Jailed Ethiopian female journalist Reeyot Alemu in critical condition

The Horn Times Newsletter 13 April 2013
by Getahune Bekele, South Africa

*spare Reeyot, CPJ pleads with Berhan Hailu

Her predicament touched millions of hearts around the world in 2012 when it was established that she had a malignant tumor in her breast which prompted her lawyer father and others to plead with the late Ethiopian despot Meles Zenawi for clemency on humanitarian grounds.

However, the fiend fuehrer refused to pardon Reeyot, an iconic figure in Ethiopian free media fraternity and she went under the knife, and rushed back to jail in most brutal show of barbarity by the hateful prison authorities.

But against all odds, even after being forced to recuperate in filthy cell, the courageous Reeyot survived.

Held since 2011 on trumped up terrorism charge alongside blogger Eskinder Nega and young politicians Andualem Aragie and Natinael Mekonnen, in the past two weeks there were reports of heated exchanges between Reeyot and the extremely rigid wardens who threatened to put her in solitary confinement for two months.

Then those reports were followed by yesterday’s disturbing news of her illness, appeared on moonofthesouth BlogSpot written by renowned African journalist Issa Sikiti Da Silva.

According to Da Silva who lamented the terrible state of journalism in countries like Djibouti, Somalia and Ethiopia; CPJ, a New York based media watchdog has written an open letter to Ethiopian justice minister Berhan Hailu, pleading with him to spare the already ailing Reeyot and relax her tight prison condition.

“Prison authorities have threatened Reeyot with two months of solitary confinement as punishment for alleged bad behavior toward them and threatening to publicize human rights violations by prison guards, according to sources close to the journalist who spoke to the international women’s media foundation on condition of anonymity. CPJ has independently verified the information. Reeyot has also been denied access to adequate medical treatment after she was diagnosed with a tumor in her breast” CPJ’s letter sent to Birhan Hailu by its executive director Joel Simon reads.

“We would like to draw your attention to 2011 report by Juan E Mendez, the United Nations special rapporture on torture, in which he urged the prohibition of ‘the imposition of solitary confinement as punishment- either as judicially imposed sentence or a disciplinary measure.’ We would also remind you that Ethiopia is a signatory to the United Nations convention against Torture and other cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or punishment and is legally bound to uphold these principles.” The letter which was distributed to diplomats and various human rights institutions says.

Nevertheless, it remains to be seen how warlord Berhan Hailu, a Meles Zenawi loyalist who is well aware of the plight of more than 56,000 political prisoners would respond to CPJ’s plea.