NEW YORK CITY, NY – Journalists from around the world have joined acampaign on Change.org asking U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and E.U. High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton to demand the Ethiopian government release two Swedish journalists who are being held there.
Kelsey Crow launched the campaign on Change.org after reading an opinion piece in the New York Times by Nick Kristof that 29-year-old Johan Persson and 31-year-old Martin Schibbye were arrested and imprisoned in Ethiopia while reporting on human rights issues. Crow is asking Clinton and Ashton to use their influence to ask the Ethiopian government to pardon the journalists, and several journalists have echoed her request.
“I was a journalist in Ethiopia and faced similar hardships before I left the country,” said Tedla, a journalist from Norway, upon joining the campaign. “The brutality of Meles and his crack down on journalist has to end.”
“I joined this campaign because I am a journalist,” said Justin, a reporter from the U.S. “I support the work of watchdog reporters who courageously monitor abused power.”
“The growth of Kelsey’s campaign, especially among journalists, has been remarkable,” said Change.org Director of Organizing Amanda Kloer. “Kelsey read an article in the New York Times about an injustice, and she turned her outrage into action. Change.org is all about empowering people like Kelsey to take action on the issues that matter to them, and it’s been incredible to see her campaign grow.”
Live signature totals from Kelsey Crow’s campaign:
http://www.change.org/petitions/clinton-and-ashton-demand-pardon-of-swedish-journalists-in-ethiopia
New York Times article that inspired Kelsey’s petition:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/29/opinion/sunday/kristof-whats-he-got-to-hide.html?_r=1
For more information on Change.org, please visit:
http://www.change.org/about
Change.org is the world’s fastest-growing platform for social change — growing by more than 500,000 new members a month, and empowering millions of people to start, join, and win campaigns for social change in their community, city and country.
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