Habtamu Dugo - Persecuted Journalist from Ethiopia - Speaks Out

Habtamu Dugo - Persecuted Journalist from Ethiopia - Speaks Out
Independence Institute - May 11, 2008

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A persecuted reporter and academic, Mr. Dugo shares his experiences exposing human rights abuses in Ethiopia, restrictions on freedom of the press and what happens when a journalist dares to defy the brutal Ethiopian government.

Mr. Dugo's articles have appeared on about 10 opposition websites, mostly operated from the Diaspora in North America and Europe. Examples of these are online portals such as the Sudan Tribune, Gadaa, and on his own blog Free Oromia.

In addition, Habtamu talked about the deliberate deforestation of rare forests in the State of Oromia by the Woyane regime in order to clear rebel hideouts; some of these arsons dated back to 2002 when Woyane set ablaze the natural forests of Bale (a case of environmental genocide of Oromo's homeland.) Habtamu also pointed out the mushrooming illegal flower plantations as the main reasons for the high deforestation rate in Oromia. Finally, he stressed that the Woyane regime's lack of environmental policies was the reason behind the recurrent droughts in Ethiopia and was a threat to world's commitment to go green. Listen to this interview with Habtamu Dugo (Audio MP3).

For those who would like to contact an Ethiopian Embassy in their country and tell the government to stop the environmental assault in Oromia & other States of Ethiopia - click here to get the list of Embassy addresses.