Blogger released from Jail

(By Hirut Abay, Ethiopian Politics Contributor)

Wu Hao, a Chinese blogger, who was incarcerated by the authorities in China has been released. For the past five months bloggers from all over the world united to raise awareness of Wo Hao’s case. Finally, in her July 11 blog post, his sister announced to the world his release from prison.

It is widely rumored that the Chinese government’s advice and assistance contributed to the blockage of blogs and websites in Ethiopia. Even though no blogger has so far been arrested in Ethiopia, all political bloggers residing in the country conceal their identity for fear of government retribution. Nathalie Amiot-Margiotta, a french blogger known to many as Addis Ferenji, was commenting on the political situation in Ethiopia when she was forced to leave the country due to intimidations and threats by government agents.