Esat sisay agena biography

Sisay Agena was born on February 17, 1970.
Sisay Agena Released.
Sisay Agena, a prominent journalist known for his principled contributions to a free press and his work with ESAT media, is one of the seven awardees.

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These editors and publishers of Amharic-language newspapers were arrested in a massive crackdown on the private press and opposition that followed antigovernment protests in the capital, Addis Ababa, in November 2005. They were charged in December 2005 along with dozens of opposition leaders with conspiring to overthrow the government. The charges could bring death sentences upon conviction. All of the defendants were denied bail.

The joint trial of these journalists and opposition leaders began in February, with most observers expecting it to last many months or even years. Charges against the journalists included “outrage against the constitution and the constitutional order,” “impairment of the defensive power of the state,” and “attempted genocide.” Nega faces additional charges of “obstruction of the exercise of constitutional powers,” “inciting, organizing and leading armed rebellion against the government,” and “high treason.” He was charged as a leader of the CUD opposition party but has denied the ac

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PEN CENTER USA
Sunday, November 14, 2010

Sisay Agena was born on February 17, 1970. He began his journalism career as a freelance writer in December 1994 and soon become editor-in-chief of the Amharic weekly newspaper, Zagol. After a few months, in September 1995, he became editor-in-chief of etop newspaper, a well known press that, by May 2005, had the highest circulation in Ethiopian print media history with 130,000. In June 1998, Agena also began his privately owned magazine, etop. He ran both the newspaper and the magazine until November 2005, when the turmoil surrounding the election began to affect journalists and their right to free press.

Along with fifteen other journalists, Agena was sent into custody and all papers, other than those affiliated with the government, were banned without an official statement. These journalists were accused of committing genocide, treason and outrage against the constitution. Agena remained imprisoned for one and a half years in Kality Prison, then was sent to solitary confinement near Addis Ababa. PEN Center USA, Amnesty International,

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by Leta T. Bayissa*

The birth of Oromo Democratic Front (ODF), a new Oromo political party, last month has stirred so much controversy among Oromo and Ethiopian blogosphere.

While the announcement received mixed reviews from Oromo nationalists, the reception from Ethiopianist groups has largely been positive. But there were also those who jumped on the opportunity to attack and delegitimize the Oromo struggle.

One of those is the Ethiopian Satellite Television (ESAT). Established in 2010, ESAT markets itself as the first “nonpartisan and independent media outlet” committed to “accurate and balanced news and information” in promotion of “free press, democracy, respect for human rights and the rule of law in Ethiopia.”

However, ESAT’s slanted and divisive coverage of Oromo affairs so far tells a different story, one lacking any shred of journalistic and professional ethics.

The re-articulation of Oromo narrative, often in protest of a forcibly imposed Ethiopia unity, has followed an eccentric path. Historians and writers, of all persuasions, have tried to tell the Orom