About Martin Schibbye and Johan Persson
Martin Schibbye, reporter, and Johan Persson, photographer, are two well reputed freelance journalists from Sweden. They are based in Stockholm, but the world is their workplace. Johan has mainly reported from sub-Saharan Africa and the United States before, Martin has focused on Asia. Altogether they have worked in over 20 countries.
Among Schibbye and Persson’s contractors you will find leading newspapers and magazines in Scandinavia, such as Svenska Dagbladet, Aftenposten, Fokus and Dagbladet, as well as publications in Austria, Belgium, France and the UK. Schibbye has also worked for Swedish public service radio. The two are members of the Swedish Union of Journalists and Swedish Photographers Association, respectively.
Schibbye’s and Persson’s journalistic work is characterized by a human outlook. They strive to describe social and environmental issues from the perspective of those being affected – be it pirate fishing in Cameroon, human trafficking in India or land grabbing in Kenya. They often focus on stories a little outside of media attention and let their work take time.
In 2011 Persson won third prize in the prestigious Swedish contest ”Picture of the year” with a photo from California. The same year he was also nominated to the Red Cross journalist prize for a story from South Sudan.
The story
”This August, Africa Oil, a company in the Lundin group, will start drilling for oil in Southern Ethiopia. At the same time as their stock is booming, more and more people from the Ogaden province arrive at the refugee camps in north-eastern Kenya. According to witness reports they have been driven away by the Ethiopian military, which is right now clearing the area for the oil drillings.
According to Human Rights Watch, there is great risk that what happened at the Lundin oil fields in Sudan is about to happen again.
We have decieded to find out if this is true.”
This is the first paragraph of the story outline that Johan Persson and Martin Schibbye presented for some editors before they left for their assignment. Their goal was to get into the disputed and sealed off Ogaden province in Ethiopia, in order to see the area with their own eyes and meet the people whom neither aid workers nor journalists are allowed to talk to. They were arrested on the 30th of June by Ethiopian military in the Ogaden when they were accompanied by members of the guerilla ONLF. Two months later they were sentenced to 11 years in prison for illegal entry and collaboration with terrorists.
438 days later, they are finally home, after an assignment followed by the whole world.
Facts about Ethiopia
Ethiopia is situated on the horn of Africa. Its’ area is two and a half times the size of Sweden. As a result of the Eritrean independence in 1993, the country has no coast. After Nigeria, Ethiopia is Africa’s second most populated country with 84,7 million inhabitants (2011). Its’ capital Addis Abeba, where the kality prison is also located, has 3,3 million inhabitants (2010). In Ethiopia, Sweden is represented by the embassy in Addis Abeba. IN 2010 Ethiopia decided to close its embassy in Stockholm and replace it by a consulate general. The diplomacy is now taken care of by the embassy in London.
The level of education is low in Ethiopia. Only around on ein three inhabitants can read and write. But the education system has expanded noticably during the second centruy and most children attend school for some years at least.
Mass media
The constitution grants freedom of speech and freedom of the press, but in reality the media has been increasingly restricted over the past years. Authorities harass and imprison journalists and block foreign newscasts as well as uncomfortable websites.
Political system
Discontent with corruption and lack of development played a part in the fall of emperor Haile Selassie. He had governed the country since 1930 and was ousted in 1974. A military councel took power and pronounced a socialist state. The political climate hardened gradually. Oppression and hunger made opposition groups take up arms. A union of liberation movements, EPRDF, defeated the military regime in 1991 and made the first attempt in history to institute a democratic system in Ethiopia. The country turned into a federal republic with a multi party system. Twenty years later, Ethiopia was only a democracy on paper. Prime miminster Meles Zenawi was in power, governing what in practice was a one-party state. EPRDF dominates the government as well as a ll formal insitutions, and there are regular violations of human rights.EPRDF won a devastating vicotry in the elections held in 2010. The opposition hardly had any representation. After the death of Meles Zenawi in August 2012, the future looked insecure, as he had been in such a dominant position and lacked a successor.
Ethiopia is major power in the region and plays an active role on the international scene. Its relation to neighbouring countries is in many cases complicated and, in terms of Eritrea, hostile. To the United States, Ethiopia is an important ally in a corner of the world which is struck by political and humanitarian crises.
The economy is based on agriculture, which makes up almost half of the GDP. Ethiopia is the largest coffee producer in Africa. Nowadays, the export of oil-bearing plants is almost as big. China is them ost important partner in trade.
Despite significant growth over the past years, Ethiopia is still one of the poorest countries in the world, dependent on aid. Between the years of 2000 and 2010 the country had the largest growth in the world, with an average of 8,4 percent, and this trend is expected to contuinue. Large investments are being made in infrustructure and energy production. Ethiopia is one of the few countries exporting electricity.
Unemployment is high. Despite great investments in health care and education since the 1990’s, Ethiopia ended up in place 157 out of 160 countries on the UN index of huan development in 2010.
Official name / Ityop'ya/ Federal democratic republic of EthiopiaGovernment / Federal repubic
President / Girma Woldegiorgis
Prime minister / Hailemariam Desalegn (temporarily appointed until 2015)
Voting / around 90 % in the parliamentary elections in 2005, 93 % in 2010
Next election / 2015
Source: Foreign policy institute Sweden and the Swedish foreign department.
Support
There is a long list of groups and people working for the release of Johan and Martin. Friends and colleagues have organised, organisations for press freedom have acknowledged their case, people have donated money, sold magazines, painted pictures. Composed songs and organised festivals. Thanks to the support from local photo associations, Persson’’s photoes have been exhibited across Sweden.
In numbers:
Almost 7000 people bought the Johan&Martin magazine
2000 people, together with media organizations and union groups, have donated 1,7 million SEK
Over x 000 articles about their case
Photo auctions have collected over 100 000 SEK in support of Johan and Martin
According to Committee to Protect Journalists, there were eight imprisoned journalists in another country than their own in 2011. Don’t forget Swedish journalist Dawit Isaak! Swedish bankgiro: 5045-0295
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