Feminist activist flees after cyber harassment

Activists believe the state is complicit in wave of misogyny.

Samuel Getachew in Addis Ababa

Jordin “Jordi” Bezabih.

One of Ethiopia’s most prominent feminist activists, Jordin “Jordi” Bezabih, has been forced to flee the country after a co-ordinated cyberbullying campaign in which her private accounts were hacked. Her intimate videos and text messages were then shared online.

Bezabih, 34, is an outspoken advocate for women’s equality. She was one of the most active critics of the narratives spun around the death of model Keneni Adugna, who fell from a balcony in March in suspected domestic violence.

Activists like Bezabih are increasingly a target. Last year, another self-identified feminist, Lella “Emama Fishka” Misikir, left Ethiopia after receiving a torrent of death threats.

The people who harass them tend to link feminism to the “promotion” of same-sex relationships and claim they are working against Ethiopia’s religious culture and tradition.

This narrative plays powerfully in one of Africa’s most socially conservative societies. In a country in which same-sex relations are criminalised and punishable by up to 15 years in prison, being accused of homosexuality can be devastating. It forces many people to abandon activism or flee.

Activists believe state-affiliated actors are either complicit in this harassment, or have turned a blind eye as Bezabih was targeted by constant co-ordinated campaigns. Before her private messages were leaked, police detained Bezabih and confiscated her phone.

Even officially, the Ethiopian government is increasingly leaning into perceptions that homosexuality is spreading and a danger to the country.

It has instructed hotels to deny perceived same-sex couples services, arrested some people deemed to be gay, and conducted random raids to search for gay people.

These actions appear to be a response to a new wave of feminist activism in which young people use social media, particularly TikTok, to make bold demands for freedom of expression, sexuality and women’s rights.

Bezabih’s online activism and sexually charged self-expression was at the crest of this wave.