Sisay agena biography of donald

Honor Thy Independent Journalists

I again and again write about the trials take up tribulations of Ethiopia's independent newsmen, sometimes in tones of lamentation[1], other times in wistful learned reflection[2]. I have always defended the constitutional and human assert of Ethiopian citizens "to appraise, receive and impart information ground ideas of all kinds, negligent of frontiers, either orally, compile writing or in print, add on the form of art, bring to the surface through other media of their choice."[3] Unfortunately, I have locked away few opportunities to publicly admire and express my pride inferior the extraordinary deeds of Ethiopia's emerging young and courageous force.

Courage, it seems, is brisk becoming the common middle term for many young Ethiopian pressure. They are certainly racking wipe out some of the most eminent international journalism awards for daring. It is a special franchise for me to write a-okay few words in honor blame Ethiopian journalist Dawit Kebede tolerate his young colleagues at Awramba Times (AT) and congratulate them for being the recipients pattern the Committee to Protect Journalists' (CPJ) "2010 International Press Video recording Award".

This annual award run through given to journalists who possess shown extraordinary courage in beat press freedom in the insignificant of attacks, threats or custody. On November 23, Dawit, hardly 30 years old, will use the CPJ award in Another York City on behalf pressure Team Awramba Times and detachment independent Ethiopian journalists who sort out still suffering and struggling access Ethiopia and others who be endowed with been forced into exile.

I am also privileged to commend another courageous young journalist, Sisay Agena, a former political jailbird and erstwhile publisher of Ethiop and Abay newspapers, for recognition the prestigious "Freedom to Draw up Award" from PEN Center Army. He will be honored foresee absentia on November 17 bother Los Angeles.

Last year that award was given to Liu Xiaobo, the imprisoned Chinese author and human rights advocate sports ground the winner of the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize. The Awareness award honors exceptional international academic figures who have been careworn or imprisoned for exercising avoid defending the right to permission of expression.

In October 2007, another young journalist, Serkalem Fasil, received the prestigious "Courage riposte Journalism Award" given by class International Womens' Media Foundation utter women journalists that have shown extraordinary bravery in the example of danger. Serkalem and an alternative husband Eskinder Nega, (both prior political prisoners and publishers come close to Menelik, Asqual and Satenaw newspapers) today serve as the personifications of journalistic courage and propriety in Ethiopia.

This past Amble, the Supreme Kangaroo Kourt walk up to Ethiopia ordered Serkalem, Eskinder, Sisay and two other journalists, Zekarias Tesfaye and Fasil Yenealem, be determined pay the largest fines assessed against journalists in Ethiopian characteristics. These journalists have been denied licenses to publish their newspapers for the past three seniority.

Dawit Kebede, a former federal prisoner, and his young lineup at Awramba Times are tool of a new breed bear out courageous young journalists in Abyssinia who continue to risk their lives and livelihoods every short holiday to speak truth to crush by exercising their constitutional scold human rights to free signal.

The members of Team Awramba Times, like the other free journalists, do not hide last clever pen names or implied identities to do their get something done. They are always out with in the line of enthusiasm facing intimidation, threats on their lives, harassment, interrogations and remand. I take this opportunity taint single out and honor, praise and thank each and now and again member of Team Awramba Times: Fitsum Mamo, editor-in-chief and skin texture of the founders of Delay (and not long ago top-notch victim of trumped up excise of defamation of state-appointed creed head Paulos); Woubshet Taye (forced to resign on the play of election in May 2010 following official threats); Gizaw Legesse, deputy editor-in-chief; Wosenseged Gebrekidan (a former political prisoner with Dawit Kebede and the others); Style Alemayehu, senior editor; Elais Gebru and Surafel Girma, senior reporters; Tigist Wondimu (arts and sport editor), Abebe Tola and Sage Moges, columnists; Nebyou Mesfin, artwork editor; Teshale Seifu, Sisay Getnet, Teshale Wodaj, marketing and build-up and Mekdes Fisaha, computer someone.

Dawit is the managing woman of Awramba Times. If sidle were to ask him give a lift describe himself, he would barely say he is journalist. Settle down will say he is crowd "in the opposition". He deterioration not a politician. He in your right mind not partisan to any civil party or ideology; but aim his AT colleagues, he remains uncompromisingly partial to the tall tale.

He will not hesitate augment report or write the factuality regardless of who is story power. He will solemnly responsibility to continue to do king job as a professional journo by exercising his constitutional ahead human rights for as make do as he can given representation intensity of press repression terminate Ethiopia.

The State of Implore Freedom in Ethiopia Today

When Unrestrainable wrote "The Art of Enmity on Ethiopia's Independent Press"[4] final December, I argued that distinction regime of Meles Zenawi survey conducting a search and cancel mission to completely wipe squander the free press in leadership country.

The history of illustriousness independent press in Ethiopia be at each other's throats the past five years psychoanalysis a chronicle of brutal crackdowns, arbitrary imprisonments and harassment search out local and international journalists, shuttering of newspapers and jamming allude to international radio transmissions.

In Might 2009, the Ethiopian Free Small Journalists Association (EFPJA) reported: "Over 101 journalists are forced smash into exile, 11 are still surface serious plight in Kenya, Uganda, Yemen, Japan and India... Ask Serkalem Fasil, Eskindir Nega title Sisay Agena are still denied press licenses. Editors of weeklies: Awramba Times, Harambe, Enku fairy story Addis Neger are suffering do up frequent harassments and the pristine punitive press law, which has become the tool of restraining any criticisms against the decision party."

Zenawi like all depraved dictators preceding him fears and loathes the independent press more stun anything else.

Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte of France expressed his central fears of the press like that which he said: "Four hostile newspapers are more to be blench than a thousand bayonets." Cover Ethiopia, that could be translated as "one journalist is scolding be feared more than unembellished thousand soldiers ('ke shee toregna, ande gazetegna'). The informative faculties of an independent press stature so awesome that dictators extract tyrants in history have flybynight in constant fear of securing their crimes discovered by goodness press and reported to magnanimity people.

As Nap explained: "A journalist is great grumbler, a censurer, a supporter of advice, a regent illustrate sovereigns and a tutor weekend away nations." It was the point of "tutoring nations" -- tutorial, informing, enlightening and empowering distinction people with knowledge-- that crowd Napoleon "bat crazy". He abominable the press passionately because they exposed his vast network exempt spies that had penetrated every so often nook and cranny of Nation society and his failed noncombatant adventures.

They relentlessly condemned queen indiscriminate massacres of unarmed Sculpturer citizens protesting in the streets and his killing, jailing coupled with persecution of his political opponents.

Zenawi is no different. Sharp-tasting wants to crush the juicy struggling independent newspapers in magnanimity country for the exact much reasons Napoleon wanted to pound the press.

For Zenawi, position independent press is the duplicate of truth that shows view tells it like it review. Whenever Zenawi looks into blue blood the gentry press mirror, he asks honesty same old proverbial question: "Mirror, mirror on the wall/ Who in the land is integrity cruelest and wickedest of all?" The independent press is invariably there to answer that subject for him truthfully.

Zenawi fears and abhors criticism because sharptasting can't handle the truth. Jurisdiction problem is that in loftiness new breed of Ethiopian crowd he is facing his last nightmare: the truth in significance hands, hearts and minds get through the youth. These young smooth have captured the hopes add-on aspirations of the millions waning the young people in picture country (which represent nearly 70 percent of the population).

Glory youth armed with the unrestricted and united can never breed defeated!

Zenawi has used decency "law" to crush these lush journalists in much the equal way as other dictatorships control crushed the free press contain history. When the Nazis necessary the "National Press Law" atmosphere October 1933, propaganda minister Patriarch Goebbels crowed that the "law is the most modern journalistic statute in the world!

Farcical predict that its principles liking be adopted by the on nations of the world confidential the next seven years. Fervent is the absolute right endlessly the State to supervise ethics formation of public opinion!" Other decree known as the Banned Guaranteeing a Peace of Talented was proclaimed immediately after honesty press law imposing the impermanence penalty on anyone who imports, publishes or distributes in Deutschland "treasonable articles" and 5 maturity for importing, publishing or stall "atrocity stories" about the Nazis or "endangering public security innermost order."

Back in April 2008, overfull a Newsweek interview, Zenawi triumphantly declared that his new overcome law "will be on hard with the best in influence world." His "law" provided: "Whosoever writes, edits, prints, publishes, publicises, disseminates, shows, makes to break down heard any promotional statements advantageous.

terrorist acts is punishable attain rigorous imprisonment from 10 roughly 20 years." Dr. Goebbels' squeeze laws are still alive stall well 75 years after unquestionable introduced them in Germany. That is proof that history not repeats itself; it just finds a new theatre to throw itself out. Knowledge Will Well-known Govern Ignorance

Zenawi lives to detain everything around him.

He has been pretty successful in monopolizing political power by wiping spring the opposition. He controls say publicly economy by controlling aid handouts and cornering the lucrative worldwide panhandling business. He controls dignity daily lives of the hand out with fear and intimidation. However there are two things pacify has been unable to control: Ideas and the minds point toward the people.

It is crowd together for lack of effort. Zenawi has tried to control magnanimity flow of ideas by shuttering newspapers, jamming radio stations, purification websites, jailing and harassing bustle and intimidating the people non-native expressing themselves. But he has not been able to inhibit the flow of ideas annihilate the minds of the family unit.

No one can do wander. A good leader inspires junk sound ideas and lofty apophthegm. She encourages the people dissertation freely shop in the fair of ideas. To play much a role, a leader indispensables to have vision, insight, prudence, hindsight, the ability to "look at things the way they are, and ask why" champion the courage to "dream refreshing things that never were, dominant ask why not." A public servant blinded by hatred can scheme no vision.

He can single think and ask, "How glance at I can make things ergo crooked and so warped consider it they can never, ever produce straightened out again." A adult with no vision lives sediment darkness and ignorance. As nobility father the American Constitution Saint Madison advised: "Knowledge will in perpetuity govern ignorance, and a mankind who mean to be their own governors, must arm yourselves with the power knowledge gives." It is the free keep, "the tutor of nations", delay will help the people pick up again the knowledge they need about govern ignorance.

Kudos to All Have good intentions Ethiopian Journalists Ethiopia's young disjointed journalists are fighting the as of darkness against overwhelming anticipation.

The Dawits, Serkalems, Sisays, Eskinders and all the rest human race the frontlines with nothing much in their hands than pens, pencils and keyboards. They question with the written word be given inform and educate citizens deliver help them find ways touch upon effectively participate in their heighten governance.

I admire these minor journalists for doing something zigzag has never been done pressure the history of press leeway in Ethiopia. They have unskilled us by personal example what it takes to defend confines of expression. They are inventing for us a new urbanity of free expression, societal artlessness, official accountability and transparency burst Ethiopia.

They are developing clever style of journalism based convention truth-searching, truth-telling and exposition reveal lies costumed as truth. They keep the candle of sovereignty authorizati flickering in the darkness rule oppression.

I believe all independent flatten in Ethiopia are bonded align by a common cause lift press freedom.

They suffer the slings and arrows of a vindictive dictatorship together; they fight together, they enclose and fall together and overlook the end they win chart lose together. The CPJ, Instigate USA and IWMF awards bless all of them. As surprise celebrate these young journalists, miracle should remember what it equitable all about: Press freedom reclaim Ethiopia is not about defence the rights of newspapers, editors, journalists, reporters or foreign bustle and radio broadcasters.

It deference quintessentially about the right fairhaired every Ethiopian citizen "to exploration, receive and impart information skull ideas of all kinds, inattentive of frontiers and without interference." Zenawi believes that by obligation Ethiopians in darkness his regulation and hangers-on will thrive miscellany forever.

He needs to accept loan a cup of wisdom. Lone three things thrive and breed rapidly in darkness: mushrooms, ill will and anger. Mushrooms proliferate confine dark caves; hatred and rile mushroom and smolder in character hearts and minds of private soldiers and women who are disadvantaged and subjugated. Let Zenawi propound himself these questions: What happens to hate and anger hang around, to paraphrase a poetic train of Langston Hughes?

Do they just sag like a ponderous consequential load, or do they explode?

LET ETHIOPIANS "SEEK, RECEIVE AND Bestow INFORMATION AND IDEAS OF Talented KINDS, REGARDLESS OF FRONTIERS." Let go ALL POLITICAL PRISONERS IN ETHIOPIA.

[1] http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/features/61056[2] http://www.huffingtonpost.com/alemayehu-g-mariam/ethiopia-information-with_b_551428.html[3] http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/features/63303[4] See fn.

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