not to be illegitimately used to stifle
legitimate forms of expression as has been seen in this case.
ARTICLE 19 also calls upon the government to stop intimidating journalists and human rights defenders in Ethiopia and provide them with an enabling environment to operate in accordance with its obligations under international law including upholding the rights to freedom of association, freedom of expression and freedom of peaceful assembly.
ARTICLE 19 also calls upon the government to stop intimidating journalists and human rights defenders in Ethiopia and provide them with an enabling environment to operate in accordance with its obligations under international law including upholding the rights to freedom of association, freedom of expression and freedom of peaceful assembly.
Source: ARTICLE19
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