Recently, we wrote about Ethiopian blogger Eskinder Nega, who was sentenced under the country's vague counterterrorism to eighteen years in prison for blogging about government corruption.
Individuals and organizations in the U.S. that wish to offer support for Eskinder Nega and freedom of expression in Ethiopia have several options. They can:
- Sign PEN American Center's petition, which automatically an email to Prime Minister Meles Zenawi and Minister of Justice Berhanu Hailu.
- Send appeals by mail to Ethiopian officials and their local Ethiopian Embassy or Consulate.
- Contact their elected official, urging them to take a stand for freedom of expression in Ethiopia, a US ally.
In the weeks since our post, a number of organizations have come out in support, petitioning the Ethiopian government to free Nega and drop the charges against him. The International Press Institute has submitted a letter signed by prominent journalists from all over the world, while Freedom Now filed a petition with the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention. A group of 32 IFEX member organizations has also sent an appeal for Nega's release.
As Martin Luther King, Jr. once wrote, "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." It is imperative that we speak out against threats to freedom of expression wherever they occur.
