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1 | Inside the Trial of Zone9 Bloggers: 16 Months and Counting | 16 Volana Aty Aoriana, Mbola Tsy Vita Ny Fitsaràna Ireo Mpitoraka Bilaogy Zone9 |
2 | Police lead Natnael Feleke (center right) and fellow blogger Atnaf Berahane (center left) to court. | Mitondra an'i Natnael ( afovoany havanana) sy ny mpitoraka bilaogy namany Atnaf Berahane ( afovoany havia) ho any amin'ny Fitsarana ny mpitandro filaminana. |
3 | Photo courtesy of Trial Tracker Blog. | Sary avy amin'ny bilaogy Trial Tracker (Fanarahana Fitsaràna). |
4 | Since they were first arrested and jailed on April 25, 2014, Ethiopia's Zone9 bloggers have seen many twists and turns in their case. | Hatramin'ny nisamborana azy ireo voalohany sy ny namonjàna azy ireo tamin'ny 25 Aprily 2014 dia maro ireo fivoarana sy fiovàna natrehan'ireo mpitoraka bilaogin'ny Zone9 ao Etiopia momba ny raharaha mahakasika azy ireo. |
5 | All told, they have appeared before the court over 30 times in 16 months, and been adjourned each time. | Amin'izany rehetra izany, in-30 mahery izy ireo no niseho teo anatrehan'ny fitsaràna tao anatin'ny 16 volana ary nahemotra isaky ny mihetsika izany. |
6 | But with the release of five of the detainees in July, the case has reached a critical juncture. | Saingy miaraka amin'ny famotsorana ireo dimy voafonja, tamin'ny volana Jolay, dia tonga amin'ny sehatra saropady ny raharaha. |
7 | Five Ethiopian writers (four in prison and one in absentia) remained on trial for terror-related crimes that the Ethiopian government claims were committed beginning in May 2012. | Etopiana dimy mpanoratra ( ny efatra any am-ponja ary ny iray tsy nanatrika) no mbola tsaraina noho ny fanenjehana azy ireo aminà heloka bevava mifandraika aminà fampihorohoroana izay lazain'ny governemanta fa notanterahana tamin'ny fiandohan'ny volana May 2012. |
8 | Endalk Chala, a founding member of the Zone9 blogging collective and Global Voices contributor, walks us through the latest developments in the Zone9 bloggers' trial before the next court session on Monday, September 7. | Mitarika antsika amin'ny alàlan'ny fivoaran'ny toe-draharaha farany momba ny fitsaràna ireo mpitoraka bilaogin'ny Zone9 mialoha ny fotoam-pitsaràna manaraka amin'ny Alatsinainy 7 Septambra i Endalk Chala, mpikambana iray mpamorona ny fitorahana bilaogy iombonana Zone9 sady mpiara-miasa amin'ny Global Voices. |
9 | How did it begin? | Ahoana no nanombohany ? |
10 | When the bloggers were first arrested on April 25, 2014, they were not allowed to be visited by family members or to have a legal counsel for about three weeks. | Tsy azon'ny fianakaviana vangiana na omena torohevitra momba ny lalàna nandritra ny telo herinandro ireo mpitoraka bilaogy ireo rehefa voasambotra tamin'ny 25 Aprily 2014. |
11 | The never-ending trial of the bloggers started to unfold only four weeks after their arrest. | Efatra herinandro monja taorian'ny nisamborana azy ireo dia nanomboka ny fitsarana tsy manam-pahataperana ireo mpitoraka bilaogy ireo. |
12 | However, during those four weeks friends and families of the bloggers reported seeing the bloggers' Gmail accounts as logged in. | Na izany aza, nandritra izay efatra herinandro izay, lazain'ireo namana sy fianakavian'ireo mpitoraka bilaogy fa mahita ny kaonty Gmail-n'izy ireo misokatra ry zareo. |
13 | The active green dots of their Gmail accounts alarmed the loved ones of the bloggers, and many suspected that the bloggers had been tortured to disclose the passwords of their Gmail accounts during the prolonged pre-trial investigation phase that took a little over three months overall. | Ilay teboka maitso manambara ny fisokafan'ny kaonty Gmail no nanaitra ny olona akaiky ireo mpitoraka bilaogy, ary maro no nitaintaina fa nampijaliana izy ireo mba hanomezany ny tenimiafin'ny kaonty Gmail-ny nandritra ny fotoana naharitra nanaovana ny famotorana mialoha ny handefasana azy any amin'ny fitsarana, efa telo volana mahery raha atambatra. |
14 | Timeline of the trial | Ireo fotoam-pitsarana araka ny daty |
15 | The arrest and the conditions in which the bloggers were held in prison made the May 17th trial important because it presented an opportunity to check if the bloggers were unharmed. | Ny fisamborana sy ireo fepetra izay nitazonana ireo mpitoraka bilaogy tany am-ponja no naha-zava-dehibe ny fitsarana tamin'ny faha-17 May satria fotoana nahitana raha toa ka tsy naninona ireo mpitoraka bilaogy. |
16 | Before May 17, it was reported that the bloggers were brought to the court covertly, but no one was able to attend that trial to confirm. | Voalaza fa nentina antsokosoko notsaraina ireo mpitoraka bilaogy talohan'ny 17 May, saingy tsy nisy afaka nanatrika mba hanamarina izany fitsarana izany. |
17 | No one was able to see them until their May 17th trial appearance. | Tsy nisy afaka nahita azy ireo mandra-pisehony teo amin'ny fitsarana ny faha-17 May. |
18 | Friends and families had to wait anxiously for hours in the compound of the dilapidated Arada court where the trial started, before the government decided to move it to its current venue, Lideta High Court. | Tsy maintsy niandry tamim-pitaintainana nandritra ny ora maro ireo namana sy ny fianakaviana tao anatin'ny fitsaràn'i Arada efa rava, toerana nanombohana ny fitsaràna talohan'ny nanapahan'ny fitondrana hevitra ny hamindràna izany any amin'ny toerana misy azy ankehitriny, ny Fitsaràna Avon'i Lideta. |
19 | When the bloggers were brought to the court people had to squeeze past each other to take a picture of them while they were escorted to the court room. | Nifandrombahana ny naka sary ireo mpitoraka bilaogy ireo nandritra ny fanaterana azy ireo tany amin'ny efitra fitsarana rehefa nentina ho tsaraina izy ireo. |
20 | There were a lot of security guards surrounding the bloggers and the environment was quite tense. | Maro be ireo mpiambina nanodidina ireo mpitoraka bilaogy ary tena hendratrendratra ny tontolo. |
21 | Despite journalists and friends of the bloggers facing immense pressure from the security personnel, they live-tweeted and posted pictures of the bloggers' trial. | Na dia teo aza ny famoretana mafy nataon'ny mpiandry manokana tamin'ireo mpanao gazety sy ny namana, dia nibitsika mivantana sy nandefa ny sarin'ny fitsarana ireo mpitoraka bilaogy ihany izy ireo. |
22 | Concealing his phone, one of the people in attendance tweeted what the police officer said to him when he tried to take a picture of the bloggers on their way to the court: “Pointing his index finger towards the ground the police officer yelled at me; you cannot take a picture of even this ground let alone the bloggers.” | Nanafina ny findainy, nibitsika ny tenin'ny mpitandro filaminana taminy ity olona iray nanatrika rehefa niezaka ny haka sary ireo mpitoraka bilaogy tamin'ny làlany ho any amin'ny fitsarana : “Nanondro ny tany tamin'ny fanondrony ny mpitandro ny filaminana no nivazavaza tamiko ; tsy afaka maka sary na dia ity tany ity aza ianareo na dia ireo mpitoraka bilaogy aza.” |
23 | Ever since, this kind of police behavior has become a trend; in most of the trials police offers would ask those in attendance to switch off their mobile phones whenever they were in the court compound. | Nanomboka tamin'izay, lasa fironana izany fitondrantenan'ireo mpitandro filaminana izany; amin'ny ankamaroan'ny raharaham-pitsarana, asain'ny mpitandro filaminana vonoin'ireo mpanatrika ny findainy rehefa ao anatin'ny fitsarana izy ireo. |
24 | This now looks to be the standard procedure in the Ethiopian court environment. | Tahaka izany ny fomba fandaminana amin'ny tontolon'ny fitsaràna Etiopiana amin'izao fotoana izao. |
25 | Cameras or any recording devices are not permitted in the court rooms, even though Ethiopian law affirms all trials to be public. | Tsy azo itondràna ‘camera' na fitaovana fandraisam-peo ao amin'ny efitra fitsaràna na dia hamafisin'ny lalàna etiopiana aza fa ampahibemaso ny fitsarana rehetra. |
26 | Throughout the 16-month-long trial, it was not uncommon to see long lines of people waiting outside the doors of Lideta High Court to attend the trial of the bloggers, but entering the court room has always been a challenge. | Nandritra izay fitsarana lavareny 16 volana izay, fotoana vitsy foana no tsy ahitana olona milahatra lava be miandry eo ivelan'ny varavaran'ny Fitsarana Avon'i Lideta mba hanatrika ny fitsarana ireo mpitoraka bilaogy, saingy ady mandrakariva ny fidirana ao amin'ny efitra fitsarana. |
27 | From security people to court ushers, most of the court employees have been deterrent and hostile, while the manners of the police officers towards people who wanted to attend the trial of the bloggers have always been rough. | Manomboka any amin'ireo mpisahana ny fiarovana ka hatramin'ireo mpiasa mpikirakira ny lalàna, ny ankamaroan'ireo mpiasa ao amin'ny fitsaràna no mahasorena sy mahakivy. Ireo mpitandro filaminana kosa mandritra izany fotoana izany dia manao fihetsika jiolahimboto mandrakariva amin'ireo te-hanatrika ny fitsaràna ireo mpitoraka bilaogy. |
28 | Over the 16 months of the trial, a minimum of three individuals who attempted to take a picture of the scene of the trial using their mobile phones were reportedly briefly arrested and asked to delete the pictures they captured. | Nandritra izay fitsaràna 16 volana izay, fara-fahakeliny olona telo izay nanandrana naka sary ny fandehan'ny fitsarana tamin'ny findainy no notànana fotoana fohy ary nasaina namono ny sary azony. |
29 | In light of this, it is not surprising that the bloggers themselves were put through so much during the entire process. | Noho io trangan-javatra io, tsy mahagaga raha ny tenan'ireo mpitoraka bilaogy no misedra zavatra maro mandritra ny dingam-pitsarana rehetra. |
30 | Frequent adjournments | Fanemorana matetika |
31 | The 23rd Criminal Bench is a typical shabby court room located in the upper end of the larger Lideta High Court compound. | Efitra fitsaràna voatokana mampalahelo kely ery ambony amin'ny farany ao amin'ny Fitsarana Avon'i Lideta no misy ny efitra faha-23 fitsarana ny heloka bevava. |
32 | Even though the trial has been adjourned 36 times over the last 16 months, the total amount of hours the bloggers and their legal counsel spent in this court room attending the proceedings is less than 10 hours. | Na dia efa in-36 nahemotra aza ny fitsarana nandritra ny 16 volana, dia ora 10 latsaka no fotoana lanin'ireo mpitoraka bilaogy sy ny mpanolotsaina azy ireo amin'ny resaka lalàna tao amin'ny fitsaràna. |
33 | In a typical trial day, the bloggers spent less than 8 minutes in the court room without any substantial legal or procedural arguments. | Amin'ny andro fitsarana mahazatra iray, latsaky ny 8 minitra no lanin'ireo mpitoraka bilaogy tao amin'ny efitra fitsarana fa tsy nisy lalàna mafonja na porofom-panenjehana. |
34 | Half of the time either the judges or the prosecutors would walk into the courtroom late to take their seats on the highest tier of the raised platform in the room and then the prosecutor would ask for an adjournment. | Lanin'ny mpitsara na ireo mpampanoa miditra tara ao amin'ny efitra fitsarana amin'ny fandehanana handray ny toerany eny amin'ny rihana farany ambony ny antsasa-potoana, avy eo mangataka ny fanemorana ny fitsarana ny mpampanoa lalàna. |
35 | Sometimes they kept the proceedings to the very last moment, working on other criminal cases before they turned their attention to the bloggers, making them sit on long wooden benches in front of the room just to adjourn the trial. | Indraindray tazoniny ho amin'ny farany indrindra ilay fitsarana fa ireo tranganà heloka bevava hafa no ataony mialoha ny hiverenany amin'ireo mpitoraka bilaogy, asainy mipetraka eo ambony seza hazo lava manoloana ny efitra ry zareo mba hanemorana ny fitsarana. |
36 | The bloggers are expected to be back in court this coming Monday, September 7. Will the court adjourn the trial again? | Nandrasana hiverina eo anoloan'ny fitsarana indray ireo mpitoraka bilaogy amin'ny Alatsinainy 7 Septambra. Mbola hahemotra indray ve ny fitsarana ? |
37 | For more context on the trial, read this July dispatch and this August report. | Vakio ity fanaparitahana ny Jolay sy ity tatitry ny Aogositra ity mba hahalalàna bebe kokoa ny momba ilay fitsarana. |