Ethiopia Patriots Toolbar Amharic Font Subscribe Eskinder Nega’s Letter on The New York Times Eskinder Nega’s Letter on The New York Times July 24, 2013 The New York Times ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia — I AM jailed, with around 200 other inmates, in a wide hall that looks like a warehouse. For all of us, there are only three toilets. Most of the inmates sleep on the floor, which has never been swept. About 1,000 prisoners share the small open space here at Kaliti Prison . One can guess our fate if a communicable disease breaks out. I was arrested in September 2011 and detained for nine months before I was found guilty in June 2012 under Ethiopia’s overly broad Anti-Terrorism Proclamation, which ostensibly covers the “planning, preparation, conspiracy, incitement and attempt” of terrorist acts. In reality, the law has been used as a pretext to detain journalists who criticize the government. Last July, I was sentenced to 18 years in prison. I’ve never conspired to overt...