Atnafu Ayalew
Ethiopia

Atnafu Brhane Ayalew is a human rights activist and journalist based in Ethiopia. In 2012, Atnafu co-founded an award-winning blogging collective, Zone 9 Bloggers of Ethiopia, and conducted extensive social media campaigns on the rule of law, constitutionalism, and the release of political prisoners. In 2016, along with his colleagues at Zone 9 Bloggers, Atnafu accepted several awards, including the 2015 Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) International Press Freedom Award, which honors journalists and publications around the world that show courage in defending press freedom despite facing attacks, threats, or imprisonment. Atnafu is interested in digital security for human rights activists and journalists, and was a Digital Integrity Fellow at the Open Technology Fund in 2018 and 2019. He now works as a program director for an organization that he co-founded, the Center for Advancement of Rights and Democracy. On completing the Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders, Atnafu looks forward to connecting with young leaders to share his Fellowship experience for the benefit of all.