ETHIOPIA jails two swedish for TERROR ? > http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2011/12/2011122773234453851.html
Scala Richter
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2011/12/2011122773234453851.html
'Political sentence'
The Swedish Union of Journalists (SJF) condemned the sentence as
politically motivated and called on Sweden's government to intervene.
"It is obvious that this is a political sentence," SJF president Jonas
Nordling said in a statement.
"Now the Swedish government has the heavy responsibility of resolving
this at the political level ... The government must show that Sweden
is doing everything possible to support and defend freedom of the
press."
The Ethiopian government has blacklisted the ONLF as a terrorist
group, and recently adopted legislation outlawing promotion of the
group's activities.
Ogaden area is off limits to foreigners and the duo entered Ethiopia
from Somalia without visas. They admitted contact with ONLF but
rejected accusations that they received weapons training.
The journalists' lawyer said his clients were weighing the option of
an appeal, but that for now there was no talk of pleading for
clemency.
"We are only talking about the possibility of appealing for the time
being, which follows judicial procedure," Sileshi Ketsela, the defence
lawyer, told the Reuters news agency.
Swedish authorities have maintained that the two were in the country
on a journalistic mission.
'Political sentence'
The Swedish Union of Journalists (SJF) condemned the sentence as
politically motivated and called on Sweden's government to intervene.
"It is obvious that this is a political sentence," SJF president Jonas
Nordling said in a statement.
"Now the Swedish government has the heavy responsibility of resolving
this at the political level ... The government must show that Sweden
is doing everything possible to support and defend freedom of the
press."
The Ethiopian government has blacklisted the ONLF as a terrorist
group, and recently adopted legislation outlawing promotion of the
group's activities.
Ogaden area is off limits to foreigners and the duo entered Ethiopia
from Somalia without visas. They admitted contact with ONLF but
rejected accusations that they received weapons training.
The journalists' lawyer said his clients were weighing the option of
an appeal, but that for now there was no talk of pleading for
clemency.
"We are only talking about the possibility of appealing for the time
being, which follows judicial procedure," Sileshi Ketsela, the defence
lawyer, told the Reuters news agency.
Swedish authorities have maintained that the two were in the country
on a journalistic mission.
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We will show them within themselves and on the horizons, that it is the truth.