Eskinder Nega

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Eskinder Nega (* 1968 ) is an Ethiopian journalist who has campaigned for freedom of expression and the freedom of the press in Ethiopia since 1993 before he was sentenced to 18 years in prison in 2012. After seven years in prison, he was pardoned and released by the government.

Conviction for treason

After it became apparent across the country after the Ethiopian parliamentary elections on May 15, 2005 that the ruling Revolutionary Democratic Front of the Ethiopian Peoples would lose the election, the official counting of votes was stopped by the government, which then declared itself the winner. The opposition accused the government of electoral fraud, which led to Prime Minister Meles Zenawi nationwide announced a one-month ban on meetings and curfews imposed.

On November 28, 2005, Eskinder Nega was arrested along with his wife Serkalem Fasil and 129 other journalists and opposition politicians for treason after participating in demonstrations against the incumbent government. In addition to unconstitutional acts of violence, he was accused of inciting armed conspiracy, which is why he could be sentenced to death . Amnesty International then declared him a political prisoner .

Despite being found guilty, Eskinder Nega was pardoned by the president in late 2007 after serving 17 months in prison .

Convicted of terrorist offenses

In September 2011, Eskinder Nega publicly criticized the freedom of the press in Ethiopia at an opposition event and raised the issue of whether the Arab Spring could also spread to Ethiopia. He also complained in an article that anti-terror laws were used to suppress government critics. On September 14, 2011, Eskinder Nega was arrested for the eighth time. He and 23 other people were charged with terrorist activities. Prime Minister Meles Zenawi declared the defendants guilty on state television at the start of the trial, thereby pressuring the court to convict them. On July 13, 2012, he was sentenced to 18 years in prison. In 2018, after seven years in prison, Eskinder Nega was pardoned by the Ethiopian government and released unconditionally.

Awards

On May 1, 2012, Eskinder Nega received the Barbara Goldsmith Freedom to Write Award from PEN America ; he is a brave and admirable journalist who has taken on critical topics, although he knew that this could endanger his life.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Africa: High voter turnout in Ethiopia. Der Tagesspiegel, May 16, 2005, accessed December 2, 2013 .
  2. ↑ a b c Ethiopia - Eskinder Nega. Letters against oblivion. Amnesty International, accessed December 2, 2013 .
  3. ↑ Ethiopia: Fear of Torture / prisoner of conscience Eskinder Nega. Amnesty International, August 7, 2006, accessed December 2, 2013 .
  4. ↑ Ethiopia must end crackdown on government critics. Amnesty International, September 16, 2011, accessed December 2, 2013 .
  5. ↑ Eskinder Nega is free! Amnesty International, April 6, 2018, accessed August 21, 2019 .
  6. ↑ Ethiopia frees top journalist Eskinder Nega after 7 years in jail. AfricaNews, February 14, 2018, accessed on August 21, 2019 .
  7. ↑ Top PEN Prize to Honor Eskinder Nega, Jailed Ethiopian Journalist and Blogger. PEN America, April 12, 2012, accessed December 2, 2013 .
  8. ↑ Defending Writers: Eskinder Nega. PEN America, accessed December 2, 2013 .
  9. ^ J. David Goodman: Imprisoned Ethiopian Journalist Is Honored With PEN Award. The New York Times, May 2, 2012, accessed December 2, 2013 .
  10. ↑ Peter James Spielmann: PEN honors jailed Ethiopian journalist. Bloomberg Businessweek, May 2, 2012, accessed December 2, 2013 .
personal data
SURNAME Nega, Eskinder
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Ethiopian journalist
DATE OF BIRTH 1968