PROFILE

Netsanet Demissie (Male)

Date of Birth: March 16th 1977 (G.C.). 

Netsanet Demessie is Executive Director and co-founder of the Ethiopian NGO, Organisation for Social Justice in Ethiopia (OSJE), which began its work in September 2004. OSJE’s mission is “to nurture and foster social justice, democracy and good governance by addressing the denial and violation of basic rights of the poor and the marginalized.”

Netsanet, a law graduate of Addis Ababa University, his postgraduate studies includes Peace and Conflict Transformation and Management Appreciation Program for Voluntary Agencies. Prior to founding OSJE, he served as Co-Director and Editor-in-Chief of the Ethiopian Legal Directory-annual publication. He was an Assistant Judge in the Civil Bench for two years and has worked extensively on a Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship in 2003 with Dr. Lahra Smith, Adjunct Assistant Professor at Hamline University in St. Paul, Minnesota. Together with a team of writers, Netsanet has also authored a National “Civic and Ethical Education” text material for grades 10th, 11th and 12th students of Ethiopia.

OSJE was an anchor of a local network of approximately thirty-five local NGOs and CSOs that organized to deploy domestic monitors during the May 2005 Ethiopian National Parliamentary elections. The National Electoral Board of Ethiopia (NEBE) attempted to change its policy regarding the qualifications for domestic monitoring within a few short weeks of the election. Netsanet was instrumental in organizing the class action suit in April 2005 that defeated the proposed Directive of the NEBE. OSJE and the rest of the members of the network have released a first advanced report concerning their observations during the polls during a press conference on May 24 2005.

Netsanet Demessie has also been a lead advocate of the establishment of the Global Call to Action Against Poverty (G-CAP) campaign in Ethiopia. He participated in the development of the Ethiopian chapter of the campaign and helped to tailor its messages to the Ethiopian context. Part of the G-CAP priorities focuses on governance and transparency as a means of ensuring accountability. As its name suggests, the G-CAP is a global campaign, one that is promoted by international organizations and celebrities, and one which many countries have officially have adopted along with similar international campaigns like the Millennium Development Goals.

Over the years, Netsanet Demissie has demonstrated a remarkable dedication to serving his country. At a time when most talented young Ethiopian professionals were more interested in finding a way to leave the country, Netsanet was diligently working to use his education in the law to establish and effectively run a non-partisan, non-profit organization to foster democracy through education, policy-making and advocacy work. He has also participated in different forums and meetings which support and advocate the improvement of living conditions of the poor and marginalized and delivered several trainings on human rights to local law enforcement authorities. His work has not been limited to advocating and lobbying at the national level but has extended to the Ethiopian regions in the form of capacity building trainings and human rights trainings for local law enforcement authorities designed to improve the institutional framework in remote areas.

Unfortunately, Netsanet Demissie was arrested in November 2005 after the months of unrest which shook Ethiopia following the country’s third-ever National Elections. He has been in prison for the past six months, has been denied bail and is now facing charges of treason and outrage against the Constitutional order and the Constitution. Mr. Netsanet Demissie is intent on proving that his actions have never exceeded that of any member of civil society dedicated to promoting democracy, human rights and good governance.