Dear Sir/Maddam,
First of all I am Henok Alemayehu. I am ethiopian Journalist, Publisher and editor in chife Amharic weekly Medina news paper and Magzine. (editor-in-chief and publisher of the defunct Amharic weekly Medina)
Dear Sir. Now has left my country and family for Turkey due to fear of persecution. Forced into exile by the barbaric government of Meles Zenawi.
As the case of many others, has suffered from intimidation, harassment, arbitrary detention and torture by the incumbent regime in Ethiopia. Recently, he was arrested for exercising his professional right not to reveal his news source(s). I was jailed after being unable to pay a 4,000 birr (US$500) bail. Is charged with defamation in connection with an article that appeared in Medina in June. According to local sources, the article quoted an opinion piece from the Web site ethiopiancommentator.com, which is run by an Ethiopian in the diaspora, alleging that Prime Minister Meles Zenawi was involved in the May 2001 assassination of Kinfe Gebre-Medhin, Ethiopia’s former security and intelligence chief and a close ally of Zenawi. The article also alleged that Zenawi was insane.
For read more additional In formation Please see these files:-
http://www.ethioforum.org/pg/displayimage.php?album=lastup&cat=-2&pos=11www.pen.org/media/CasepdfJune05.pdf
http://www.worldfreepress.org/content/efjaupdate.asp
http://www.englishpen.org/usr/downloads/Writers%20in%20Prison/Caselist%20Dec%2004.pdf.
http://www.cpj.org/attacks02/africa02/ethiopia.html
www.pen.org/media/CasepdfJune05.pdf
http://news.africast.com/article.php?newsID=22669&strRegionfiltered=East
http://www.ifex.org/fr/content/view/full/14216?PHPSESSID=fc71d727719616b97550338ef50f753e
http://www.cpj.org/attacks01/africa01/ethiopia.html
http://lists.sn.apc.org/pipermail/pol.ethiopia/2001-August/000944.html
Henok Alemayehu Degefu is a 24 year old journalist who has fled Ethiopia to seek asylum in Ankara Turkey. He was Publisher and editor in chief of an Medina Newspaper and Megazine, big circulation, current affairs weekly published in Addis Ababa.
In 2001 - 2005, Henok wrote an article critical of the government's current poltices. His article highlighted that the Defamation and Poltical opnion. He was arrested and imprisoned for Per year 4 times 3 up to many days before being released on bail.
Arbitrary arrest followed by release on high levels of bail is one of the tactics used by the government to intimidate the Medina press into imposing self-censorship. CPJ says, "Alemayhu, publisher and editor of the private Amharic-language weekly Medina, was jailed after being unable to pay a 4,000 birr (US$500) bail. Alemayhu is charged with defamation in connection with an article that appeared in Medina in June. According to local sources, the article quoted an opinion piece from the Web site ethiopiancommentator.com, which is run by an Ethiopian in the diaspora, alleging that Prime Minister Meles Zenawi was involved in the May 2001 assassination of Kinfe Gebre-Medhin, Ethiopia’s former security and intelligence chief and a close ally of Zenawi. The article also alleged that Zenawi was insane."
Along with the frequent harassment, intimidation, police interrogations and threats of torture, other attacks have been made against the media. The private tabloid Asquwal, satenaw, menlik, ethiop and so many office was shut down. The state's monopoly over the press includes ownership and management of most of the media and all of the large printing firms. It uses the state owned press to mark-up the cost of producing newspapers, making the sales prices of private tabloids more expensive and out of reach for the majority of the reading public.
To help this promising young journalist to survive and develop, we humbly ask and beg the UNHCR to give her situation immediate attention. Henok does need much to improve his current position. he is an active fighter for peace, freedom, human rights and democracy. Helping his move the souls of people in Ethiopia, you will be helping journlists in every corner of this world.
MAY GOD BLESS ETHIOPIA.
unhcr office address
Tel: +90 312 441 16 96
Fax: +90 312 441 21 73- 441 17 38
ANKARA TURKEY
You can further help this campaign by sponsoring it
The AN URGENT PETITION TO UNHCR TO HELP Henok Alemayehu petition to UNHCR - TURKEY-ANKARA - MAIL ADDRESS turan@unhcr.org was written by Henock and is in the category Politics at GoPetition.