Lebanon: The Ethiopian Maid “Fell” from the Balcony Yesterday

Imet Wissam, author of Ethiopian Suicides at the Arab Bloggers Summit in Beirut recently, where I learned about his blog. (Here’s a video interview of him).

Wissam’s blog was featured in CNN, CNN Arabic, the L.A. Times, the Guardian, El Mundo (Spanish), Angry Arab News Service, The Daily Star (Lebanon) and Now Lebanon. It’s a great example of how citizen journalism can she light on important issues that hardly receive attention from the mainstream media.

Here’s what Wissam wrote on 24th December:

Ethiopian maid commits suicide in Ashrafieh. Merry Christmas everyone!

I just got a phone call from Nadim (HRW).
A few hours ago, an Ethiopian maid committed suicide in Ashrafieh. Her body is still laying on the road.
Ethiopian Suicides blog wishes you a Merry Christmas!

Here’s what he wrote a day later:

The Ethiopian maid “fell” from the balcony yesterday

The investigation into the death of migrant workers is taking a more “professional” approach. The death yesterday of Melomasen A., Ethiopian domestic worker, in Ashrafieh, was not declared a suicide. Investigations into the circumstances of the death are ongoing. She “fell” from the balcony of her employers and died immediately.

Al-Akhbar newspaper reported today on the incident. It mentioned that the security forces waited for the forensic team to come and remove the evidences, in case it was more than a case of suicide. This is considered a progress.

Wonderful. “Merry” Christmas indeed.