Ethiopia: Swedish journalists sentenced to 11 years in prison

English PEN condemns the draconian punishment handed down to Swedish journalists Johan Persson and Martin Schibbye by an Ethiopian judge on 26 December 2011. The two journalists were found guilty of entering the country illegally and ‘supporting terrorism’ and have been sentenced to 11 years in prison. Please join us in calling for their immediate release – more details below.

The reporters were arrested on 1 July 2011 in Ethiopia’s Ogaden region, following a battle between Ethiopian forces and the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF). The ONLF is regarded by Ethiopia as a terrorist organisation and Persson and Schibbye were charged under anti-terrorism legislation. The journalists had entered the country illegally on an assignment and were investigating allegations of human rights violations linked to the activities of the Swedish oil company Lundin Oil. Both denied any involvement in terrorism.

There are serious concerns about the fairness of the trial, which saw both political interference by the Prime Minister, and the use of fabricated evidence in court.

For a full account of the case, please click here.

TAKE ACTION

Please send appeals: (NB A sample letter follows)

- Calling for the immediate and unconditional release of the journalists Martin Schibbye and Johan Persson;
- Expressing concern that the journalists have been arrested purely in relation to their journalistic activity, in violation of the right to freedom of expression protected under international human rights treaties to which Ethiopia is a party, including the United Nations International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights;
- Protesting the unfair trial in which political interference and fabricated evidence were prominent.

Appeals to:

Minister of Justice Berhanu Hailu
Ministry of Justice
P.O. Box 1370
Addis Ababa
Ethiopia
Fax: 251 11 551 7775/ 7755
Email: justice@telecom.net.et, ministry-justice@telecom.net.et
Salutation: Dear Minister

Please also send a copy of your letter to the Ethiopian Embassy in London:

His Excellency Mr. Ato Berhanu
Embassy of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia
17 Princes Gate,
London
SW7 1PZ
Fax: 020 7584 7054
Email: ambassador@ethioembassy.org.uk

SAMPLE LETTER:

[Please do write a more personal letter if you have time - the following is just an example]

Minister of Justice Berhanu Hailu
Ministry of Justice
P.O. Box 1370
Addis Ababa
Ethiopia

Fax: 251 11 551 7775/ 7755
Email: justice@telecom.net.et; ministry-justice@telecom.net.et

[DATE]

Dear Minister,

I am writing to you as a member of English PEN, the founding centre of the international association of writers, to condemn the draconian punishment handed down to two Swedish journalists, Johan Persson and Martin Schibbye, on 26 December 2011.

According to PEN’s information, Johan Persson and Martin Schibbye were arrested on 1 July 2011 in Ethiopia’s Ogaden region, following a battle between Ethiopian forces and the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF). The pair had reportedly entered Ethiopia from Somalia without visas in order to investigate allegations of human rights violations linked to the activities of the Swedish oil company Lundin Oil. They have since been found guilty of entering the country illegally and ‘supporting terrorism’ and on 26 December 2011 were sentenced to 11 years in prison.

There is widespread concern about the fairness of the trial, which saw political interference in the proceedings in October 2011 when the Ethiopian Prime Minister, Meles Zenawi, publicly accused the men of being accomplices to terrorism. Furthermore, there are concerns about the use of fabricated evidence: during a court session in November 2011, the prosecutor presented what he later admitted was doctored video footage of Schibbye and Persson apparently playing with ONLF rifles. The journalists maintain that the guns belonged to a security guard at a hotel in Somalia and deny any involvement in terrorism.

I share PEN’s concerns that Persson and Schibbye have been arrested purely in relation to their journalistic activity, in violation of the right to freedom of expression protected under international human rights treaties to which Ethiopia is a party, including the United Nations International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights. As such, I am calling for their immediate and unconditional release.

I would welcome your comments on my appeal

Yours sincerely,

[NAME, ADDRESS]

Please also send copies of your appeal letter to the Ethiopian Embassy here in London:

His Excellency Mr. Ato Berhanu
Embassy of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia
17 Princes Gate,
London
SW7 1PZ
Fax: 020 7584 7054
Email: ambassador@ethioembassy.org.uk