26 Nov. 2015
Witness hearing of the defendants on the file of Zelalem Workagegenhu, Co-Blogger of the Diaspora based De Birhan blog and his two friends Yonatan Wolde and Bahiru Degu has entered its fourth day today.
At the Lideta court, Zelalem’s own mother and his three friends as well as Habtamu Ayalew, an opposition politician, appeared before the court as defense witnesses of Zelalem.
Zelalem argued that he is charged of contacting alleged Ginbot 7 leaders, Tedla Desta and Argaw Ashine, when none of them have ever been sentenced for crime or known as leaders of Ginbot 7.
Zelalem also said in Court today that during investigation he addressed the individuals as “journalists” but the detectives wrote down “official of the terrorist organisation”.
His mother and one of his friends said to the court that they know Tedla Desta (this writer) has been Zelalem’s friend since young age and although the prosecutor said Zelalem received money from Ginbot 7, it was Tedla, who sent it to him to cover his educational costs.
Habtamu Ayalew, one of the 10 people charged under Zelalem’s file, defended Yonatan saying that one of the individuals who testified against Yonatan, Eyob had told him in Me’akelawi prison that he had agreed to testify against Eyob because “he has a child. Because his wife does not have a job and due to the leg pain he endured in prison.”
Zelalem defending his friend Yonatan said that the accusation that he had a cell under him was false and he met Yonatan once or twice in a year.
Zelalem also argued that the way in which his Facebook conversations with Yonatan and other people was translated was out of context and manipulative.
Zelalem also said he has been charged of contacting the official of Ginbot 7, Tedla Desta in 2007 but he said ” there was no political party or movement known as Ginbot 7 in 2007 or the Anti Terror Proclamation was not enacted.”
Zelalem also read his nine page defense statement. In his statement, Zelalem started by stating that the charges were politically motivated, the Anti-Terror Proclamation of 2009 is stifling the nonviolent struggle, and the inhumanity and the barbaric ways prisoners are held in the Central Prison and the unethical and illegal ways confessions are taken of detainees.
Zelalem said he personally believes in nonviolent struggle rather than weighing of muscles. He said “a person I taught the ABCs of nonviolent struggle, Eyob, testified against me saying I did recruit him to be a member of Ginbot 7 and this is really sad.”
Zelalem said he was arrested for 41 days in an extremely cold room also known as Siberia in the Central (Me’akelawi Prison), Addis Abeba. He did not meet any member of his family for one month. He also said never did the investigators take his statements in the day time but always after 10 pm.
Zelalem also said that a man who was arrested for money transfer crimes was made to confess against him and later released.
Looking at some of the investigators who tortured him in prison, Zelalem said ” those who did beat and abuse me every night in Meakelawi/Central Prisons are also humiliated. They look fine physically but they have no peace. They will also be free when we are free. They are also repressed.”
He said investigators that came from the Security Office have beaten him in a manner that could “disrupt his nervous system during the investigations.”
Zelalem told the Court that he never heard about Ginbot 7 committing a terror and internationally, it is not labeled a terrorist organisation but it is being used as a pretext to sue people like him, who criticize the system.
He also said all his email, facebook and twitter passwords were taken off him by force and the investigators were unable to find anything that links him to Ginbot 7 thus he wondered about the bases of the charges.
In general, in his defense statement, Zelalem criticized the Anti Terror Proclamation, how it is being used to stifle the opposition and journalists. He said his charges took today’s shape after he was ordered to say his ethnic origin to the investigators in Me’akewlawi and that the Communication, Social Media and Leadership training, he was going to attend with his friends outside Ethiopia was re-framed differently in the charge.
The remaining defense witnesses of Zelalem such as journalist Eskinder Nega, Yeshiwas Assfea are expected to appear before court tomorrow. Andargachew Tsige has also been named as one of the defense witnesses. Although the Court had asked the prison administration to summon the defense witnesses, the administration failed to do so, thus the Court have it a last warning to bring them for tomorrow.
The hearing continues.
Zelalem Workagenehu was initially charged in October 2014 with being the local leader of Ginbot 7, conspiring violent revolution with his friends, writing and sending reports that appeared on Diaspora based websites such as this article he wrote in 2011 using his pen name, receiving money from abroad to recruit members for Ginbot 7, and facilitating a training course with his friends.
However, the court dropped most of the charges and now he is defending two charges which are receiving money (10, 000birr) from abroad to recruit members and facilitating the social media training.
tweet