Six members of blogging group Zone 9 and three other journalists could could face terrorism charges in one of the world’s deadliest countries for journalists
By Milana Knezevic
โWe blog because we care!โ This is the slogan and rallying cry of Zone 9, a group of young Ethiopians writing about social and political issuesย in their country. For over two months however, blogging has been out of the question for most of them. In late April, six members of the group โ which takes its name from an area of Addisย Ababaโs notorious Kaliti prison, where several journalists are jailed โย were arrestedย and have been detained since.
Befeqadu Hailu, Abel Wabela, Atnaf Berahane, Natnael Feleke, Mahlet Fantahun, Zelalem Kibret โ all between the age of 25 and 32 โ have been accused of โworking with foreign organisationsโ and โreceiving finance to incite public violence through social mediaโ, but have yet to be formally charged. Journalists Edom Kassaye, Tesfalem Weldeyes and Asemamaw Hailegiorgis were also arrested for their alleged links to Zone 9. Tomorrow, several of themย are due in court again.
The story of the case so far, as covered by the blogย Justice Matters, makes for worrying reading. The group were initially taken to Maekelawi detention centre, where according to Human Rights Watch, political prisonersย have been tortured. They have been prevented from communicating with lawyers and family members. Hearings haveย predominantly served to extend the policeโs investigation period. Police have also appeared to move away from accusing them of conspiring with foreign organisations and towards a terrorism charge, under which other journalists have been sentenced.
Zone 9 have been active since May 2012 and this is not the first time the group has attracted the attention of the authorities. According to theirย Facebook page, their mission is toย provide an โalternative independent narration of the socio-political conditions in Ethiopia and thereby foster public discourse that will result in emergence of ideas for the betterment of the Nationโ.ย They have organised online campaigns, includingย #EthiopianDream, encouraging their fellow citizens to share messages โquestion[ing] themselves and discuss[ing] their dream for the countryโ.
Their work has proved unpopular with the government of Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn, who came to power following the death of long-time leader Meles Zenawi in 2012. The countryโs leadership has continuously come under international criticism for itsย abysmal record on free expressionย and other human rights.
The majority of media is state-controlled or sympathetic to the government, with critical news outlets and journalists routinely targeted. Ethiopia is the worldโs third worst jailer of the press, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. The sweeping anti-terrorism legislation put in place in 2009 is often utilised to crack down on oppositional voices. Journalist Eskinder Nega publicly questioned the law and its implementation, only to be convicted toย 18 years in prisonย under it in 2012.
Beyond crackdowns on press freedom, the countryโs Muslim community has been hounded by theย government, opposition protests are regularly banned, and foreign NGOs are not allowed to work on political and human rights issues.
Zone 9 was set up against this backdrop, and the group soon discovered the, too, were seen as a threat. The blog has been blocked and membersย have facedย harassed at the hands of security services. Last September they took what would end upย being a seven-month hiatus from publishing, due to the pressures connected to running the site. The six were arrested only days after announcing that they were to resume blogging.
Despite the fact that internet penetration in Ethiopia currently stands at around 1 per cent, authorities seems very aware of the webโs potential as aย platform for free expression and, in turn, dissent. Paul Brownย of BBC Monitoringย believes the Zone 9 arrests โsuggest that the government is taking online activism seriously โ probably because elections are due next year.โ There have even been reports ofthe government โtrainingโ internetย users to post attacks on those who criticise authoritiesย online and to post messages of support for the regime.
Zone 9 co-founder Endalkachew H/Michael recently spoke to CPJ from New York; he left Ethiopia to study in the US shortly before his colleagues were arrested. He says the government are trying tocontrol the flow of information. โThere is no plurality of voices in government and media. And they want to control that because there is a sort of plurality on the internet. If you go into the Ethiopian social media sphere, you see all kinds of comments about the government and opposition groups,โ he explains.
The government, meanwhile, has denied any wrongdoing, saying the arrests are not connected to journalism but โserious criminal activityโ.
โWe donโt crack down on journalism or freedom of speech. But if someone tries to use his or her profession to engage in criminal activities, then there is a distinction there,โย Getachew Reda, an adviser to the prime ministerย told Reuters.ย
But the story hasย drawn widespread condemnation, from international human rights organisations to news outlets to diplomats, with even US Secretary of State John Kerry calling it a โserious issueโ. The hashtagย #FreeZone9Bloggersย has in the past few weeks accumulated outrage and solidarity from across the world. Endalkachew H/Michael says this attention in important. โI want the public to remain focused on this issue. The government is trying to make the public forget the human rights violations and journalistsโ poor situation in Ethiopia.โ
