BEFAQADU (BEFAKADU) HAILU

 

BEFAQADU (BEFAKADU) HAILU (b. 1980)

Befeqadu Hailu is an Ethiopian writer, activist, and blogger. Hailu co-founded Zone 9. This blogging platform allows people to speak against human rights violations in Ethiopia. Hailu first began blogging on his personal blog, The Q Perspective, where he wrote about socio-political issues in Ethiopia. He later became one of the founding members of Zone 9, a collective of bloggers sharing commentary about political repression and social injustice in Ethiopia.

Hailu was charged with terrorism because of his work promoting human rights. Due to his activities as part of the Zone 9 group, Hailu was arrested on April 25, 2014, and charged with terrorism. Specifically, he was charged with violating Article 4 of the 2009 Anti-Terrorism Proclamation as well as various other laws. The government accused Hailu of being a leader of a terrorist enterprise and inciting violence. He

has been imprisoned at four different times but has never received a conviction.

He has received numerous awards, including the International Press Freedom Award in 2015 and the 2019 International writer of Courage at the PEN Pinter Prize Ceremony. Despite the risks, Hailu continues to write and promote human rights.