Jawar Mohammed ( om, Jawaar Mahammad; born 12 May 1986) is an Ethiopian political analyst and activist. One of the founders of the

Oromia Media Network The Oromia Media Network (OMN) is an Oromo news channel headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.. OMN is established as a non-profit independent media outlet 501(c)(3) organization, licensed under the Federal Communications Commission funded ...

(OMN), Jawar was a leading organizer of the 2014–2016 Oromo protests. He has been credited with toppling the incumbent government in February 2018 and helping

Abiy Ahmed Abiy Ahmed Ali ( om, Abiyi Ahmed Alii; am, አብይ አሕመድ ዐሊ; born 15 August 1976) is an Ethiopian politician who has been the 4th prime minister of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia since 2 April 2018. He won the 2019 ...

to power.

Early life and education

Jawar Mohammed was born on 12 May 1986 in the Dhumuga,

Arsi Province Arsi Province (Amharic: አርሲ) was a Provinces of Ethiopia, province of Ethiopian Empire with its capital at Asella. Historically a part of the Emirate of Harar until its invasion by Menelik and subsequent incorporation into modern Ethiopia. ...

bordering

Hararghe Hararghe ( am, ሐረርጌ ''Harärge''; Harari language, Harari: ሀረርጌይ ''Harärgeyi'', Oromo language, Oromo: Harargee, so, Xararge) was a provinces of Ethiopia, province of eastern Ethiopia with its capital in Harar. History Hararg ...

. His father was

Arsi Oromo Arsi Oromo is an ethnic Oromo branch, inhabiting the Oromia Region, mainly in the Arsi, West Arsi and Bale Zones of Ethiopia, as well as in the Adami Tullu and Jido Kombolcha woreda of East Shewa Zone. They claim to have descended from Sikko ...

, of Muslim faith, while his mother was

Tulama Oromo The Tulama are an Oromo subgroup inhabiting the Shewa Zones of Oromia, Ethiopia, East Shewa Zone, North Shewa Zone (Oromia), Oromia Special Zone Surrounding Addis Ababa). See also * List of Oromo subgroups and clans Fistly,The Native Orom ...

, an Orthodox Christian; the inter-religious union was novel but gained acceptance within the community. Jawar began his formal education at a Catholic school in

Asella Asella ( om, Asallaa, ʾÄsäla, am, አሰላ) is a town in central Ethiopia. Located in the Arsi Zone of the Oromia Region south from Addis Ababa, this town has a latitude and longitude of , with an elevation of 2,430 meters. Asella hosts an ...

. He attended secondary school in

Adama Adama ( Oromo: ' or ', Amharic: አዳማ), formerly Nazreth ( am, ናዝሬት), is a city in the central Oromia Region of Ethiopia. Located in the East Shewa Zone southeast of the capital, Addis Ababa, the city sits between the base of an e ...

until 2003, when he was awarded a scholarship to study at the

United World College of South East Asia The United World College of South East Asia (UWCSEA) is an independent international school in Singapore, and is a member of the United World College (UWC) movement. The school provides a K–12 education consisting of five interlinking element ...

in Singapore, from which he graduated in 2005. He described his experience at the UWC as awakening his consciousness to his own Oromo identity. He graduated from

Stanford University Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...

in 2009 with a degree in political science, and acquired a Master's in human rights from

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

, in 2012. Dandii Jawaar Jawar Street

Legal issues

On 30 June 2020, Jawar along with

Bekele Gerba Bekele Gerba (born 1961) is an Ethiopian politician and activist. He is a member of Oromo Federalist Congress (OFC) which promotes political change by nonviolence. He was imprisoned from 2011 to 2015, 2015–2018 and again on 30 June 2020 foll ...

Eskinder Nega Eskinder Nega ( Ge'ez: እስክንድር ነጋ, born 7 November 1969) is an Ethiopian journalist, blogger and politician who has been jailed at least ten times by the Ethiopian government on convictions for treason and terrorism. Early life ...

and Sintayew Chekol were arrested by government amidst a

riot A riot is a form of civil disorder commonly characterized by a group lashing out in a violent public disturbance against authority, property, or people. Riots typically involve destruction of property, public or private. The property targete ...

sparked after singer

Hachalu Hundessa Hachalu Hundessa ( om, Haacaaluu Hundeessaa Boonsaa; am, ሃጫሉ ሁንዴሳ; 1986 – 29 June 2020) was an Ethiopian singer, songwriter, and civil rights activist. Hachalu played a significant role in the 2014–2016 Oromo protests that l ...

murder. They were charged with terrorism in context of "inciting violence" at the crackdown. On On 5 February 2021, the

Ethiopian Human Rights Commission The Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC) ( am, የኢትዮጵያ ሰብዓዊ መብቶች ኮሚሽን) is a national human rights institution (NHRI) established by the Ethiopian government. The EHRC is charged with promoting human right ...

(EHRC) Chief Commissioner

Daniel Bekele Daniel Bekele (Amharic: ዳንኤል በቀለ; 17 February 1967) is an Ethiopian lawyer and human rights activist. He was detained from November 2005 to March 2008 for his complaints about the procedures of the 2005 Ethiopian general election. ...

said that "very close supervision is required to prevent any grave threat to their health and life and that reasonably justified demands of the prisoners must be addressed" following reports indicating their health condition deterioration and undergoing

hunger strike A hunger strike is a method of non-violent resistance in which participants fast as an act of political protest, or to provoke a feeling of guilt in others, usually with the objective to achieve a specific goal, such as a policy change. Most ...

at prison. On 7 January 2022, the Ethiopian government announced it would release several political prisoners including Jawar, stating it was "to pave the way for a lasting solution to Ethiopia’s problems in a peaceful, non-violent way" through a “national dialogue”.

References

External links

Official Jawar Mohammed Facebook
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mohammed, Jawar 1986 births Living people People from Oromia Region Ethiopian journalists Ethiopian activists Ethiopian politicians Stanford University alumni Columbia University alumni Hunger strikers Ethiopian emigrants to the United States People educated at a United World College Oromo politicians