Befekadu Hailu

“Assessing the Role of Disinformation in Ethiopia’s Political Transition” (October 2024–February 2025)

Befekadu Hailu is a writer, poet, and activist who previously served as founding director of the Center for Advancement of Rights and Democracy (CARD) in Addis Ababa for five years and currently plays an advisory role with the organization. Prior to establishing CARD in 2019, Befekadu worked as an independent writer, media columnist, and activist for more than a decade. He is a founding member of the renowned Zone 9 Blogging and Activism Collective and authors the social and political blog “The Q Perspective.” In addition, he has served as an editor and opinion writer for numerous local media outlets, including Addis Maleda, Weyeyet, and DW Amharic. In retaliation for his activism, Befekadu has been detained four times and has spent a total of 596 days in jail without conviction. For his courageous work advancing freedom of expression, he has been recognized with multiple international awards, including the Sakharov Fellowship (2021), the PEN Pinter International Writer of Courage Award (2019). He received the Committee to Protect Journalists’ International Press Freedom Award (2015) alongside other Zone 9 bloggers. During his fellowship, Befekadu is writing a book manuscript examining the role of online information manipulation in Ethiopia’s turbulent transition period from 2014 to 2022.