In
April 2014 BBC Trending covered
the arrest of six bloggers and three journalists in Ethiopia. The
bloggers are part of a group known as Zone 9, and are well known for
campaigning around censorship and human rights issues in Ethiopia.
Ten months on from their arrest, the hashtag #FreeZone9Bloggers
continues to be used in the country as the trials continue.
That's
not typical - campaigning hashtags often tail off over time. This one
is being kept alive by activists both inside and out of Ethiopia who
are challenging the government's decision. The total number of tweets
is still only in the tens of thousands, but that is enough to be
noticed on the global map (Twitter does not produce an official
trending topics list for Ethiopia).
Why
are they so focussed on social media? It certainly isn't the best way
to reach the Ethiopian people: the internet is estimated to reach
just over 1% of the population there. But it does allow them to
network with the global blogging fraternity and the international
media. Recently a blog began in support of the nine prisoners, and to
report on the hearings. A
campaign video has also been released in which complaints are raised
over the conditions of Kalinto prison and Kality prison, where the
bloggers are being held.
These
complaints include torture, unlawful interrogation tactics and poor
living conditions. The Ethiopian Embassy in London told BBC Trending
that allegations of torture and unlawful interrogation tactics are
unfounded, and that they have taken a series of measures "in
collaboration with stakeholders, including civil society, to improve
the conditions of prisons". They say the nine individuals are
charged with "undermining the constitutional order, inciting
violence and advocating the use of force to overthrow the legitimate
government." They are also accused of working with an
organisation proscribed by the Ethiopian Parliament as a terrorist
organisation. However, activists in support of the group maintain
that Zone 9's actions were constitutional.
Blog
by India Rakusen
Source: BBC
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