An Ethiopian court on Tuesday sentenced two Swedish journalists to 11 years in jail for supporting terrorism and entering the country illegally. “The sentence should be punishment of 11 years imprisonment,” Judge Shemsu Sirgaga told the court in the Amharic language through a translator. “This sentence should satisfy the goal of peace and security,” he added. Reporter Martin Schibbye and photographer Johan Persson were arrested in Ethiopia’s Ogaden region on July 1 in the company of rebels from the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) after entering Ethiopia from Somalia.
The conviction attracted a barrage of criticism from rights groups and Sweden. Both journalists admitted contact with the ONLF and to entering Ethiopia illegally, but rejected terrorism charges including accusations they had received weapons training. Following their conviction, Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt said Schibbye and Persson were innocent and should be set free.
Swedish journalists jailed for 11 years in Ethiopia
