Jawar Mohammed ( om, Jawaar Mahammad; born 12 May 1986) is an Ethiopian political analyst and activist. One of the founders of the Oromia Media Network (OMN), Jawar was a leading organizer of the

2014–2016 Oromo protests The 2014–2016 Oromo protests were a series of protests and resistance first sparked on 25 April 2014. The initial actions were taken in opposition to the Addis Ababa Master Plan, and resumed on 12 November 2015 by university students and far ...

. He has been credited with toppling the incumbent government in February 2018 and helping

Abiy Ahmed Abiy Ahmed Ali ( om, Abiyi Ahmed Alii; am, አብይ አሕመድ ዐሊ; born 15 August 1976) is an Ethiopian politician who has been the 4th prime minister of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia since 2 April 2018. He won the 2019 ...

to power.

Early life and education

Jawar Mohammed was born on 12 May 1986 in the Dhumuga,

Arsi Province Arsi Province ( Amharic: አርሲ) was a province of Ethiopian Empire with its capital at Asella. Historically a part of the Emirate of Harar until its invasion by Menelik and subsequent incorporation into modern Ethiopia. The province was redu ...

bordering

Hararghe Hararghe ( am, ሐረርጌ ''Harärge''; Harari: ሀረርጌይ ''Harärgeyi'', Oromo: Harargee, so, Xararge) was a province of eastern Ethiopia with its capital in Harar. History Hararghe translates to "land of the Hararis". The region co ...

. His father was

Arsi Oromo Arsi Oromo is an ethnic Oromo branch, inhabiting the Oromia Region, mainly in the Arsi, West Arsi and Bale Zones of Ethiopia, as well as in the Adami Tullu and Jido Kombolcha woreda of East Shewa Zone. They claim to have descended from Sikk ...

, of Muslim faith, while his mother was Tulama Oromo, an Orthodox Christian; the inter-religious union was novel but gained acceptance within the community. Jawar began his formal education at a Catholic school in

Asella Asella ( om, Asallaa, ʾÄsäla, am, አሰላ) is a town in central Ethiopia. Located in the Arsi Zone of the Oromia Region south from Addis Ababa, this town has a latitude and longitude of , with an elevation of 2,430 meters. Asella hosts an ...

. He attended secondary school in

Adama Adama ( Oromo: ' or ', Amharic: አዳማ), formerly Nazreth ( am, ናዝሬት), is a city in the central Oromia Region of Ethiopia. Located in the East Shewa Zone southeast of the capital, Addis Ababa, the city sits between the base of an ...

until 2003, when he was awarded a scholarship to study at the

United World College of South East Asia The United World College of South East Asia (UWCSEA) is an independent international school in Singapore, and is a member of the United World College (UWC) movement. The school provides a K–12 education consisting of five interlinking elemen ...

in Singapore, from which he graduated in 2005. He described his experience at the UWC as awakening his consciousness to his own Oromo identity. He graduated from Stanford University in 2009 with a degree in political science, and acquired a Master's in human rights from

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manha ...

, in 2012. Dandii Jawaar Jawar Street

Legal issues

On 30 June 2020, Jawar along with Bekele Gerba,

Eskinder Nega Eskinder Nega ( Ge'ez: እስክንድር ነጋ, born 7 November 1969) is an Ethiopian journalist, blogger and politician who has been jailed at least ten times by the Ethiopian government on convictions for treason and terrorism. Early life ...

and Sintayew Chekol were arrested by government amidst a

riot A riot is a form of civil disorder commonly characterized by a group lashing out in a violent public disturbance against authority, property, or people. Riots typically involve destruction of property, public or private. The property target ...

sparked after singer Hachalu Hundessa murder. They were charged with terrorism in context of "inciting violence" at the crackdown. On On 5 February 2021, the

Ethiopian Human Rights Commission The Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC) ( am, የኢትዮጵያ ሰብዓዊ መብቶች ኮሚሽን) is a national human rights institution (NHRI) established by the Ethiopian government. The EHRC is charged with promoting human rig ...

(EHRC) Chief Commissioner Daniel Bekele said that "very close supervision is required to prevent any grave threat to their health and life and that reasonably justified demands of the prisoners must be addressed" following reports indicating their health condition deterioration and undergoing

hunger strike A hunger strike is a method of non-violent resistance in which participants fast as an act of political protest, or to provoke a feeling of guilt in others, usually with the objective to achieve a specific goal, such as a policy change. Most ...

at prison. On 7 January 2022, the Ethiopian government announced it would release several political prisoners including Jawar, stating it was "to pave the way for a lasting solution to Ethiopia’s problems in a peaceful, non-violent way" through a “national dialogue”.

References

External links

Official Jawar Mohammed Facebook
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mohammed, Jawar 1986 births Living people People from Oromia Region Ethiopian journalists Ethiopian activists Ethiopian politicians Stanford University alumni Columbia University alumni Hunger strikers Ethiopian emigrants to the United States People educated at a United World College Oromo politicians