Lelise Wodajo, an Oromo Journalist, finally free

August 12, 2013

Lelise Wodajo and two of her three children

Do you remember an Oromo female journalist arrested only for being only Oromo in 2008? Yes, Lelise Wodajo is our heroine. She is finally free and rejoined her family in Australia.
The case of Mrs. Lelise Wodajo, a mother of three dependent children and wife of former ETV journalist Mr. Dhabasa Wakjira was arrested after her husband fled the country to escape further persecutions after three years in prison without trial. She was sentenced for 10 years without parole.
While we are rejoicing Lelise’s freedom, let us remember also thousands and thousands of Oromo languishing in every Tigre prisons around the Empire for similar reason.
Below is background information about Lelise Wodajo:
CPJ: Two Ethiopian state TV journalists under arrest
Amnesty International Appeals for Detained/Tortured Oromo Prisoners

Unforgettable happy moment, Melbourne, Australia, August 2013

Ethiopians ‘seek asylum en masse in South Korea’

The young professionals have been training in three fields: Mechanics, Electricity and Welding. A total of 40 Ethiopians, 10 of whom are women, have decided not to return to a repressive life in Ethiopia.

Aug 13, 2013 (BBC News) — Two-thirds of a group of young professional Ethiopians who went for training in South Korea have stayed to seek asylum, it’s reported.
Forty chose to apply for political asylum on the grounds of “gross human rights violations”, while just 19 returned home, according to London-based Ethiomedia website. The pro-opposition news outlet quotes one of the 40, Sisay Woldegabriel, as complaining of Muslims being “brutalized by police and government forces”. The group is apparently staying at Henan Refugee Camp and Ethiomedia suggests they’ve been welcomed as a result of Ethiopia’s support for Seoul – in the form of thousands of troops - during the Korean War. Three years ago, a 38-year-old Ethiopian became the first refugee to be awarded South Korean citizenship.
–BBC News