Court Watch
National Democratic Party, and a woman believed to be a politician’s assistant named Hirut Kifle Woldeyesus. According to the charge sheet, the evidence presented primarily consisted of online articles critical of the government and recorded telephone conversations notably regarding peace- ful protests. Nevertheless, on January 19, 2012, all five individuals were found guilty of conspiring to commit terrorist acts and participating in a ter- rorist organization. Their sentences ranged from 14 years to life imprisonment. Human rights ad- vocates called the convictions unfair and claimed due process had been violated because allega- tions of torture were not investigated and the ac- cused were denied access to legal counsel during pre-trial hearings.
8
Swedish journalists Martin Schibbye and Johan Persson were also tried under Ethiopia’s Anti-Ter- rorism Proclamation of 2009. The two journalists had snuck into Ethiopia via Somalia’s semi-autono- mous Puntland region to investigate allegations of government abuse in the Ogaden region, an area occupied by an armed insurgent group called the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) whom the government had outlawed earlier in 2011. In December 2011, the two Swedish journalists were sentenced to 11 years of imprisonment after being found guilty of rendering support for a ter- rorist organization by providing “a skill, expertise or moral support or gives advice.” The men were also convicted under the Ethiopia’s penal code of entering the country illegally “for the purpose of engaging in subversive activity.” The verdict came after a two-month trial that allegedly lacked any credible evidence against Schibbye or Persson.
Unlike their Ethiopian counterparts however, the Swedish journalists decided to seek clemency instead of filing an appeal. Prime Minister Meles entered talks with senior European diplomats to negotiate their release after news of their convic- tion sparked outrage in Sweden and around the world. All signs seem to indicate that those talks were successful and the Swedish journalists will
be sent back to Sweden soon.
Despite the considerable criticism the Anti-Terror- ism Proclamation of 2009 continues to receive, Prime Minister Meles has been quick to defend the law and he claims that groups who oppose it are merely agents for forces trying to weaken countries that oppose Western ideology.
Meles’ statements may be intended to reflect Ethiopia’s proud history as one of the only African countries to maintain their sovereignty during the colonization period of the 19th century, however, the development of human rights law in the 21st century has imposed obligations on all states to meet international standards for certain rights like freedom of expression and due process. Ethiopia has consistently failed to meet these standards, but with the threat of terrorism still looming in So- malia and other parts of East Africa, the country’s status as an ally against terror may continue to overshadow its other status as a human rights vio- lator. Under these circumstances, consequences for the continued abuse of human rights, if any, may be a long time coming.
* Submitted by James Foster Progress Reported in ICTY
The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) has recently experienced a flurry of activity that has attracted abundant inter- national attention. Among other events, the ICTY has arrested the last two fugitives indicted under its jurisdiction, commenced the trial of former Serbian General Ratko Mladic, and sentenced Jel- ena Rasic, an attorney convicted of contempt for misconduct in the defense of alleged Bosnian war criminals.
Based in The Hague, the ICTY is a United Nations court of law established to administer the trials of mass atrocities and war crimes committed during the conflicts in the Balkans from 1991 to 2001 against members of various ethnic groups in
ILSA Quarterly » volume 20 » issue 4 » May 2012
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