Andrew:
The blogspot blogs are blocked in Ethioia. Other websites inluding free our leaders and ethiopian review are also shut down. Use the following proxy to access the blocked sites. http://securebar.secure-tunnel.com/cgi-bin/nph-freebar.cgi/110110A

Selam Andrew,
From what i understand, the Ethiopian government has blocked all popular blogsites which usually critisize the gov`t.The owner of seminawork.blogsite.com,Zagol, has posted yesterday that all the blogsites/websites could be accessed using http://securebar.secure-tunnel.com/cgi-bin/nph-freebar.cgi/110110A .Just write the blocked blogsite7website and enter.
Good luck.
Daniel

Interesting... I can't pull up my own blog, but my friends in the states can. I can still post to it by using the email post feature that I set up long ago.

Would ETC really block blogspot.com addresses?

"You just need to be a flea against injustice. Enough committed fleas biting strategically can make even the biggest dog uncomfortable - and transform even the biggest nation."

-Marian Wright Edelman

If the Ethiopian government has blocked the blogger domain that is an extremely short sighted and ultimately a futile attempt to silence the netizens. Seminawork seems to have some information here:
http://seminawork.blogspot.com/2006/05/government-blocks-bloggers-over-last.html

The three blogs referenced below are all accessible from the US as of Friday morning, May 19th. The last edit on any of them was May 17th... possible that blogger is being blocked within Ethiopia? Would be good to investigate...

Andrew, you finally got to write about it. Thank you. I feel you are being too careful these days and I don't blame you but if you and people like you who enjoy security as a foreign national are too careful to speak, you can imagine how in touble we Ethiopians are? Please help get the word out. We know the heroic work you did during the massacres in JUNE and Nov and Ethiopia will always have you in our history but we need you to stay with us and expose the crimes of this government.

Amesegenalhu

A citizenry’s ability to exchange ideas, unfettered, and without fear of having government agents knock on its doors at the dead of night is what differentiates governments built on the pillars of democracy and those built on tyranny. Ethiopian journalists have been dragged from their homes on bogus charges and the private media is shut down ad infinitum.

The marketplace of ideas brings hope to a people and the EPRDF’s venture into the world of blog-blocking signals yet another indication of the presence of rigor mortis in its ranks. The death of ideas really, is the death of hope.

Former CNN anchor—our very own erudite brother—Bernie Shaw once famously said “a government afraid of the truth is a government afraid of the people.” Ethiopians should therefore rejoice and not be outraged when ET Wonquette is censored. For they, the people, are feared.

Remember, fear nothing but fear itself.

Interesting.

They seem to work perfectly fine from the other side of the Atlantic.

Hello Andrews
I think the blogspot.com domain has been banned in Ethiopia, or at least so I read from the blogs. Since yesterday, some of them were advising the use of proxy servers for viewers from Ethiopia.
Can you try to view them through proxy servers and see if it works?
Cheers
Tom

Ohhhh! The things we can learn from China ... :D

It seems there is a Chinese method starting to work in Ethiopia.
Many critical sites are blocked. On EMF.com is an method to reach the sites anyway.

BTW The Holland House is under investigation because of illegal gambling by Tigrean citizens, is the rumor.
The word is also that it is going to close soon.
You risk being arrested there with the gamblers.

andrew,

can you post list of overseas proxies. it seems your blog is working, while anything with blogspot.com is blocked.

i use www.hidemyass.com it's fast and no popups or ads.

The EPRDF bug got them all...

Looks like the government has requested ETC to block anti-melesocracy web sites. See aqumada's latest post for details: http://yekolotemari.blog.com/756961/

if site is blocked, gov't is blocking it.
try

http://securebar.secure-tunnel.com

and type:(or any web site)

http://nazret.com/blog/index.php?blog=9

Hi, Andrew, I was trying to access my blog since yesterday.It is not there.I just wish it is another day of dodgy ETC dial-up connections.But , it doen't look. Thanks , all the same for your willingness to put it in your site and informing readers what happened.I will keep on reading yours.

check out proxify.com

Wow...censorship of the internet now....what a lack of respect for people's ability to make their own judgements on what they read on the web.

As I'm not in the country, I can access them and found this posting on http://seminawork.blogspot.com. It includes a link to an open proxy server that can circumvent the blocks (http://securebar.secure-tunnel.com/cgi-bin/nph-freebar.cgi/110110A).
I'll feel deprived if there's no new posts on all these Ethio blogs...as far as I know, bloggers can post to blogspot.com by email, I'm sure that'll still work!

***The post***
Government Blocks Bloggers
Over the last two days, all blogspots blogs including http://www.seminawork.blogspot.com/ have been blocked in Ethiopia. Those who seek political quips fron weichegud or intelligent analysis form other bloggers can't access the sites via the telecom servers. In addition, the government has blocked Ethiopian Review, cyber ethiopia, quatero and Free our leaders websites. My sources told me this is done by tel. with the advise and help of the chinese.This blog can't be accessed in Ethiopia so the following advise may not reach its intended readers. Other websites like Ethiomedia who hasn't yet been blocked should carry the message to Ethiopian readers.
Readers can use an open proxy like this which allow to circumvent the blocks. Readers should click on http://securebar.secure-tunnel.com/cgi-bin/nph-freebar.cgi/110110A and enter the address that is blocked in the displayed box. Using the proxy we can access our beloved blogs and websites eventhough the government has censored them.

posted by ethio-Zagol at 11:09 AM

Maybe the blogs didn't behave like The Times did????

Corrections(?):
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-2188834,00.html Original article(!):
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3-2180961,00.html

Andrew,
Thanks for not posting my message regarding 'Blog Gone'-:).This is my second one/i don't mind if u don't post this one too/.I just wonder,does Sara's site make it to the BLOCKED catagory?-:)

Hello guys, Ayigermime Ethiopian bilo gay.esti yihenine group temeliketute.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/gayethiopianerotic

Hi andrew
Well the news is they Blocked all pages who have .blogspot.com extension In addition, they has blocked Ethiopian Review, cyber ethiopia, quatero and Free our leaders websites.done by ETC with the advise and help of the chinese.

Readers can use an open proxy like this http://securebar.secure-tunnel.com/cgi-bin/nph-freebar.cgi/110110A which allow to circumvent the blocks.

Readers should enter on http://securebar.secure-tunnel.com/cgi-bin/nph-freebar.cgi/110110A and enter the address that is blocked in the displayed box.

Well, today at last I had a chance to read my site, but posting is just out of the question. Unfortunately I do not have the diplomatic privileges of AddisFerenj to protect me and my family if they decide to become heavier against ET bloggers- so what to do? I've tried accessing the Proxy sites bu then the slooooooow ETelecom service thwarts that- cannot post at all? How do you post using e-mail Michael. But then, are our e-mails safe? Yahoo and China?
If they really have blocked Blogspot then it's a petty and shortsighted action smells of despair and loss of vision.

I think Drew himself is not able to access his site and edit from the continent, so I'm gonna take this opportunity and say something irrelevant and long here so brace yourselves folks:

Merkato resisted Dergue more fiercly than the rest of Addis in late seventies and when TPLF/EPRDF followed EPLF to Tayitu's city 15 yrs ago almost to the day. It took them another two days and three nights to enter Merkato. That part is a city by itself within the city and has it's own unique pride and identity which is too patriotic for some, which was recently expressed by a hit single/song. Needless to say Merkato paid with blood again and again early this century and now. The guys in there took it away from Yemenis, Indians and other foreigners and made Ethiopia uinque all over again but without bloodshed and within the law what seems like a hundred yrs ago.

When 'Merkato' practically begged his excellency PM Melese to protect domestic manufacturing from Chinese invasion, his excellency answered with not very good words which made many doubt his stand and loyalty again. And that was long before the first open election in the ancient country's history. The chinese gov't is not a very good example in more than a couple of ways since similarity with Ethiopia ends before it starts (except for some ppl's ideology references of yester year nostalgia and probably future home).

Merkato is now being bombed again for punishment. Not relying on gov't jobs for survival should have been encouraged instead. But that also means being very independent. That is what I think the diaspora Ethiopian has in mind on EXODUS. It has been more than 60 yrs since Merkato became independently Ethiopian allthough it was hit hard with rent increases as much as 7000%, no it wasn't a typo, as much as seven thousand prcnt. recently. What good is ranking better in the UN index if the top money earners are of different skin colour than the natives? Besides, the rest of the world has progressed and has gotten wealthier but Africans.

So, Merkato suffers. So does Addis and so does the rest of Ethiopia.

"Qirb New AyQerim yeEtiopia tinsae" said one very loved singer of ours. Merkato won't have to fight off political party business monopolies any more, if the stars are right. (A bird from Niederlande told me that virtually all opposition parties to the ruling are on their way to agree on something) the suffering will end soon. Until then some of us will die and some foreign friends of ours will be beaten up while taking pictures and deported. But the day will come.

Andrew,

maybe it is wiser not to publish this comment but to just take it as a piece of information. I live in an Arab country which heavily blocks websites in the convenient name of religion - I can't even see your pics on flickr.

Here they have gone a little further than ET and block all open servers as well, which makes sense from their point of view - hopefully this next logical step will not happen in Ethiopia... be proactive and get prepared.

However here I am able to access all websites which are blocked by ET, so spread the word to all bloggers concerned to continue to blog to inform the world!

Censorship, we all love it.

Of course, not too long before Secure-Tunnell, Hidemyass and all other known proxies are blocked as well....

In a way, I am glad that this blockage will protect the eyes of the population from the tantrum of armchair politicians like the "editors" of Ethiopian Review, Ethiomedia and the likes. The line between professional reporting and personal outbursts has clearly come down.

You remember when ETC blocked SMS on mobiles last year? The reason given was "technical upgrades". Oh please...

How can you have technical problem with a few web servers? Unless ofcourse it is the Chinese gov. type problem.

Don't forget the internet is like any other technology, it can be controlled. May take a lot of hard work but it can be done. But no matter how hard EPRDF works it will never fool the Ethiopian people or anybody else for that matter (unless you are being intentionally foolish - Reuters ahhmmmmmm).

I am happy that the likes of Ethiopian Review are blocked. Now the government has to block Aigaforum. com, medrekforum. com and others. They are breeding grounds for xenophobists.

But the likes of Seminawork, Ethiomedia, and Ethiopolitics should be freed.

Dagim,

The government should block this and not block that? The trouble with censorship is that there is always a censor who decides what is good and what is bad. And the censor is always right. Let's call him God.

What's next? We should start a pool.

J'habite en Ethiopie et je connais beaucoup plus que vous des types, qui extérieur de phase ainsi ce que vous les types parlez et écrivez est complètement loin de la vérité. Je sais que vous aimez votre pays.mais ce n'est pas la manière que nous pouvons provoquer quelques changements. parfois je pense que vous perdez votre temps précieux. Prenons un moment et apprenons de nos erreurs, le collage de notre pistolet à la mort n'est pas la solution. Autrement nous ne faisons jamais n'importe quel changement. Ainsi ce que vous écrivez est avarice dans la mesure où les Éthiopiens sont concernés. Apprenez que diriez-vous de la lutte Avant écrivez quelque chose sur l'enchaînement.

Amnesty International has kicked off a campaign against state censorship of the Internet:

http://observer.guardian.co.uk/amnesty/story/0,,1784721,00.html
http://irrepressible.info/

I think the government is trying to hold back a wave. The Internet is too gloriously messy to be filtered and Ethiopians will continue to find the information they want. The only effective way the government could restrict Internet access would be by pulling the plug. And that would really be a public admission that they stand against Ethiopia's future.

Hi, Andrew,This is not a comment.I tried to reach you through your email.It is not working.I just like to inform you that I have created a new blog on word press. I was wondering if you would put it in place of ethiofilmsnbooks.blogsspot.com . in you site.Here is the adress http://arefe.wordpress.com/

Yes, blogs have been blocked. I am very distraught by all of this. I feel guilty too. My blog was merely a "fun" one to keep friends and family updated of my adventures, but now I feel like I should have taken it more seriously.
What can be done? I have a friend posting my blogs via email, but I can't even keep up with the comments. Any ideas or suggestions? Email campaign to blogger or the other sites?
k

You say that the proxies given above will too be blocked, but trust me, there are plenty and plenty of other proxies, that for instance use IP addresses and such, that there is no way ETC can keep track of.

Also, it was set to happen - look at what happened to the radio stations last year: they all got banned, they were just a little slow (rephrase: really) in reacting to the internet. Plently of expats wrote home, telling what happened to family members. Also, they have proven they can do it: blocking VoIP services is being done very directly in Ethiopia.

Hopefully the Ethiopian government champion a free press and blog-community...

Good people who have a hard time making their voice heard because of censorship are more than welcome to send me their post, and I'll post it on my site.

Where is Meskel Square ( I mean Andrew's update)... I am addicted to it. It is my Starbucks Latte ???

Is nazret.com also blocked now?