Jawar Mohammed

This is an Ethiopian name. The last name is a patronymic, not a family name; this person is referred to by the given name Jawar.

Jawar Mohammed (Oromo: Jawaar Mahammad; ግእዝ፡ ጃዋር መሐመድ born 12 May 1986)^[1] is an Ethiopian political analyst and activist.^[3][4][5] One of the founders of the Oromia Media Network (OMN), Jawar was a leading organizer of the 2014–2016 Oromo protests.^[5] He has been credited with toppling the incumbent government in February 2018^[9][10][11] and bringing Abiy Ahmed to power.^[12]

Jawar Mohammad
Jawaar Mohammad
Jawar in 2017
Born	Jawar Siraj Mohammed (1986-05-12) 12 May 1986 (age 38)[1] Dhumuga, Arsi, Ethiopia[2]
Nationality	Ethiopian American
Alma mater	Stanford University (B.A.) Columbia University (M.A.)
Occupation	Political activist[3][4][5]
Known for	Leader of Oromo protests
Notable work	Founder of OMN[6]
Television	OMN
Title	CEO
Predecessor	Established
Successor	Girma Gutema[7]
Political party	Oromo Federalist Congress[8]
Movement	Qeerroo
Spouse	Arfasse Gemeda ​ (m. 2009)​
Children	1

Early life and education

Jawar Mohammed was born on 12 May 1986^[13] in the Dhumuga, Arsi Province bordering Hararghe.^[2][14] His father was Arsi Oromo, of Muslim faith, while his mother an Orthodox Christian; the inter-religious union was novel but gained acceptance within the community.^[14] Jawar describes his father as non practicing Muslim and Communist while his paternal grandfather was officially Muslim but seemed atheist. In contrast to his Christian grandparents who he describes very religious Orthodox Christians. He regularly attends Church with his Lutheran wife.^[15]

Jawar began his formal education at a Catholic school in Asella.^[16] He attended secondary school in Adama until 2003, when he was awarded a scholarship to study at the United World College of South East Asia in Singapore, from which he graduated in 2005. He described his experience at the UWC as awakening his consciousness to his own Oromo identity.^[14] He graduated from Stanford University in 2009 with a degree in political science, and acquired a Master's in human rights from Columbia University, in 2012.^[14]

A street was named after Jawar Mohammed in Asella in which he ceremoniously received by his fans.

Career

Legal issues

On 30 June 2020, Jawar along with Bekele Gerba, Eskinder Nega and Sintayew Chekol were arrested by government amidst a riot sparked after singer Hachalu Hundessa murder. They were charged with terrorism in context of "inciting violence" at the crackdown. On 5 February 2021, the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (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 at prison.^[17]

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”.^[18]

2024 memoir

Jawar published a 500 page memoir titled I Will Not Regret (Amharic: አልፀፀትም, Oromo: Hin Gaabbu on 19 December 2024 and unveiled in Nairobi, Kenya. The book is centered around his life and persecutions under the Ethiopian government, especially during the Hachalu Hundessa riots. He explained "At first, it was difficult to even obtain paper. Later, with the help of prison guards and others, I managed to smuggle the pages out one by one".^[19][20]