Natnail Feleke

Feleke is one of the Zone 9 Bloggers, a group formed in 2012 to publish political commentary online in the face of tightening restrictions on expression. The Ethiopian Supreme Court levied criminal charges against Feleke in 2017 following his initial arrest in 2014. He was previously acquitted of terrorism charges in 2015, and incitement charges against him were dropped in 2018. His case drew significant international attention, highlighting Ethiopia’s use of judicial harassment to suppress dissent and free speech among bloggers and digital activists.