Journalists: Ethiopia Refining Internet Censorship

JOHANNESBURG July 2, 2012 (AP)

The Committee to Protect Journalists says it appears Ethiopia is extending and refining its censorship of Internet news with a sophistication that could encourage other authoritarian regimes in Africa.

Prime Minister Meles Zenawi’s government has been blocking major news sites and blog hosts since disputed general election results in 2005 led to violent protests. Voice Over Internet Protocol such as Skype also is blocked, forcing people to use the state telephone system.

The Free Press in Ethiopia’s Kangaroo Kourts

By Alemayehu G Mariam:

Over the past six years, I have written numerous columns defending press freedom in Ethiopia. In a 2009 commentary entitled, “The Art of War on Ethiopia’s Independent Press”, I expressed astonishment over the heavy handed treatment of the free press: “Use a sledgehammer to smash a butterfly! That is the exquisite art of war unleashed on Ethiopia’s independent press by the dictatorship of Meles Zenawi today.”

Ethiopian romantic to Obama: Your honor, we will not opinion for you

A Seattle formed Ethiopian activist, Kirubel Bekele responds to President Barack Obama’s concession ask for his re-election campaign.

Barack Obama’s minute

Jun 30, 2012 during 7:20 AM, Barack Obama wrote:

Kirubeal –

Today is one of a many critical fundraising deadlines of this debate so far.

We competence not outraise Mitt Romney.

But we am dynamic to keep a domain tighten adequate that we can win this choosing a right way.

To do that we need your assistance today.

Please present $15 or some-more before tonight’s deadline:

https://donate.barackobama.com/Tonight

The stakes in this choosing are real. Thanks for all your support so far.

Good week.

Barack

Kirubel’s response

Dear President Obama,

Your honor, we like to surprise we that we am not going to opinion for we this entrance choosing deteriorate let alone give we money. we have a really good reason. we have not asked most from you. we never approaching an mercantile spectacle possibly even yet we am one of those sectors of a race who have been strike tough by a mercantile meltdown. we am creatively from Ethiopia and we have been voting approved several times already. This time we am not voting. And that is good. And hopefully, we won’t opinion opposite you.

When we took office, we betrothed your support to a oppressed people of a universe who are underneath persecution . Now after 3 years in power, we are dining and dancing with cruel dictators like Meles Zenawi of Ethiopia. Adding insult to injury, we even invited Meles Zenawi of Ethiopia recently to a G8 Summit in Washington, DC.

Barack Obama

This cruel tyrant of Ethiopia is a conniving, racist, and monster torpedo who uses feign anti-terrorism laws as a victim to destroy democracy and leisure in Ethiopia. He only convicted dual people on anti-terrorism charges. One is a US-educated PEN endowment personality journalist, Eskinder Nega, and a other is, Andualem Arage, who is a personality of a antithesis celebration in Ethiopia.

የነጻ ፕሬስና የዝንጀሮ ፍርድ ቤት በእትዮጵያ

Sunday, July 1, 2012 @ 11:07 PM ed

ከፕሮፌሰር ዓለማየሁ ገብረማርያም ትርጉም ከነጻነት ለሃገሬ

እውነት በሃሰት ዲል ሲመታ!

ላለፉት ስድስት ዓመታት ኢትየጵያ ውስጥ ያለውን የፐሬስ ነጻነት ለማስከበር በሚደረገው ግብግብ ውስጥ የትግሉ ደጋፊ በመሆን በርካታ ጦማሮችን ጽፌያለሁ፡፡ በ2009 ባቀረብኩት ርእስ ስር የሰፈረው፤‹‹በኢትዮጵያ ነጻ ፐሬስ አኳያ ያለው የጦርነት ጥበብ›› የሚል ነበር፡፡ በነጻው ፕሬስ ላይ ይዥጎደጎድ የነበረውን የግፍ ጡጫ በተመለከተ ያደረብኝን መገረም ያመላከተም ነበር፡፡ “አንዲት ቢራቢሮን ለመግደል ትልቅ የድንጋይ መፍለጫ መዶሻ ማንሳት! ይሄ ነው እንግዲህ በነጻው ፕሬስ ላይ በ ግፈኛው ፈላጭ ቆራጭ ገዢ መለስ ዜናዊ አላዋቂ ጦር አዝማችነት አሁን የተሰነዘረው ጥቃት፡፡”