News | 01 September 2026

Guest Speaker

Today IES Huddinge was visited by investigative journalist and author Martin Schibbye.

All the year 8 students attended a lecture about his experiences in Ethiopia where he was sentenced to 11 years in prison for terrorism simply for doing his job as a journalist.

Some of the topics brought up in the lecture were:

• What happens to society when journalists are continuously silenced?

• What is the situation for journalists around the world?

• How important is journalism in a democracy? 

Martin told the story how he and his colleague Johan were apprehended by the Ethiopian military as well as how they were treated by the authorities and some surprising experiences in the Kality prison in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa. He also spoke about journalist colleagues in Ethiopia who are still imprisoned for criticizing the government.

The students behaved excellently and asked respectful and insightful questions about his personal experiences as well as more general questions about journalism and democracy. After the lecture, the students were given a copy of Martin’s book “438 Days”. 

We hope our students carry these insights with them, both for the unit we are studying in civics, as well as their own future where they can reflect on the importance of the freedom of expression in a democracy.