Two Swedish journalists working for the Kontinent news agency, reporter Martin Schibbye and photographer Johan Persson, were arrested on 1 July 2011 while doing a report on human rights violations in the southeastern Ogaden region and were sentenced to 11 years in prison on a charge of terrorist activities. They were released after 450 days in detention thanks to pressure from the international community. In an interview for Reporters Without Borders, Schibbye said: "The mere fact that these demonstrations are taking place is a positive sign in Ethiopia. This shows the growing implication of the youth, namely through social networks, and their refusal to live in a society where journalists and dissidents can be jailed arbitrarily." One of the biggest problems with the anti-terrorism law is its extremely vague definition of what constitutes "terrorist activities." Ethiopia is ranked 137th out of 179 countries in the 2013 Reporters Without Borders press freedom index. Martin Schibbye Maj Wechselmann Jacob Zocherman Sara Assarsson
Posted on: Wed, 02 Oct 2013 10:46:12 +0000
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