Reeyot Alemu is an Ethiopian

journalist A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalism ...

who served a 5-year prison sentence following an unfair trial in which anti-terrorism laws were used to silence her writing. She won the

UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize The UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize, created in 1997, honours a person, organization or institution that has made an outstanding contribution to the defence and/or promotion of press freedom anywhere in the world, especially whe ...

in 2013.

Biography

Reeyot Alemu was born in 1980. She was a high school teacher until 2000, when she started working as a columnist for several local newspapers including the independent weekly newspaper ''

Feteh ''Feteh'' is an Ethiopian independent weekly newspaper founded in 2008 by Temesgen Desalegn. The paper is known for its critical coverage of Dr. Abiy's government. Its name translates into English as "Justice". According to the US-based Committ ...

''. In 2010, she founded her own publishing house and became the editor in chief of her own monthly magazine called ''Change'', both of which were closed. Her articles covered social and political affairs as well as poverty and gender issues. In June 2011, she was arrested by Ethiopian authorities on charges of terrorism, for which she was convicted and sentenced to 14 years of imprisonment and a fine of 33,000 birrs (US$1,850). In August 2012, an appeals court subsequently reduced the 14-year prison sentence to 5 years and dropped most of the terrorism charges against her. She was serving a five-year term at

Kaliti Prison Kaliti Prison'' is a maximum security prison in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Commonly referred to as a gulag, it serves as the main prison of the country. It is 11 km south of central Addis Ababa, in Akaky Kaliti, the southernmost subcity of the ...

. Reeyot was released on July 9, 2015 after serving four years.

Awards

In 2012, the

International Women's Media Foundation The International Women's Media Foundation (IWMF), located in Washington, D.C., is an organization working internationally to elevate the status of women in the media. The IWMF has created programs to help women in the media develop practical so ...

(IWMF) bestowed a

Courage in Journalism Award The International Women's Media Foundation (IWMF), located in Washington, D.C., is an organization working internationally to elevate the status of women in the media. The IWMF has created programs to help women in the media develop practical so ...

on her

in absentia is Latin for absence. , a legal term, is Latin for "in the absence" or "while absent". may also refer to: * Award in absentia * Declared death in absentia, or simply, death in absentia, legally declared death without a body * Election in absen ...

for her “refusal to self-censor in a place where that practice is standard, and her unwillingness to apologize for truth-telling, even though contrition could win her freedom.” She has also won Hellman/Hammett press freedom prize. In May 2013, she was awarded the

to honor her exceptional courage, resistance and commitment to freedom of expression.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Reeyot Alemu Living people Human rights abuses in Ethiopia Journalists imprisoned in Ethiopia Amnesty International prisoners of conscience held by Ethiopia Ethiopian journalists Ethiopian women journalists 1980 births Place of birth missing (living people) Ethiopian prisoners and detainees Imprisoned journalists in Ethiopia

Biography

Awards

See also

References