- Title: Protesters gather at Ethiopian activist's home after stand-off with police
- Date: 23rd October 2019
- Summary: ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA (OCTOBER 23, 2019) (REUTERS) PROTESTERS GATHERED OUTSIDE JAWAR MOHAMMED'S HOUSE CHANTING AND WAVING ARMS IN AIR PROTESTERS CHANTING (English): "DOWN DOWN ABIY (PRIME MINISTER ABIY AHMED)!" GROUP OF GIRLS CHANTING (English): "DOWN DOWN ABIY!" PROTESTERS CHANTING (Oromo): "WE ARE HERE, WE ARE HERE!" JAWAR MOHAMMED STANDING IN HIS COMPOUND WITH 2016 RIO OLYMPIC MARATHON SILVER MEDALLIST FROM ETHIOPIA FEYISA LELISA WHO IS FROM THE OROMO ETHNIC GROUP JAWAR WALKING WITH ATHLETE FEYISA LILESA (SOUNDBITE) (English) ACTIVIST AND DIRECTOR OF OROMIA MEDIA NETWORK, JAWAR MOHAMMED, SAYING: "So, I strongly believe and I have gathered more information after that it appeared the plan was to remove the security quietly without alerting me while I was asleep then agitate the mob and make it a mob attack on my house and then blame the mob and take action. Definitely I have come to believe that whoever was orchestrating this was planning an assassination." JAWAR DURING INTERVIEW VIEW OF JAWAR ON CAMERA SCREEN (SOUNDBITE) (English) ACTIVIST AND DIRECTOR OF OROMIA MEDIA NETWORK, JAWAR MOHAMMED, SAYING: "For sure you have to know that the prime minister in a parliamentary session made an open threat against me and the media. I cannot say for certain if he gave the order to remove the security and the foiled plans, but I am sure the officers, whether it is the intelligence or the police, who orchestrated this act were following certain orders." VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS CHANTING (English): "DOWN DOWN ABIY!" YOUTH CHANTING (Oromo) "JAWAR RULES!" YOUTH CHANTING (Oromo) "NO! NO!" MAKING THE OROMO PROTEST HAND GESTURE BY RAISING ARMS IN AIR AND CROSSING THEM OVER EACH OTHER
- Embargoed: 6th November 2019 15:00
- Keywords: Ethiopia protests protest protesters gather at home of activist Ethiopia
- Location: ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA
- City: ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA
- Country: Ethiopia
- Topics: Conflicts/War/Peace,Civil Unrest
- Reuters ID: LVA001B2BKE9Z
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Hundreds of supporters of an Ethiopian ethnic activist and media entrepreneur gathered outside his house on Wednesday (October 23), hours after it was surrounded by police following a warning by the prime minister against media owners "fomenting unrest".
More than a thousand supporters gathered in Addis Ababa outside the house of Jawar Mohammed, a media entrepreneur who organised protests that brought Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed to power last year.
Protests quickly spread to the cities of Adama, Ambo and Jimma, residents said. Four people were reported to have been shot in Ambo.
Jawar told Reuters he did not know who had ordered the deployment of police and the removal of his guards, but said he believed it was a planned assassination.
Police denied they had ordered officers to the house, but Abiy had earlier warned unnamed media owners against stirring up unrest. A spokeswoman for Abiy's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Jawar, who was born in Ethiopia but holds a U.S. passport, founded the Oromia Media Network, an independent television channel and news website.
(Production: Kumerra Gemechu, Louisa Naks) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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