Andrew Heavens

06/14/06

13:14:31, by urael, 407 words, 813 views

Categories: News

Andrew Heavens

Andrew Heavens is a freelance journalist residing in Ethiopia who beside his work has a web log called Meskelsquare.com. Being a journalist in Ethiopia is no sinecure nowadays. After the crackdown of the local press the content of this blog tended to be more human interest and less reporting about what is going on in politics and human rights issues. Most of his writings is related to his freelance work for Unicef, but also the odd subject like a dog show can be found in this ferenji blog.
Andre Heavens does not consider Meskelsquare.com to be a political blog, and he is not blocked in Ethiopia, which says enough. I mention this blog because in june 2005 he wrote a couple of eyewitness accounts of the police brutality and repeated them last week under the title 'A year ago today'.. He also went to the memorial service held by relatives of the dead, and published a blog about it. Relatives announced that they are considering suing the government for damages, he revealed.

On Ethioreview.com and Ethioforum.org an article appeared about a 52 paged document prepared by the Directorate of the Diaspora of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Read it and shiver. The writer of the article is announcing that he will publish the full document this week on the mentioned websites and on Addisvoice and Debteraw.
Beside the content of this document, it is interesting to know that we have friends at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or even at the Directorate of the Diaspora, that are willing to expose the evil methods of this tyrannical government. It must be awful annoying for the control freaks, while trying to silence the Diaspora, to find out that they can not even silence their own people.

This weekend in Amsterdam a conference took place between Dutch and Ethiopian Journalists. I read that Mulat Kiffle, on trial in absentia accused of treason, attempt of genocide etc, the chairman of the Ethiopian Free Journalist Association, gave his speech handcuffed, to symbolize the present situation of the free press in Ethiopia. Among others fellow Nazret.com blogger Addis Ferenji, in exile now, was honored for her efforts and courage to write about what's really happening in Ethiopia.
The struggle goes on and it is vain hope of the tyrants that they can silence the voices of freedom.

This blog and the website that hosts it are now blocked in Ethiopia

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Comment from: Gennet [Visitor]

Hi Urael,

about Andre Heavens and his blog called Meskelsquare.com. I liked his blog from the beginning and still like it very much.

Andre has never insisted that his subject was/is only politics. On the contrary he was always reporting from the beginning about his 'personal' adventure called 'living in Ethiopia': experience in his life in Ethiopia: - sometimes nice, sometimes funny, sometimes with a kind of bewilderment of what is happening around him. So let him be as he is- it is honest-.

And it is part of his experience and personal decision, if he wants to take part/attend any cermony.

Andrew let me say I like you, especially the article you wrote about 'fitesha' (I love Kapusinski, you knw him?). I like you also very much for the fact, that you don't incite any hatred.

By the way, I would like to use this opportunity to say to Re'oreil (sorry I'm sure I wrote your name wrongly), thank you for always being against bloodshed. You are really a peace minded person.

Just one point Urael, please check the definition in the UN Human Right Conventions, what is defined under the word: 'being in exile, refugee, etc... Go to www.unohchr.org then to the treaty database

All the best

Permalink 2006-06-14 @ 15:47