(27 December 2011, BBC)--Two Swedish journalists have been jailed for 11 years in Ethiopia for entering the country illegally and supporting terrorism.
Martin Schibbye and Johan Persson were detained in July after they were captured in Ethiopia with rebels from the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF).The men were found guilty of the charges last week. They say they were just doing their jobs as journalists.
Prosecutors had asked for longer sentences of up to 18 years, but Judge Shemsu Sirgaga, who presided in the case, said 11 years was appropriate.
"This sentence should satisfy the goal of peace and security," the AFP news agency quoted him as saying. A lawyer for the journalists, Abebe Balcha, said they would decide later this week whether to appeal.
"I am not satisfied, as a lawyer for the defendants - I do not agree with the decision," he said. The convictions of Schibbye and Persson have been heavily criticised by human rights groups and the Swedish government.
"Our starting point is and remains that they have been in the country on a journalistic mission. They should be freed as soon as possible and be able to rejoin their families," said Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt after the men were found guilty. Human rights group Amnesty International said the journalists had been prosecuted for doing "legitimate work". Read more from BBC »
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