A journalist convicted of hate speech
and beautifying Addis continues undeterred
Hi there,
If you celebrated Easter, I hope you had a good one! I had to substitute holiday food with plain rice because I ended up with food poisoning right before the festivities began. But it looks like I’ve been through the worst of it, thankfully, hence this newsletter.
I have an idea for those of us based in Addis Abeba: I’m thinking of having a casual after-work hang-out for the Sifter community. The venue is still undecided so I’ll keep you posted on that. In the meantime, Addis readers, think about it and if you have ideas, my inbox is always open - just hit reply and let me know.
Now, to the news.
Press freedom: convicted with hate speech
Last week, May 3, marked the 31st World Press Freedom Day. A day earlier, Ethiopian journalist Muhiyadin Mohamed Abdullahi was sentenced to two years in prison for false news and hate speech charges.
In March I wrote an update when Muhiyadin, who is based in Ethiopia’s Somali region, was first charged with these crimes.
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), shared the news of his sentencing, and added that Muhiyadin’s ‘case has been characterized by several due process concerns’.
Here’s an excerpt from CPJ’s statement on that:
Following his arrest by unidentified security personnel, Muhiyadin was detained incommunicado for six days before he was transferred to a local police station, and he did not receive a court hearing until February 20, as CPJ previously documented. Article 19 of Ethiopia’s constitution requires arrested persons to be produced in court within 48 hours of arrest. On March 28, a panel of three judges granted Muhiyadin bail of 30,000 Ethiopian birr (US$523), which the journalist posted. However, the police refused to release him, according to a person with knowledge of the proceedings.
Muhiyadin has appealed the court’s decision.
Ethiopia ranked 141 from 180 countries on the global press freedom index by Reporters Without Borders this year, down from 130 the year before.
The full statement from CPJ, here.
Tigray: timeline for ‘contested’ areas
Over the past couple of weeks, my updates on Tigray have been on the renewed fighting in the region’s southern part. Since this renewed fighting in the towns of Raya and Alamata, more than 50,000 people have been newly displaced.
Last week, the federal government and Tigray’s interim administration said they had reached an agreement on a timeline to settle the issues of the contested territories in the region’s southern and western parts.
I’ve been seeing comments online over the past week, saying that calling these areas contested is not correct as they were (constitutionally) under Tigrayan administration before the war (during which they were taken over by neighboring Amhara forces).
The timeline, set for June and July this year, will also see the return of displaced people from these areas back home, according to a story on Addis Standard.
Here’s an excerpt:
The General said the two sides have agreed on details including who will be disarmed, how will it be conducted, which administrative structures will be disbanded, as well as the details on the process of ensuring the safe and dignified return of the displaced persons to their homes.
I spoke to ethnic Tigrayans displaced from these areas when the war first broke out in November 2020, who told me, ‘they just want the chance to go home and restart their lives.’
Meanwhile, a leader of Fano, the informal Amhara militia occupying these contested areas, has said that they, ‘won't tolerate anyone who would try to impose, force and invade,’ according to a story on Reuters.
The full story on Addis Standard, here and on Reuters, here.
Travel: EU tightens visa for Ethiopians
I wrote an update about the migration crisis last week - in particular, the series of stories that were coming out on the death of Ethiopian migrants. Some of these tragedies took place as they were leaving Ethiopia and some as they were making their way back home.
I also mentioned that the European Union Council had passed a decision to restrict visa provisions for Ethiopia. The Ethiopian government, says the EU, is not cooperative when it comes to repatriating those who have entered Europe illegally.
Last week, details came out on what these visa restrictions mean. For one, this means that the visa processing days will increase from 15 to 45, according to a story on VOA. Additionally, multiple entry visas will not be allowed, and not even diplomats will have their fees waived.
Here’s an excerpt:
The European Commission said the new rules were due to a “lack of response from Ethiopian authorities with regard to readmission requests,” and shortcomings with “the organization of both voluntary and non-voluntary return operations.”
The Ethiopian government, on its part, has responded by saying that the ‘decision fails to take into consideration the painstaking process that takes place to establish the identities of nationals.’
The full story on VOA, here, and the statement by the Ethiopian government, here.
Infrastructure: floods arrive in Addis
How many of you have been following the recent news of floods in Kenya? The floods in Kenya have killed 150 people and displaced 150,000 and Kenyan President William Ruto, ‘faces mounting criticism over his handling of the country’s worst floods in three decades’ says Semafor Africa.
Last week, floods took over Addis Abeba, and four people died in the capital city after heavy rainfall, according to a report from Addis Standard.
Here’s an excerpt of what the prediction is for the coming months:
As the autumn rain season approaches, the commission has issued a warning that an estimated 1.9 million individuals nationwide could be impacted by floods resulting from the seasonal rains. Furthermore, it is anticipated that over one million people may experience temporary displacement from their homes as a consequence.
The floods were not only limited to Addis Abeba. In Central Ethiopia Region, five people have died due to a devastating flood, triggered by, ‘heavy rains, coupled with strong winds.’
The reports from Addis Standard on Addis Abeba, here, and on Central Ethiopia Region, here.
Development: another project to transform Addis
In March, I wrote an update when residents of the town of Piassa in Addis Abeba were told they had days to pack their bags, relocate and make way for a development project cutting through the city.
The historic heart of Addis Abeba is being demolished, reported The Economist in April. The story talked about the history of Piassa, and how over 11,000 people were evicted, ‘with no say in the matter’, including one former resident who spoke about his experience anonymously as, ‘the prowling police brook no criticism of the project’.
Last week, a new corridor project was unveiled by the government, according to a story in The Reporter, and this one will span five sub-cities and cover over 10 kilometers. The story says that the plan is to redevelop and lease the lands and to generate income through this and many other ways including income tax from businesses and residents of the new spaces.
Here’s an excerpt:
Attracting more investments to the city center, creating tens of thousands of permanent and temporary job opportunities, elevating the image of the city, and strengthening the diplomatic role of the city are also mentioned as non-quantified feasibilities and benefits of the project.
This corridor development line, stretching from Piassa to Wollo Sefer, is the second one next to the one stretching from Piassa through Aratkilo to Salitemiret, which is already begun.
Close to 15,000 people will be expected to leave their homes to make this happen.
The full story on The Reporter, here and on The Economist, here.
That’s all for this week. I’ll be back next week with more updates!
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