Prison places restrictions on jailed journalist Reeyot Alemu

Reeyot Alemu (IWMF)

Nairobi, September 1, 2013--The decision by authorities at Kality Prison to impose visitor restrictions on imprisoned journalist Reeyot Alemu constitutes harassment and runs counter to the Ethiopian constitution, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

"We call upon the Ethiopian authorities to lift these latest restrictions and allow Reeyot Alemu to receive all visitors," said CPJ East Africa Consultant Tom Rhodes. "She is a journalist, not a criminal, and should not be behind bars."

Reeyot, a critical columnist of the banned private weeklyFeteh, began a hunger strike on Wednesday to protest an order by Kality Prison officials to turn in a list of visitors, according to local journalists andnews reports. The officials did not provide an explanation for the request. In retaliation for the hunger strike, authorities forbade her from having any visitors excluding her parents and priest, local journalists said.

Snowden in 2013 Sakharov prize nominees

The prize is for individuals who defend human rights and freedom of expression

by

Karafillis Giannoulis

17/09/2013 - 10:34am

The European Parliament (EP) announced the Edward Snowden will be one of the 2013 Sakharov prize nominees.

On 16 September, EP published the 2013 Sakharov prize nominees list. Besides Snowden, the nominees are: Malala Yousafzai (Pakistan), Reeyot Alemu and Eskinder Nega (Ethiopia), Ales Bialatski, Eduard Lobau and Mykola Statkevich (Belarus), Mikhail Khodorkovsky (Russia), the “Standing Man” protesters (Turkey), and the CNN Freedom Project: Ending Modern - Day Slavery (USA).

Anuak Justice Council (AJC)

Press Release

Reports Emerge of TPLF/ERPDF Efforts to Suppress Testimony in World Bank’s Investigation Regarding the Misuse of WB Funds in the Forced Displacement of Anuak and Related Land Grabs in Ethiopia’s Gambella Region

Press Release (Vancouver, BC, Canada)— The Anuak Justice Council (AJC) has received disturbing reports from on-the-ground sources in refugee camps in the Republic of South Sudan and Kenya as well as from sources in Gambella, Ethiopia that the TPLF/EPRDF Government of Ethiopia is carrying out a high-priority campaign to suppress the truthful testimony of witnesses in a World Bank (WB)investigation regarding the alleged misuse of World Bank funds by their administration.

Ethiopia “Facing challenges across all pillars”

September 5, 2013

by Keffyalew Gebremedhin – The Ethiopia Observatory

Poor performance in global competitiveness ranking

Ethiopia has never been stalwart performer in international competitiveness. The poor state of its institutions, the lack of accountability, poor human and infrastructural development, quality and supply of goods and services, undeveloped goods and financial markets, and the unfavorable macroeconomic environment, especially as pertains to state-private sector relations, have contributed to this present state of affairs.

Consequently, the Global Competitiveness Report for 2013/2014 has passed harsh verdict against Ethiopia’s record of competitiveness. This is shown by its global ranking, which has slipped down to 127th.