Underreported: Suppression of Dissent in Ethiopia

The government of Ethiopia has become notorious for the heavy-handed suppression and punishment of any form of political dissent. On today's Underreported, we look at the state of freedom of expression in Ethiopia, and examine how dissent is suppressed. Leonard talks to the family members of two Ethiopian political prisoners. Meqdes Mesfin is public health practitioner in Boston, and daughter of Mesfin Woldemariam, founder of the Ethiopian Human Rights Council and the most prominent human rights defender in Ethiopia. He has been detained by the Ethiopian government in connection with public demonstrations protesting alleged election fraud in the May 2005 elections in Ethiopia; Amnesty International is advocating for him. Hiwot Nega is the sister of Berhanu Nega, a leading member of the CUD, Ethiopia’s main opposition party.

For more information on human rights in Ethiopia, go to qalitiqalkidan.org and ethiomedia.com.