Equating Reporting About Terrorism With Support For Terrorism

Ethiopian Court's Conviction of Two Swedish Journalists

Press Statement, Mark C. Toner, Deputy Spokesperson, Office of the Spokesperson

Washington, DC; December 21, 2011

The United States notes with concern an Ethiopian court’s recent conviction of two Swedish journalists on a terrorism-related charge, in which the verdict appears to equate reporting about terrorism with support for terrorism. The court also found the Swedish journalists guilty of entering Ethiopia illegally, which they had not disputed.

We recognize the authority of the judicial process in Ethiopia and respect the Ethiopian Government’s legitimate concerns about terrorism and the need to protect the country’s national security. However, as we have made clear in our ongoing human rights dialogue with the Ethiopian Government, a free press is an important element of democratic society. We will continue to monitor the ongoing trials of journalists on terrorism-related charges, and will continue our dialogue with the Ethiopian Government on press freedoms. [bold color added]

Note to US State Department, governments of Sweden and, esp., of Britain:

We are glad you have come around to seeing the two Swedes are just journalists and NOT terrorists. You have to blame yourselves for this situation because you never said a word when Mr. Meles cut and pasted in public view "terrorism" on anything he did not like. In fact, you seemed to reward him with millions more dollars every time he sent journalists to jail or exile; every time he shut down private papers; every time he and the Chinese jammed Internet and radio broadcasts; when he made fun of the opposition and instated a one-party rule. What Ethiopian journalists wrote about was the soaring prices on basic commodity, the nearly 12 billion dollars of aid money illicitly transferred to foreign banks, Mr. Meles's party business holdings never receiving an independent auditor's glance in 20 years, unaccounted for aid money from the 1980s and more that is being used to coerce voters to favor Mr. Meles's party, activities of Mr. Meles's wife in a racket that spanned from real estate at home and abroad to shady telecommunication equipment deals to child adoption and on and on and on. 

Do you think human rights of Ethiopians are less important to those of the two Swedes? If we are not boring you and you are serious about standing for a principle then we suggest that you try to check mining deals Mr. Meles made with multinationals from your respective countries. Another issue is how you came to think Mr. Meles and his private party are the only group to lead Ethiopia. We thought you were serious about the flourishing of democracy in countries like Ethiopia when in the early 1990s you promoted the idea of democracy-aid. Didn't you notice twenty years of aid to Mr. Meles [over 30 billions] only produced a one-party state - that is, a return to Mengistu's derg, rations and long lines in tow! Do you really know how majority Ethiopians are suffering [excluding Mr. Meles's region] despite "double-digit growth" and "fastest economy" reports! Ed.

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