Thursday, August 7, 2014

Ethiopia and its press The noose tightens



Bloggers and journalists who criticize the government are under the cosh


A RANKING that countries do not aspire to ascend is the one compiled by the Committee to Protect Journalists, a New York-based group. It reckons that Ethiopia is Africa’s second-worst jailer of journalists, ahead only of its ultra-repressive neighbour and bitter enemy, Eritrea. Cementing its lamentable reputation, on August 4th Ethiopia briefly resumed the trial of ten journalists and bloggers, nine of whom it has kept in prison since April; one is being tried in absentia. The court proceedings are to start again in earnest on August 20th.
The ten are accused of several offences, including breaches of the country’s controversial anti-terrorism laws. These include having links to banned opposition groups and trying to cause instability via social media. The government says the journalists and bloggers are connected to two groups that it deems terrorist organisations: the Oromo Liberation Front, a rebel outfit that seeks a better deal for Ethiopia’s largest ethnic group, which predominates in the south; and Ginbot 7, a leading opposition movement formed after widespread protests following Ethiopia’s general election in 2005..read more 

Adoption executive pleads guilty to Ethiopia scam

Washington - A former executive with a US-based international adoption agency which sought to connect American families with Ethiopian children has admitted to fraud, a US justice department statement said on Wednesday........read more.....

Obama Gets "Into" Africa: An Ugly Scramble for Oil, Minerals, and Markets

Unfortunately US policy towards Africa have largely translated into holding the door open for U.S. multinationals to do what outsiders have done for centuries: extract the continent’s wealth.
President Barack Obama speaking at a business forum aimed at increasing investment in Africa, in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania last year. At the Africa Summit in Washington, DC this week, more than 50 heads of state from the continent have gathered to discuss "development" in Africa. Sadly, much of what's being discussed looks more like exploitation and a race by the world's powerful corporations to secure Africa's profitable resources for themselves. (Photo:  Evan Vucci/AP file)
President Obama is definitely “into” Africa. As much as possible in a world riven by multiple crises, the president has made the continent a focus of his policymaking. Turning his own Kenyan heritage into a personal bridge to the region, he has visited Africa three times as president – in 2009, 2011, and 2013. He has touted his administration’s multi-billion initiatives such as Power Africa to bring electricity to millions of homes, a fellowship program for young African leaders, and the continuation of efforts to fight HIV-AIDS and other infectious diseases....read more...

Monday, August 4, 2014

US-Africa: Make Human Rights Central to Summit

,,,, In Ethiopia, the government has systematically closed space for peaceful dissent over the past decade. In 2009 it passed a draconian law regulating nongovernmental activity which bars work on human rights, good governance, conflict resolution, and advocacy for the rights of women, children, and people with disabilities if organizations receive more than 10 percent of their funds from foreign countries. The country's most reputable human rights groups closed or scaled down their operations. The government has also used a 2009 counterterrorism law to arbitrarily detain and prosecute dozens of journalists, protesters, and political opposition leaders. Most recently, in July the police charged three journalists and seven bloggers known as "the Zone 9" collective after they wrote articles calling for reforms and peaceful opposition to government policies........read more....

US-Africa Summit Under Way in Washington

The administration of U.S. President Barack Obama is working to strengthen ties with Africa at a three-day summit in Washington for some 50 African heads of state.
Monday's opening forums touched on a range of issues including security, health, the environment and corruption.
At one panel focused on trade, South African President Jacob Zuma urged the United States to renew the trade agreement, African Growth and Opportunity Act, when it expires next year....read more...

Washington Meeting of African Leaders Opens to Protests

Photo
Secretary of State John Kerry and Joseph Kabila, president of the Democratic Republic of Congo, speaking in Washington on Monday. Credit Alex Wong/Getty Images...read more

Ethiopian protest at Washington DC U.S.-Africa Summit today - video

Op-Ed In Ethiopia, a stranglehold on freedom

When Secretary of State John F. Kerry traveled to Ethiopia last year, he met a young blogger named Natnael Feleke. When he returned a few months ago, Kerry found that Feleke, along with five other bloggers and three journalists, had been arrested — the latest in a long line of journalists the Ethiopian government has detained on the claim that they were trying to incite terrorism. Although Kerry addressed the arrests with officials he met, and President Obama has spoken forcefully on the importance of good governance in Africa, preoccupation with immediate security priorities — in particular counter-terrorism — trumps the fine words......................read more....

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