Oromantic’s Weblog

David Kopel and Habtamu Dugo discuss his escape from the Ethiopian Police State. Persecuted for his work as a journalist, Dugo made his way to New York and now tells his story. Tales of beatings, death threats and attempted homicide permeate the landscape of Dugos former life.

Watch the interview here.

The suppression of freedom of expression is stronger on the Oromo population which constitutes the majority of Ethiopia’s population. Despite their large number the Oromo are disallowed of a media platform on which they can express their views. The government run Ethiopian Television and Radio allocates 1 hour of broadcast each day in Afan Oromo. One hours of programming a day is very disproportionate compared to Oromo population, about 40 million out of the country’s 80 million. In that one hour everyday, the content relayed is government propaganda. Particularly, I appeal to the concerned international organisations pay attention Ethiopian government’s systematic silencing of the Oromo as well as the Southern Ethiopia.