Johan Karl Persson (born March 3, 1982) is a

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

photographer who was convicted by the Ethiopian government to eleven years in prison for what it claimed were terrorist crimes. Persson was sentenced on December 27, 2011, but was later pardoned and released on September 10, 2012.

Career

Persson studied at the School of Photography at Studium in Gothenburg, Sweden. Since he completed his education Persson has worked as a freelance photographer starting with reportage pictures of Skinheads of Beijing that can be seen through Photo Agency Kontinent He has collaborated with journalist Anna Roxvall during many years. Together they have produced highly praised articles about neo-Nazis in the United States and Mexican undocumented immigrants returning home published by

Svenska Dagbladet ''Svenska Dagbladet'' (, "The Swedish Daily News"), abbreviated SvD, is a daily newspaper published in Stockholm, Sweden. History and profile The first issue of ''Svenska Dagbladet'' appeared on 18 December 1884. During the beginning of the ...

(SvD). In addition, they reported on culture and politics in various African countries: refugee camps in the

Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...

, speed trained amateur doctors in

Malawi Malawi (; or aláwi Tumbuka: ''Malaŵi''), officially the Republic of Malawi, is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the west, Tanzania to the north and northeast ...

, sowing seeds for democracy in southern

Sudan Sudan ( or ; ar, السودان, as-Sūdān, officially the Republic of the Sudan ( ar, جمهورية السودان, link=no, Jumhūriyyat as-Sūdān), is a country in Northeast Africa. It shares borders with the Central African Republic t ...

, pirate fishing in

Camaroon Cameroon (; french: Cameroun, ff, Kamerun), officially the Republic of Cameroon (french: République du Cameroun, links=no), is a country in West Africa, west-central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west and north; Chad to the nor ...

and

Botswana Botswana (, ), officially the Republic of Botswana ( tn, Lefatshe la Botswana, label=Setswana, ), is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Botswana is topographically flat, with approximately 70 percent of its territory being the Kalahar ...

Heavy Metal generation.

Arrested for suspicion of terrorist crimes in Ethiopia

It was on July 1 that photographer Johan Persson and reporter

Martin Schibbye Martin Karl Schibbye (; born October 17, 1980) is a Swedish journalist and former editor. After an assignment in the conflict-ridden Ogaden region of Ethiopia he was sentenced to eleven years in prison for terrorist crimes on December 27, 2011, b ...

were arrested by Ethiopian security forces while Persson and Schibbye were crossing the border from Somalia to

Ethiopia Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...

in an attempt to make a report in the closed Ethiopian region of Ogaden. The purpose of the trip was to confirm information they previously received from refugees about human rights violations in Ogaden. On September 7 they were charged with the suspicion of terrorism offenses and for illegally entering the Ogaden region from Somalia. In December, Persson and Schibbye were sentenced to 11 years in jail.

Amnesty International Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says it has more than ten million members and sup ...

demanded on December 21, 2011, to release immediately and unconditionally two Swedish journalists convicted by an Ethiopian court despite their legitimate journalistic work. On September 10, 2012, they were

pardoned A pardon is a government decision to allow a person to be relieved of some or all of the legal consequences resulting from a criminal conviction. A pardon may be granted before or after conviction for the crime, depending on the laws of the ju ...

and released. Persson returned to Sweden on September 14, 2012, and subsequently held a press conference together with

, telling about their time in Ethiopia.

Awards

Persson was nominated for the Swedish

Red Cross The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million Volunteering, volunteers, members and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure re ...

Journalist Prize for 2011. He won third prize for Third prize in International Daily Life singles, Picture of the Year, Neo-Nazis in USA.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Persson, Johan 1982 births Swedish photographers Living people Swedish people imprisoned abroad