Ethiopia courts scepticism after freeing imprisoned writers ahead of Obama visit

July 10, 2015

Critics accuse government of political opportunism amid official attempts to cast release of five writers from media and Zone 9 as routine act of generosity

by William Davison | The Guardian

After more than a year of imprisonment, two Ethiopian women had no idea they were about to be released until a prison loudspeaker informed them they were free to go.

“They were kind of stunned. Can you imagine what kind of emotion? They didn’t believe it at first – they thought they were being taken somewhere else,” said a friend of Edom Kassaye, the freelance journalist who was released from Kality jail on Thursday morning along with another detainee, the Zone 9 blogger Mahlet Fantahun.

ESAT’s best contribution is choking fake Medias from spitting out the truth

July 10, 2015

by Teshome Debalke

First, let me start with a the good note; few Zone 9 bloggers, Reyote Alem and few other journalists freed Woyane out of its own prison than the other way around. There is lots of work ahead to civilize the brazen regime to surrender power for democratic but, the apologist are drugging their feet from speeding up the process as if they are entitled a free ride on the expenses of our people.

I don’t have enough words to appreciate the sacrifice many of our compatriots have to pay to civilize the timid regime and its apologists. Among them and still in prison are Eskider Nega and Andualem Aragie. Their shire power to civilize the TPLF’s warlords got them long sentences.

One thing I learned over the years; Ethiopians thrown in dungeons of Woyane have special characteristics that frighten the timid TPLF warlords and their apologists to loss sleep after they put them in jail.

These journalists has only gone from one small cell to a Larger Prison (Ethiopia)

Journalist Reeyot Alemu and Professor
Mesfin Woldemariam (After Reeyot’s release)

July 9, 2015

by Obang MethoWe the people and Ethiopians all over the world are rejoicing at the release of some imprisoned journalists and heroine. These journalists has only gone from one small cell to a Larger Prison (Ethiopia)—If all Ethiopians are to be Freed, the Responsibility Now is Ours!

Thanks to God who produced these courageous and self-sacrificing people among us; like Reeyot Alemu and others. There will never be enough words to adequately thank them for the contribution to the freedom of all of us. These people have only been imprisoned throughout the country from everyone ethnic and religious groups because they pose the greatest threat to a ethnic apartheid regime of the TPLF that hates the truth and any who are willing to express it.

July 07, 2015

An email from a person linked to several domains allegedly tied to the Meles Zenawi Foundation (MZF), Ethiopia’s Prime Minister until his death in 2012, was published Sunday evening as part of the cache of files taken from Hacking Team.

In the email, Biniam Tewolde offers his thanks to Hacking Team for their help in getting a high value target.

Around the time the email was sent, which was eight months after the Prime Minister’s death, Tewolde had registered eight different MZF related domains. Given the context of the email and the sudden appearance (and disappearance) of the domains, it’s possible all of them were part of a Phishing campaign to access the target. Who the high value target is, remains unknown.

A Teachable Moment for Ethio-Americans on July 4, 2015

July 07, 2015

by Alemayehu G. Mariam

My topic for my Monday Commentary this week was not about a teachable moment for Ethiopian-Americans.  I dropped my intended topic and wrote this piece because I was madder than a nest of hornets.

A couple of weeks ago, I was reading a report by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) entitled, “Journalists Assaulted While Covering Protest in Western Kenya.” That report stated:

[Journalist Saka] Richards told CPJ that the protesters and the protest organizers fled the area after they were threatened by a mob of residents. Police helped take the protester organizers to safety, he said. The mob then turned on the journalists, who were left at the scene. Richards said the mob began to punch, kick, and beat Waswa with clubs. ‘We then tried to intervene to assist our colleague, only to be beaten ourselves.’” (Emphasis added.)

UN demands release of British activist jailed in Ethiopia amid torture fears

July 05, 2015

The Foreign Office has pushed for consular access to Andargachew Tsige with no tangible results, since the British citizen was abducted in Ethiopia a year ago

by Mark Townsend | The Guardian

Yemi Hailemariam campaigns in London 

Yemi Hailemariam campaigns in London to demand the immediate release of her partner, British citizen Andargachew Tsege, who has been held in Ethiopia since June 2014. Photograph: Alamy

The UN has demanded the immediate release of a Briton held on death row in Ethiopia for more than a year, an intervention that campaigners say exposes Britain’s poor diplomacy towards the case.

Experts from the UN Human Rights Council have advised Ethiopia to pay Andargachew Tsige “adequate compensation” before sending him home to London, an abrupt hardening of its position on the case at a time when Britain pursues a softly, softly approach with no tangible reward.