Freedom House calls Ethiopian court to overturn the charges against bloggers

Ethiopia Extends Trial of ‘Zone Nine’ Bloggers and Journalists

In response to the brief re-convening of the trial of seven bloggers and three journalists in Addis Ababa on October 15, Freedom House issued the following statement:

“The terrorism charges against the journalists and bloggers are unfounded and the defendants are on trial for simply exercising their constitutionally recognized right to freedom of expression” said Vukasin Petrovic, director of Africa program at Freedom House. “We reiterate our call for the court to overturn the charges and release the bloggers and journalists, rather than repeatedly rescheduling the proceedings, now set to reconvene November 4.

“If the court does not act, then Ethiopia’s donor governments and institutions should press the government to drop the charges and end its attempts to stop legitimate dissent as the country prepares for elections in May.”