UPDATE JULY 29TH - The charges against Dawit were dropped by the prosecution last week, and he was release over the weekend.

Dawit Birhanu is an American citizen and entrepreneur being held without bail on tax charges since December 2024 in Aba Samuel Prison in Ethiopia. He is the CEO of WebSprix, a Service Provider that delivers high-speed Internet to the citizens of Ethiopia. 

We need your support to secure Dawit's release on bail so that he can defend himself and WebSprix.

Aba Samuel is a high security prison. Most of the inmates are foreign nationals either accused or convicted of violent crimes. The prison suffers from water and electrical outages and doesn't have clean water or refrigeration for food.

Dawit is the only inmate in Aba Samuel accused of financial offenses. 

Despite being accused of only financial offenses, he has been denied bail multiple times. We need your help to bring attention to this situation and help secure his release on bail and unfreeze WebSprix's assets so that he can continue to fight these charges.

The initial financial charges levied against Websprix and Dawit stem from a claim that WebSprix didn't pay software import duties for the American networking products it used to build the network infrastructure. These duties were not part of the tax code at the time of purchase and yet were still paid by WebSprix, along with the requested interest and penalties. To our knowledge, WebSprix is the only company in Ethiopia to pay a software import tax for years prior to 2020.

After WebSprix paid the disputed taxes with interest and penalties, an audit report claimed that additional Value Added Taxes were due. The results of this audit conflict with both internal and independent audits. During the early stages of litigating these new claims, authorities came to his office and arrested him and WebSprix's Chairman (now out on bail).

News Updates:

1. Podcast with ACG Research CEO Ray Mota and Dawit's Brother & News Coverage, "Stand with Dawit: Demand Fair Trial and Release for Ethiopia’s Visionary ISP Founder and US Citizen!": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ZV3GA-c-Uo (May 1, 2025)
2. Article in Shega Media, "Ethiopian Telecommunications Trailblazer on Trial": https://shega.co/news/ethiopian-telecommunications-trailblazer-on-trial (May 17, 2025)
3. Article in The Reporter, "CEO Health Concerns Delay Witness Testimony in Criminal Case against WebSprix": https://www.thereporterethiopia.com/45528/ (June 7, 2025)

About Dawit

Dawit was born in Ethiopia. His outstanding academic achievements led him overseas to The Netherlands for his Masters' degree and later to the United States for additional education and, eventually, an extremely successful 16 year career in IT.

In 2016, Dawit returned to Ethiopia to pursue his dream of using his technical expertise and entrepreneurial spirit to make a positive impact in his country of birth. Ethiopia lags behind much of the world in high speed Internet access. He founded WebSprix to address that need by using innovative network design and the latest technologies. He has faced many headwinds in pursuing his dream and needs your support to continue.

In addition to his work at Websprix, Dawit actively participates in the National Digital Transformation Council, founded the national Internet Exchange Point (ADDIX), and mentors university students and networking professionals.

National Impact

In addition to Dawit's detention, the assets of WebSprix have been frozen. This will soon have the effect of destroying a company that was highly valued during recent negotiations between Ethiopia and the IMF (International Monetary Fund) - the latter of which is attempting to support development of innovation and private industry like WebSprix in Ethiopia.

IMF support for Ethiopia: https://www.imf.org/en/Videos/view?vid=6359567900112

It should be clear by now that this prosecution isn't really about taxes. In fact, WebSprix has been awarded "Taxpayer of the Year" multiple times.

Others charged in this case have not been arrested or have already been released on bail. Dawit's detainment is an attack on private industry in the developing world and, if successful, would have a chilling effect on foreign investment and the continued development of Ethiopia.

In addition, it will impact the families of over one hundred employees, hundreds of contractors, and over one hundred thousand Ethiopians who rely on Websprix for their business and residential high speed Internet access. It would also rob Ethiopia of a growing business that would continue to contribute to the economy. 

How can you help?

1. Sign this petition to show your support to release Dawit on bail and unfreeze WebSprix's assets so he can continue to fight these unjust charges.
2. Contact the Senators from your state to express your concern for Dawit. https://www.senate.gov/senators/senators-contact.htm
3. Share it with family, friends, and colleagues

(this isn't a request for donations right now. If you are interested in contribution in the future to a legal fund or government affairs consultants we will handle that at the time via separate channels if needed).