Inspired by a True Story
In Ethiopia's Ogaden oil region, a war pits militias against ONLF rebels,
The borders are closed, no one can enter or leave,
Two journalists investigating the Swedish company Lundin Oil seek to enter the Ogaden illegally,
SOMALIA JUNE 2011
Is this my team? I do not even know !
Yes, but you said two days, And we've been waiting since,,,
Okay, so the army,,, They have to change positions,
- Which one is my team? - That one,
Alright, I'll see,
Anyway, we don't have a choice, I guess?
WHILE WAITING FOR ONLF
Fault!
They bet their Kalashnikovs!
I'm hallucinating!
Come on, Johan!
Yeah, aim! I scored !
What's this ?
Snus, Swedish tobacco,
Tobacco ? Me too, I chew,
I want to try,
I make you a ball that you will chew,
- Where did this come from ? - From Sweden,
- From Sweden? - It's common there,
You put it under your lip,
You can also put it under the top lip,
- Is that a good place? - Sweden ?
Yep, that's awesome,
Like our country?
Yes, there are a few things in common,
Do you have that, too?
Weapons ?
No, I don't use a weapon, Me, I shoot with that,
Go ahead, loan him,
- No, - But if,
No it's OK,
Go on, try, Everything is fine, we just lend each other things,
You will appreciate,
I'll take a picture of you,
- I take you, - Come on, show us,
Not like this, As if you were shooting,
- Show us, - It's heavy,
he doesn't know how to shoot!
Mash potatoes,,,
The fall of the Black Falcon !
Is he talking about the movie?
He must be popular here,
Thanks, Mohammed, Give me back my device, I don't like it,
Thanks, Mohammed,
Shall we take a selfie?
Mister snus!
- He tried the snus? - Yes, but he put it down,
This is a social responsibility study that I did
for the company Lundin Oil,
I indicate there
that the Ethiopian regime sent 14,000 soldiers
to fight the ONLF in the Ogaden,
I also explain that the risk of violence by the army
on civilians to pave the way for oil companies is high,
- When was that? - 2006,
When did Bildt leave the board?
Our Minister of Foreign Affairs, Carl Bildt,
was on the board before entering government,
When ?
He left in October,
2006,
- So he knew, - Are you sure ?
He has always denied having any ties to Ethiopia,
I submitted my report in April,
Two days later, I was fired,
- In April ? - Yes,
- So he knew, - Can I have a copy?
I have it on a key,
It may be of use to you,
Great, can I keep her?
La Lundin in the Ogaden: economic growth
Johan?
I found a video on the Lundin site,
Oil is crucial for the economy of this region
and he will bring his inhabitants out of misery,
I am proud to inaugurate
this well financed by Lundin Oil,
Is it on their site?
"Thanks to Lundin Oil for this well,"
Do you know the motto of the Lundin family?
No,
- "No risk, no glory," - No,,,
- Without risk, no glory, - Are you serious ?
Go ahead, say it,
No, that's out of the question,
Certainly not,
They imprisoned her
and six men hit her with bayonets,
You don't have to answer if you don't want to, Sara, but,,,
they raped you?
Not now, the photos,
- It's better at the same time, - It's not the moment,
They didn't rape her, but she heard a woman screaming nearby,
They raped her, ten of them,
Why do you think the army attacked?
Oil, petroleum,
Oil ?
Thank you, Magnificent,
Lundin knows what these people are going through,
But they want the oil,
Of course they know,
But can we prove it?
It bites ?
There is a Susanne who looked at my profile,
I'll contact her,
"Hi, Susanne, This is Johan Persson,
You viewed my profile
and I just wanted to say hello to you, So hello, "
Otherwise,,, "How much do you earn? Do you smoke, do you drink?"
What is this madness ?
Looked !
What?
- Guess who's on my blog? - Who ?
Lundin Oil Services,
I was on their site yesterday, they are inquiring about me,
- The ? - Yes !
Disconnect yourself !
Shit !
What are we doing ?
Without risk, no glory?
What did you do today ?
Not much,
I worked, then I saw Emma, We had to have a drink,
But we walked around,
Are you two going well?
Look, it's okay,
I like Johan,
He is nice,
A bit special, Sometimes he reacts quite sharply,
I don't know how he managed to survive in the field,
- Before you? - Yes,
- This is Johan, - Hi !
Alright, I wish you a good night,
- I'm hanging up, - Okay,
I love you,
Me too,
Kiss,
She is cool,
I love it,
There is a problem with the,,,
I'm just brushing my teeth,
Indeed,,,
I go down to smoke,
Here Martin,
Yes hello ?
Yes,
Okay,
Tomorrow? We are ready,
Its good !
- What? - They just called,
Yes! What did they say ?
- We're leaving tomorrow! - It is true ?
- Yes ! - Great, come down!
I arrive !
See, I told you!
Farewell Galkacyo!
Very important for the feet:
put on two pairs of socks,
So that it does not rub and avoid blisters,
Otherwise, Leukoplast, There's nothing better,
And There you go,
We are about half an hour from the start,
We recruited a real small army,
Because the situation here in Galkacyo is rather unstable,
What's this ?
These are my snus stores,
Snus from Punt,
We will head towards the border between Ethiopia and Ogaden,
And in my opinion, it's going to be hot,
Let's go !
Here we are !
- Martin? - Yes,
My friend, I spoke with this guy,
His name is Assad, He's going to take you to the border over there,
Awesome,
- Thank you for everything, - I hope we will see each other,
Don't become like Johan, he's afraid of guns,
- Goodbye, Mohammed! - Goodbye !
ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE OGADEN - ETHIOPIA BORDER
It's crazy, there is no living soul,
We've been driving for about 6 hours,
Which means that we entered Ethiopia a long time ago,
Without visas,
And so that we are beyond the point of no return,
Who is it?
ONLF?
It's the army!
Damn it, Martin!
Come on !
Go, faster!
If they stop us, we put ourselves in the headlights,
we raise our hands in the air and yell that we are journalists,
We distance them,
We sowed them!
Where he's going ?
Looked,,,
Norway?
Sorry ?
Norway?
No, Sweden, Yes !
ONLF?
It's them !
It's us,
- The army was in our,,, - Yes, we know,
We must go, Let's go,
Take your things,
You are invisible,
Hi !
Hello,
- What's your name ? - Johan,
- Your name, - Johan Persson,
Johan, What about your father's?
- My pal ? - Monvieu?
No, Kjell,
- What about your father's father? - Erik,
- That's it,
And you ?
My name is Kosar,
- And what's your father's name? - Mohammed,
- And your father's father? - Abdi,
We are at the heart of the action,
What's he saying ?
That the military came in the night
and that they killed everyone, They attacked them,
Why ?
Surely retaliation, We attacked them the last time,
They came to take revenge,
They shot them and killed everyone, Only him remains,
Can you ask him if I can take a picture of him?
Yes, he agrees,
Very well thank you,
What are you fighting for?
To make this place like it was before,
Among others,
Have you ever attacked the oil companies?
When people pray
they say: "God, Allah,
you put oil in this soil, but we would like you to remove it, "
They are fed up with it all,
I remember when this place
was peaceful,
Johan, do you want some milk?
I have an intolerance to,,,
OK, thanks,
Thank you very much that's nice of you,
He's,,, very fresh,
It's fresh, camel's milk,
- Okay, That one ? - Yes, behind you,
That one ?
- Camel milk, - Yes, delicious,
- You want some ? - No,
- I can ? - Of course, go ahead,
Finish it,
Me, that's enough for me, I tasted,
- Delicious, - Yes, delicious,
Third day,
I admit they have allure,
With their look between Mad Max and,,,
Bob Marley,
We drank too much last night,
All that's left is that and the little bottle,
Foreigners are tired and they need water,
What do we do ?
How are we going to do this ?
Do you think we're trying
to take them to a village?
- To find a well, - I don't know if they'll follow suit,
- What do you propose ? - I have a remedy stone,
Put it in your mouth and taste it,
Forget it, he won't,
Yes, he will,
Taste,
- In my mouth ? - Yes, in your mouth,
You have to suck it, right?
Yes,
It refreshes,
The worst part is that it works,
You have a feeling of,,,
Johan, stop! If you run, they will kill you!
Salaam!
Salaam! Press, don't shoot!
Do not pull ! Press, don't shoot!
Don't shoot! I am journalist ! Journalist!
I am a Swedish journalist, My name is Johan Persson,
Do not pull !
I am a Swedish journalist, I take pictures,
Yes sorry,
Okay, I'm not moving, no problem,
It's serious ?
No pictures, asshole!
Calm, calm! Don't shoot, okay?
We are journalists!
We are journalists,
DAY 1
Yes it's good,
It's good, it's okay, We arrive,
There is a guy filming,
And another over there,
This is Werar,
The vice-president of Ogaden, He saved your life,
Sorry ?
Yes, he saved your life,
We know everything about you,
You are with the ONLF,
We saved your life,
No, we're Swedish journalists,
So, what are your names?
Martin,
And me Johan,
Okay, I'll ask you a few questions,
And you answer freely, Quietly,
Can we say what we want?
No, not what you want, Rather what happened,
Just one question,,, Can we call our embassy afterwards?
Yes, I will drive you to the embassy and you will call your families,
Okay ? So don't make that face,
I want to know why you are here,
How you entered the country and the purpose of your visit,
Okay,
We came to describe the situation on the ground,
What kind of situation?
What is he talking about?
The situation in the Ogaden,
Okay, But why ?
Where is the notion of journalistic interest?
And proximity?
How close is your country to the Ogaden?
Where is he going with this?
I do not understand the question,
Proximity is being close,
How is Sweden close to the Ogaden? It has nothing to do,
Ogaden is part of our country, okay?
We have an international airport, so why did you come like this?
What does he want ?
In fact, we meet a lot of people,
Some are armed, others are not,
You came with ONLF rebels,
No,
Okay,
I saved your life,
Come relax,
My PC crashed, I need to fix it,
- You'll do that tomorrow, - Okay,
My Swedish friends, come and sit down,
Come there,
Right there, next to me,
It's good, it makes me happy,
Can we call the embassy?
You said that if we worked together, we could call the embassy,
The telephone does not work in the desert, We'll do that tomorrow,
Eat something, you are safe with me,
Do you have a family?
A woman and three children,
And you ?
I have a wife, Linnea,
We got married last year, but we don't have children yet,
- Is that so ? No children? - Not yet,
We must have children,
What if I kill you?
If I kill you now, your wife will forget you,
If you have children, your wife will never forget you,
- Promise me to have some, - Okay,
If you promise not to kill me,
he is afraid,
he was scared to death,
They will kill us,
What the hell is he doing?
Be strong, Johan, Hang on!
Everything is fine,
Is the white thing we see a bone?
A ligament?
It will be fine,
You are strong, Johan,
Shut up, Martin, Give me a cigarette,
Does anyone have a cigarette?
- he has to see a doctor, - Otherwise, he'll lose his arm,
We came to describe the situation on the ground,
The Ogaden is part of our country,
Why did you come like this?
In fact, we meet a lot of people,
Some are armed, and some are not,
You came with ONLF rebels,
No,
It shows that everyone can enter as they please,
I want a video where they admit they entered illegally,
Figure it out,
It's worthless,
Hello?
Yes, Meles Zenawi, Yes, we watched it,
They are criminals,
Are you going to amputate it?
No, I'm not going to amputate it,
But it is serious,
Do you think it's going to be okay?
It's a pretty serious injury,
You have to see a doctor,
What do you mean ? Are you a doctor?
I am also a doctor, but not a professional,
If that doesn't work out, he has to go to the hospital,
- You want some water? - Yes please,
Thank you,
You should accept the interview,
We need to talk to the embassy,
It's not me who decides,
Do what he tells you and everything will be fine, Okay ?
Yes,
Thank you,
We don't do anything until we have the embassy,
Where are we going ?
No interview until we get to the embassy,
If you cooperate,
you will talk to your wife,
Where are we going ?
This is your last chance to tell the truth or you will be shot,
Give me the camera,
- Can I film? - No, give it,
Advance!
Keep on going ! Keep on going !
Advanced,
Keep going, go ahead,
Stop!
Charge!
Now are you going to tell me everything?
Or I really kill you and I will accuse the ONLF,
Speak, and without lying,
How did you come?
My name is Martin Schibbye, I am a journalist,
I am with my colleague Johan Persson,
We entered the Ogaden illegally, without visas,
with the armed terrorist organization of the ONLF,
Perfect, It is very good,
Have you met the rebel commander-in-chief?
No,
- Do you have any names? - They didn't show up,
Yes, they introduced themselves since you interviewed them,
Sorry, you can kill me if you want,
But I don't know their names,
Okay, Very well,
We won't kill you just yet,
You know, what you just did,,,
To simulate an execution is,,, contrary to international law,
So we have to call the Human Rights Council in Geneva,
Okay ? Warn them,
Johan, I'm alive! Hope you can hear me!
I'm alive ! Hope you can hear me!
Johan, I'm alive! Hope you can hear me!
Why is the prisoner singing? Silence him!
Me too !
I'm in the truck!
I'm alive, can you hear me?
Shut up, you must not speak!
Come on, wake up!
Come down,
Come on, come on,
Here !
You have a wife,
And I am a man of my word,
Call her,
Pick up the phone, call her,
Talk to him,
Go ahead,
Linnea,
Hello?
Martin?
I am alive and I love you,
No, wait, listen to me,
- What happened? - Listen,
Don't believe what they say,
Don't believe what comes from Ethiopia, okay?
We were interviewed to make propaganda videos,
Where are you ?
You're okay ?
We were shot, Johan is badly hurt,
I don't know if he'll be okay, he hasn't seen a doctor,
- Listen to me, - Okay,
Call the embassy, They will know what to do, Okay ?
How are you ?
I'm fine, it's going to be fine,
I love you more than anything, okay?
I love you,,,
I love you too, Understood ?
Understood ?
See you soon,,,
The two Swedish journalists went to Ethiopia
to investigate Lundin Oil,
One of them contacted his family today
and claimed that they were injured, but that they had not been treated,
This information has been denied
by the Ethiopian authorities, who mentioned minor injuries,
Journalists were investigating in Ethiopia
on Lundin Oil's activities in the troubled Ogaden region,
According to Ethiopian police, there have been 15 deaths among terrorists,
Martin Schibbye and Johan Persson are also suspected of terrorism,
Foreign Minister Carl Bildt criticized
the behavior of the two journalists,
We don't know the exact circumstances,
but they entered
in a conflict zone,
Lundin Oil is looking for oil there without it bothering anyone,
but two Swedish journalists are not allowed to go,
DAY 9
Yes, I am the ambassador,
Yes, Two Swedish journalists, yes,
Where are they ?
In Addis?
Yes, Are they in Addis?
Johan!
IN PRISON ADDIS ABABA ETHIOPIA
Guardian!
You are in a mess,
You trained terrorists in an ONLF camp,
There it is in Somalia,
It is not in Somalia, I know this is the Ogaden region,
It's in Somalia, at our hotel in Galkacyo,
We've got enough evidence, don't bother,
You are terrorists,
You see ! You train them, with weapons,
It was just for fun,
I don't even know how to shoot,
What about drugs?
What drug?
This drug I have here, That one,
It's not drugs, It's tobacco,
- No need to lie to me, - I do not lie,
- You're a terrorist, - I am a photographer,
- It's infected, - Yes,,,
It's bad,
It will be fine,
I give you pills,
You take it two, three times a day,
I'll see you in two weeks,
- Okay, - If things don't get better,
DAY 27
I thought they released you and that I was alone here,
This is what I feared too,
Great !
Looked,
This is the report,
- It's worthy of the KGB, - I stung them,
When they questioned me,
What guts!
It's kind of our life insurance,
You surprise me,
Martin? Can we leave the candle burning?
- Of course, - Thank you,
My strategy is, through informal channels,
to make them aware of the negative effects for Ethiopia
if they chase you,
It seems that we are risking 20 years,
The signals are positive,
We keep a low profile and we don't make a political affair,
So,,, we're not talking about the mock execution?
Or what we went through?
No, Ethiopia is a proud country,
So we stay with our arms folded,
Silently,
Diplomatic silence,
How can we be sure that Bildt is doing everything to get us released?
He is at the heart of our investigation and was on the board of directors
by Lundin Oil,
He has every interest
to keep you coming back,
Bildt knows he's being scrutinized,
I need to talk to the manager,
With Linnea, we plan to have a baby,
Not won if I take 20 years,
You heard Odlander, We can be home on Sunday,
I don't really believe it,
Don't be paranoid, If Sweden puts the pressure on,
they will be forced to release us,
- I hope you are right, - But yes,
Put this on and get ready,
For when ?
- It must be for me, - You think ? Is that mine?
This is the big moment,
- All the signals are positive, - Okay,
We start by car,
- I meet you there, - Okay,
We already have your tickets,
- It is true ? - For tonight,
We are very confident,
The courtyard !
In view of the evidence presented against you by the prosecution,
and under Ethiopian terrorism laws
and your links with the ONLF,
you are being prosecuted for terrorism and illegal entry into our country,
Sorry ?
You will be sent to the Kaliti rehabilitation center,
in Addis Ababa, pending your trial,
In Kaliti?
We had to go home,
What is he talking about?
Calm down, wait,
- Wait,,, - We had to go home!
Mister the judge ?
What is this mess ?
- Is it final? - Yes,
One, Two,
three, four, five,
six seven,
eight, nine, ten, eleven,
twelve, thirteen, fourteen,,,
I saw people imprisoned
because they couldn't pay bribes,
Their families had to sell what little they had
to try to get them released,
Do other people want to talk?
Thank you,
As has been said, in prison, many inmates
experience sexual violence, which leads to pregnancy
and the birth of unwanted children,
This problem is very worrying
and we must find solutions
Thank you,
Anyone else want to testify?
My name is Amadi,
Rumors of torture are true,
As a driver, I transported
corpses of people who had obviously been tortured,
DAY 63
What's this ?
It's just a piece of soap,
You come, Over there,
- Johan Persson? - Yes,
- Martin Schibbye? - Yes it's me,
"Terrorism,"
Come in,
Your mouths, damn it!
There are enough!
- Who do you think You Are ? - For no one,
Shit,,,
Have you seen the wardrobe?
Where is the prison?
I don't know,
I think we are there, We're in the prison,
IN PRISON KALITI ETHIOPIA PRISON
- I want a cigarette! - Here,
You will sleep there,
- Here ? - Yes here,
Do we have a mattress?
Come talk to Chala,
- Who is he? - He's there,
This is Chala,
Hi,
Swedish terrorists, I know you,
- Do you speak Swedish? - Not really,
A little friend,
Come up, sit down,
Welcome,
Listen,
here, it's every man for himself,
The guards hardly ever intervene,
Everything is settled between prisoners,
Don't trust anyone, There are scales everywhere,
But you, can we trust you?
It wouldn't be any less embarrassing
if you hadn't sat on the board of directors?
If, if the company had been there, But it was not,
But they were well in Ethiopia, They had a branch there,
It seems, It's up to you to check,
But I checked,
- You sat in this branch, - No,
- That's the information I have, - Maybe, but it's not,
But what interests me
it's not so much the context,
- More like your role in all of this, - What evidence do you have?
I don't reason like that, It's the facts that count,
Abdullahi! Thank god there you are, I was worried, where is Amadi?
Exactly, I came to get him, We have a meeting this morning,
I thought you guys were together for the past three days,
We had a day off,
So where is Amadi?
In our job, we are often sent right to left,
you don't have to worry,
Have a good day,
Mom ?
I will have to leave the country,
If I run away, you're gonna have to go too,
I have documents which prove injustices in our country,
You are completly crazy,
Werar organized a meeting
to collect testimonies of injustices,
In fact,
the idea behind this meeting was not at all
to come to the aid of the victims of these injustices,
But to see who was going to speak,
Three days ago, soldiers took Amadi on board,
Next time it will be my turn, And yours,
I do not understand, You should have told us before,
Why did you wait?
I needed to gather more evidence by accompanying Werar,
it was necessary to act quickly, to be able
to leave the country as soon as possible,
Forgive me, mom,
You do not have to apologize, You haven't done anything wrong,
I was told that we eat well in Sweden,
But it was horrible, it tasted nothing,
Have you tried meatballs?
With cranberry sauce and pickled cucumbers?
Just girls,
- Our dishes are bland, - Yes, but not the Swedes,
I like you, You are nice, for white people,
Look, there is a hair,
Yes, we found out yesterday,
I don't know,
- You look happy, - Yes ! DAY 83
At least we're interested in you,
Yes, it's true,
Hurry up, Their families are arriving from Sweden today,
We have a family too
Grandpa,
No problem, I can wait,
We are presentable,
I'm not gonna make it if my dad starts whining,
It's going to be hard,
- Everything is fine, - I'm so glad to see you,
I am so proud of you,
I knew you would hold on,
How is it going ? You're okay ?
Yeah, I'm fine, Do not worry,
- Johan, I love you so much, - Stop it, dad,
- I had to tell you, - Yes I know,
What about your injury?
It's better, I got to see a doctor, so,,,
- You lost weight, - The food is gross, Inedible,
My colleagues got together to pay for the plane ticket,
Awesome ! It is really adorable,
I also helped Reporters Without Borders to set up
a collection for Martin and Johan,
A fundraiser ? But I didn't ask for anything,
- I don't want to do the round, - Come on, Johan!
Everyone is talking about Ogaden, Bildt and Lundin Oil,
- Everybody, - So much the better,
And what does the press say about Martin and me?
- What do they say ? - The video with the weapon goes badly,
How's the situation going, Jens?
Officially,
we have positive signals, so it's best to keep a low profile,
We don't talk about politics,
neither petroleum nor mock execution,
Isn't the trial just the perfect opportunity
to defend freedom of expression and freedom of the press?
This is the only place where we can tell it all,
where we can tell the truth,
To the whole world,
They risk 20 years,
If they are doomed,
But this is the most rational strategy,
Between us, from a moral point of view,
I don't have much sympathy for a company
like Lundin Oil,
I gave instructions to my secretary,,,
Here, This is information about Lundin Oil,
Get them published,
When I tell you,
Why did you leave her to come here?
I do not understand,
I didn't want to miss it all,
So, guys?
It wasn't easy,
You know, my parents are not very young anymore,
DAY 157
Look, Johan, Did you see that ?
Everyone is there, CNN,
Al Jazeera,
Over there, The US Ambassador and Reuters,
- Johan! - A comment ?
Do you think you are released?
Any comment for Al Jazeera?
- Any comment for CNN? - Thank you for coming so many,
- Johan, Martin, we support you, - Nice to see you, thank you for being here,
THE ETHIOPIA ADDIS ABABA TRIAL
The Swedes are accused of entering Ethiopia illegally,
to support terrorism
and having taken part in a terrorist enterprise,
The charge requires
a sentence of 35 years in prison,
I was there when the two Swedes were arrested,
they participated in terrorist
activities with the ONLF
When we intercepted their militants,
half of it was killed,
We captured the others, including the two Swedes,
We are about half an hour from the start,
We recruited a real small army,
Because the situation here in Galkacyo,
is rather unstable,
We will go
towards the border between Ethiopia and the Ogaden,
And it's going to be hot,
This man uses dangerous
substances to relieve stress,
We see here the Swede named Johan,
practicing the handling of weapons,
to practice aiming and shooting
to bring down the enemy,
Is this a joke? What is this shit?
- Objection! - The sound has been added!
- I didn't shoot! - Johan, shut up,
Calm down,
I never shot!
Objection!
This shooting noise has been added,
There it is, thanks,
Yes, we added the sound afterwards,
But only to highlight the actions of the Swedes,
The Court hears your objection, But the film can serve as proof,
It is rigged!
They have the right ? I didn't shoot,
You know it, We were pretending,
Regardless, they also have false witnesses,
Isn't that ridiculous?
They added the sound afterwards!
It's no use yelling
for that fucking sound effect,
The government is not looking after us,
Linnea should be told to publish the documents on Lundin Oil,
Being on the board, of course he knew about it,
He does all he can,
He does nothing, We're still here,
We have nothing more to lose,
We publish everything,
Information confirms
that the Minister of Foreign Affairs was sitting well
to the board of directors
when Lundin Oil started prospecting in Ethiopia,
Carl Bildt claimed he left Lundin Oil board for 3 years
before obtaining contracts,
What's your reaction as Lukas Lundin confirms your presence
to the board during discussions on Ethiopia?
My reaction ? It's time to go to lunch,
What is the government doing to free Martin and Johan?
Carl Bildt is suspected by some media of a conflict of interest,
The words I'm about to speak
are arguably the most important of my life,
Last year I sailed alongside drunk pirates
in the Straits of Malacca,
I worked with human traffickers
in the red light districts of the Philippines,
I followed pedophiles on the hunt in Cambodia,
Not because I endorse piracy,
human trafficking or pedophilia,
But because as a journalist,
it's my role to explain to the public how these things work,
The report that brought me here to Ethiopia,
was not ill-intentioned,
I just wanted to go where no Swedish journalist had gone,
To write a unique article on the oil industry
and its connections with Sweden and Swedish foreign policy,
I entered Ethiopia without a visa, I admit it,
I took a huge risk,
But taking risks is part of my job,
My colleague and I take risks every day,
Because we believe journalism is a force for good,
Thank you,
Haven't I done too much?
Mr, Persson?
- I have trouble breathing, - It will be fine,
I am not comfortable in public,
Repeat what you told me, it was good, Go ahead,
Mr, Persson?
Hello,,,
I am a photographer,
I still have,,,
empathized with the people I photograph,
I'm just showing the reality,
As she is,
They do not understand anything,
For simplicity,
if you want to photograph a polar bear,
you are going to Antarctica,
You want to photograph the ONLF,
you go to the Ogaden,
Here,
Thank you,
Great,
Thank you,
But there are no polar bears in Antarctica,
They live in the Arctic,
But yes !
Yesterday was a positive day for the two Swedish journalists,
who were able to testify before the Court and will know today
the long-awaited verdict,
- What did he say ? - That you're guilty,
Guilty?
You are found guilty,
Guilty!
11 years in prison,
11 years old?
Sorry,
Here they are,
- Hello, - Hi,
Welcome,
How are you, Martin?
It doesn't matter, What news ?
It looks good,
I met Prime Minister Meles Zenawi,
who had just spoken to Carl Bildt,
Zenawi is very satisfied with our silent diplomacy
and how Sweden is dealing with this crisis,
He is therefore ready to begin
a pardon procedure,
And what would happen,,, if we appealed instead?
It is a whole different path,
It's still very humiliating
for two Swedish journalists
to bow down to a dictator,
We will do it, to go home,
But do you understand how humiliating it is?
Everyone knows it's a dictatorship and everything is bogus,
You know,
On appeal, the penalty could be reduced,
But you won't have a new trial for at least a year,
A year,
- And the penalty may be increased, - It's clear,
Grace is the only solution,
There is a third way,
May the Swedish government show courage
and defend democracy and freedom of expression,
Don't be naive!
No country in the world would be ready
to jeopardize its diplomatic relations
with Ethiopia for your beautiful eyes,
H&M has invested here,
IKEA will invest here,,,
We understand,
Two journalists do not weigh much,
Martin, wait!
- What about my cigarettes? - Tomorrow,
You told me that yesterday,
Always the same song,
11 years old! We're never going to last 11 years here,
It is a death sentence,
We're dead,
I don't know what's worse,
Risking our lives 11 years here
or say that we are sold until the end of our days,
Grace can go fast,
But if we persist, if we appeal,,,
We'll be stuck here,
We're going to die here,
You understand ?
- But what if we are not pardoned? - That's it,
We take it for 11 years without being able to appeal because we have recognized
that we were guilty,
We have to make a decision,
I trust you,
Do you know what hurts me?
Our request for pardon benefits everyone,
To Lundin, to the Swedish government, to Bildt,
in Ethiopia,
They don't want it to change, it suits them well,,,
let's play the game,
I want to go home,
DAY 309
I was traveling to Addis Ababa with my wife,
And without my knowing it,
she had drugs on her, which she gave me,
- She tricked you, you think? - I think yes,
Did she warn them?
Yeah, and here I am,
- Have you spoken to him since? - I can't reach her,
This is the Swedish variant!
I hope it will be good,
How do you say "it's good"?
Isn't there another word?
Well done, you're too strong!
Are you here for murder?
No, I'm just a thief,
I'm stealing stuff,
I fixed the pipes, but they don't hold up, I can not do anything about it,
They want new showers, They do not care,
Chala, with what? How? 'Or' What ?
Bruno?
He really doesn't look good,
Hey, we need a doctor!
Hi guys,
Carl met Meles Zenawi for your request for pardon,
Yes, the interview was very satisfactory,
I told him that Sweden supported your request for a pardon,
He replied that the harassment was now behind us,
- That is to say ? - You will sign your request,
Then Zenawi
will have you released in September,
- It's in 4 months, - It will pass quickly,
All right but,,,
We will have spent a total of 14 months in prison,
Won't that be a political failure for the Swedish government?
- No, I do not think so, - Really ?
Of course, we will do everything to shorten the deadline,
- But September at the latest? - You should never swear anything,
But you have enough experience to know it,
Zenawi promised to set you free,
It's an agreement made directly between him and me,
- I have a question, - Go for it,
You said, right after our arrest,
that Sweden had advised against going to the Ogaden,
My statement was misinterpreted,
There is only one interpretation,
No, I do not think so,
Well if we're done
with politics, we could move on to practical things,
We need rose hip soup,
Excellent, a classic,
Very nourishing,
Tortellini: ten packages, Salt, pepper, mattresses,
Bread, olive oil, salami,
What kind of salami?
Regardless, salami, Sausage,
Sorry, Johan, But there are hundreds of different salamis,
Genoa salami has nothing to do with it
with that of Naples,
Coming here, I didn't expect to discuss salami with you,
You can never anticipate everything,
By the way,
you heard: Folksam has sold all of its Lundin Oil shares,
To protest against their investments
in Ethiopia and Sudan, Thanks to you,
There is a strange hatred of business in Sweden,
The Swedes seem to believe that there is oil everywhere,
But as you know, it is not,
Have a nice trip, Carl,
It went well,
Do you have Asperger's disease or what?
No,
Why ?
DAY 395
As chairman of the Ethiopian Grace Committee,
I have to ask you the question,
Do you admit your guilt?
Yes,
You must answer yes or no,
Yes,
So sign this request for pardon,
Here, here,
here and here,
You must also give an interview for television,
An interview ? Why ?
To ask forgiveness from the Ethiopian people,
- Is it really necessary? - Yes,
It's necessary,
Foreign media present your case
as an attack on the freedom of the press, It's the case ?
No,
No, we were sentenced for violating Ethiopian law,
We entered here illegally with the help of ONLF terrorists
and it was the worst mistake of my life,
There are rules for entering this country,
We have been found guilty and we respect that decision,
Why this ?
Ethiopia is a proud country,
People have given their lives to defend its borders,
You asked to be pardoned by the president?
Yes,
I learned that Ethiopia has a long tradition
forgiveness towards those who admit their faults,
And we regret our actions,
Something to add ?
Thanks to Ethiopia,
I hope they don't screw us up yet,
It may be in alphabetical order,
Piss off,
- Why weren't we released? - I don't know,
They say Zenawi's promise still stands, He got involved,
But they're still tough on journalists,
They want to make an example,
- Is that a joke? - No, you have to hang in there,
Hello?
Quick quick,
Hurry up, mom,
- We should wait for you to leave, - It's not on here,
I call you as soon as I am in Nairobi,
- And Abdirisaq and Abdihakim? - Go for it, they will leave tomorrow,
Good luck !
Thanks, I'll call you soon,
My name is Martin Schibbye, I am a journalist,
I am
with my colleague Johan Persson and we entered
in the Ogaden illegally, without visas,
with the armed terrorist organization of the ONLF,
Perfect !
I can add sound effects,
Go ahead,
What is happening ?
It's video conversion, it takes time, So I take a break,
Okay, No problem,
such a beautiful weather today,
Yeah,
- I will see, - No, don't move,
Ten more minutes, It's normal,
Copying files to external drive in progress
They say there is compelling evidence against you,
That you want to enter illegally to harm Ethiopia,
By pretending to investigate an oil company,
We entered here illegally thanks to ONLF terrorists,
There are rules for entering this country,
We have been found guilty and we respect that decision,
"Here is the journalist named Johan,
who is training to shoot, "
It was the worst mistake of my life,
You're going to be in trouble,
Here ?
Are you not terrorists?
No, Dany, everything is wrong,
This is propaganda,
- You understand ? - Pay attention,
The mood has already changed,
I'm going to piss, come with me,
Bastards! I had confidence!
You motherfuckers!
Damn it, Martin! No one will believe us anymore!
Huh? What will they think of us in Sweden?
What are they going to think of us?
I thought that was the right thing to do, damn it!
I didn't think it would be like this!
- I'm not an idiot, - You're not an idiot,
Quite the contrary,
Hi, brother,
Where are you, everything is going well?
Everything is fine,
Thank God,
- You have arrived ? - We crossed the border,
- Ok good, - Goodbye, brother,
Goodbye,
SWEDEN EMBASSY
Keep on going ! Keep on going !
Stop!
Charge!
Speak, and without lying,
They faked an execution to force them to testify,
How did you get this?
It doesn't matter, You can help me ?
Tell me how to help you,
Tell me how to do it,
I want everyone to see this,
If something happens to me before I have time to flee the country,
use that,
Thank you,
Okay that's good,
I am here, I am here,
Hey, wake up! Wake up !
Come on, answer, Speak,
Seated,
Straighten up, And smile,
Unpublished images by Martin Schibbye
and Johan Persson
show their interrogations and the simulation of their execution
so that they confess links
with ONLF terrorists,
The two Swedish journalists convicted of terrorism
were therefore threatened with execution to extract a confession from them,
This contradicts the official Ethiopia version
and embarrass the government,
- The government treated you well, - Yes,
We are grateful to him,
Did you kill my friend?
You go out !
I'm not kidding, you are free,
You can go, you are free,
- Stop being stupid, - Quickly !
Before they change their mind,
- Come on, hurry up! - It is true ?
- Are they freeing you? - I have a feeling,
Take care of yourself, Thank you ! Thanks for cooking,
I promise, Thank you for everything,
I'm leaving, I'm leaving,
Well, I believe,
That's it !
Chala!
Martin!
Chala!
Thank you for everything !
I just say goodbye! Chala!
I told you,
- They left quickly, - I told you that would happen,
Every time, they will prevent the plane from taking off,
Its good,
We did it,
- Congratulations, - Thank you !
Well done, you are coming home,
For God Sake ! Mr, Ambassador !
Congratulations,
We have to celebrate this,
Champagne?
Mom !
Welcome to the house,
- Welcome, Minister, - Thank you,
- You are happy ? - Yes indeed,
It's a great victory for Sweden
and its silent diplomacy,
Johan, Martin! Martin!
How does it feel to be free?
We slowly become aware of what we have been through,
What do you think was decisive in getting them released?
The fact that we have gradually woven
better relations with Ethiopia,
Conservative MP Maria Abrahamsson tweeted that you were
two Marxists returning to Sweden, A reaction ?
It's great to be in a country where you can say that sort of thing,
- I go, - Okay,
It will be fine,
We will be "Johan and Martin" until the end of our days, right?
Johan lived with Martin and Linnea and slept on
their sofa for a year after their return to Sweden,
Abdullahi eventually obtained political asylum in Sweden,
he lived there for a long time under a false identity,
Ludin Petrleum is no longer present in Ethiopia, Since 2016, its president
and CEO have been suspected of serious breaches of international law,
Ethiopia has implemented sweeping reforms, Detained journalists have
been released and banned media have been allowed to broadcast again,
Johan and Martin are still independent reporters abroad,
And freedom of expression is still threatened around the world,
438 DAYS
Live press conference by Martin Schibbye and Johan Persson
After 438 days of detention as prisoners of conscience
without being able to express our opinion, our thoughts and our emotions,
the joy that predominates today, since our release,
is not that of no longer being physically hampered,
but to have regained our freedom of expression,
It is a human right that we take too much for granted,
Ethiopia succeeded in
jailing two journalists, but failed
to silence journalism,
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