Democratic Ethiopia

Ethiopian Opposition Candidate Stabbed to Death

2010-03-03T05:18:00.000-05:00

Senator Ted Kennedy Passed Away

2009-08-26T13:13:00.002-04:00

R.I.P

Teddy Afro is released

2009-08-14T22:02:00.001-04:00

U.S. Policy shift needed in the Horn of Africa

2009-08-07T23:25:00.000-04:00

By Reporters Without Borders August 6, 2009

Newspaper editor disappeared in Ethiopia

2009-02-25T19:52:00.001-05:00

ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA - Editor of Harambe Newspaper, Wosenseged Gebrekidan, who was sent to Kality prison last week, Feb. 19, has disappeared and his family is unable to locate him in any of the Addis Ababa and Federal prisons.

Wosenseged was arrested after telling the court that he doesn't have 3,000 birr to post bail.
The U.S.-financed regime in Ethiopia has brought charges against Wosenseged for publishing a report about lack of participation in the April 2007 local elections, which, according to the prosecutor, violates the "press law."

Wosenseged is one of the journalists who were released from jail in July 2007 along with the top leadership of the opposition Coalition for Unity and Democracy (Kinijit) after signing a pardon request letter that was prepared by mediators.
Source: Ethiopian Review

Ana Gomes calls for the release Birtukan Midekssa

2009-02-17T10:31:00.000-05:00

Meles Zenawi's government intolerant of dissent

2009-02-06T02:37:00.001-05:00

Birtukan Mideksa has been sentenced to life in prison. She spends her days and nights in solitary confinement in a two-metre by two-metre cell. She cannot leave it to see daylight or even to receive visitors. Previous inmates say the prison is often unbearably hot.

The judge, aged 34, is the head of Ethiopia's most popular political party, the only female leader of a main opposition party in Africa.

The government in Addis Ababa had her arrested on 28 December, claiming she had violated the terms of an earlier pardon.

Professor Woldemariam, one of a few people still prepared to speak out in a country he describes as a "police state", says the regime had become frightened of Ms Mideksa. "They are looking for any excuse to get her because she's a dynamic girl who is getting increasingly popular. They want to cut her short."

Ethiopia's Prime Minister, Meles Zenawi, has been in power since 1995. He was formerly feted as a progressive voice by Tony Blair but he has become markedly dictatorial during his years in power. One regional analyst said the government was becoming increasingly paranoid.

The arrest of Ms Mideksa has sparked criticism from some American senators and the hope that the Obama administration might change Washington's relationship with the Zenawi government.

Read more...

Canada should condemn Ethiopia's government: MP

2009-01-23T03:34:00.000-05:00

An explosive book by a former TPLF insider

2009-01-23T02:23:00.000-05:00

Prof. Mesfin declares "politics has ended in Ethiopia"

2009-01-02T04:05:00.001-05:00

Wzr. Birtukan Mideksa's mentor, Prof. Mesfin Woldemariam, told the Reporter that "politics has ended in Ethiopia." Read here.
It's to be remembered that a few months ago, he said in Washington DC
: "The peaceful struggle has not started yet!" He also advised Ethiopians not to call Woyanne an "enemy."
Now that Prof. Mesfin's protege is sent to jail and he was roughed up by Woyanne thugs, he has reached the conclusion that there is no politics in Ethiopia.
For Prof. Mesfin it seems that the thousands who were gunned down under the orders of Meles Zenawi did not count. The tens of thousands who were sent to concentration camps are irrelevant. The torture, rape and mass murder of civilians in Ogaden and Somalia did not matter. According to him, those who shoot back at Woyanne in self-defense are "uncivilized." As long as the professor and his naive protege are left alone by the Woyanne criminal gang, it is possible to wage a peaceful struggle. But the minute they are attacked by Woyanne mad dogs, their so-called 'peaceful struggle' has ended, before it even started.
The people of Ethiopia are tired of this kind of nonsense.

Dictator Meles Re-Arrest Birtukan

2008-12-30T16:58:00.002-05:00

Dec. 29 (Bloomberg) -- Ethiopian federal police re-arrested opposition leader Birtukan Mideksa a year after she was released on a pardon following her arrest during the country’s disputed 2005 elections.

Mideksa, a leader of the now-dissolved Coalition for Unity and Democracy, was taken into custody today, said Temesgen Zewde, a lawmaker, who is a member of Mideksa’s new party, Unity for Democracy and Justice.
“She has been arrested,” Zewde said in an interview in the capital, Addis Ababa. “No charges have been made public yet. We don’t know exactly where she is being held.”
Mideksa was arrested after refusing to acknowledge that she had requested a pardon that led to her release from jail in July 2007, said Bereket Simon, a spokesman for Prime Minister Meles Zenawi. She and dozens of other opposition leaders were initially jailed following the 2005 elections and sentenced to life in prison following a May 2007 trial on treason charges.
Security forces killed at least 193 protesters in Addis Ababa in the aftermath of the 2005 elections. Mideksa was jailed along with 126 other opposition leaders, journalists, and activists after disputing government claims of victory in the ballot.
Her release along with 37 others in July of 2007 came after the opposition leaders signed a letter admitting “mistakes committed both individually and collectively,” according to an Amnesty International report.
Life Sentence
Simon suggested Mideksa could again face life in prison.
“She said she didn’t ask for a pardon and the government tried to advise her that she has been freed from jail because of the requested pardon,” Simon said, in a phone interview from Addis Ababa. “She didn’t budge. Technically and legally the verdict has to be implemented.”
Mideksa and other leaders were released in two pardons authorized by Zenawi in July and August of 2007 after mediation by Ethiopian elders. Some opposition leaders, including former Addis Ababa mayor-elect Berhanu Nega, have chosen exile in the U.S. and Europe. Mideksa stayed on in Ethiopia and had planned to contest the 2010 national elections with her new party.
A lawyer and former judge, Mideksa has drawn support from Oromos and Amharas, Ethiopia’s two largest ethnic groups. Zenawi’s government, which has ruled Ethiopia since 1991, is dominated my members of the Tigray ethnic group.
Fifteen members of another opposition party, the Oromo Federalist Democratic Movement, were arrested in late October and early November and accused of supporting the separatist Oromo Liberation Front. The move comes as Ethiopia’s parliament is set to approve a new law that would effectively outlaw most non-governmental groups from promoting human rights, democracy, or conflict resolution.

Video of UDJP's Grand National Meeting in Addis Ababa

2008-12-23T12:15:00.000-05:00

The celebration of Teddy Afro's ideals and vision

2008-12-19T02:43:00.002-05:00

The celebration of Teddy Afros noble ideals and vision will be held on December 21, 2008 at Washington Marriott from 4:00 pm to 10:00pm as scheduled regardless of the sham's court decisions on Teddy’s appeal.
We look forward to seeing you to honor and celebrate Teddy Afro’s work and hope you will be able to attend this special event. Join us and renew your commitment on the struggle against dictatorship and Human Rights Violations in Ethiopia
.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at kality@ymail.com.

As you are most likely aware, Teddy Afro (Tewdros Kasshahun) has been convicted of politically motivated charges because of his songs for freedom that accuse the current regime of failing to live up to its responsibilities, killing hundreds of citizens and promoting division among the various Ethiopian ethnic groups.
To celebrate his noble ideals and continue his dream, we would like to invite you to join us at a very special and heartwarming event when we will be honoring his works on December 21, 2008 at Washington
Marriott from 4:00 pm to 10:00pm.
We hope Artist Teddy Afro event will be a new juncture where we all renew our commitment against dictatorship and Human Rights Violations in Ethiopia. We look forward to seeing you to honor and celebrate Teddy Afro’s work and hope you will be able to attend this special event.

JAIL FOR TEDDY?

2008-12-06T05:20:00.000-05:00

Kangaroo court in Ethiopia convicts Teddy Afro

2008-12-03T02:34:00.002-05:00

Ethiopia...

2008-10-04T02:43:00.001-04:00

AID WORKER DIARY: Fighting Ethiopia's food crisis

2008-09-02T20:41:00.001-04:00

Tewodros Kassahun is a political symbol (Los Angeles Times)

2008-08-12T20:16:00.001-04:00

UDJ CONGRESS BANNED !

2008-06-15T12:19:00.002-04:00

At about 4 o'clock pm Friday, the police told Unity for Democracy and Justice (UDJ)—former CUDP---that it cannot hold its Founding Congress which was scheduled to be held at the Imperial Hotel, tomorrow, Saturday, June 14, 2008. Their excuse is that we do not have prior permission for holding a public gathering.
Peaceful assembly is guaranteed by the Ethiopian Constitution. There is no law that requires obtaining prior permission for indoor gathering.
The hotel reservation was made over two weeks ago. The Hotel Management had informed the relevant authorities on the details of the gathering – a usual practice – over a week ago and were told that it could go ahead as scheduled. Then, suddenly, there came this ban on a Friday, at the end of the day's working hours, followed by a weekend. We believe that this was a deliberate measure calculated to prevent the Congress from taking place. It is an illegal measure that violated our constitutional right.
Over 400 delegates were to attend the Congress at the Imperial Hotel. Two-thirds of these delegates have come from the Regions. The rest are from Addis.
UDJ had spent over four months painstakingly preparing for this Congress. The preparation started with the gathering of founding-members signatures from throughout the country, the preparation of documents such as the Programme and Bylaw and the selection of delegates. We started our preparations with the full knowledge of the National Electoral Board.
We have invested about 300,000 birr on this Congress and on various preparations leading to it.
We are examining several options on what to do next. One of the options is to hold the Congress in-house: on the premises of our office. The space available is very limited, weather condition is not favorable. We may have to make drastic adjustments in our programme such as limiting activities, without affecting vital ones, and extending the meeting by a half day.
We see the present obstacle before us as a challenge. The Congress will be held, if not tomorrow, then soon.
Unity for Democracy and Justice
June 13, 2008
Addis Ababa

The calling he heard as a boy answered in Boston cathedral

2008-05-26T22:57:00.001-04:00

Priest is first Ethiopian ordained in archdiocese

Military court passes death sentence on Ethiopian pilots

2008-05-19T19:48:00.000-04:00

By Neamin Zeleke
Sources inside the regime of Tigrean People Liberation Front (TPLF) in Ethiopia have disclosed that a secret military court has passed a death sentence on four air force pilots who sought political asylum in 2006 while on a training mission in Israel.
According to the sources, a TPLF-appointed court at the Air Force has passed a “guilty” verdict and a death sentence in absentia on Capt. Samuel Getachew, Lt. Himanot Gebre Mariam, Lt. Fikresleasie Feleke, and Lt. Yitabrek Takele.
The TPLF regime’s military is currently plagued with a series of defections. During the past few years, senior officers, including generals and colonels, as well as scores of junior officers and privates have defected to other countries seeking asylum.
It is also to be recalled that a few weeks following the May 2005 fraudulent elections, Lt. Behailu Gebre and Lt. Abiyot Manguday fled to Djibouti flying a military helicopter. Ethiopians around the world made a vigorous effort to rescue those officers from being handed over to Meles Zenawi’s regime while they remained in Djibouti. Reversing the initial promise it gave to provide them with protection, the Government of President Omar Gulleh sent them back to Ethiopia, to certain torture and death, in flagrant violation of international conventions and protocols that accord protection for political refugees. After their forcible return to Ethiopia, Lts. Behailu and Abiyot have disappeared without a trace. It’s believed that they have been executed.
Other Air force pilots who fled the country, including veterans such as Captain Teshome Tenkolu and eight pilots who were on a training mission in Belarus, have managed to resettle in European countries where they are protected and far away from the sad and cruel fate befallen Lts. Behilu and Abiyot.
Withing the past year, General Alemshet Degefe, head of the Air force, and his deputies were summarily dismissed after a fall out with officials of the ruling party, TPLF, and replaced with party loyalists from Tigray region, including, General Molla Hailemariam, head of the air force; General Tadesse Worede, head of Military Staff School; General Seyoum Hagos, chief for eastern command; and General Yohannes Gebremeskel, chief of central command. General Samora Yunus, a TPLF Central Committee member, remains Chief of Staff.

Ginbot 7, a Movement for Justice and Democracy is formed

2008-05-18T14:37:00.000-04:00

May 14, 2008Press Release

Ethiopians’ long quest and struggle for justice and freedom is continuing today. The march, though torturous, towards democracy is on. The millions that participated in the May 15, 2005, general election have vowed that no amount treachery and oppression shall break their will to live in a just, free, prosperous and united Ethiopia.
In 2005, 25 million Ethiopians, trusting the words of the ruling party and its western backers and hoping that the election of 2005 will be different from previous elections, went out and registered to vote. The people, along with opposition, were led to believe that for the first time in the country’s history will have the right to elect those who should assume power and put an end to the chaos and misery associated with the thorny issue of power struggle.
Even though there were tough challenges, both to the electorate and the opposition, in contrast to the 2005 election process before voting day was remarkably fair and free.On May 15, 2005, over 96% of the 25 million registered voters, went to the polling stations, and voted despite the long wait of eight to twelve hours. In unparalleled dignity and orderliness rarely displayed, Ethiopians proved to the world that they had been ready for democracy long before their rulers allowed them to taste it.
Upon learning that the public had voted for the opposition groups, especially in the major cities across the country, on May 16, 2005 the Prime Minister went on Television at 9:00 P.M. and declared a “State of Emergency”. In the Capital Addis Ababa peaceful gatherings and demonstrations were banned. The Prime Minister personally took a direct command of the Police and security forces. In the rural areas, where international observers were absent and it was easy to apply coercion, the ruling party forcibly removed the opposition poll watchers and began counting votes. On May 17 2005, when less that 20% of the total votes were counted, the incumbent declared the election victory. By blatantly rigging the votes of millions it made its intent how it will cling to power. On June 8 2005, protesters who were outraged by the stolen election went out to peacefully protest in the streets of Addis Ababa. In response over 50 innocent civilian were shot and murdered in cold blood.
All offers of negotiations to placate the wounded ruling tyrants were ineffective. The proposal put by the opposition to allow the ruling party stay in power with votes it has misappropriated, provided it agrees to lay the foundation of democratic institutions necessary to curb the abuse of power by ruling parties and make elections fair, free and meaningful met outright rejection by the government. Further repression ensued.
In October 22 2006, the entire leadership of the main opposition party were rounded up and thrown in to Jail. Many more, journalists, civil rights advocates and human rights activists were added to the prison list. A trumped up charge of treason and genocide was prepared and an 18 month illegal incarceration followed. In the same fateful October day of 2005, the prime minister dispatched the heavily armed and equipped special force of the Agazi brigade and murdered over 193 citizens in the Capital Addis Ababa. The carnage in the rest of the country, away from the prying eyes of international media, was brutal and in mass.
The government unleashed a house to house search and hand picked the supporters of the opposition that it has come to identify through their participation and support for the opposition in the 2005 election. In two weeks alone nearly 100,000 innocent citizens were sent to camps and prisons, and were subjected to in human and degrading treatment. The whole country was turned into a mass concentration camp.
In its own perverse sense of justice, the ruling party wanted to pin the mayhem and the killing that took place after the election onto the opposition. The incarcerated CUD leaders became perfect scapegoats. In unimaginable shamelessness and using treachery, deceit and manipulating mediators, the government coerced CUD leaders into signing a document stating: “…taking responsibility or an admission of guilt and plea for clemency” in exchange for their release from prison.
Since the shock the ruling party suffered in an election it called with the certainty of wining it, its sole occupation has become to terrorize, weaken all opposition forces and remain unchallenged in power. Using the cover of legality of the laws that are designed in its favor, the government destroyed all major political parties, thereby destroying the fledgling pluralism in the country.
Upon denying recognition and legal status to CUDP, and after merely three years it had suffered a crashing defeat at the polls by the opposition, the government now claims that it has won back all seats it lost to CUDP in a recent election conducted to replace the parliamentary seats rejected by CUDP. The CUD refusal to take the seats was to protest against the government refusal to negotiate on future election and parliamentary procedures. Ironically, in the recent election, it was only the ruling party that filed candidates making it clear that the claimed victory is hollow.
The giving away of the land from Quara region, a birth place of Ethiopia’s greatest hero Emperor Tewodros to the Sudan, and detaining and abusing Teddy Afro, an artist whose songs of love, unity, hope and tolerance has inspired millions of Ethiopians at home and abroad has no other intent but to cause pain to the public. It is clearly a demonstration of an utter lack of respect and insult to the people of Ethiopia.
It is, therefore, the continuance of these and similar litany of repression, degradation, trampling on individual and national pride and heritage that resulted in the formation of the Movement, Ginbot 7. As proud Ethiopians whose ancestors have paid untold sacrifice to save us from the type of humiliating treatment by others we say no to life without freedom and honor. No to the home made tyrants whose appetite for blood, treachery, embezzlement and betrayal has surpassed all records.
We are continuing what we began on May 15th 2005 and October of 2006 in which we promised to make the people of Ethiopia the sole source of political power, and that is why we decided to form the “Ginbot 7 Movement.”
The primary objective of our movement is to stir our country towards a stable democratic process and transition. We recognize that this effort or task will not be achieved by one political party alone, or by few political parties who share similar ideologies. It needs a willing coalition of and collective effort of all parties who feel or claim to have a stake in Ethiopia’s political future. We see the need that all stakeholders need to discuss and reach a mutual agreement on how to achieve the stated objective. Our movement is fully committed and dedicated in bringing all parties together to begin dialogue. To that end, we are already seeing promising signs.
The government that is subjecting our people to misery and humiliation is being aided and abated by Western governments’ money, material, training, and other benefits as a reward for its questionable services. Thus, we ought to organize and work tirelessly throughout the world to have Western countries support democracy and correct their misguided policies and challenge the tyrants in Addis Ababa. To illicit the support and camaraderie of citizens of Western Nations, in opposing and pressuring their governments to change their misguided policies on Ethiopia, Ginbot 7 will work tirelessly with Ethiopians in the Diaspora. We are certain that with an intense campaign of “Know Ethiopia” we will put the struggle for justice, freedom and democracy in Ethiopia in frame.
Our Movement would like to make it clear, to foes and friends, that in order to avert the current humiliation and disgrace to our country and ourselves the Movement will cooperate, assist, and form alliance with others who believe in the principle of democracy and human rights. The Movement shall not seek the consent or permission of the tyrannical regime of Ethiopia in any of its future undertakings.
While the EPRDF is invading Somalia, ceding land to the Sudan, making our country landlocked, and remaining in power through treason as it has ascended to power trough similar means, we hereby declare that we shall not sit idle only for the sake of holding the moral high ground and watch the dismantling of our beloved country. We will engage in any action the movement deems proper in advancing our struggle for freedom and democracy. Along this line, the Movement has a plan to forge relationships, immediately, with neighboring countries and others based on mutual benefit and in an effort to rid Meles Zenawi’s destructive practices in the region.
Our Movement shall employ all kinds and means of struggle to reach its stated goal. If there is an opportunity to negotiate with EPRDF in implementing basic democratic principles, the Movement remains open to accommodate such discussions or negotiations. In fact, the Movement full-heartedly gives priority and prefers this method of resolving disputes than all others. However this should not be construed as groveling. This is simply a call stemming from calm and rational thinking that dialogue is beneficial for all involved. Still, our call to negotiate and our willingness to talk will not, under any circumstances, delay, derail, or hinder our zeal and passionate determination of our pursuit of liberty, justice, and democracy.
To Ethiopians, who have had enough of atrocity, who can no longer take humiliation, who yearn for freedom/liberty, we are confident that you will join us, and we are certain that our united struggle shall prevail in the shortest possible time.
We will forever remember May 15!!
The Spirit of Ginbot 7 will prevail!!

United States Department of State 2007 Country Report on Human Rights Practices in Ethiopia

2008-05-18T14:34:00.002-04:00

The 2007 country report of the US Department of State released in March 2008 by the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor exposes the continuing abuses of Human Rights by the regime of Meles Zenawi.
Human rights abuses reported during the year included: limitation on citizens' right to change their government during the most recent elections; unlawful killings, and beating, abuse, and mistreatment of detainees and opposition supporters by security forces; poor prison conditions; arbitrary arrest and detention, particularly of those suspected of sympathizing with or being members of the opposition or insurgent groups; The government restricted access to the Internet and blocked opposition Web sites several news blogs and sites run by opposition diaspora groups, such as the Ethiopian Review, CyberEthiopia.com, Quatero Amharic Magazine, Tensae Ethiopia, and the Ethiopian Media Forum.
Mobile telephone text messaging, which was blocked by the state telecommunications monopoly following claims that the CUD (the largest opposition party) had used text messaging to coordinate antigovernment actions, restarted on September 12.http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2007/100481.htm

United States Department of State 2007 Country Report on Human Rights Practices in Ethiopia

2008-05-18T14:31:00.002-04:00

Human rights abuses reported during the year included: limitation on citizens' right to change their government during the most recent elections; unlawful killings, and beating, abuse, and mistreatment of detainees and opposition supporters by security forces; poor prison conditions; arbitrary arrest and detention, particularly of those suspected of sympathizing with or being members of the opposition or insurgent groups; The government restricted access to the Internet and blocked opposition Web sites several news blogs and sites run by opposition diaspora groups, such as the Ethiopian Review, CyberEthiopia.com, Quatero Amharic Magazine, Tensae Ethiopia, and the Ethiopian Media Forum.

Mobile telephone text messaging, which was blocked by the state telecommunications monopoly following claims that the CUD (the largest opposition party) had used text messaging to coordinate antigovernment actions, restarted on September 12.

CYBERETHIOPIA.COM

Ethiopian police detain editor, impound magazine over pop icon story

2008-05-07T10:38:00.000-04:00

New York, May 5, 2008—Police in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, have detained a journalist and three support staffers of a private entertainment magazine since May 2. Local journalists say the detentions are related to a cover story about the high-profile trial of Ethiopia’s most popular pop singer, Tewodros Kassahun.
Deputy Editor and owner Alemayehu Mahtemework and the three media workers from the monthly Enku remained in police custody today without charges and were expected to be taken to court on Tuesday, according to the same sources. Local journalists also reported that Editor-in-Chief Fekadu Mahtemework went into hiding after being summoned for questioning on Saturday.
Mahtemework and the others were picked up early Friday evening as they carried 10,000 copies of the current edition from the printer to their offices. The police impounded all the copies of the paper, allegedly after receiving a tip from an informant at the printer that the cover story could lead to “incitement,” according to local journalists. The story focused on the trial of jailed pop music icon and government critic Kassahun, better known as Teddy Afro, and included interviews with his lawyer and fans.
“The seizure of Enku and the arrests of its staffers is a continuation of the Ethiopian government’s ongoing efforts to stifle the private press from freely reporting on important public issues,” said CPJ’s executive director Joel Simon. “We call on the Ethiopian authorities to abandon these crude tactics of intimidation and release our colleagues immediately. We also condemn this flagrant act of censorship and ask that the authorities return the confiscated copies of the magazine.”
Speaking to CPJ via telephone today, Ethiopian Information Ministry spokesman Zemedkun Tekle claimed no knowledge of the matter, but declared that the police had the right to intervene if there are “problems” with any content. He referred inquiries to the police. CPJ’s calls to Ethiopian federal police were not immediately returned.
Kassahun was arrested and charged last month in connection with a hit-and-run incident in 2006, according to news reports. Kassahun’s popular song, “Jah Yasteseryal,” became a popular anthem of anti-government protesters during unrest following the disputed 2005 parliamentary elections, according to local sources.
Despite releasing 15 Ethiopian journalists who were jailed on trumped-up anti-state charges last year in connection with a brutal 2005 media crackdown, Ethiopian authorities have not relented in their long-standing pattern of repression of independent media through intimidation, arrests, criminal prosecutions, and legal and administrative restraints, CPJ research has found. In February, police detained three journalists from Islamic newspapers for two weeks and confiscated equipment and filed criminal defamation charges in connection with a public petition critical of the education minister. Meanwhile, three independent journalists acquitted and set free last year have been blocked from launching new newspapers, and two Eritrean journalists, arrested in 2006, continue to be held incommunicado in Ethiopia.

Teddy Afro is held in isolation, in dark room

2008-04-28T18:47:00.001-04:00

Teddy Afro is held in isolation inside a dark room at Kaliti prison. Also, unlike other prisoners, he is not allowed to go outside of his cell for fresh air, according to close family members who have visited him over the weekend.
Several friends of Teddy were prevented from visiting him for the Ethiopian Easter holiday (Fasika) on Sunday. Only 5 family members were allowed to see him. The opposition UDJ vice-chaiperson Birtukan Mideksa was one of those who were turned away by prison guards yesterday.
The harsh treament Teddy is getting in prison gives credence to the suspecion that his arrest is politically motivated.
Ethiopians in the Washington DC area are holding a protest rally today in front of the Ethiopian embassy demanding the release of Teddy Afro.

Meles....

2008-04-23T12:33:00.004-04:00

This may be a satire, but it is also a wish of every Ethiopian. The day will come when the butcher of Addis Ababa Meles Zenawi will be dragged to justice like this. From Ethiopian Review:

Protests over Teddy Afro

2008-04-23T11:57:00.002-04:00

BBC: Ethiopia's most popular pop singer, Teddy Afro, has pleaded not guilty to causing the death of a young man in a hit and run incident 18 months ago.

Thousands of young people mounted an impromptu protest after the High Court hearing, running through the streets, shouting, "Teddy is innocent".
Unauthorised demonstrations are almost unheard of in Ethiopia and there was a heavy paramilitary police presence.
At a previous hearing, the noise of his fans almost drowned out proceedings.
This time the case was moved to a building at the back of the court area, well away from the crowd.
The singer appeared under close police guard, dressed in a pink t-shirt and looking subdued.
He spoke only to plead not guilty to negligent driving, driving without a licence, and failing to stop at the scene of an accident.
The incident in question took place in November 2006 and since then the singer, whose real name is Tewodros Kassahun, has been free on bail.
It is not clear why he was rearrested last week and has now been charged.
He was remanded in custody until next Tuesday.
As the news spread in the street that Teddy was going back to jail, the crowd erupted and a large group of youths started jogging past waving and shouting that the singer was not guilty.
The police chased them with batons until they finally dispersed into the surrounding streets.
This kind of demonstration has not been seen in Addis Ababa since the period after the elections in 2005 when Teddy Afro's songs were playing everywhere and his music was the anthem of the anti-government protesters.

'Loyal' opposition alleges intimidation at polls

2008-04-17T11:59:00.001-04:00

Public meeting with Berhanu Nega in Toronto, April 19

2008-04-17T11:55:00.002-04:00

Dr Berhanu Nega will discuss the current situation in Ethiopia with Ethiopians in Toronto on April 19, 2008.

Place: 40 Donald Ave., TorontoTime: 2:00 PM

More info: 416 422 2962

TPLF throws Teddy Afro in jail

2008-04-17T11:48:00.000-04:00

(Addis Fortune) - Ethiopia’s sensational stage performer, Tewodros Kassahun – popularly known as Teddy-Afro - is sent today, April 16, 2008, to the Addis Abeba Central Prison Centre after the Federal High Court eighth criminal bench, adjourned to rule over his appeal for right of bail on charges of murder.
He was under custody inside the Federal High Court, Lideta area, for couple of hours before a white minibus from the Prison Administration took him to Kaliti early this afternoon, together with other inmates. Fans, family members and his agent, Addis Gessese, have gathered inside the court before the minibus drove out.
Yet to be confirmed, he is believed to have been taken to Kaliti Prison Centre, located in the outskirts of the city. Dressed with red T-shirt and black pant, he appeared nervous and seemed unable to focus when talking to reporters gathered inside the Court, but maintained his innocence of the crime he is alleged to have committed.
“I’ve yet to compose my thoughts,” Tewodros told reporters who showered him with series of questions. “Nevertheless, I haven’t hit anyone with a car.”
On November 3, 2006, investigators from the Addis Abeba Police Commission arrested Tewodros Kassahun, suspecting him of leaving a scene of a car accident that they alleged has caused the death of an 18-year old Degu Yibelte. Degu, a street dweller who came from Gojjam to reside with his uncle before he moved out to the streets, was killed on the night of November 2, 2006, after he was hit by a car. Police was tipped on phone a plate number of a BMW by a taxi driver whose identity they were trying to establish at the time.
Later that night, around after midnight, a BMW owned and driven by the singer was found collided with a concrete that blocked road under-construction around Gurd Sholla area, on the road to the CMC residential complex. Police claimed at the time, the plate number of this vehicle was identical to the number they were tipped of by the unidentified taxi driver as involved in the accident that killed Degu.
After he was put under custody for a day, Tewodros was released on a 50,000 Birr bail the following day, on November 4, 2006.
Prosecutors have now pressed charges against the popular singer: According to the Ethiopian Penal Code, a driver who hit a person to death and drives 15 metre away from the scene of an accident would be charged of homicide. The court is adjourned for Monday, April 21, to decide whether or not Tewodros be granted release on bail.

Ethiopia named in Internet Enemies list

2008-03-14T19:12:00.001-04:00

Meles Zenawi was preaching about the need to expand telecommunications technology in Africa at a recent conference, while his regime is known as one of the worst obstacles for the growth of technology in Ethiopia, as the report below shows.
——————-
Reporters Without Borders has launched the first Online Free Expression Day today.
“From now on, we will organise activities every 12 March to condemn cyber-censorship throughout the world,” Reporters Without Borders said. “A response of this kind is needed to the growing tendency to crack down on bloggers and to close websites."
“Today, the first time this day is being marked, we are giving all Internet users the opportunity to demonstrate in places were protests are not normally possible. We hope many will come and protest in virtual versions of Beijing’s Tiananmen Square, Cuba’s Revolution Square or on the streets of Rangoon, in Burma. At least 62 cyber-dissidents are currently imprisoned worldwide, while more than 2,600 websites, blogs or discussions forums were closed or made inaccessible in 2007.”
The press freedom organisation added: “Our list of ‘Internet Enemies’ has also been updated with the addition of two countries - Ethiopia and Zimbabwe. And we are offering an new version of our Handbook for Bloggers and Cyber-Dissidents.”
Reporters Without Borders learned last night that UNESCO has withdrawn its patronage for today’s Online Free Expression Day (read our press release).
To denounce government censorship of the Internet and to demand more online freedom, Reporters Without Borders is calling on Internet users to come and protest in online versions of nine countries that are Internet enemies during the 24 hours from 11 a.m. tomorrow, 12 March, to 11 a.m. on 13 March (Paris time, GMT +1). Anyone with Internet access will be able to create an avatar, choose a message for their banner and take part in one of the cyber-demos taking place in Burma, China, Cuba, Egypt, Eritrea, North Korea, Tunisia, Turkmenistan and Vietnam.
There are 15 countries in this year’s Reporters Without Borders list of “Internet Enemies” - Belarus, Burma, China, Cuba, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Vietnam and Zimbabwe. There were only 13 in 2007. The two new additions to the traditional censors are both to be found in sub-Saharan Africa: Zimbabwe and Ethiopia.
“This is not at all surprising as these regimes regularly hound the traditional media,” Reporters Without Borders says in the introduction to its report.“Internet penetration is very slight, but nevertheless sufficient to give them a few nightmares. They follow the example of their seniors and draw on the full arsenal of online censorship methods including legislation, monitoring Internet cafés and controlling ISPs.”
There is also a supplementary list of 11 “countries under watch.” They are Bahrain, Eritrea, Gambia, Jordan, Libya, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Thailand, United Arab Emirates and Yemen. Unlike the “enemies,” these countries do not imprison bloggers or censor the Internet massively. But they are sorely tempted and abuses are common. Many of them have laws that they could use to gag the Internet if they wanted. And the judicial or political authorities often use anti-terrorism laws to identify and monitor government opponents and activists expressing themselves online.
“The hunting down of independent thinkers online is all the more effective as several major western companies have colluded with governments in pinpointing ‘trouble-makers’,” the reports says. “US company Yahoo! apologised in 2007 for a ‘misunderstanding’ which ended in journalist Shi Tao being sent to prison for ten years. The company has been responsible for the imprisonment of a total of four Chinese cyber-dissidents. It was apparently willing to ‘obey local laws’ that forced it to identify Internet users deemed to be dangerous.”
Finally, a new version of the Handbook for Bloggers and Cyber-Dissidents is available in French and English on the Reporters Without Borders website (www.rsf.org). It offers practical advice and techniques on how to start up a blog, how to blog for anonymously and how to circumvent censorship. It also includes the accounts of bloggers from countries such as Egypt and Burma.

More fake gold found in Ethiopian bank

2008-03-14T19:10:00.000-04:00

By Elizabeth BluntBBC News, Addis Ababa

Ethiopia's national bank has been told to inspect all the gold in its vaults to determine its authenticity.
It follows the discovery that some of the "gold" it had bought for millions of dollars was gold-plated steel.
The first hint that something was wrong reportedly came when the Ethiopian central bank exported a consignment of gold bars to South Africa.
The South Africans sent them back, complaining that they had been sold gilded steel.
An investigation revealed that the bank had bought a consignment of fake gold from a supplier, who is now under arrest.
Other arrests followed, including business associates of the main accused; national bank officials; and chemists from the Geological Survey of Ethiopia, whose job it is to assay the bank's purchases of gold and certify that they are real.
But what has clearly now got the [fake] government even more worried is that another different batch of gold in the bank's vaults has also been found to be fake, and this time it was gold which had been there for several years, after being seized from smugglers trying to take it to Djibouti.

American law professor fired from Mekelle university for voicing alternative views on HR2003

2008-02-13T12:43:00.002-05:00

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (By staff reporter)– An American law professor, teaching at the Ethiopian Ministry of Education’s Mekelle University in the Tigray region of Ethiopia, had her contract terminated last week by university officials.
The administration claims “incompetence” was the reason for her termination. But Professor Abigail Salisbury claims that her public voicing of alternative views on the U.S. House of Representative’s Ethiopia Democracy and Accountability Act of 2007 (HR2003) got her fired.
After failing to convince the university’s academic commission that her contract should not be terminated, Professor Salisbury is planning to depart Ethiopia. The firing quickly followed an article she published in “The Jurist,” the online University of Pittsburgh law review journal, in which she described candidly her participation in a Mekelle University Law Faculty forum on HR 2003 .
Taking one stance, Professor Salisbury writes, “Listening to the Ethiopians talk about the bill’s various points during the discussion forum, I… wonder[ed] if America hadn’t done something foolish…by asserting its right to determine the domestic affairs of a foreign nation.” She also points out that the factual findings section of HR2003 must be updated to reflect current human rights progress in Ethiopia.
But based on the passionate testimonies of her own international human rights law students at Mekelle, conveyed to her within mid-term essays she assigned, Salisbury reached an alternative conclusion – that HR2003 should be seen as an attempt by American foreign policy makers not to threaten Ethiopian sovereignty, but to improve the lives of poor Ethiopians who are truly suffering under a government with a firm grip on freedom of speech.
“I had been very careful in wording my assignment. I asked the students to select a human rights issue in Ethiopia…and find another country dealing with that same situation. They were required to then compare the actions of the two nations,” Salisbury writes. According to her, a number of students wrote that they would never give their real opinions to an Ethiopian professor, for fear of “being turned in to the government and punished.”
According to Professor Salisbury, the terms of her contract make it clear that in the case of premature termination, she should receive three months’ pay. Claiming they have an alternative interpretation, University officials have decided not to honor this clause. But Salisbury is more disappointed by the failure of the university’s professors and officials to honor freedom of speech. “The dean [of Mekelle Law School] told me never to be afraid to write anything,” the young American law professor recalled for SSI.
HR2003 was passed in October 2007 by the US House of Representatives and is now being debated by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. It proposes to withdraw “nonessential” assistance from Ethiopia until the federal government meets human rights obligations outlined in the Act.
The Sub-Saharan Informer - February 1, 2008

Ask Now, Praise Later - the Motive of Seye Abraha

2008-01-25T18:38:00.000-05:00

By Ebissa Ragassa Modern Ethiopian politics is an illusion created to confuse and fool the mass through many possible ways of event control. This is a new method that the public has not been aware of yet; it is through controlling events (from the local to the national levels) that the TPLF employees manipulate the Ethiopian peoples. A false event is implanted by the government to create a chaotic state; when the public gets confused and becomes desperate for help, it runs back to the government and accepts any deals the government slaps on the table. In the process, freedom, progress and critical thinking are sacrificed, and the citizens become blind followers. Over the last seventeen years, the Ethiopian peoples have become immune to TPLF’s usual propaganda and imprisonments, and the peoples no longer buy TPLF's ethnic divide-and-rule tactics. The TPLF regime has used up almost all of the cards of manipulation to stay in power deceitfully; it must think of something new and fresh that the public is not aware of yet. This new and fresh method is manipulation through controlled events or manufactured events to divert the public’s attention from the regime's corrupt nature. Now have you seen any change since TPLF took power? We hear news, elections, economic boom, and federalism, yet nothing tangible has happened. That’s because Meles has put the peoples of Ethiopia on a treadmill, which has given them a false impression of running forward while going nowhere. Controlling an event is a new technique that we will witness more often in the coming years in world politics. In the past human beings did not control events, only their responses to the events, so, in a way, events were not man-made; they were considered natural phenomena. Now imagine the situation in Ethiopia; especially, the events of the last seventeen years were a series of man-made controlled events. It is a trick; THE WHOLE THING IS A TRICK. Like a person running on a treadmill, they sweat and waste their energy thinking they are getting somewhere, but yet they have not moved a foot. Now have you seen any change since TPLF took power? We hear news, elections, economic boom, and federalism, yet nothing tangible has happened. That’s because Meles has put the peoples of Ethiopia on a treadmill, which has given them a false impression of running forward while going nowhere. It is these controlled events that we must predict. What is TPLF’s next move? What card can Meles play now? What card has he not played? And, our most important focus should be on what cards he has not played yet. Controlled events shape the public opinion or manipulate the mood of the peoples. It is through controlled events that the tempo of the peoples are raised or lowered as desired by the regime for its own end. When Meles wishes, he initiates a war with Eritrea for no apparent reason; when the public attention shifts to his favor, he buys himself another two to three years before redesigning his next plan. When that game gets old, he preoccupies the public by increasing the conflict and persecution on Oromo people and other ethnic citizens - now the public faces another controlled drama. He goes ahead and brings an end to this drama by releasing prisoners he has just incarcerated for no reason. By doing so, he is able to shift the attention of the peoples without resolving the underlying problems. By doing so, he is able to give the public false hope that change is on the horizon. By doing so, he is able to buy himself yet another two to three years of power. A shocking event occurred within the last months; Seye Abraha was released from prison all of sudden. That was indeed a surprising event; our justice system must have been working for a man that was denied a due process. Yet he was released at a critical time when mass uprisings threatened the TPLF regime from all corners. Why now, why not 3 years ago or why not even 2 years from now, why now? While I am glad that Seye is no longer in prison and I am not questioning the deed of Meles, I am questioning the motive for his timely release. What is Meles’ motive? What is he distracting us from? How does he benefit from this? And how can a man of Seye's caliber be free to leave the country without being a risk to Meles and come to the Diaspora, without posing some security threat to TPLF, to preach the gospel of peace, unity, forgiveness and reconciliations? My brothers and sisters here in the Diaspora have received this man with open arms, and have given him praises and admirations without any critical analyses, reasonings, or even posing basic questions. Many of our websites and journalists put the cart before the horse, that is “praise now, ask later” methodology, which is totally unreasonable, rather it should have been ASK NOW, PRAISE LATER. That was the problem that got Kinijit supporters in disarray for they prematurely praised without inquiring the leadership’s capacity. Remember a thirsty person in the Sahara Desert will pay any price for a cup of water, and we are rightfully so thirsty for peace and unity that we are willing to sacrifice our time and energy to receive peace and unity even if it means pushing aside our instincts that tell us: Wait a minute! There is something missing here. I just like to pose the following series of questions to the public. We desperately need peace and reconciliation, is Seye Abraha the messiah for such an important pure and morally just gospel of peace and reconciliation? What are we reconciling? Is this a deal too good to be true? Could Mr. Seye Abraha be groomed to replace Mr. Meles? Could this be the right publicity needed to further keep TPLF in power? Some of us have heard from reliable media outlets that Mr. Meles was claiming he would not be the next Prime Minister in coming election; even if we take him at his word, isn’t Mr. Seye the logical choice for TPLF to replace Mr. Meles? Does it not make sense for Meles and his followers to make peace with their people and core supporters, and to give Mr. Seye a chance to rule for he had been the major architect of TPLF, for he has a vested interest in the organization, and, most importantly, for he commands greater respect than Meles among the Tigrean People? Was not the reason Mr. Seye was imprisoned because he challenged Meles’ throne and created a division within the organization that left Meles without full support? Is Mr. Seye round-two of TPLF's disguised-in-sweet messages of unity and reconciliation that play with our emotions? For a high caliber person such as Mr. Seye, what are the conditions of his release? Knowing Meles’ calculative, cunning political nature, what were the pre-arranged agreements that were reached between him and Seye? I believe the timing and the message that Mr. Seye has brought to the Diaspora are interesting at a time when Meles is being challenged by Kinijit. Is it not interesting that Mr. Seye has become an advocate of the central ideology of Kinijit? What subtle impact does this create on the public perception to weaken Kinijit further? What is most interesting is his famous phrase that the Diaspora idolizes the most: “without Oromos, there is no Ethiopia.” While on the surface, this statement is true; the subtle psychological message is, in fact, increasing ethnic tensions that his party is famous for. Let me explain. "Without Oromos, there is no Ethiopia" is a loaded phrase that has many meanings. I will let the reader decipher most of the hidden meanings of this phrase, but simply what he is saying is that unless we stop the Oromos, Ethiopia is in jeopardy. This message is designed to further sensitize the ethnic tensions between the two major ethnic groups. The biggest threats to TPLF are the progresses that have been made especially in the last couples of years, the formation of AFD and Kinijit’s message. While Meles is systematically working on dismantling kinijit, what he could not dismantle is the public awareness: the realization of Oromos, Amharas and other ethnic groups to work together and forge a united front. So, Mr. Seye comes out of nowhere, he inserts himself between Oromos and Amharas, and he appears to have the best interest for Ethiopia. While we are starving and thirsting for the gospel of peace and reconciliation, we should rather wait for the rightful bearer of this message.

By Ebissa Ragassa kragassa@yahoo.com
SOURCE: MANA BUNA

The prison speaks Oromiffa (Esir betu Oromigna Yinageral)

2008-01-22T11:52:00.000-05:00

By Fekade Shewakena

The phrase I used for the title of this article would pass for simple ethnic politicking if it was not spoken by a founder and former political bureau member of the Tigrean People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) and a former Defense Minister of the regime now ruling Ethiopia with an iron fist. The phrase is a direct quote of Mr. Seye Abraha who recently got out of prison after serving six years at the Qaliti dungeon on trumped up charges that his accuser Mr. Meles Zenawi could not produce any credible evidence for proof. For human rights groups and many among Ethiopians who follow the human rights condition in Ethiopia, the savagery being committed against the Oromo people by Meles Zenawi’s regime is more than a little dirty secret. I was amazed to see a shockwave and a jolting moment in the packed hall in Virginia on January 5, 2008 when Seye spoke the four word phrase “esir betu Oromogna yinageral”. To the stunned audience Seye added a figure. He said “about 99% of the prisoners in Qaliti are Oromos”. I saw many people shaking their heads in disbelief.
I have no reason to doubt Seye’s assertions and figures or dismiss them as revenge against his former comrades as the apologists of the crimes of the regime try to tell us. In fact, nearly all people who have been at the Qaliti prison tell us the same thing. As he himself alluded to during his long speech, Seye understands that he shares responsibility and has a lot to answer for as one TPLF leader for the plight of the Oromo people. Many of us know that he has been at the forefront in fighting the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) out of the political system in Ethiopia in 1992 when they suspected that it has a widespread support, and the subsequent suffering of countless number of Oromos suspected of sympathizing with the OLF or membership in it. Others who have been to the Qualiti prison that I was able to talk to concur with Seye’s assertion. As a friend who recently came from Addis Ababa told me, this is one dirty public secret of Meles Zenawi that everybody in Addis Ababa talks about when the TPLF spies are not around. I think this is a horrifying human rights abuse that must be disquieting to all of us who value our people, the country and the future of every one of us and our children.
Ato Seye to his credit has shown a sense of shame and atonement in the tone of his expressions as he spoke these words and discussed the prevailing injustice in the country. Whether Seye’s sense of justice has changed because of his own experience of facing injustice and prison personally or through his reevaluation of the system he helped build, does not matter at this point. He should be congratulated for the courage he has shown to speak the truth in public and calling for a solution. Some people vanish into obscurity when they get out of the TPLF/EPRDF system. Some simply keep sucking up to the system and pursue “tranquil” life. Others stand up to undo their misdeeds, speak the truth and keep fighting to undo their wrongs. I have more respect for the later and think Seye is in this category.
The information that gets out of Ethiopia from multiple sources has it that this naked tyranny against the Oromo people is being committed with impunity and complete disregard for human life. Many of these prisoners are victims of suspicion of belonging to the OLF. Many prisoners, I am also told, are family members held hostage to hand in their adult relatives suspected of joining the OLF. Many are students who take the constitution and their rights seriously and demanded some freedom. They are of all age groups including 90 year olds, children being nursed by their prisoner mothers, students, toiling peasant farmers who work hard to feed their families. Many have never seen judges or are languishing in jails for years with punitive long court appointments. DWO (Dissenting While an Oromo) is a dangerous thing in Ethiopia. You will be tagged an OLF. Even some low level security operative or cadre can lock you up and throw the keys away.
For those of us who are not troubled enough by the magnitude of the injustice being perpetrated against the Oromo people, a good way of looking at it may be to look for parallels in history where a group of people identified by their ethnicity are subjected to such inhumanity. I tried to look all over history to find parallels to this kind of a disproportionate imprisonment of ethnic groups in any country. Believe it or not, the only similar parallels in history where you see these kinds of ugly features are only in countries under colonial rule, under Nazi Germany and in systems of apartheid. It is that troubling. An entire people that constitute the largest ethnic group in Ethiopia are prisoners in their own country; in a country their fathers have fought and died defending against multiple foreign aggressions, in a country they literally feed. Oromia is the most fertile region that literally feeds the northern half of Ethiopia much of which is arid. It is very ironic that the Oromia region that produces more than 90% of the cash crops, the export earnings, the mineral wealth and electric power of the nation also feeds 99% of the prison population to the jaws of Meles Zenawi’s filthy prisons. It is a breath taking irony.
I am by no means saying that oppression and human rights abuse being carried out in Ethiopia is limited exclusively against the Oromo alone. No. I have not forgotten the rest of the mass murders in different parts of the country and the suffering in many parts of Ethiopia including the crimes in the Ogaden which goes on as we speak. Even the people of Tigrai in whose name the TPLF commits these crimes take their share of this injustice. There is no regime that oppresses its citizens selectively. Only the intensity and level of ugliness is different. I am only talking about proportions and magnitude of the abuse. The facts and figures we see and hear about the treatment of the Oromo people for a long time now should be disquieting to any conscientious Ethiopian.
Meles Zenawi’s regime is destroying the fabric that ties our people and all indications are there is a developing inter-ethnic hatred in the country. In fact, one other former prisoner who confirmed Seye’s assertions told me another ugly fact. He told me that the most disgusting scene at the Qaliti prison is not only the disproportionate number of Oromo Prisoners. He said that there is also a disproportionate number of ethnic Tigreans manning the prisons as prison officials and guards. He told me that it appears to him not as pure negligence on the part of the officials but as a deliberately work done by Meles and his clique to foment hatred against Tigreans. The Oromo prisoner’s, I was told by another prisoner, often refer to the guards and prison officials as the “Tigrewochu” (the Tigeans). If we deny that all of this will factor into feeding hatred, we are only fooling ourselves and playing dead. If we think what is happening around our neighborhood in East Africa cannot happen to us, we are only cheating ourselves. If you don’t believe me listen to this hint from a young American professor of Law who was teaching Human rights Law at Mekele University. She says:
On a recent trip to the Amhara region, some young men asked me and my friends about our travels in Ethiopia. They were extremely friendly to us until we said that we were not really backpackers, but that we live in Mekelle, at which point one of the men spat on our vehicle and all but one walked off in disgust, yelling that they hate people from Tigrai. Our group was made up entirely of white people and this conversation was being held in English. It goes without saying that we could not possibly be from Tigrai, but so great was their hatred of the Tigraian politicians that the mere fact that we live in Mekelle was enough to taint us. One calmer man stayed to speak to us and told us that in order to be safe and have a better time when we travel, we should tell people, “The Ethiopian government made me work in Mekelle. Of course I never wanted to live in Tigrai.” (Read the entire text here)
Yes, this is sad and I cringe when I hear this coming out from my fellow Ethiopians. But I think we don’t only have to feel sad and hate hatred only sanctimoniously. We need to address the source of hatred with courage and head on instead. In Ethiopia the source of ethnic hatred is the regime of Meles Zenawi and Meles Zenawi himself. We have to understand that a few men in positions of power have the capacity and tools to make hatred a material force. Look at places where hatred destroyed millions of lives. Look at the ugly scene in Kenya that occurred only recently. Nobody can question that the people of Kenya as a whole are good people. The carnage we saw is not the making of the people of Kenya in my view. They were living as neighbors and were even intermarrying. It is the making of Mr. Kibaki and the elite around him who manipulated ethnic differences to help them stay in power. Kibaki and the elite around him never cared for the welfare of all Kenyans as much as they did for themselves. It is a perfect example of what greed for power and wealth by a handful of individuals who want to extend their stranglehold on power can do to a country by unleashing people against people. I think this is what Meles and his clique are working on hard in Ethiopia, particularly after they have found that the people have rejected them in the ballot box.
I think we can save our old, beautiful and historic country from degenerating into deeper divisions and hatred and falling into the traps set by Meles Zenawi and his clique. We can do this by standing up together across ethnicities and rejecting the inhumanity that is being committed by this cruel regime and its elite that is blinded by greed. There is nothing symbolic than rejecting this cruelty and barbarism against the Oromo people together. By so doing, we will all be fighting not for the rights of the Oromo people only but for ourselves and a better posterity too.
I know some apologists of the system would argue that this is the work of the OPDO, the Oromo Organization inside the EPRDF and that Oromos are fully represented. Give me a break. Stop giving me these sham symbols instead of the reality; or give it to unsuspecting foreigners in the embassies in Addis Ababa who seem to care less if we are destroyed as a nation. The symbols and realities are different and the Ethiopian people know it. We all know the real fact that the ethnic federalism being practiced in Ethiopia is only cartographic. All the talk by the TPLF about the rights of nations and nationalities is a modern scam for donor consumption. Ethiopia has never been under centralized rule as it is today. To be honest, Menilik’s Ethiopia is more federal than Meles Zenawi’s. At least the local kings have authority over their subjects while accounting to the king of kings, Menilik. The OPDO as an organization is made of former war prisoners of the TPLF, whose survival depends on serving Meles Zenawi. I have Oromo friends who tell me that some are selected for being downright scumbags who will never hesitate to kill their own children if Meles orders them to do so. The best and brightest Oromos are chased like prey or driven into exile. Many are herded in prisons. We all know that people like Dr. Merera Gudina and Ato Bulcha Demeqsa are subjects of insult and intimidation and abuse by Meles Zenawi not because they are powerful as an organized entity. They are subjected to daily condemnations by Meles for trying to be only a little independent Oromo voices. They are allowed to speak for two minutes a month in parliament.
I think we will all serve a great common purpose if all of us across ethnic groups rise up together and condemn this horrific crime against the Oromo people. This is not a thing to be left to the OLF. The OLF also cannot tell us that this is its exclusively problem and does not concern the rest of us, none Oromos. We do this only at the expense of the suffering of the innocent people.
At least those of us living in Diaspora should join hands across continents and cry at this injustice together and let the world know that this inhumanity is raging in Ethiopia. Can any group, for a starter, rise up to organize a day of prayer and vigil for Oromo prisoners that packed the prisons in Ethiopia? I volunteer to involve in organizing this. It is a shame that we are keeping silent while this crime is being committed against an entire people. If we don’t do this now don’t ask me later to stand against Oromos when they rise to fight back and decide to go out of the Ethiopian union and form their own country. What would I tell them back when they ask me what I have been doing when all this inhumanity was raining on them?

The writer can be reached at Fekadeshewakena@yahoo.com

Kinijit Southern Ethiopia official detained, released

2008-01-22T11:36:00.000-05:00

Kibaki joined Meles as ballot box thief

2008-01-04T14:28:00.000-05:00

The executive committee of the Coalition for Unity and Democracy Party (Kinijit) has opened a new office in Addis Ababa. The address of the new office

2007-12-21T14:09:00.000-05:00

The executive committee of the Coalition for Unity and Democracy Party (Kinijit) has opened a new office in Addis Ababa. The address of the new office has not been disclosed yet for security purposes, but the Kinijit Central Council will meet there soon, according to the officials.

Another dimension of disrespect to the people of Ethiopia

2007-12-02T23:25:00.000-05:00

Dec 02, 2007
By Alemayehu Zemedkun

If you happened to have watched a video clip recently posted on Aigaforum.com or Waltainfo.com on November 27, 2007, the ruling party chairman and Prime Minister of Ethiopia, Mr. Meles Zenawie responded to question directed to him by members of the Ethiopian parliament pertaining to the war in Somalia, the recently enacted bill known as HR2003 which was passed unanimously by the United States Congress and the border conflict with Eritrea that could spill into a full blown war any moment now. The Prime Ministers response on the war in Somalia, HR2003 specifically the role of some opposition leaders for supporting HR 2003 was laughable at best comical. The audacity of the Prime Minister in accusing opposition party members for supporting HR2003 who are currently member of the parliament, the possibility of war with Eritrea was theatrical display that even Hollywood best directors couldn’t not muster.
The premier is obviously trying to distort the public by providing false information and misleading facts which does not reflect the reality on the ground. This is deliberately designed to evade the public’s attention from the culminating storm since the elections in May of 2005. Let’s examine some of the points:-
1. Prime Minister Meles Zenawie, attempted to reduced the whole mission of HR 2003 as a bill designed to just establish an independent election board which comprises of opposition party members. He deliberately didn’t want to recognize other crucial points which are in the bill, such as bringing an independent, equitable and transparent justice system. Bringing to justice those who are responsible for the massacre of over 200 innocent people after the total crackdown of the peaceful protest following the May 2005 elections. Finally his attempt to compare apples to oranges by distorting the American election system providing facts which are not compatible with the Americal electoral system. You don’t have to be a legal scholar or an election expert to know that the United States political system had a Federal Election Commission that monitors the financial as well as some administrative procedures during elections. Moreover, each state has an election board that enacts election procedures and work to resolve election disputes.
2. The premier, criticized member of opposition parliament members who supported HR 2003 as “shameful”. The Prime Minister justified his critics by referring to these elected representatives as authors of legislative or rather “law makers” of the country yet are traveling abroad to plea with leaders of foreign countries to enact laws on their behalf. Can the Prime Minister point to one specific incident in the history of EPRDF that opposition party members got the opportunity to initiate, debate freely and finally enact a law for the better of the country?
3. The Prime Minister boasted of his government’s patience and restraint for not throwing CUDP leaders in jail for being invited to testify in front of the United States congress on behalf of HR 2003. According to his analysis, testifying before the United States Congress is a crime but, the government prefers to wait in patience even if they have the right to express their idea in whatsoever manner. However, we all know the main case here is that the government has no choice but to refrain from arresting the CUDP leaders because nothing else can reinforce better what the world has know all along that the EPRDF government is dictatorial and brutal. Second incarcerating the CUDP would bring down the wrath on the US Senate on the Prime Minister and would be the final nail in his coffin.
4. His points on the war with Eritrea, that as long as the Eritrean government does not hamper Ethiopia’s economic development plans, the Ethiopian government will not go to war for minor provo vacations by the Eritrean’s according to the Prime Minister. In the case of Somalia his defense was Ethiopia’s involvement in Somalia was to curve the possible future danger from the “Islamic extremists” which must be confronted before it gathers into a storm. This analysis by the Prime Minister clearly reflects the double standard foreign policy of the Ethiopian government and subjugates Ethiopians to server the interest of foreign nations. Second, the war on terror as has become a lucrative business and will win you many friends in the West these days as long as you can stomach mowing down and torturing innocent civilians.
Going to war with Eritrea will result in huge consequence for both sides and with the Ogaden crises, political tensions and growing numbers of rebel’s fighting throughout in Ethiopia the Prime Minister is left with fewer and fewer choices.
In conclusion I believe that President John F. Kennedy said it best “The great enemy of the truth is very often not the lie, deliberate, contrived and dishonest, but the myth, persistent, persuasive and unrealistic.”

Ato Alemayehu Zemedhun can be reached at alemzem@yahoo.com

VOA Amharic, Oromo Shows Jammed; Ethiopia Denies Responsibility

2007-11-28T09:16:00.000-05:00

By Peter Heinlein
Addis Ababa

Short wave radio monitors have confirmed that VOA broadcasts to Ethiopia in the Amharic and Afan Oromo languages have been jammed for the past two weeks. VOA Correspondent in Addis Ababa Peter Heinlein reports Ethiopia's government denies responsibility for the interference.
Listeners to VOA's Amharic Service began complaining about November 12 that they could not hear the one-hour nightly broadcast. Amharic is the language of commerce and the main official language in Ethiopia.
In recent days, the reports from listeners and monitors confirmed that all five short-wave frequencies used by VOA are being jammed. Broadcasts by the other major western broadcaster in Amharic, Germany's Deutsche Welle, have also been blocked.
A report by the BBC monitoring service says "the direction whence the jamming originates (established by the use of directional aerials) is consistent with the signals being transmitted from within Ethiopia".*
In a telephone interview with VOA, Ethiopia's Information Ministry spokesman Zemedkun Tekle says he doubts the government is involved in jamming.
"I do not think this one is true. Of course I have seen the media reporting saying that, but we do not need, the government does not need to waste its time on doing so," he said. "I myself have not come across audiences who are saying so, but the relevant body may speak on the details, but I do not think this story is true."
The two Amharic Service broadcasts are known to have a substantial audience in the Ethiopian capital, which is a hot bed of anti-government sentiment.
Monitors also report jamming of VOA's Oromo Service, which broadcasts on the same frequencies. Oromo is the language spoken by Ethiopia's largest ethnic group.
Ethiopia is known to be blocking broadcasts from its neighbor and rival Eritrea. Monitors report the jamming has intensified in recent weeks, as tensions have risen along their disputed border.
A status report issued by the umbrella organization that oversees Voice of America, the Broadcasting Board of Governors, says VOA broadcasts to Ethiopia have previously been jammed during civil unrest in 2005, but the jamming was stopped in mid-2006.
The Voice of America is a multi-media international broadcasting service funded by the U.S. government. VOA broadcasts more than 1,000 hours of news and other programming every week to an estimated worldwide audience of more than 115 million people.

2007-11-21T22:40:00.000-05:00

Petition for Daniel and Netsanet

2007-11-19T01:01:00.000-05:00

Please take few minutes to sign the following petition to be sent the Governments of the United States of America and the United Kingdom, the European Union, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, The African Commission on Human and People's Rights, International Human Rights and Civic Organisations.

Ask your Senator to pass H.R.2003, the Ethiopia and Accountability Act of 2007

2007-10-22T19:59:00.000-04:00

Lishan Akuma not guilty

2007-10-18T14:39:00.000-04:00

Intervene to save lives of Ethiopian Refugees in Sudan (SOCEPP-CAN)

2007-10-11T20:39:00.000-04:00

October 10, 2007

TO: Mr. Antonio Gutteres, UN High Commissioner for Refugees (Geneva), http://www.unhcr.org/

Amnesty International Secretariat, London (www.amnesty.org/) & AI Ottawa;(info@amnesty.ca)

Human Rights Watch, New York (hrwnyc@hrw.org) Toronto, herltj@hrw.org

The Ambassador, Government of the Republic of Sudan, Ottawa;
sudanembassy-canada@rogers.com

Intervene to save the lives of Ethiopian Refugees Involuntarily Repatriated from the Sudan

On July 20, 2007 we sent you a letter regarding the wave of mass arrests and possible refoulment of Ethiopian refugees suspected of having affiliations with opposition political groups such as the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF), Ethiopian Peoples Patriotic Front (EPPF) and others. In this letter, we indicated that close to 30 such individuals had already been rounded up in Khartoum by the Sudanese authorities and were being held in undisclosed location/s.We also sent you a follow up appeal letter dated August 7, 2007 warning about the state of these 30 refugees being held incommunicado in a prison known as DEBEK just out side of Khartoum, and asking for your immediate intervention to have them released.We have now received reliable information that on September 27, 2007 the Sudanese Government handed over the 15 Ethiopian political refugees suspected of being members/supporters of the said armed groups allegedly sponsored by Eritrea. Our sources have also confirmed that the deportees are being held in the notorious MAKELAWI (Central) Prison located in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Among the deportees is the elderly - Atanaw Wasse, who was also highlighted in our August 7, 2007 letter to you.SOCEPP Canada is gravely concerned about the welfare and security of the repatriates who may have already been subjected to inhumane treatment in this notorious prison. We sincerely believe that this action of the Sudanese Authorities constitutes a flagrant violation of the Geneva Convention on Refugees and the UN Declaration of Human Rights for which the Sudanese government must be held responsible. We are also deeply concerned and disturbed by the fact that your good offices failed to intervene to save these refugees from this unfortunate incidence of involuntary repatriation without any guarantee of safety in place. We anticipated that our appeal would have alerted the international community to take proper steps as to provide the necessary protection to these refugees.We are gravely concerned that, like many other involuntary repatriates before them, these refugees too could face torture and/or other forms of cruel and inhumane treatment including “disappearances”.Therefore, we urge you to:
Immediately intervene and secure their release, and/or
Ensure that they receive humane treatment while in the hands of the EPRDF regime in Ethiopia including access to medical treatment, legal council and visitation by family and friends, the ICRC and representatives of Human Rights groups. We urge the international community, Canadian parliamentarians, human rights groups, religious leaders and refugee groups to have their voices registered by advocating for the protection of these refouled refugees as well as those who are still in the Sudan.We also call upon you pressing on the EPRDF government to account for the whereabouts of the many political dissidents detained at various times including the leaders and members of the banned Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Party (EPRP) such as: Tsegaye G/Medhin, Yishak Debretsion, Amha Hunegnaw, Aberash Berta, Tamrat Gizachew, Lemma and others. Many of these have not been heard of since their detention as far back as 1991-92 and are presumed to have been “disappeared”.
SOCEPP CanadaSOLIDARITY COMMITTEE FOR ETHIOPIAN POLITICALPRISONERS (SOCEPP-CAN)
P. O. BOX 413, Station - E, TORONTO, ON (Canada) M6H 4E3
Email: socepp.can@sympatico.ca

HR 2003 has Passed Unanimously

2007-10-02T19:30:00.000-04:00

The U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 2003 (Ethiopia Democracy and Accountability Act of 2007) on a unanimous vote at exactly 12:58 Eastern Standard Time. Donald Payne delivered an impassioned speech on the floor of the House urging members pass the bill. He outlined the long train of human rights abuses that have taken place in Ethiopia over the past two years. He said the people of Ethiopia deserve democracy and human rights and a government of their choice. Congressman Chris Smith, similarly delivered an impassioned speech and recounted Zenawi’s arrogant lecture that he planned to imprison all of the opposition leaders. Smith joined Payne in insisting that the U.S. demand of the Ethiopian government accountability for the aid that it receives and compliance with human rights laws. All Ethiopians should take this opportunity to thank Congressmen Donald Payne, Chris Smith, Tom Lantos and Nancy Pelosi and Steny Hoyer for their support in getting this legislation passed. When we needed their help, we called upon them . NOW IT IS TIME TO CALL AND SAY: “THANK YOU.”
The Coalition will issue further statements on action in the Senate soon.

http://www.hr2003.org
E-mail:passhr2003@hr2003.org
Tel: 323-988-5688
Fax: 323-924-5563

http://ethioforum.org/home/content/view/62/1/

A warm welcome to Kinijit leaders from Ethiopians Boston

2007-09-23T19:53:00.000-04:00

Kinijit leaders who are currently on a working visiting in the U.S. arrived in Boston Saturday morning. Ethiopians in Boston turned out in large numbers to give them a warm welcome. After getting some rest they attended a fund raising dinner which raised over $40,000, according to the organizers. In her speech at the dinner, Wzt. Bertukan made a public appeal to Ato Hailu Shawel to join the delegation. The audience expressed support for her appeal through loud cheers and applause. Boston is Kinijit's strong hold in the U.S., and today's events -- the welcoming ceremony at the airport in the morning, and the fund raising dinner -- have proved that. One of the main reasons for Kinijit leaders travel to the U.S. is to raise funds, and so far they are on track to raise over a million dollars. They have up to now collected close to 1/4th of that. The funds will be used to rebuild the party's structure in Ethiopia and reopen its offices through out the country. If Woyanne allows that is yet to be seen. Ethiopian Review is grateful to Aklog Lemeneh, Samuel Belihu, Ashebir Tadesse, Minasse Yimam, and Yohannes Tessema for helping with our live coverage of Kinijit's arrival in Boston and the fund raising event (more from Ethiopian Review)

Statement by Kinijit NA delegation

2007-09-23T19:41:00.000-04:00

U.N. calls for rights probe in Ethiopia's Region

2007-09-20T19:51:00.000-04:00

By Barry Malone
ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - The United Nations wants an independent probe into reports of human rights abuses in Ethiopia's troubled Ogaden region, a report by a fact-finding mission to the area said.
U.N. investigators spent a week touring the impoverished, predominantly ethnic Somali region, where Ethiopian soldiers have been fighting separatist rebels for months more

Violations of Constitutional and Human Rights: Party Formation of TPLF Dissidents

2007-09-19T11:28:00.001-04:00

Public meeting in Washington DC with Kinijit leaders

2007-09-19T11:26:00.001-04:00

Journalists Flee ...

2007-08-30T11:22:00.000-04:00

The Washington Post: Freed Ethiopians Describe Threats

2007-08-21T11:55:00.000-04:00

Washington Watch Update: H.R 2003

2007-08-21T11:53:00.000-04:00

Ethiopians in DC say thank you to K.I.L

2007-08-21T11:50:00.001-04:00

Over 180,000 beggars to be detained for "millennium"

2007-08-10T16:13:00.000-04:00

Negasso Under Fire in Minnesota

2007-08-01T11:07:00.000-04:00

..........."When I saw him, what I feel, (he is) somebody who tried to kill me, who tried to hunt me back home, I escaped from that," said Yuya, an activist and Oromo Studies Association member. "My sisters, my brothers, my mom, my father, because of him, disappeared. Then, how can I tolerate (him) over here?"........

....

CPJ:Ethiopian government pardons four journalists,revives genocide charges against others

2007-07-27T11:21:00.000-04:00

SPECIAL MESSAGE FROM PROF. AL MARIAM ON H.R. 2003

2007-07-27T11:15:00.000-04:00

I thank the Coalition for H.R. 2003 for giving me the opportunity to say a few words on the challenges that we face in pushing through H.R. 2003 in the House of Representatives.
I am afraid that some of us may not be aware of the concerted and coordinated activities by Zenawi’s lobbyists and others to defeat H.R. 2003. Every single day, Zenawi’s lobbyists, official representatives and even some who claim to be “shimagles” are making phone calls and pounding the pavement in Congress to defeat H.R. 2003. There is a coordinated effort between the lobbying firm, the official representatives in the U.S. and certain “shimagles” and others to mount a covert and not-so-covert assault on our bill. We must stand up and defend our bill!
Zenawi’s new lobbying strategy is simple. He wants to convince Congress that he has changed overnight from a dictator to a democrat. He says: “I have released the political prisoners. I am going to be a good boy from now on. I will abide by the rule of law and all that good stuff. Just don’t slam me with H.R. 2003.”
His lobbyists are chanting the same thing all over Congress. “Sure, sure. Things are improving in Ethiopia. The political prisoners are released. More will be released. Zenawi is willing to observe human rights. He should be given a chance. The bill will hurt the Ethiopian people.” Blah, blah, blah. The unofficial lobbyists are trying to scam members of Congress by telling them that “Ethiopia is trying to solve its problems by using its elders and traditional methods of conflict resolution”. Blah, blah, blah.
But H.R. 2003 is not just about releasing political prisoners. It is about democratic reform and accountability, restoration of the democratic rights of the people, strengthening human rights and civic society organizations and human rights monitoring and reporting processes, increasing the independence of the judiciary, prosecution of human rights abusers, improving election procedures, removing press censorship and repeal of restrictive press laws and provision of various training programs for demcratic participation, and limiting U.S. security assistance to peacekeeping and counter-terrorism only, among others.
Fortunately, we have not only truth and justice on our side, but also the defenders of truth and justice: Donald Payne, Chris Smith, Tom Lantos, Mike Honda, Charlie Rangel and dozens of others.
We have a choice to make now: Let Zenawi buy his way out of H.R. 2003, or we stand up and stop him cold on the steps of Congress. The choice is ours, not his.
Zenawi is certain, very certain, that he will defeat H.R. 2003 and win in the end, because he has millions to spend on lobbying. He thinks he can buy Congress. Have no doubts about this. He is sitting in his palace right now laughing at us: “They are not going to do a damn thing. All they do is moan and groan. They have never been able to do anything in all these years.” So, here we are. Is Zenawi right? “We can’t do a damn thing.” ???
Call, Write, Visit Your members of Congress on behalf of Mother Ethiopia!
I ask every Ethiopian American to call, write and visit their members of Congress and ask them to support H.R. 2003. To paraphrase Shakespeare, the questions are:
Can each one of us afford to give Mother Ethiopia 5 minutes out of our busy lives to make a telephone call to a member of Congress and plead on her behalf the cause of freedom, democracy and human rights?
Can each one of us spare 10 minutes to write a letter to a member of Congress and explain Mother Ethiopia’s pain and suffering and the plague that has been visited upon her children?
Can we spare a couple of hours to go to the district office of our member of Congress; or for those of us who live close to Washington D.C., can we spend half a day in Congress and personally petition for relief of the suffering of Ethiopia’s children?
Let’s act NOW!
Let’s prove, No! Surprise Zenawi, that we can really work together to bring about positive transformations in Ethiopia. Let us show him that though we do not have millions to spend on lobbyists, we have hundreds of dedicated Ethiopians who will make up with patriotism and love of country what they lack in money.
My fellow Ethiopian Americans, awaken the giant within you. You have the power to do good, to be caring and compassionate towards your suffering brothers and sisters in Ethiopia. Use your power as a democratic citizen of the United States to fight evil. As Ghandi has taught, "Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will." Let me add that strength does not come from spending millions on lobbyists. It comes from an unflagging and unfaltering commitment to a cause – our holy cause of freedom, democracy and human rights in Ethiopia.
JOIN ME AND THOUSANDS OF OTHERS AS WE MAKE OUR CALLS AND VISITS TO OUR MEMBERS OF CONGRESS.
Remember July 31, 2007!
God bless all of you!!!

Meles gives deadline for Red Cross

2007-07-24T12:37:00.000-04:00

Cry Ethiopia....

Hailu Shawel said he signed apology under duress

2007-07-20T11:52:00.000-04:00

Ethiopian opposition leader condemns government, just hours after pardon and release
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) - Ethiopia's opposition leader condemned the government Friday, just hours after he and 37 others were pardoned and released from jail, saying he signed a formal apology under duress.
Hailu Shawel, leader of the main opposition party, said that he had no apology to make for protesting 2005 election results because, «for us it is a normal political protest.

Updates on the release of CUDP leaders from Ethioguardian

2007-07-20T11:50:00.000-04:00

Congradulations! Ethiopian Leaders are FREE!!

2007-07-20T11:47:00.000-04:00

TPLF finally released CUDP leaders!

Ethioguardian reports...

Three minibuses carrying the thirty eight prisoners came out of Kaliti prison, sped past the busy streets of Addis and headed to the houses of the prisoners. Birtukan Mideksa and Muluneh Eyuel showed kinijit's famous "V" sign to the cheery and whistling people waiting for their release outside the gates of the prison. Some of the people were waving flags.Their release has put to rest EPRDF's legal theatrics, even though the relentless propaganda campaign is still going on as I write this news. For our heroes, the hard task just starts. There is the task of reorganizing the party which since their imprisonment has been rudderless and leaderless. Their imprisonment has revealed who the real democracy fighters and who the opportunists are within the party. There has also been one or two lessons about strategy and tactics. There is no party time. It is work, work and work. Work for us, who count ourselves as activists for democracy, and work for our heroes.Source: EZEthiopian Opposition Figures Pardoned By VOA News 20 July 2007 One of the politicians released in Addis Ababa, 20 July 2007 Ethiopia has pardoned 38 opposition leaders and activists who were sentenced to life in prison earlier this week for inciting violence and attempting to overthrow the government.Prime Minister Meles Zenawi says the prisoners' constitutional rights had been fully restored, including their right to vote and seek public office. He announced the pardons Friday, in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa.A three-judge High Court panel sentenced the group Monday. The charges were related to protests against the 2005 elections. Opposition groups say the vote was rigged to keep Mr. Zenawi in power. Ethiopian security forces killed at least 193 people while stopping the protests.Several other defendants received prison sentences between 18 months and 18 years.The United States had urged Ethiopia to grant the defendants clemency.Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.

The Politics of Deception: TPLF missing another opportunity

2007-07-19T15:22:00.000-04:00

Girma Kassa (Chicago) / July 18, 2007

For the seventh time, TPLF/EPRDF officials are squandering an opportunity to reconcile themselves with the Ethiopian people.

In May 1991, the former TPLF/EPRDF rebels entered Addis Ababa and other major cities in Ethiopia without any major fights. The Ethiopian People allowed them in their cities hoping a better Ethiopia would come out after a 17 years bloody, repressive and brutal reign of Colonel Mengistu Hailemariam.

Unfortunately the EPRDF officials offended Ethiopians by implementing a backward and medieval ethnic politics and making Ethiopia a country with no sea outlets. These added to many arrogant comments of disrespect towards the Ethiopian green-yellow-red flag from the part of Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, exasperated the mistrusts and disapproval of the EPRDF by the people. (First opportunity lost)

In 1998, Ethiopians, setting aside the past serious mistakes of the EPRDF, rallied behind Prime Minister Zenawi to defend the aggression of Shabia (The Eritrean regime of President Issayas Afeworki). “This could be a chance for EPRDF to undo its past mistakes” many thought.

Again, after the death of tens of thousands of our brothers and sisters, the Ethiopian defense forces reached the gates of Asmara and could have removed once and for all the long time trouble of Ethiopia.

Prime Minister Meles and his colleagues in Arat Kilo reversed the victory though, signed the Algiers agreement, unconditionally accepted the decision of the border commission that exclusively gave Badme to Eritrea and squandered again the good will gesture they got from the People. (Second opportunity lost)

In May 2000, during the first relatively democratic election, the ruling party has gotten praises and admirations from different angle of our society for allowing democratic exercises. The public media was relatively free. Peaceful demonstrations against the government were held without harassment. International elections observers were allowed.

When it comes to the result of the May election it was not what the regime expected. The regime then started destroying what they build. Had they accepted the decision of the people, they could have written their name in the history book. They could have earned the respect and love of the people for being humble and true democrat. It could have given them the opportunity to come back again in power in next elections.

By rigging the election and killing our unarmed civilian’s brothers and sisters, they, nevertheless, lost for a third time a very golden opportunity to be respected and loved by the people. (Third opportunity lost)

From June 2005 to November 2005, many were hoping the negotiation between Kinijit (CUD) and UEDF on one side and the EPRDF on the other would bring some sort of understanding among all parties, and the country would be spared from political crisis and instability. The CUD postponed the first civil and peaceful disobedience campaign it called for, to give peace and dialog a chance, agreed to enter parliament and decided to focus on the future. Their only demands were demands that strengthen democratic institutions so that Election 97 would not be repeated in the next 2010 election.

To the surprise of many, the EPRDF leaders took the compromise of the CUD as a weakness and refused to come to the table. They continued their intimidation.

In November 2005, in an unprecedented barbaric show of force, security forces directly under the command of Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, indiscriminately fired on peaceful demonstrators and killed more than 200 innocent civilians. They brutally detained more than hundred thousands from their kebeles and weredas and placed them hundreds miles away from their home in more than 4 concentration camps across Ethiopia. (Ziway, Shewarobit, Kolfe, Dedessa ..) Reporters, human right activists, anti poverty campaign advocates and Kinijit/CUD leaders were arrested and send to prison. (Amnesty International called these prisoners prisoner of conscious.)

These totalitarian actions of the EPRDF added fuel to the hatred and disgust the people has against it and closed another opportunity that could bring stability. (Fourth opportunity lost)

For the last two years, efforts were being made to secure the release of prisoners of conscious and bring peace and reconciliation in Ethiopia. The European Union, The United State Congress, International civic groups, the US ambassador Donald Yamammato and Ethiopians from different angles called the regime in Arat Kilo to take concrete actions for peace and democracy. They called for the government of Ethiopia to unconditionally release the prisoner of conscious and come to the negotiation table to solve the political crisis of the country in a dialog.

On March 23, the government controlled court was to give its preliminary judgment on the merit of the case against incarcerated prisoner of conscious. Many of us hoped this time The EPRDF leaders would do the right thing and learn from their past mistakes. We hoped the case would be dismissed and the regime would start undoing its damage.

“Mon Dieu” - The cadres of the regime in black robe allowed the court proceeding to continue and showed their disrespect to the rule of law they were supposed to uphold.

Three month later this same court found the popular and loved prisoners of conscious guilty of ridiculous charges and sentenced them with life imprisonment. (Opportunities five and six lost)

After heavy pressures from the international community, from some rank and files within the TPLF itself, from Ethiopians in the Diaspora and for fear of the anger and bitterness of the Ethiopian people that may explode and possibly devour them alive at anytime, the EPRDF rulers decided to free prisoners of conscious. The Board of Amnesty approved their release.

The release of prisoners could have opened a new era of a rapprochement and new beginning. It was a very good opportunity to, once and for all, open the door for peace and reconciliation.

They spoiled it again. Officials in Arat Kilo are killing the great efforts of the shemageles and started a campaign of deception that does nothing but build up tension with the opposition.

Dr Merrara Gudina, a prominent opposition leader from the UEDF expressed his dismay and frustration towards the latest campaign of misinformation against Kinijit leaders by the government controlled media. He said:” It is not a normal national reconciliation. It looks like the government tries to humiliate them (kiniit leaders) rather than stretch its hand for national reconciliation. So that is what makes me skeptical, whether we are moving forward or not. “ [1]

It would have been prudent and wise for EPRDF officials to admit mistakes, offer olive branches to all their opponents and be ready for a true reconciliation that is based on honesty, love, forgiveness and “ethiopiawi chewanet” . They could have used this opportunity to redeem themselves from their past.

But, their forged letter and their massive campaign to humiliate the “dear ones” of Ethiopia have made them the sole looser at the end of the game. The “Shemgelena” process was supposed to be a win-win situation for all. Now it has ended as a WIN-LOOSE situation (with the EPRDF being the loser).

The recent embarrassing interviews of Ato Bereket Simon on BBC focus in Africa and the VOA, the editorial of the Wall Street Journal [2], the passage of HR2003 in the House of representative [3], the recent hearing in the United States Senate subcommittee chaired by the Wisconsin Senator Feingold [4].. are clear indications that the regime has made itself isolated internationally and lost diplomatically.

As reported by various bloggers from Addis Ababa [5][6], Ethiopians are expressing their rejection to the lies of the regime and are awaiting the triumphant release of their heroes.

I for one have always hoped for the better. I always people mankind has the capability to change. I cannot comprehend when the men and women in Minilik palace would open their eyes for their own sake and allow themselves not to be dragged deeply into the fires that destroy them. When would we see among them cool headed people, who at least guide them to the truth and the reality? (Opportunity seven lost)

May God open their eyes to His Wisdom and to His Understanding!
May God Bless Ethiopia!

[1] - http://www.abugidainfo.com/?p=1577#more-1577
[2] - http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article22897
[3] - http://www.ethiomedia.com/atop/us_officials_angry_at_zenawi.html
[4] - http://www.ethiopianreview.com/news/?p=338
[5] - http://temelkatch.blogspot.com/2007/07/reminiscing.html
[6] - http://lewit.blogspot.com/2007/07/things-they-cant-suppress.html
-------------
The writer can be reached at muziky68@yahoo.com

HR2003 making progress Payne schedules h.r. 2003 for mark-up!

2007-07-19T11:54:00.000-04:00

Coalition for HR2003 (13 July 2007)-- Congressman Donald Payne has re-scheduled mark-up of H.R. 2003 for July 18, 2007, at 10:15 a.m. We thank Don Payne for his commitment to freedom, democracy and human rights in Ethiopia. The Kality prisoners were supposed to have been released on or before July 9, 2007, the date set for their “ sentencing” by Zenawi’ s Kangaroo Kourt. That date, as usual was continued to July 16. With the rescheduled mark-up date, it appears crystal clear that both Payne and the numerous co-sponsors of the bill are no longer willing to put up with Zenawi’ s “ horsefeathers.” (Ethio Forum)

Does the Ethiopian Diaspora have a Meaningful Role in Ethiopian politics? DR. Maru Gubena

2007-07-13T16:41:00.000-04:00

Protest Rally in Washington DC

2007-07-13T09:52:00.001-04:00

Open Letter To Meles Zenawi from Berhane Mewa

2007-07-09T15:25:00.000-04:00

Haile Gebrselassie sets two new records

2007-06-28T10:36:00.001-04:00

A Millenium Resolution: Never Take Wrong Historical Turns Again

2007-06-27T11:12:00.000-04:00

Urge acquittal of Ethiopian anti-poverty activists now

2007-06-27T09:53:00.000-04:00

The treason trial of two coordinators of the Global Call to Action against Poverty (GCAP) in Ethiopia, Daniel Bekele and Netsanet Demissie, is at a critical moment. Trial observers believe they will receive a verdict by the end of July. If found guilty, these two courageous civil society activists may face life imprisonment, or even death sentences. Daniel and Netsanet are highly respected for their tireless advocacy on human rights, poverty reduction and social justice in Ethiopia. They were detained in November 2005, along with over 100 opposition politicians and journalists, following the highly criticised May 2005 national elections in Ethiopia. Only 10 people, including Daniel and Netsanet now await their verdicts.

State of Oregon adopts a Resolution

2007-06-20T16:51:00.000-04:00

New charges on 55 gov't opponents with rebellion

2007-06-07T10:09:00.000-04:00

ADDIS ABABA, June 5 (Reuters) - The Ethiopian government has charged 55 opposition members with trying to launch an armed rebellion, the state-run Ethiopian News Agency (ENA) reported on Tuesday. The case is the latest to be brought against the opposition, and in particular members of the Coalition for Unity and Democracy (CUD), since 2005 parliamentary elections ended in violent protests that killed nearly 200 people. "The 55, who were members of the CUD, are charged with conspiring to launch armed rebellion against the government, following the 2005 national election," ENA reported, quoting charges brought by the prosecution on Monday. The defendants were not immediately available for comment. The group received its orders from exiled leaders in the United States and Germany, ENA quoted the charges as saying. This case is separate from an earlier one that has outraged human rights groups, in which 131 opposition leaders, journalists and activists were charged in December 2005 with treason, inciting violence and attempting to commit genocide. The crackdown tarnished Prime Minister Meles Zenawi's democratic credentials and prompted donors, including Britain and the European Union, to halt direct budgetary aid to sub-Saharan Africa's second most populous nation. Meles, who denied vote-rigging accusations, has said the opposition incited the violence to overthrow his government. Of 131 people first charged in that case, 45 have now been acquitted and 36 are being tried in absentia.

Protest rally in Germany during the G-8 Conference

2007-05-26T18:34:00.000-04:00

Mediation Breaks Again

2007-05-11T00:12:00.000-04:00

Mediation breaks again after EPRDF andpolitical prisoners appear to reach preliminary agreement

Final efforts for mediation between the government and Ethiopia's famous political prisoners broke down last week due to Meles Zenawi's Intransigence. Hopes that this time the mediation would be successful was high after preliminary agreement was reached between the parties last Tuesday. Meles Zenawi, however, sent a guilty form for the prisoners to be filled individually a day after the agreement was reached. The form states that the CUDP council members admit that they have tried to subvert the constitutional order. The prisoners refused to sign the form.Sources who have closely followed the mediation said that the blame squarely lied on the mediators who didn't even censure Meles Zenawi when he went back on his agreement a day after he made it. "Meles is playing a game here. He doesn't want to release them, but at the same time, he wants to alleviate foreign pressure. The tactic is to appear as if he were involved in mediation without doing anything. The mediators are chickens in this game," one source said.

The official Holy Synod of Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church called for the release of all political prisoners and journalist.

2007-05-09T18:45:00.001-04:00

The EPRDF, Civil Society Organizations and Human Rights in Ethiopia

2007-05-09T18:32:00.000-04:00

Paulos Milkias
May 7, 2007

The EPRDF party is driven by power as an end in itself. The lure of the current Ethiopian government's authority has in fact transformed the political party into a power-machine that crushes everything on its way, including all major opposing parties and civil-society organizations.
Among civil society organizations, NGO’s are of paramount importance because they are known for reaching the most disadvantaged peasants in the remotest parts of the country.1 However, very few of them have so far involved themselves in policy advocacy for fear that it might get them into trouble with apprehensive government officials that constantly keep them under guard.[2]
Of the few local advocacy groups in Ethiopia, the Ethiopian Human Rights Council (EHRCO) is the most significant. But because it has become a nuisance by reporting the regime’s human rights transgressions, in 1998, the state controlled Commercial Bank of Ethiopia refused to release its assets thus forcing it to survive on donations from the public.[3] Its founding director, prof. Mesfin Wolde Mariam who is an excellent candidate for the Nobel Prize for Peace has also been accused and jailed on dubious charges of “crimes against humanity” and “attempted genocide” both of which carry the death penalty; and ironically, both of which he tried to stamp out through his organization.
Another major advocacy organization in Ethiopia is the Ethiopian Women Lawyers Association (EWLA) which was established in 1995. ELWA has the stated objectives, of sensitizing the general public to the plights of Ethiopian women who have been constantly subjected to blatant organized and unorganized abuse. It had done a great deal to protect them not only against administrative, legal and social intolerance and discriminatory laws but also against bigotry, domestic violence, abduction, rape, assault, battery and female genital mutilation. So far, it has given free legal aid to 30,000 women, through it’s national office in Addis Ababa and a dozen branch offices located in remote parts of the country. Most, who have benefited from this generous service are poor and downtrodden urban as well as peasant women folk.[4] The organization has also made unremitting struggle to oblige the government to create a human rights tribunal and the office of an ombudsman. ELWA has kept itself out of trouble with the government by steering away from sensitive human rights issues. But that did not stop it from agitating to have an increase in the political participation of women as voters as well as elected officials. The members are currently putting pressure on the government to follow the example of South Africa, Uganda and Mozambique to set quotas for women candidates who are interested in running for elections.
Trade Unions are the oldest NGO’s to emerge during the feudal period. But the EPRDF regime has not been any less hostile to it than it has been to other independent civil society organizations. Its known tactic is to plant undercover agents in the organization with the purpose of creating splinter groups in the ranks and then supporting factions favourable to its policies and cracking down on groups opposed to it. Many labour leaders have thus been thrown out of their jobs, jailed, or exiled. For example, quite recently, the chair of the Confederation of Ethiopian Trade Unions, Dawi Ibrahim, had been forced to flee to the Netherlands where he has asked for a political asylum to escape unremitting government surveillance on his private life and open ended persecution and hostile measures directed against him by the state security police.
The Ethiopian Teachers' Association is the oldest and most powerful professional association in Ethiopia. As soon as it came to power, the Meles regime targeted it for fear that it might incite teachers and students against it and lead to its overthrow as it did to the feudal regime of Haile Selassie in 1974. On May 29 1996, as part of its intimidation mechanism, the EPRDF government arrested Dr Taye Woldesemayat, President of the Ethiopian Teachers' Association, at Addis Ababa international airport upon his return from a general meeting in Europe. He was accused of armed conspiracy so that if convicted, he would face the death penalty. But Taye, well-known internationally to have opposed violence, has eschewed even political party affiliation. He was released following intense international pressure. To destroy the ETA as an organization, the government of Mr. Meles Zenawi has resorted to the freezing of ETA bank account as well as its pension funds. It has also closed down its regional offices, conducted several illegal searches, fired ETA members from their professional jobs and jailed many peaceful activists. As if that is not enough, the EPRDF government has disfranchised the original ETA and has established in its place, a rival pro-government organisation that carries the same name. The General Secretary of the ETA, Gemoraw Kassa, fearing for his life, has recently taken asylum in the UK. In May 1997, ETA executive committee officer Assefa Maru, who was also a member of the Ethiopian Human Rights Council executive committee, was shot and killed in broad daylight .
The plight of Ethiopian journalists is not any better. In 1991, the government of Mr. Meles adopted a so called national charter and informed the journalist that except in matters concerning state security, they were free to enjoy full rights to disseminate information without state interference. But it did not take long for it to renege. [5] The Ministry of Information started canceling licensces of publications that it deemed “have not been able to respect their journalistic code of ethics as well as failing to discharge their responsibilities.” As a result, many have lost their businesses. The well-known international human rights organization, the Committee to Protect Journalists [CPJ], has recently reported that no less than 300 reporters have been jailed in Ethiopia since 1992. Between 1992 and the end of year 2005, at least 16 Ethiopian journalists lost their lives in the hands of armed death squads. The chairperson of the Ethiopian Free Press Journalists Association, Mr. Kifle Mulat, announced in 2000, that many of theseof these journalists lost their lives under dubious circumstances, including suicides.
During the disputed election of May, 2005, editors and reporters of independent and privately-owned newspapers were detained and charged with “treason,” “outrages against the Constitution” and “incitement to armed conspiracy”.[6] The accusations are reportedly based on published articles. They are also related to the charges against the KINIJIT leaders who were accused of trying to overthrow a legitimate government by inciting a revolution. None of the journalists were however members of that political party, though they had conducted interviews with its leaders and had made critical remarks about the EPRDF government regarding the conduct of the election. Six publishing companies owned by some of the accused journalists were charged with offences as corporate entities. Five Amharic language Voice of America reporters in Washington D.C. and two US-based Ethiopian website editors (Elias Kifle of Ethiopian Review and Abraha Belai of Ethiomedia) were arraigned in absentia for “attempted genocide” and “crimes against humanity.” Whereas the indictments against the VOA personnel was “temporarily” dropped following intense U.S. government pressure, the latter still face these ominous capital punishment charges.
In the wake of this crackdown, meaningful consultation with major opposition parties was virtually banished and the government cadres, intimidated, jailed and shot all those who failed to fall in line, manipulated elections in the rural areas and made an announcement that Mr. Meles party had won 2/3 of the seats. Public demonstrations were legally banned for a period of one month after the election day. A vicious media campaign was run accusing the opposition of disloyalty. Defeated government officials who were members of the EPRDF central committee were miraculously reinstated into their parliamentary seats after the so-called recounting of votes were conducted under the watchful eyes of a partisan national election board. Tensions run high and there were public protests against the abuse which the European observer group had witnessed and reported. Subsequently the government’s security squad massacred at least 193 unarmed peaceful demonstrators, arrested about 40,000 supporters of the opposition and herded them into jail. Amharic speaking Ethiopians living in non-Amhara Kilils [zones] were expelled by local EPRDF cadres on charges of supporting the opposition which is wrongly equated with an Amhara movement though it is clearly pan-Ethiopian. On the orders of the Prime Minister, the leaders of the Coalition for Unity and Democracy [Kinijit] party who refused to sit in what they considered a rigged parliament, were arrested and charged with “crimes against humanity” and “attempted genocide” - charges that carry the death penalty. When some parties such as the Oromo National Congress took their seats, the government planted agent provocateurs in their ranks, splintered the party, and gave recognition to factions “in good behaviour” with the EPRDF.
That brings us again to civil society organizations. What did they do when all this was expiring? Nothing? One cannot deny that NGO’s that came to Ethiopia in the name of emergency relief aid have contributed to the rural masses of Ethiopia by donating emergency food aid, by providing sanitary services, water and health care systems. In general, they have increased the chances for food security through their “Food for Work” programmes and through their commendable work of rehabilitation and long range development schemes.[7] When it comes to enhancing democracy however, these foreign NGO’s have contributed little. Democracy in this sense means the advancement of social well-being through the enjoyment of political freedoms and civil liberties; it means being governed by the rule of law, being able to engage in open discussion regarding issues that affect one’s life; it means choosing policies and priorities through the active participation either directly or indirectly in decision making process and resolving matters through pragmatic consent and open discussion; and last but not least, it means empowering and raising the lot of vulnerable citizens in one’s area of competency.[8]
Repeated studies have shown that the activities of most NGO’s in Ethiopia are supply driven. They aim to satisfy the source of their funding to carry out their prescribed projects. The funding almost entirely comes either from donor countries abroad or from the government of Ethiopia itself which supplies basic infrastructure and tax relief for goods imported in connection with relief programmes. Civil society organizations also need to renew their registration permits annually, so, they are totally at the mercy of the EPRDF.9 Due to this dual dependence, the NGO’s go out of their way to please foreign donors as well as the government of Ethiopia.[10] One thing that they would never do in order to keep this delicate balance is therefore not to advocate anything that may displease the government.[11] Hence their total silence on the advocacy of democratic empowerment and the protection of human rights. That the state through its party machine creates and runs parallel organizations to stifle the function of genuine civil society organizations has now made the whole exercise almost a farce.
Civil society is clearly a necessary condition for sustainable development both economically and socially. It is a sign of liberty, democracy and an exercise of free will. But one needs to create a set of practices and institutional frameworks that link the voluntary associations in Ethiopia to human rights activities that each and every one of us can help with. We should bear in mind that the NGO’s in the country are exceedingly fearful of the Meles regime and lack confidence in their role as public advocacy groups. They are unsure of their mission outside providing relief and development aid. Hence, there is a need to steer them towards peaceful activism where they can employ their enormous monetary power to bear upon the regime to respond to the people of Ethiopia’s yearning for democracy and good governance. We have to goad the NGO’s whether international or local, to shift their focus. We have to see to it that they develop approaches and strategies that facilitate conditions for democratic transformation.
Indeed, without the active engagement of educated Ethiopians in the Diaspora or at home, it is difficult to expect the Civil Societies in the country to desist from their present practice of avoiding issues that deal with democratic governance and human rights violations. We have to demand from all of them that relief aid is not enough, that they ought to do everything in their power to educate the Ethiopian people to practice democracy and to steer away from the autocratic and divisive venue the Meles regime has chosen. Only if we do that can we reasonably handle the enormous problems our people are facing and fulfil their needs with decency and civility. We have to create more forums to discuss issues related to human rights and democratization. We need a civil discourse. We should also realize that a civil discourse is more than a plea to seek a just and rational outcome by replicable, traceable formal instrumental procedures adopted by civil societies. Rather it is to undertake and participate in an active covenant that as Ethiopians, we cannot avoid our civic duties. We have to incite debate on civil society and human rights, for to avoid doing so is to ignore some of the fundamental elements of democracy that we wish our country should have, a democracy which is a bedrock of freedom and human dignity.
______________________________
Dr. Paulos Milkias teaches Humanities and Political Science at Marianopolis College/Concordia University in Montreal, Canada. These are excerpts from a larger paper dealing with Democratization and Political Culture in Ethiopia. The excerpts were presented as introductory remarks at a panel discussion of Canadian government and non-government officials regarding Political Rights in Ethiopia, held in Ottawa on May 4, 2007 under the auspices of the Canadian Peace-building Coordinating Committee.
NOTES
1 Tegegne Teka, 2000: International Non-Governmental Organisations in Rural Development in Ethiopia. Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang.
2 Hollands, G. and G. Ansell (1998). Winds of small change : civil society interaction with the African state : proceedings of multilateral workshops on good governance, sustainable development, and democracy, Graz, Austria 1995--Kampala, Uganda 1998, Published by Afesis-Corplan on behalf of the Austrian North-South Institute and Austrian Development Co-operation.
3 EHRCO, 1998-1999. Special Report Nos. 12-26 (Amharic). Addis Ababa.
4 Original Wolde Giorgis, “Democratization and Gender” in Bahru Zewde and Siegried Pausewang, [eds.] Ethiopia: The Challenge of Democracy from Below, Nordiska Afrikainstitutet and Forum for Social Studies, Addis Ababa, 2002, PP. 120-129 Hillina Taddesse, 1997: The Rights of Women under Ethiopian Penal Law. EWLA sponsored Research Report, Feb. 1997.
5 See “The State of the Press in Ethiopia” in Bahru Zewde and Siegried Pausewang, [eds.] Ethiopia: The Challenge of Democracy from Below, Nordiska Afrikainstitutet and Forum for Social Studies, Addis Ababa, 2002, PP. 120-129
6 The journalist under this list are : Andualem Ayele, Etiop editor, Dawit Fasil Satenaw deputy editor, Dawit Kebede, Hadar editor, Dereje Hailewold, Menilik and Netsanet deputy editor, Eskinder Negga:12; :Satenaw editor;, Fasil Yenealem :Addis Zena publisher;, Feleke Tibebu :Hadar deputy editor;, Mesfin Tesfaye :Abay editor;, Nardos Meaza :Satenaw editor;, Serkalem Fasil :f; :co-publisher of Asqual, Menilik and Satenaw;, Sisay Agena :Etiop publisher and editor;, Wonakseged Zeleke :Asqual editor;,Wossenseged Gebrekidan :Addis Zena editor;, and Zekarias Tesfaye :Netsanet publisher;.:13; Amnesty International Report, 2006
7 Lancaster, C., National Policy Association (U.S.), et al. (2003). Equity and growth : the role of civil society in sustainable development. Washington, D.C., National Policy Association
8 See a very informative survey of the problem by Kassahun Berhanu, “The Role of NGO’s in Protecting Democratic Values”, in Bahru Zewde and Siegried Pausewang, [eds.] Ethiopia: The Challenge of Democracy from Below, Nordiska Afrikainstitutet and Forum for Social Studies, Addis Ababa, 2002, PP. 120-129
9 Desalegn Rahmato “Civil Society Organizations in Ethiopia”, in Bahru Zewde and Siegried Pausewang, [eds.] Ethiopia: The Challenge of Democracy from Below, Nordiska Afrikainstitutet and Forum for Social Studies, Addis Ababa, 2002, P. 107: Kassahun Berhanu, “The Role of NGO’s in Protecting Democratic Values”, in Bahru Zewde and Siegried Pausewang, [eds.] Ethiopia: The Challenge of Democracy from Below, Nordiska Afrikainstitutet and Forum for Social Studies, Addis Ababa, 2002, PP. 120-129
10 Kajese, K. T., 1990: "African NGO Decolonization: A Critical Choice for the 1990s",in Critical Choices for the NGO Community: African Development in the 1990s, Seminar Proceedings, 30, Proceedings of A Conference held at the African Studies Centre, University of Edinburgh, 24-25 May.
11 Chan, S. (2002). Composing Africa : civil society and its discontents. Tampere, Tampere Peace Research Institute.

http://kinijitethiopia.org/docs/articles/The_EPRDF_Paulos_Mikias.html

HOW TO OVERCOME A GOVERNMENT BLOCKAGE OF THE NET

2007-05-09T14:28:00.000-04:00

The TPLF dictatorship in Ethiopia has implemented a very expensive chinese technology to block opposition websites in Ethiopia. Now you can by pass the censorship if you us eteh system below.. There is a new Technology how to stop the Government censorship on websites. The New Technology is promoted by Human Rights organizations and is designed by Programmers in canada. Some of the blocked websites in Ethiopia are: http://www.ethioforum.org/ http://www.ethiomedia.com/ http://www.kinijitethiopia.org/ http://www.kinijit.org/ http://www.addisvoice.org/ http://www.ethiolion.com/ http://www.ethiopianreview.com/ http://www.mahder.com/ http://www.hebret.com/ http://www.nazret.com/ http://www.debteraw.com/ http://www.abugidainfo.com/ and more others. How to unblock: A Psiphon software server will be installed on any computer in countries where there is no internet censorship countries like USA, Canada, Germany, UK, Australia etc... Then the person in Ethiopia can access the internet through the proxy server in one of the free countries. If you have a friend in any country, ask her or him to install psiphon for you. You can read details of this process at: http://psiphon.civisec.org/

Massachusetts Legislature adopts resolution

2007-05-09T13:17:00.000-04:00

The Massachusetts Legislature has adopted a resolution introduced by State Representative William Brownsberger on May 3rd, 2007 memoralizing Congress to demand that Ethiopia meet its obligations under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Click below to read the resolution:

ከቅንጅት ለአንድነትና ዴሞክራሲ ሚሊንዬምን አስመልክቶ የተሰጠ መግለጫ

2007-05-06T18:45:00.000-04:00

The difference between Issayas and Meles

2007-04-26T12:17:00.000-04:00

I - loves his people and country.

M- hates them.

I- doesn't like his people to be divided.

M- likes to divide them.

I- under Issayas people starve but are proud.

M- under Meles people starve despite begging.

I - doesn’t insult his own people.

M- enjoy mocking them.

I- knows his capacity and limits.

M- doesn’t know it.

I- is proud for who he is.

M- try to be called smart and gain a new identity.

Similarity:

Both are killers.

Protest in Addis Ababa University

2007-04-26T12:01:00.000-04:00

Addis Ababa University is surrounded by heavy armed Federal Police since yesterday night. The reason is to enclose protesting students apparently after one student has been deed by food poisoning and brought back with his eyes taken on Monday, source from Addis Ababa said. "It is one of the manifestations of growing public discontent against the regime creating an environment for protests," EMF corespondent said.

Source http://www.ethioforum.org/

Petition to Stop Fraudulent Reporting on Ethiopia by Tsegaye Tadesse

2007-04-15T18:24:00.000-04:00

Dear Sirs and Madams, With the firm belief in the vital importance of journalism in bringing the truth to the world, we, the undersigned, want to alert you to the breach of journalist ethics by your freelance reporter in Ethiopia, Mr. Tsegaye Tadesse. We deeply believe that his material misstatements aim to support the corrupt and criminal regime of the current Prime Minister Meles Zenawi and disguise the true state of affairs in the nation suppressed by dictatorship. We urge Reuters, a highly respected news agency, to reconsider its staffing policies and stop Mr. Tadesse from abusing the company’s media apparatus for the sake of Woyane, Ethiopia’s tyrannical regime. People who have taken care to compare reports from different sources noticed that Mr. Tadesse regularly twists facts and statistics and limits his reporting to conveying only the government’s and police’s statements. In his articles, there is no place for the opposition’s statements, but when the government accuses the oppositional party, the CUDP, of organizing the bombings, Mr. Tadesse is quick to oblige the dictator by rendering these statements. His reports now look copy-pasted from the regime’s official news agency like the Walta, Aiga and Ethiopian Herald and differ dramatically from accounts of other Western journalists. A brief comparison of Jan. 20, 2006, reports of fighting in Addis Ababa by Associated Press’s Anthony Mitchell and Mr. Tadesse (available respectively at http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/01/20/ap/world/mainD8F8IPLO2.shtml and http://www.stoprenvoi.ch/archives/pdf/20-01-06-reu.pdf show that Mr. Mitchell listens to both parties, while Mr. Tadesse acts as the government’s mouthpiece. His report on blasts in western Ethiopia on April 18, 2006 (available at http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L18460696.htm alleges that the CUD orchestrated them, without any mention of the opposition’s position on the issue. People of Ethiopia are now being left without any objective news coverage and without hope that their pleas for help will be heard by the international community. The government repeatedly expels foreign correspondents who document blatant human rights abuses and jails Ethiopians daring to defy the regime with truthful coverage. This year, Woyane sent out Inigo Gilmore of The Observer and Anthony Mitchell of Associated Press and imprisoned on antistate charges Wosonseged Gebrekidan and Abraham Reta. There is no more free press in Ethiopia, and donor countries who can act to withdraw financial support from the murderous regime have no access to information about rampant human rights abuses. We want to remind you how important your role as journalists is. In nations like Ethiopia, suffering from shameless dictators, objective reporting can be the key to saving hundreds of innocent people starving in prisons, waiting for release in conditions that United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour called "rudimentary" and "harsh". The world has a right to know about what is going on in Ethiopia, an integral part of the global community. Political oppression and human suffering are making history today in Ethiopia, but with Mr. Tadesse’s reporting the world sees only a polished picture woven out of statements by the dictatorial regime. We urge Reuters to reinforce its excellent reputation as a news source once again and investigate the outrageous disinformation campaign performed by Meles Zenawi in its name. The people of Ethiopia are waiting for your input and depend on your urgent actions. May God give us all the wisdom not to condone and support brutal dictatorship anywhere!!
May God give us the wisdom and the grace to defend the truth!!
May God bless all mankind!!

Respectfully & truly, Frustrated citizens of Ethiopia and friends of Ethiopians around the World!
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/ACTION/

ሮይተርስ ዘገባውን አስተካከለ

2007-04-15T18:08:00.000-04:00

After realising that his FRAUDULENT REPORTIN got the attentions of patriotic Ethiopians in the diaspora, the FRAUDULENT REPORTER corrected his FRAUDULENT REPORTER about 25 journalists free, but it is too late!!!

የአየር ኃይል ፓይለት ከዱ

2007-04-14T22:14:00.000-04:00

ብርትኳን ሚደቅሳ ችሎቱን ረግጣ ወጣች

2007-04-10T10:23:00.000-04:00

የዛሬው ችሎት ከፍተኛ ጭቅጭቅ የበዛበት እንደነበርና የቅንጅት ምክትል ሊቀመንበር ወ /ት ብርትኳን ሚደቅሳ ችሎቱን ረግጣ መውጣትዋን ችሎቱን የተከታተሉ ወገኖች ገለፁልን። የዛሬውን ለየት ያለና ትርዒት የተሞላበት 68ኛውን ችሎት እንደሚከተለው አቀናብረነዋል። የዘር ማጥፋት ወንጀል እና የሀገር ክህደት የሚሉት ሁለት ክሶች የፌዴራሉ ከፍተኛ ሁለተኛ ወንጀል ችሎት ከሁሉም ተከሳሾች ላይ ማንሳቱን ለማወቅ ችለናል። ፍርድ ቤቱ ይህንን ውሳኔ የወሰነው በድምፅ ብልጫ ነው። የመሐል ዳኛው አዲል አሕመድ እና የግራ ዳኛው መሐመድ አሚን ሳኒ “ይሄ ክስ በፍፁም እነሱን የሚመለከት አይደለምና ክሱ ይነሳላቸው” ብለው ድምፅ የሰጡ ሲሆን፤ የቀኝ ዳኛው ልዑል ገ /ማርያም ደግሞ “በፍፁም ! በዚህ ክስ ሊጠየቁ ይገባል፤ በትግራይ ተወላጆች ላይ የዘር ማጥፋት ወንጀል ሙከራ አድርገዋል” ሲሉ ድምፅ ሰጥተዋል። በዚህም መሠረት ሁለት ለአንድ በሆነ የድምፅ ብልጫ ክሶቹ ተነስተውላቸዋል። “የዘር ማጥፋት ወንጀል” የሚለው በአንድ ብሔረሰብ (የትግራይ ) ተወላጆች በሆኑት ላይ የዘር ማጥፋት ሙከራ አድርገዋል የሚል ነበር ክሱ። አቃቤ ሕግ መጀመሪያ ወንጀል ፈፅመዋል በሚል ነበር ክሱን ጀምሮት የነበረው። በኋላ መሃል ላይ ‘ፈፅመዋል’ የሚለውን ቃል ‘ሙከራ አድርገዋል’ በሚል መለወጡና ማሻሻሉ አይዘነጋም። በዚህም መሠረት በ 1ኛው ክስ፣ በ 2ኛው ክስ እና በ 5ኛ ክስ ነው ይከላከሉ የተባሉት ተከሳሾች የተበየነባቸው። እነዚህ ሦስት ክሶች ደግሞ ሁሉንም ይከላከሉ የተባሉትን ተከሳሾች አይመለከቷቸውም። ለምሣሌ ወ /ት ብርትኳን ሚደቅሳ ‘በመሣሪያ በማደራጀት የአመፅ ቅስቀሳ በማድረግ’ ከሚለው ክስ ነፃ ተደርጋለች። ኢንጅንየር ኃይሉ ሻውል ደግሞ በዚህ ክስ እንዲከላከሉ ተብሎ ተበይኖባቸዋል። ዛሬ አስገራሚ የሆነው የችሎት መረበሽ የተነሳው 25ቱ ተከሳሾች እንዲፈቱ ዋረንት ይፃፍላቸው ከተባለና የሚከላከሉት ይከላከሉ የሚለው ብይን ከተሰጠ በኋላ ወ /ት ብርትኳን ሚደቅሳ ከመቀመጫዋ ተነስታ መናገር ከጀመረች በኋላ ነበር። በችሎቱ የነበሩ ወገኖች እንዳስረዱን ከሆነ ወ /ት ብርትኳን ተነስታ “ይሄ ብይን በጣም ረዥም ሰዓት ፈጅቷል። እና ሰዓት እንዳይፈጅብን ብይኑ በአስቸኳይ ተገልብጦ ይሰጠን” ብላ ስትናገር፤ የመሐል ዳኛው አዲል አሕመድ ከወትሮው በተለየ መልኩ በተበሳጨና ቁጣ በተሞላበት መልኩ “ቁጭ በይ !” ብሎ ይላታል። ዳኛ አዲል ባለፉት 67 የችሎት ውሎዎች እጅግ ትዕግስተኛና ረጋ ያለ የነበረ ቢሆንም በዛሬው 68ኛ ችሎት ላይ ግን የመበሳጨትና የመቆጣት ባህሪን ተላብሶ እንደነበር በችሎቱ የነበሩ ሰዎች ተናግረዋል። ወ /ት ብርትኳንም ዳኛ አዲል ቁጭ በይ ሲላት “በስነስርዓት እየተናገርኩ ነው ያለሁትና አልቀመጥም” ትለዋለች። ዳኛውም መልሶ “ቁጭ በይ ! አንሰማሽም” ይላታል። በዚህ ጭቅጭቅ መሃል ከተከሳሾቹ አቶ ዳንኤል እና አቶ ነፃነት ይነሱና “መከላከያችንን ማቅረብ እንድንችል በአጭር ጊዜ ብይኑ ተገልብጦ እንዲሰጠን” ብለው ተናገሩ። አሁንም ዳኛው ጩኸትና ቁጣ በተሞላበት መንፈስ “ሲገለበጥ ይሰጣችኋል” ብለው ያመናጭቋቸዋል። ከዚያም ዶ /ር ብርሃኑ ነጋ ብድግ ብሎ በጣም ድምፁን ከፍ አድርጎ ጩኸት በተሞላበት መልኩ “የማትሰሙን ከሆነ ዛሬውኑ ፍረዱብን !” ብሎ ሲል፣ ዳኛው “ቁጭ በል !” ብለው ሲሉት “ቁጭ አልልም ! … እንዳንናገር የምታፍኑን ከሆነ …” ብሎ ንግግሩን ሳይጨርስ ዳኛው አሁንም “ለማንኛውም ንግግር ሕግና ስርዓት አለው ዝም ብለህ መናገር አትችልም። ቁጭ በል !” ይሉታል። ዶ /ር ብርሃኑም በድጋሚ “አልቀመጥም ! ዛሬውኑ ፍረዱብን !” ብሎ በጩኸት ተናግሯል። ዳኞቹ ማይክራፎን የሚጠቀሙ ሲሆን፣ ዶ /ር ብርሃኑ ግን ካለምንም ማይክራፎን አዳራሹን ውስጥ የተሰበሰበው ሰው ሁሉ አጥርቶ በሚሰማው መልኩ እየጮኸ ነበር ሲናገር የነበረው። የዶ /ር ብርሃኑ ነጋ ንግግር ከወትሮው የተለየና ቁጣና ንዴት የተሞላበት እንደነበር በችሎቱ የነበሩ ወገኖች አስረድተውናል። ከዚህ በፊት በነበሩት ችሎቶች የቀኝ ዳኛው ሲቆጡ የመሐል ዳኛው ያረጋጉ የነበረ ቢሆንም፤ ዛሬ ግን የመሐል ዳኛውን ያረጋጉ የነበሩት የቀኝ ዳኛው ልዑል እንደነበሩ ችሎቱን የሚከታተሉት ወገኖች ገልፀዋል። የቀኝ ዳኛው በመሃል ገብተው ማይክራፎኑን (መነጋገሪያውን ) ወደራሳቸው አስጠግተው “እባካችሁ ተረጋጉ ! ግድ የለም … ሁሉንም ነገር ረጋ ብለን እንነጋገራለን። … ረጋ ብላችሁ አስረዱን … ምንድን ነው ችግራችሁ ?” ብለው ሁኔታውን ለማረጋጋት ሞከሩ። አቶ ሙሉነህ እዩኤል ተነስቶ ለመናገር ሞክሮ የነበረ ቢሆንም፤ መጨረሻ ላይ ግን ሻለቃ ጌታቸው መንግሥቴ ተነሱና ሁሉንም በመወከል “እኛ ተለያይተን የታሰርን ሰዎች ነን። ተከላከሉ ተብለናል። እንዴት ለመከላከል እንደምንችል ለመነጋገር አንድ ላይ መታሰር አለብን። ስለዚህ አንድ ላይ የምንሆንበት መንገድ ይፈጠርልን፤ የምንከላከልም ከሆነ መከላከያችንን እንድናቀርብ” ሲሉ ተናገሩ። ይኸን ጊዜ አቃቤ ሕግ ተነሳና “እነዚህ ሰዎች እኮ የታሰሩት ተሰብስበው አድማ ሲቀሰቅሱ፣ ሲያነሳሱ በመኖራቸው ነው። ስለዚህ አሁን ደግሞ እዚያ የላዕላይ ምክር ቤት ሊያቋቁሙ ነው ? …” በማለት ተቃውሞውን አሰማ። ከዚያም ዳኛው “ሁሉም ተከሳሽ የተከሰሰው በራሱ ነው። በፊትም ዕድሉ ተሰጥቷችሁ ነበር - እንድትከላከሉ። አሁን ከፈለጋችሁ ደግሞ በጠበቆቻችሁ በኩል መከላከል ትችላላችሁ። ጠበቆቻችሁ እናንተን ያነጋግሯችኋል፣ ከዚያ ደግሞ እርስ በእርሳቸው ይነጋገራሉ። እንደዚህ አድርጋችሁ መከላከል ትችላላችሁ” ብለው ውሳኔ ሰጡ። የዚህን ጊዜ ወ /ት ብርትኳን ችሎቱን ረግጣ ልትወጣ ስትል የመሐል ዳኛው “ያዛት ! ያዛት ! አስቁማት !” ብለው ለፖሊስ ትዕዛዝ ሰጡ። ፖሊሱም እንደተባለው ይዞ ሊያስቆማት ሲሞክር አስለቅቃው ለመሄድ ስትሞክር ዳኛው ሃሳቡን ቀይሮ “ተዋት ! ትሄድ” ብሎ ሲል ወ /ት ብርትኳን ችሎቱን ረግጣ ወጥታለች። ከእስከዛሬዎቹ ችሎቶች በሙሉ ልዩ ትርዒትና ረብሻ የታከለበት ይሄ 68ኛው ችሎት እንደነበር ችሎቱን ለረዥም ጊዜ ሲከታተሉ የነበሩ ወገኖች ገልፀዋል።

Mutcha
www.cyberethiopia.com

The ruling by lewit blog

2007-04-04T18:33:00.000-04:00

(And this is only the beginning. These defendants have so far been ordered to defend themselves against the first charge only. There are six remaining. There are also dozens of other defendants who await ruling.) The defendants were brought in this morning at 10:20am. Considering the delay tactics of the past week, none of us were expecting the judges to get through the witness summary, let alone make a ruling. We were very wrong. After the summary was read, there was a 10 minute break. Then the ruling was given: 23 defendants were ordered to defend themselves against the charge of treason. With his last word—before it was even clear that he had finished his sentence--Judge Adil turned abruptly and rushed out the back exit, with the other two following closely. It was obvious that no one, least of all the defendants, expected such an outcome. The family members received the news with a mixture of anger, fatigue and sadness. “Ayzuachehu! Ayzuachehu!” rang out from both sides of the room as the prisoners, with their unwavering courage, tried to reassure their loved ones and encourage them to be strong. Court resumes tommorrow. What was particularly striking about today’s session was the change in tone. Judge Adil far exceeded expectations with his particularlyly eloquent summary and prosecutor’s demeanor (reminding us all, that the defendants could, in fact, also be charged for conspiracy under Article 257 of the penal code, but would not be). This overnight drastic change in vernacular seems more than a little odd; and the phrases and wording seemed a little too familiar…Call me crazy, but it actually sounded strikingly similar to Meles himself! Perhaps it was. http://www.lewit.blogspot.com/

Voa reports on Meles' kangaroo court proceedings

2007-04-04T18:28:00.000-04:00

http://www.voanews.com/horn/images/realmedia.gif

ድርድሩ ሚዛናዊ አይደለም” ፕ /ር መስፍን

2007-04-04T17:31:00.000-04:00

By Yared Kinfe (Sweden)

ቅንጅትን ወክለው እየተደራደሩ ከነበሩት ስድስት የቅንጅት አመራሮች ውስጥ ፕሮፌሠር መስፍን ወልደማርያም “ድርድሩ ሚዛናዊ አይደለም” በማለት ከተደራዳሪነት ራሳቸውን ማግለላቸውን ለቃሊቲ እስር ቤት ቅርብ የሆኑና ጉዳዩን እየተከታተሉ ያሉ ምንጮቻችን አስረዱ። እንደምንጮቹ ገለፃ ከሆነ ከፕ /ር መስፍን ጋር በመሆን ከቅንጅት ወገን ተደራዳሪ የነበሩት ዶ /ር ያዕቆብ ወ /ማርያም፣ ዶ /ር ብርሃኑ ነጋ፣ ወ /ሮ ብርትኳን ሚደቅሳ፣ ኢንጂንየር ኃይሉ ሻውል እና ኢንጂንየር ግዛቸው ሽፈራው ነበሩ። ፕ /ር መስፍን ድርድሩ ሚዛናዊ አይደለም ብለው ከተደራዳሪነት ራሳቸውን ካገለሉ በኋላ በምትካቸው ተተክተው ሲደራደሩ የነበሩት ዶ /ር ኃይሉ አርኣያ ነበሩ። ከባለፈው ሣምንት ጀምሮ አደራዳሪዎቹ ወደ ቃሊቲ እስር ቤት እንዳልሄዱና ከቅንጅት ተደራዳሪ ወገኖች ጋር እንዳልተገናኙ ምንጮቻችን አስረድተውናል። የድርድሩን ቀጣይነት በሚመለከት ላቀረብንላቸው ጥያቄ እንደ ምንጮቻችን እምነትና ግምት ከሆነ ድርድሩ ከሽፏል ወይም ተቋርጧል ለማለት የሚያስደፍር መሆኑን ተናግረዋል። ከዚሁ ጋር በተያያዘ ዜና የጠቅላይ ሚንስትሩ የአቶ መለስ ዜናዊ ባለቤት ወ /ሮ አዜብ መስፍን ብርትኳን ሚደቅሳን ጨምሮ ሴት የሕሊና እስረኞችን ቃሊቲ እስር ቤት ሄዳ ጠይቃለች የሚባል ወሬ በተለይ አዲስ አበባ ውስጥ በሰፊው እየተናፈሰ ያለ ሲሆን፣ ለእስር ቤቱ ቅርብ የሆኑ ምንጮች ወሬው ፍፁም ሐሰት እንደሆነና ኢህአዴግ ለፖለቲካ ጥቅሙ ሲል ያናፈሰው ወሬ መሆኑን አስረድተውናል። በዚህ ጉዳይ ላይ ያነጋገርናቸው አንድ የፖለቲካ ተንታኝ ኢህአዴግ ከዚህ ሐሰተኛ ወሬ ምን ይጠቀማል ? ብለን ጥያቄ አቅርበንላቸዋል። ለጥያቄውም “በመጀመሪያ ድርድር እየተካሄደ መሆኑንና ከዚያም ውጤት እየተጠበቀ እንደሆነ ይታወቃል። ከዚህ ጋር በተያያዘ ብዙም የፖለቲካ ቁማር የማይገባውና የዋሁ ኢትዮጵያዊ የኢህአዴግን ሰዎች ካሰሯቸው የተቃዋሚ መሪዎች ጋር ከመደራደር አልፈው ‘በእስረኛ ጠያቂነት’ በመፈረጅ በበጎ ዓይን እንዲመለከታቸው መንገድ ይከፍታል። ከሁሉም በላይ ደግሞ ኢህአዴግ ካድሬዎቹንና ደጋፊዎቹን የበለጠ ወደእርሱ እንዲጠጉት ይጠቀምበታል። ኢህአዴግ እንዲህ ባለው ተራ በሚመስሉ ነገር ግን ከፍተኛ የፖለቲካ ጥቅሙን የሚያስከብሩለትን ቁማሮች በመቆመር አሁን ያለበት ደረጃ የደረሰ ድርጅት ነው” በማለት አስተያየታቸውን ሰጥተውናል።

ምንጭ - ኢትዮ ፎረም

The Woyanne Kangaroo court rules against Kinijit leaders

2007-04-04T10:16:00.000-04:00

Source: SeminaWork /Ethiopian Review

The court in charge of treason and genocide trial of kinijit leaders, civil society members and independent journalists has today rules that all council members of kinijit including Hailu Shawel, Brehanu Nega and Birtukan Mideksa should defend their case in the treason charge. The court ruled that the council’s decision has a direct cause and effect relationship with the June 8 and November one disturbances. It also ruled that the prosecutor has produced sufficient evidence to prove that they have committed treason. The leaders have previously decided not to defend the case. If they stick to their previous decision, it means they will be sentenced for committing treason soon. The crime of treason carries a death sentence or severe imprisonment in Ethiopian law. The following are ordered to defend themselves Ato Hailu Shawel, Chairman Wzr Birtukan Mideksa, Vice-Chair Ato Muluneh Eyuel, CUD Secretary General Dr Befekadu Degifie, Head of Finance Dr Yacob Hailemariam, Head of External Affairs Ato Gizachew Shiferaw, Head of Public Relations Ato Sileshi Tena Ato Abayneh Berhanu COUNCIL MEMBERS Ato Andualem Aragie Ato Aschalew Ketema Ato Assefa Habteweld Dr Berhanu Nega, Mayor of Addis Ababa Ato Brook Kebede Ato Bedru Adem, Member of Parliament Ato Debebe Eshetu Dr Hailu Araya, Member of Parliament Ato Gebretsadik Hailemariam Shaleqa Getachew Mengiste Wzr Nigist G/Hiwot Dr Tadios Bogale, Member of Parliament Ato Tamrat Tarekegn Ato Yeneneh Mulat Ato Mesfin Aman The court will rule on other defendants tomorrow Source: http://seminawork.blogspot.com/

A Confidential TPLF document

2007-04-03T15:16:00.000-04:00

According to information obtained in Addis Ababa by The Indian Ocean Newsletter, the Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi has written a 22 page document entitled Tigray in the new Millenium calling for a strengthening of the construction of a Tigray Regional State which is in a position to “survive on its own means if necessary”. This text was approved by Seyoum Mesfin, Abay Tsehaye and Sebhat Nega and is now circulating in the executive circles of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF, hard core of the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front in power in Addis Ababa) as a confidential document. According to our sources, it lists the various infrastructure projects already completed in Tigray, laying special emphasis on the Tekezie hydro-electric dam for its role in the electrification of the country, calls for the expansion of other sectors of activity in this region in the North of Ethiopia and praises the close relations between the Tigray Regional State and China. This text also considers that the Tigrayan Diaspora abroad should be “educated and mobilised to invest” in this regional state. Finally, it stresses the need to establish close relations with certain Eritrean opponents. This theoretical assemblage is similar to the thesis in favour of creating an independent state, coupling Ethiopian Tigrayans and Christian Eritreans from the high plateaux. The idea of such a Tigray-Tigrigni State was favoured two decades ago by certain Ethiopian Tigrayan and Eritrean nationalists. Source: http://www.africaintelligence.com/aif/channels/defaultchannels.asp?channel=ETHIOPIA&type=country http://weblogethiopia.blogspot.com/

Human Rights Watch 2007 report on Ethiopia

2007-01-13T22:10:00.000-05:00

Ethiopia
Events of 2006
The Ethiopian government continued the heavy-handed suppression and punishment of any form of political dissent as reintroduced following the 2005 elections. While most international attention focused on events in Addis Ababa, security forces and civil officials continued campaigns of repression and brutality in many parts of the country. International donors protested human rights abuses but took no meaningful action.

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EritreaCountry Page, July 22, 2004
Free Email NewsletterEthiopia has refused to accept in full the binding arbitration decision about the border with Eritrea (over which the two countries went to war in 1998-2000), despite its obligations under the armistice agreement of 2002 and numerous United Nations Security Council resolutions. The stalemate with Eritrea persisted in 2006, but Ethiopia was forced to shift focus to its longer and more porous border with Somalia. The Islamic Courts movement that is consolidating power in the south of Somalia has declared holy war against Ethiopia because of Ethiopia’s incursions into Somali territory to provide support for the ineffective, UN-recognized Somali Transitional Federal Government. This change of power in southern Somalia allowed increased infiltration by fighters of a Somali irredentist group, the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF), into Somali state in Ethiopia’s southeast, armed with sophisticated weapons and equipment largely supplied by Eritrea. Post-Election Political Repression In June and November 2005 at least 10,000 people were arrested in Addis Ababa during protests against the results of the May elections. Most were detained for more than a month without judicial hearing and then released, but hundreds were transferred to a prison camp close to Addis Ababa. In March 2006 almost 400 of these prisoners were released; it is unclear how many others remain detained. Following the November 2005 events the government arrested 76 opposition politicians, journalists, and civil society activists, including the newly elected mayor of Addis Ababa, Berhanu Nega, and newly elected parliamentarians. It accused them of treason and genocide, as well as intentionally using violence or unlawful means to change the “constitutional order,” obstructing government operations, organizing armed violence, and impairing “the defensive power of the State.” The treason and genocide charges are non-bailable, capital offenses, allowing the government to keep the defendants jailed for long periods before judicial verdict. The government brought similar charges against 55 other defendants, 35 in absentia, including five Voice of America reporters in the United States; the charges against the VOA reporters were later dismissed. In March 2006 the government arrested 32 others, including elected members of the Addis Ababa city council and a newspaper publisher, and accused them of the same crimes. The treason trial began in May 2006, but recessed for two months in August and September, and presentation of the prosecution case was still in its early stages at this writing. Except for three civil society activists, the defendants refused to defend themselves, declaring the trial a sham. Suppression of Free Expression and Attacks on Civil Society Following the 2005 elections the government sharply reversed a liberalizing trend and subjected independent newspapers and their editors, publishers, and reporters to renewed harassment, intimidation, and criminal charges solely because of their reporting and editorials. In addition to the 18 journalists facing treason and genocide charges, journalists were convicted under the pre-1991 military government press law, which makes alleged defamation and the printing of “false” information criminal offenses. Beginning in September 2006, security forces detained individuals caught with copies of a political manifesto by imprisoned Mayor Berhanu published in Uganda after the manuscript was smuggled out of prison. Also arrested were people found to have copies of an anonymous civil disobedience “calendar” containing pictures of the “treason” defendants and calls to non-violent action, such as boycotts of government-controlled businesses, to win their release. The government blocked access to internet blogs critical of its policies. The government has long tried unsuccessfully to outlaw the Ethiopian Teachers Association, the largest independent membership organization in the country. ETA’s president was one of those charged with “treason” (but avoided imprisonment by being outside the country); the chair of ETA’s Addis Ababa branch was also named as a defendant and is jailed. In September the government arrested two ETA officers after ETA had complained to the International Labour Organization of unlawful interference with its ability to represent its members. Continuing Abuses in the Countryside Authorities in Oromia state continued to use exaggerated concerns about armed insurgency and terrorism to justify the torture, imprisonment, and sustained harassment of their critics, including school children. In late 2005 and in 2006 federal and regional police in Oromia engaged in mass arrests, often in nighttime raids. Those arrested were informally accused of being supporters of the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF), a clandestine armed rebel group, but detainees were also accused of being supporters of the Oromo National Congress (ONC), a registered opposition political party that won seats in the 2005 elections. Most of those arrested were released after having been held for some weeks and forced to sign statements disavowing the ONC as a condition for release. Local officials used precinct (kebele) “social courts” run by government-party appointees without legal training to detain farmers who voiced support for recognized opposition parties. Local and regional officials also subjected the rural population to intense levels of surveillance. Farmers who were deemed politically unreliable were denied fertilizer and other agricultural aids over which the government exercises monopoly control; they were also subject to imprisonment for debt or eviction from their farms (the government owns all land). In Amhara state, kebele officials played key roles in identifying known or presumed supporters of opposition parties and led federal police to these persons’ homes at night, where the police beat and sometimes arrested them. Abuses by the Armed Forces The government has taken no meaningful action to address widespread atrocities committed by Ethiopian military forces in Gambella state, bordering Sudan. A govern¬ment-sponsored commission of inquiry set up to investigate December 2003 violence in Gambella resulted in a whitewash. Although the scale of abuses in Gambella moderated in 2005-06, extrajudicial killings, rapes, beatings, and arbitrary arrests by armed forces personnel still occurred. Reports of extrajudicial executions and torture also emerged from Somali state, but access to the region has been restricted by the military and by the ONLF insurgency, making these reports impossible to confirm. Performance of the Judiciary In high-profile cases, courts show little independence or concern for defendants’ procedural rights. The two-month recess in the treason trial in August-September 2006, coupled with frequent shorter adjournments, ensured the defendants’ prolonged detention. The trial judges put off addressing defense objections to evidence and ignored claims of serious mistreatment by prison authorities. Although criminal courts in Ethiopia have some independence with respect to less prominent cases, the judiciary often acts only after unreasonably long delays, sometimes because of the courts’ workloads, more often because of excessive judicial deference to bad faith prosecution requests for time to search for evidence of a crime. Leaders of the traditional Oromo self-help organization Mecha Tulama, arrested in 2004 and accused of supporting the OLF and of organizing a grenade attack at Addis Ababa University, remained incarcerated as of late 2006, their trial yet to begin. Other Oromo detainees have been held for eight years without judicial resolution. Fourteen years after the overthrow of the former military government (the Derg), more than a thousand of its former officials still remain jailed awaiting trial. Human Rights Defenders Ethiopia has only one nationwide human rights organization, the Ethiopian Human Rights Council (EHRCO). Government officials routinely accuse the organization of working to advance an anti-government political agenda and its staff is subjected to harassment and intimidation. One investigator was charged in absentia in the treason trial. While EHRCO was not forced to close, it was far less active in 2006. The Oromo-focused Human Rights League, having been allowed to register in 2005 shortly before the elections after years of litigation, remains inactive. Key International Actors International criticism of government repression, while robust, resulted in no significant actions. Ethiopia is considered an essential partner of the United States and its allies in their “war on terror,” all the more so after the Islamic Courts’ consolidation of power in Somalia. The United States expressed dismay about post-election repression, but Ethiopia remained the US’s biggest sub-Saharan-Africa aid beneficiary. In December 2005 the World Bank and the United Kingdom announced they would withhold direct budgetary support, but compensated in 2006 with even larger sums to local governments for health, water, rural development, and education programs. Those local governments are effectively controlled by the central government. Two European Union diplomats were expelled from Ethiopia on October 20, 2006, after being caught attempting to cross into Kenya with two Ethiopian nationals. One of those detained with the EU diplomats was human rights lawyer Yalemzewd Bekele, who was working for the European Commission in Ethiopia. Bekele was arrested but subsequently released without charge. For information on the international peacekeeping force, the United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE), see the chapter on Eritrea.

http://hrw.org/englishwr2k7/docs/2007/01/11/ethiop14704.htm

Testimony of OLF Official Dr. Shigut Geleta

2006-12-11T15:12:00.000-05:00

Testimony of Dr. Shigut Geleta, Foreign Relation Officer of the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) for Europe Regional Zone, at the Joint Committee on the Foreign Affairs, Sub-Committee on Human Rights of the Irish Parliament (December 6, 2006), Dublin, Ireland.

Mr Chairman,Honourable Deputies and Senators,Esteemed Defenders of Human Rights,Ladies and Gentlemen,Let me begin by saying that I am extremely honoured for this opportunity to address about the plight of the Oromo people, the policy of the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) as well as the general human rights and the security situation in Ethiopia and the Horn.
Please allow me to say a word or two, by way of introduction, about the Oromo people. The Oromo accounts for close to 50% of the population in Ethiopia. Prior to being incorporated into the modern Ethiopian state in the last quarter of the 19th century, the Oromos lived in freedom under a uniquely democratic and indigenous institution called the Gada system. Under such a system, which is a replica of the evolving theory of deliberative democracy, the Oromos democratically administered themselves, elected their leaders and enacted laws through their representatives. After the occupation, such Oromo institutions were dismantled and replaced with a hierarchical and dehumanizing system. Ever since then successive regimes subjected the Oromo to domination, subjugation, exploitation. This is how a majority became marginalized.I am narrating this not to dwell on the past but to show the genesis and birth of the OLF over 30 years ago to end this misery and injustice. With the fall of the imperial regime, we hoped the hierarchical structures rooted in a history of conquest and domination will be levelled out and that our people’s existence as second class citizens would come to end. It did not. Under the Dergue domination and the hierarchical ordering of communities continued in the form of socialism and totalitarianism. OLF had to continue its struggle through other means. In 1991, the collective efforts of the liberation forces ended the era of the Dergue. We stepped forward to reconfigure Ethiopia as the common homeland of all its diverse nations and nationalities. We took a risk to usher in a new era of democracy and freedom. Our optimism was once again quickly dashed. The ruling party failed to live up to its promises. It violated our agreement to introduce genuine democracy, install the superiority of the rule of law, restructure the centralized state administration by devolving power to the grassroots, so that each nation and nationality administer its affairs. Instead it pursued the policy of monopolizing power and domination continued in the name of pseudo democracy and federalism. As a result we were forced once again to go underground and resort to armed struggle--- with a hefty price. We however continued to explore opportunities for just peace even after the abortion of the Transitional arrangement. We participated in different bilateral and multilateral talks with different stakeholders to peacefully resolve all outstanding issues. Our good faith participation in the many attempts to broker a just settlement with the assistance of the US, Germany, and Norway attests to our ceaseless search for peace. The peoples of Ethiopia had dreamt and were promised that the post-Mengistu era would be an era of equality, peace, and of civil liberty. Instead torture, extra-judicial killings, disappearances, detention without warrants, overruling decisions of courts, snatching democratically won elections, harassment of the Free Press and civil society have reigned. The May 2005 elections were a landmark. Of course Oromos did not have much of a choice. Despite this shortcoming, it demonstrated that EPRDF cannot rule as in the past without resorting to ever-increasing draconian measures, and resorting to draconian measures they have. The overwhelming majority of our population has rejected the ruling party. However, the regime continues to trample upon their yearnings for freedom and democracy using its military and security apparatus. It kills, displaces, detains and tortures anyone who dissents with impunity. The judiciary is turned into a kangaroo court. Opponents are detained on tramped up charges and denied their days in court. The rubber-stamp parliament is simply a façade to create an appearance of representation. Human rights violations are prevalent in Oromia and have been so during the last 15 years. In the Qalitti prison itself where senior Coalition for Unity and Democracy (CUD) leaders are unjustly held, there are over 300 Oromo prisoners. They have been rotting in there for years without due process of law, without any international scrutiny. Upwards of 30,000 Oromo prisoners of conscience are detained throughout Oromia. Leaders of Matcha and Tulama, the longest surviving Oromo NGO and a symbol of our tortuous struggle for freedom and democracy continue to be detained for years. They did not commit any offence. They are held in prison in utter disregard of court orders. Several Oromo students were/are killed, detained, and arbitrarily suspended or dismissed from universities and schools. The repression is not limited to the Oromo alone, although I must admit it is where the most horrific violations take place and mostly away from the spotlight. No population group in Ethiopia is spared this ordeal. In fact as the regime gets more insecure, paranoid about its slipping grip on power, repression has become a knee-jerk reaction. Ladies and Gentlemen,The Oromo and the other people in Ethiopia believed in Western pronouncements about respect for human rights, democracy, good governance, and accountability. But the silence as these ideals are flagrantly violated is regrettably testing this belief. We are told that the West does not have the leverage. How does this square with the truth when the regime survives with Western money? After last year’s broad daylight killings we had hoped, the west would review this policy of not looking tyranny in the eye but rather rewarding it. We are encouraged by recent criticism of the violations of human rights and the deficit of freedom and democracy in Ethiopia by the Irish government. And I hope this hearing would mark a watershed. Ladies and Gentlemen,Please allow me now to briefly elaborate on my organization’s guiding principles. Until recently OLF has restricted itself to advocating the democratic rights of the Oromo people. We have done this in order to allay the suspicions of those who might think we are aspiring to dominate Ethiopia on the backs of the huge size of our constituency.We are still committed to enabling our people to exercise its inalienable right to self-government, to ending its subject status. But given its huge democracy and central location, the Oromo bears great and special responsibility in creating the conditions for democracy and stability. It is in our self-interest to champion democracy and freedom for all. Oromo nationalism has reached a new stage in its phenomenal development. As a majority population, while the Oromo cannot expect freedom and democracy as a gift from others, it has to work with others to usher in a new era of not only freedom and democracy but also stability. It is in this spirit that OLF took a key role in the formation of the Alliance for Freedom and Democracy (AFD). AFD brings together the major Ethiopian opposition parties and liberation organizations. Its birth has created hope that a new beginning is possible. By bringing together the cross section of the society across the divides, AFD and its inclusive vision have offered a real alternative to the regime on power. Given the extraordinary situation, only the convening of an all-inclusive conference can remove the underlying causes of the crisis in Ethiopia. AFD has called for such a dialogue, which the ruling party is rejecting. Instead it is taking ill-conceived military adventures. The declaration of war on Somalia is meant to deflect attention from the deteriorating situation at home. In an unprecedented step it has declared war on the opposition. This is would only make the situation worse. It would cause regional instability. It would sour relations between religious groups. Ethiopia is at a dangerous turning point again. Sensing insecurity and instability, senior commanders, diplomats, high officials and judges are defecting. The political space is closed than ever before. There are thousands of political prisoners. Repression and severe restriction on civil liberties is creating an explosive situation. The crisis will get worse unless the regime heeds the call for dialogue. However, for this to happen, Europe and the US have to stop handling the ruling party and the Prime Minister with a kid’s glove. I hope this hearing will be a catalyst for the start of a process culminating in a change of policy on Ethiopia.
Thank you.

Ethiopian police torture businessman for links to opposition, say rights group

2006-10-15T14:45:00.000-04:00

NAIROBI, Kenya Human rights group Amnesty International accused Ethiopian police Saturday of torturing a leading businessman and said they may have killed three others for distributing an opposition calendar.
Ethiopian officials were not immediately available for comment on the claims.
Amnesty said Alemayehu Fantu, who runs a chain of large supermarkets, is believed to have been subjected to electric shocks after being caught with a calendar containing pictures of jailed opposition leaders and calling for nonviolent civil disobedience to secure their release.
Three other men are believed to have died while being tortured by police, according to London-based Amnesty.
The businessman has appeared in court although has not yet been charged or allowed access to lawyers, Amnesty said.
"There were clear signs that he had been tortured, such as bruises and marks on his feet. Sources indicate he may have received electric shocks," a statement from the group said. "Amnesty International is extremely concerned that Alemayehu Fantu is at risk of further torture in detention."
More than 80 people were killed in violent protests following disputed 2005 elections, which opposition groups claim were rigged and returned the ruling party to power.
Following the disturbances, more than 100 independent journalists, opposition leaders and aid workers were rounded up and are now on trial for treason and attempted genocide. Amnesty has called the defendants "prisoners of conscience who have not used or advocated violence."
In January, Britain withheld US$87 million (€70 million) in aid to Ethiopia's government, redirecting it to humanitarian agencies or local officials, because of concerns about the central government's handling of the unrest.

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2006/10/14/africa/AF_GEN_Ethiopia_Human_Rights.php

AIGA-VORT ...

2006-10-14T19:55:00.000-04:00

AIGA-VORT- The Voice of Tigray Republic-that is being built on the back of 70 million destitute Ethiopians. Is there any one who feels he or she is reading a web-site somehow has something to do with Ethiopia? I doubt! I don't expect sooooo!! Who knows, there may be some who still feel a website built for Tigray Republic--the home of the brave; huhuhuhuhuhu--Laughing in English, I mean the woyanie-Ferenji-slaves has something to do with Ethiopia. I don't care whoever thinks either way. If one is able to read English but fails to understand what is being said on this morons website--let him/her laugh at himself/herself 24 hours a day. For Durasenbet- it is a done deal; period. AIGA- Mean Voice of Tigray Republic that promotes the slavery of the People of Tigray, taking away their birth rights of born free as Ethiopians instead to charish slavery just because they see robbed factories assembled in Tigray. ...

.... AIGA--Website by any standard is good for people like me who never had a close observation to Tigray Born Savages. It gives me a glimpse of undertanding who these savages are! How they process ideas in their mind if they have any! To what extent they understand the world around them. How they preceive other Ethiopians! How narrow minded and backward primitive stage of development they are in. If one follows what is transpired on AIGA website- it will be absolutely clear that they promote a politics of Sheep. Because people who positioned themselves as leaders of Ethiopia are Tigrians, so are considerd enlightened by their shear ability of communicating in Tigrigna. They write anything, in their best understanding that will keep Tigrigna speakers in Addis. One can help me undertand if Logic is or is not part of Tigrigna Language? Please!? Please--. Is there any word that says Logic? I am lost fellow Ethiopians!! I have a very difficult time whenever I try to put myself in their shoes, just for a second not for a day. I tried to ignore logic all together and be silent for a while. I could not! Can you believe me!? I swear in the Name of all Saints in Ethiopia? If one loses mind among one community, it will not come as a surprise? If two, or three or even ten individuals are born as such; I mean, as Woyanies, it will not catch us by surprise, will it!? How can a sizable segment of a community behave like a flock of sheep!? ....
http://www.cyberethiopia.com/warka4/viewtopic.php?t=19354

TPLF sentenced two OLF fighters for 52 years through proxy:

2006-08-30T12:28:00.001-04:00

Two OLF rebels are jailed for 52 years over arms By Adow Jubat Nairobi, East African Standard [August 30, 2006] Two Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) members have been sentenced to 52 years in prison by a Moyale court in Kenya. The rebels were found guilty of being in possession of two AK-47 rifles, 139 rounds of ammunition and two hand grenades. They were arrested on August 23 at Kate sub-location in Moyale Central division in the ongoing Kenya-Ethiopia joint military operation to contain the rebel movement. One rebel, Nura Denga Jarso, was found with a AK47 rifle, two grenades and 113 rounds of ammunition. He confessed before Senior Resident Magistrate, Mr James Nduna, that he was recruited into OLF in May last year, with the promise of a Sh5,000 monthly salary. In mitigation, Jarso said he had joined the rebel group since he had no source of income to provide for his family. But the magistrate sentenced him to 31 years for the four counts he had been charged with. His co-accused, Kalicha Molu, was convicted of three counts: being in possession of a rifle, 26 rounds of ammunition, and being in the country illegally. The magistrate handed him an 11-year sentence. The suspects were convicted on their own guilty pleas. The prosecutor, Inspector Mohammed Noor, earlier told the court that the offences threatened security, and called for severe punishment for the rebels. But Molu and Jarso pleaded for leniency, saying they were married with children in Ethiopia and were the sole bread winners. Delivering his judgement, the magistrate concurred with the prosecution that the offences were serious, and required a deterrent sentence.

Source http://addisvoice.com/news/OLFsentenced.htm

Message from Dawit Kebede

2006-08-03T17:56:00.000-04:00

ይድረስ በጋዜጠኝነት ሙያ ለተሰማራችሁ ወንድሞቼ… ኦገስት 4 ቀን፣ 2006 ዓ .ም ይህንን ደብዳቤ ለመጻፍ የተገደድነው ሰሞኑን በአንዳንድ ድረ ገጾች ላይ የሚወጡትን አሉባልታዎች ከተመለከትን በኋላ ነው። በተለይም እነዚህ አሉባልታዎች በቀጥታ በቅንጅቱ አመራር ላይ የተሰነዘሩ ከመሆን አልፈው፤ የህዝቡንም የትግል መንፈስ የሚዳክሙ በመሆናቸው እና ህዝብም የማወቅ መብት ስላለው ሃቁን ከዚህ በታች አናቀርባለን። ከዚሁ ጋር በተያያዘ የኢትዮጵያ ጋዜጠኞች የተሳሳተውን ፈለግ እንዳይከተሉ ይህ ማስታወሻ የራሱን ሚና ይጫወታል፤ ከሙያዊ ግድፈትም ያድናቸዋል የሚል እምነት አለን። የዚህ ማስታወሻ ሌላኛው አላማ የኢትዮጵያ ህዝብ እውነቱን አውቆ መንገዱን ከቅንጅትም ሆነ ከሚያምነው የፖለቲካ ድርጅት ጋር እንዲያደርግ ዳግም ጥሪ ለማድረግ ጭምር ነው። በሌላም በኩል ታሪካቸውን በወርቅ ቀለም ያስጻፉና በስደት ላይ የሚገኙ የኢትዮጵያ ነጻ ፕሬስ ጋዜጠኞች ሌሎች ድረ -ወጦችን ተከትለው ስማቸውንና ስማችንን በቁሻሻ እንዳይለውሱት ነው። እኛ ሌሎችን አይደለንም። የራሳችን የሆነ ህግና ስርአት ያለን መሆናችንን ምንግዜም እናስታውስ። ለውሳኔ ቸኩለን የብእራችንን ጦር በቅንጅት ወይም በሌላ ድርጅት ላይ ከማዞራችን በፊት ቃል የገባንለትን የኢነጋማ ፕሮፌሽናል ጋዜጠኞች መመሪያ እናስታውስ። ይህ መመሪያ ደግሞ ለኢነጋማ አባላት ብቻ ሳይሆን በውጭ ለሚገኙ ሌሎች ጋዜጠኞችም ጠቃሚነቱ አሌ የሚባል ባለመሆኑ ሌሎች ጋዜጠኞችም በተግባር እንዲያውሉት ያስፈልጋል። በተለይም በቁጥር 1 እና 4 ላይ የተመለከቱትን ህጎች መጠበቅ አስፈላጊነቱ አያጠያይቅም። ውድ ጋዜጠኞች… እንደምታውቁት ኢትዮጵያ ውስጥ በነበርንበት ወቅት “ሃሳብን በነጻ ለመግለጽ መብት” ታገልን እንጂ፤ ለአሉባልታና ለሃሜት አልታሰርንም፤ ዛሬም ቢሆን በዚህ አንታማም። አገር ቤት በነበርንበት ወቅት የወያኔ ባለስልጣናት የመረጃ ምንጮቻችንን በመዝጋታቸው፤ ትግላችንን አራዘመው። …ዛሬም ቢሆን መረጃ አግኝተን ሃሳባችንን በነጻ ለመግለጽ ምንግዜም አብረን እንቆማለን። ይህ ሃቅ እንደተጠበቀ ሆኖ፤ አሁን የምንተቸው ቅንጅት ግን እንደ ወያኔ በሩን ያልዘጋብን መሆኑን መዘንጋት የለብንም። ይህንን በር እናንኳኳ፤ ይከፈትልናል። እንጠይቅ… ይመለስልናል። ይህንን ሞክረን ካልተሳካ እንጂ የፕሬስ ነጻነት ትግላችን መቀጠል ያለበት… እንዲያው በአሉባልታ ከሌሎች ጋር በመሆን፤ ጭብጥ በሌለው ወሬ አሳሳች ከበሮ መደለቁ አስፈላጊነቱ አይታየንም። እርግጥ ነው፤ በአሁኑ ወቅት የተፈጠረው የመረጃ ክፍተት ወደ አላስፈላጊ ውዝግብ ውስጥ እንደከተታችሁ እንገነዘባለን። በመሆኑም “ህዝብ የማወቅ መብት አለው” የሚለው መመሪያችን እንደተጠበቀ ሆኖ፤ የድርጅቶችንም የውስጥ ነጻነት ባልተሸራረፈ መልኩ ልናከብር ይገባናል። ስለሆነም ጋዜጠኞችና ሌላውም ህብረተሰብ ማወቅ የሚገባውን ሃቅ ማሳወቅ ይገባቸዋል። ከዚህ ቀጥሎ ያለውም ባለ 24 ነጥብ ማስታወሻ እንደመነሻ ሆኖ ሊያገለግለን ይችላል። ከዚህም ሃቅ በመነሳት እውነቱን ለህዝባችን ማሳወቅ ወቅቱ የሚጠይቀው ሙያዊ ግዴታችን ነው። 1- በመላው አለም የሚገኙ የድጋፍ ሰጪዎች ታሪክ በባህር ማዶ የነበሩ የፖለቲካ ድርጅቶች በቀዳሚነት የሚያደራጁት የፖለቲካ ፕሮግራማቸውን የተቀበሉ ግለሰቦችንና ቡድኖችን ነበር። ሆኖም ትግሉ በኢትዮጵያ ውስጥ መሆኑን ግንዛቤ ላይ ሲደረስ፤ በውጭ የተደራጁ የፖለቲካ ድርጅቶች እየተዳከሙ፤ በሌላ በኩል ደግሞ የአገር ቤቱ ትግል እየተፋፋመ መጣ። በዚህን ወቅት የውጭው ሃይል ድጋፉን በፖለቲካ መስመር ብቻ ሳይሆን፤ በፋይናንስ እርዳታና በዲፕሎማሲያዊ ግንኙነት በኩል ማጠናከሩ አስፈላጊነቱ ታመነበት። በመሆኑም በአገር ቤት ያሉትን ፓርቲዎች የሚደግፉ ቡድኖች ተበራከቱ። ትግሉም የፖለቲካ ድርጅት አባል በመሆን ብቻ ሳይሆን የድጋፍ ድርጅት አባላትም በባህር ማዶ የሰላማዊ ትግሉ አንድ አካል መሆን ጀመሩ። ከዚያን ጊዜ ጀምሮ በመላው አለም የሚገኙ የድጋፍ ሰጪ አካላትም እየተበራከቱ መጡ። 2- የሰሜን አሜሪካ የድጋፍ ሰጪ አካላት ታሪክ (ከምርጫው በፊት ) የሰሜን አሜሪካ የድጋፍ ሰጪ አካላት ታሪክ ከሌሎች ድጋፍ ሰጪዎች የተለየ ታሪክ ባይኖረውም፤ ማእከላዊነትን የጠበቀ፤ በህግ የሚመራና ብዙዎችን የሚያሳትፍ ሆኖ የተመሰረተ ነው። በተለይም ቅንጅትን ከመሰረቱት አራት ፓርቲዎች መካከል ሁለቱ ጠንካራ የድጋፍ ሰጪ አካላት የነበሯቸው ሲሆኑ፤ ቅንጅቱ ከመዋሃዱ በፊት የነዚህ ሁለት ፓርቲዎች ድጋፍ ሰጪዎች በየራሳቸው ፓርቲዎቻቸውን እስከምርጫው ሰሞን መደገፋቸውን ቀጠሉ፤ በወቅቱ በጋራ ከመስራት አልፈው አልተዋሃዱም ነበር። 2005----- 3- የፖለቲካ ድርጅት ቀጥተኛ ተወካዮች ቅንጅቱ ወደ ምርጫው ሊገባ ሰሞን፤ የቅንጅቱ ፖለቲካ ድርጅቶች በባህር ማዶ የሚገኙ ተወካዮቻቸውን አሳወቁ። በዚህም መሰረት ከኢዴሊ በስተቀር ሶስቱም በተወካዮቻቸው አማካኝነት በልዩ ልዩ የአሜሪካ ክፍለ ግዛቶች ከህዝቡ ጋር ስብሰባዎችን ማድረግ ጀመሩ። 4- የድጋፍ ድርጅቶችን የማጠናከር ተግባር የቅንጅት ከፍተኛ አመራሮች አሜሪካ በመጡበት ወቅት፤ የልዩ ልዩ የድጋፍ ሰጪ አካላት ተዋህደው ስራ ባለመጀመራቸው በዋሺንግተን ዲሲ የሚገኘው አመራር ባስቸኳይ ድጋፍ ሰጪዎችን እንዲያንቀሳቅስ ታዘዘ ቀረበ። ከሶስቱ ሰዎች በተጨማሪ ሌሎች ሰዎች ተጨምረው ስራ እንዲጀመርም ሃሳብ ቀረበ። 5- ተጨማሪ አመራር አባላትን ማካተት አዲስ አበባ የሚገኘው የቅንጅቱ የበላይ አካላት ባሳሰቡት መሰረት በሶስቱ ሰዎች ላይ ሌሎች ሰባት ሰዎች ተጨምረው አስር ሰዎች ያሉበት የአመራር አካል ተፈጠረ። ከዚህ በኋላ መመሪያዎችን ለድጋፍ ድርጅቶች በማውረድ፤ በየቦታው የሚገኙ የልዩ ልዩ ፓርቲዎች ድጋፍ ሰጪ ድርጅቶች እንዲዋሃዱና ስራ እንዲጀምሩ ተባለ፤ ይህም ያለ ብዙ ችግር ተፈጻሚ ሆነ። 2006 ---- 6- የሰሜን አሜሪካ የቅንጅት አባላት ጠቅላላ ጉባዔ የመጀመሪያ ጉባዔ ከውህደቱ በኋላ በወርሃ ጃኑዋሪ የተዋሃዱትና አዲስ የተመሰረቱት የቅንጅት የድጋፍ ሰጪ ድርጅት አባላት ዋሺንግተን ላይ ለመጀመሪያ ጊዜ ጠቅላላ ጉባዔ አደረጉ፤ በሁለት ቀን ተከታታይ ስብሰባቸውም የስራ እቅዳቸውን አወጡ። ቀጣዩ ጉባዔ በዚያው በዋሺንግተን ዲሲ፤ በግንቦት ወር እንዲከናወን ተወሰነ። 7- የሰሜን አሜሪካ የቅንጅት አባላት ጠቅላላ ጉባዔ ሁለተኛ ጉባዔ 2ኛው ጠቅላላ ጉባዔ በግንቦት ወር 2006 ዓ .ም ተከናወነ። በዚህ ጉባዔ ላይ አመራሩ የስራ ሪፖርቱን ለአባላት አቀረበ። የአቃቤ ንዋይና የፋይናንስ ኦዲተር ሪፖርት ተደመጠ። በዚህ ጉባዔ ላይ ቀደም ሲል የነበሩት አስር አመራሮች ባሉበት ሁኔታ እንዲቀጥሉ ተወሰነ፤ ሌሎች አምስት ሰዎችም ተመረጡ። በዚህ ስብሰባ ላይ የተነሳው አዲስ ነገር ቢኖር በቃሊቲ የሚገኙ የቅንጅቱ መሪዎች ያለውን የፖለቲካ ክፍተት ለመሙላት ስድስት ሰዎች የተሰየሙ መሆናቸው ነበር። ይህ ጉዳይ ለመጀመሪያ ጊዜ ሲሰማ ግራ መጋባት ቢፈጥርም፤ ሃላፊነቱ ለአመራሩ እንዲሰጥና ስምምነት ላይ እንዲደረስ ተወሰነ። በመጨረሻም ቀጣዩ የካውንስል ወይም የምክር ቤት አባላት ስብሰባ በጁላይ ወር፣ ሎስ አንጀለስ ላይ እንዲደረግ ተወሰነ። 3ኛው ጠቅላላ ጉባዔም ከ 6 ወራት በኋላ ቦስተን ላይ እንዲሆን ስምምነት ላይ ተደረሰ። 8- ኦዲተርና የኦዲት ሪፖርት የሰሜን አሜሪካ የቅንጅት የሂሳብ መርማሪ ወይም ኦዲተር ለመጀመሪያ ጊዜ የተዋወቀው በ 2ኛው ጉባዔ ላይ ነው። ኦዲተሩ ሪፖርቱን ከማስደመጡ በፊት ለሰሜን አሜሪካ ጠቅላላ ጉባዔ እንደገለጸው፤ “ባለፉት 30 አመታት አንድም የፖለቲካ ድርጅት በውጭ ኦዲተር ሂሳቡን አስመርምሮ አያውቅም። እንኳንስ ማስመርመር ቀርቶ ለማስመርመርም ፈቃደኞች አይደሉም። የሰሜን አሜሪካ ቅንጅት ግን ይህንን በማድረጉ ሊመሰገን ይገባዋል።” በማለት ያላቸውን አድናቆት ገልፀዋል። ሆኖም ለጥንቃቄ ሲባል፤ የኦዲት ሪፖርታቸውን በዝርዝር ሳይሆን በደፈናው ገልጸዋል። ዝርዝሩን ከስራ አስፈጻሚው አካል ጋር ተወያይተውበታል። እኚህ የውጭ ኦዲተር ገንዘብ ሳይከፈላቸው በነጻ ወደ ድርጅቱ መጥተው ይህንን በማድረጋቸው በወቅቱ ሁሉም ደስታውን ገልጾላቸዋል። 9- ከስራ መልቀቅ ከላይ እንደተገለጸው ኦዲተሩ በራሳቸው ፈቃድ፤ ወደ ሰሜን አሜሪካ ቅንጅት በመምጣት አብረው በመስራታቸው ሁሉም እጁን ዘርግቶ በደስታ ነበር የተቀበላቸው። ነገር ግን በፈቃደኝነት ለኦዲቲንግ እንደመጡት ሁሉ በፈቃደኝነት ስራውን በሁለት መስመር ማሳሰቢያ ሲለቁ፤ በግድ እንዲቆዩ ማስገደድ አስቸጋሪ ነበር። በተለይም በገንዘብ ያልተቀጠረንና በህዝብ ያልተመረጠን ሰው ማስገደድ የሚቻል እንዳልሆነ ማንኛውም ሰው የሚገነዘበው ይመስለናል። ሰለሆነም ግለሰቡን በአክብሮት አነጋግሮና በፍቅር ሸኝቶ ሌላ ሰው በመተካት ስራው ወደፊት እንዲሄድ ነው መደረግ ያለበት። 10- የፋይናንስ ወጪዎች የሰሜን አሜሪካ የቅንጅት ወጪዎች የታወቁ ናቸው። እነዚህ በውል የምናውቃቸው ወጪዎች፤ ኢትዮጵያ ውስጥ የታሰሩትን የቅንጅት መሪዎች ቤተሰብ መርዳት፣ የቅንጅት መሪዎችን ለማስፈታት በየወሩ እስከ 40 ሺህ ዶላር የሚከፈል የሎቢስቶች ወጪ፣ የቢሮ ስራ ማስኬጃና የቢሮ ሰራተኞች ወጪዎች የሚጠቀሱ ናቸው። ይህንን በማድረጋቸው የቅንጅቱ ደጋፊዎችና አመራር አባላት ሊመሰገኑ ይገባቸዋል ወይስ ሊወቀስ ? መልሱን የቅንጅቱን ስም በማጥፋት ተግባር ላይ ለተሰማሩት እንተወዋለን። 11- የገንዘብ ብክነት የቅንጅት ድጋፍ ሰጪዎችም ሆነ የአመራር አባላት ከራሳቸው ኪስ ገንዘብ እያወጡ ድርጅቱን ከመደገፍ አልፈው አንድም ጊዜ ገንዘብ ያባከኑበት ጊዜ የለም። ከዚህ ውጪ ግን የቅንጅት ድጋፍ ሰጪ አባላት ሳይሆኑ በራሳቸው ጊዜ ኮሚቴ አቋቁመው፤ በራሳቸው መንገድ ገንዘብ የሰበሰቡ ካሉ ለድርጅቱ ሪፖርት ቢደረግና ቢጣራ እንጂ የሚሻለው፤ በደፈናው የድርጅቱን ስም ማጉደፍ ለህሊና የሚከብድ ተግባር ነው። 12- ቅንጅትና የትብብር ለነጻነትና ዲሞክራሲ አመሰራረት ሁለተኛው የሰሜን አሜሪካ ቅንጅት ጠቅላላ ጉባዔ እንደተጠናቀቀ በሚቀጥለው ቀን ሶስት ሰዎች የሚገኙበትና በአመራሩ የፖለቲካ አባላት የሚመራ የልኡካን ቡድን ወደ አውሮፓ አመራ። የዚህ የልኡካን ቡድን አላማ ቀደም ሲል ተጀምሮ የነበረውን የትብብር ሰነድ ላይ ለመነጋገር ነበር። ከሶስት ቀኑ የዩትሬክት፣ ኔዘርላንድ ስብሰባ ሲጠናቀቅ እና የመግባቢያ ሰነዱ ላይ ከተፈረመ በኋላ ዜናው ለህዝብ ይፋ ሆነ። 13- የመጀመሪያው የሰሜን አሜሪካ አመራሮች ስብሰባ ከ 2ኛው ጉባዔ በኋላ፤ የመጀመሪያው የሰሜን አሜሪካ አመራሮች ስብሰባ አደረጉ። በዚህ ስብሰባ ላይ ከቃሊቲ የተላከው ደብዳቤ እና የአለም አቀፉ አመራር ኮሚቴ አመሰራረትን በተመለከተ ሰፊ ውይይት ተደረገ። በዚህም መሰረት ከቃሊቲ የመጣው ደብዳቤ ትክክለኛነቱ ታመነበት። ከዚሁ ጋር ተያይዞም የቅንጅት አለም አቀፍ የፖለቲካ አመራር ኮሚቴ፤ ከአዲስ አበባ በተላለፈው መመሪያ ተጨማሪ 6 ሰዎችን አካተው ስራቸውን እንዲጀምሩ ስምምነት ላይ ተደረሰ። 14- የቅንጅት አለም አቀፍ የፖለቲካ አመራር ኮሚቴ መቋቋም የቅንጅት አለም አቀፍ ኮሚቴ የተቋቋመው ከላይ በተገለጸው መሰረት ሲሆን፤ ተጨማሪ 6 ሰዎችን በማካተት ስራውን ጀመረ። የመጀመሪያውንም ስብሰባ በጁን 20ዎቹ መጀመሪያ ላይ አደረገ። 12 ሰዎች ያሉበት የፖለቲካ አመራር አካላት ያሉበት ኮሚቴ ለሶስት ቀናት ባደረገው ስብሰባ፤ የስራ እቅዱን ከመንደፉም በተጨማሪ፤ ከአዲስ አበባ በመጣው መመሪያ መሰረት መሪዎቹንና የዘርፍ ሃላፊዎችን መርጧል። በህግና ደንቡም ላይ ተነጋግሯል። ከምንም በላይ ደግሞ የፖለቲካ ውሳኔ የሚያስፈልጋቸውን --- እንደ “ትብብር ለነጻነትና ዲሞክራሲ”ን በተመለክተ በሃላፊነት እንዲመራ ተደርጓል። ስለትብብሩም በተከታታይ መግለጫ ተሰጥቷል። 15- የሰሜን አሜሪካ የቅንጅት ምክር ቤት (ካውንስል ) የመጀመሪያው የቅንጅት ድጋፍ ሰጪ አካላት የካውንስል ስብሰባ ጁላይ 5 ቀን፣ 2006 ዓ .ም ሎስ አንጀለስ ላይ ተደረገ። በሎስ አንጀለሱ የሰሜን አሜሪካ የቅንጅት ምክር ቤት አባላት ስብሰባ ላይ የአለም አቀፉ ኮሚቴ አባላትም ተገኙ። የካውንስሉ አባላት አለም አቀፉን አካል መቀበላቸውን ከገለጹ በኋል መሰረታዊ ጥያቄ አነሱ። ይኸውም፤ “የቅንጅት አለም አቀፍ ኮሚቴና የሰሜን አሜሪካ የድጋፍ ድርጅት አባላት ወደፊት ሊኖራቸው የሚችለው የስራ ግንኙነት ምን ይሆናል ?” የሚለው በአበይትነት ይጠቀሳል። በዚህ ጉዳይ በርካታ ውይይት ከተደረገ በኋላ፤ “የቅንጅት አለም አቀፍ ኮሚቴ በአንድ ወር ጊዜ ውስጥ ይህንን ለካውንስሉ እንዲያሳውቅ” የሚል ውሳኔ ተሰጠ። ይህም ቀደም ብሎ አመራሩ ከሰጠው ውሳኔ ጋር ተመሳሳይ የሆነ ውሳኔ ነበር። 16- የሃሳብ ልዩነቶች ከላይ የተገለጸውን የሰሜን አሜሪካ የካውንስል ውሳኔ መሰረት በማድረግ አለም አቀፉ የቅንጅት አመራር፤ ከመማክርት ምክር ቤት አባላት ጋር በመሆን ስራውን በማከናወን ላይ ነው። በዚህና በሌሎች ጉዳዮች ላይ አባላት በዲሞክራሲያዊ መንገድ በመወያየት ላይ ናቸው። አንደኛው ወገን “አለም አቀፉ ኮሚቴ በቀጥታ በድጋፍ ሰጪዎች ጉዳይ ሊገባ ይገባዋል” ሲል፤ ሌላኛው ወገን ደግሞ፤ “አለም አቀፉ ኮሚቴ መመሪያውን ለሰሜን አሜሪካ ወይም ለሌላው አህጉር አመራር ያስተላልፋል። የየአህጉሩ አመራሮችም መመሪያውን ያስፈጽማሉ”… የሚል ነው። ይህ ነው በመሰረታዊነት ቅንጅቱን እያነጋገረ ያለው። ይህ ደግሞ አንድ ጤነኛ ፓርቲ ውስጥ ሊኖር የሚገባና የሚበረታታ ነው። ሃሳቦች ተንሸራሽረው በድምጽ ብልጫ ከተወሰኑ በኋላ ሁሉም ለብዙሃኑ ድምጽ ተገዢ ሆኖ ስራውን ይቀጥላል። ይህ የሚያኮራ እንጂ የሚያለያይ ጉዳይ ተደርጎ መወሰድ የለበትም። 17- የሃሳብ አንድነት የሰሜን አሜሪካ ሆነ የአለም አቀፉ አመራር ወይም የድጋፍ ሰጪ አባላት ኢትዮጵያ ውስጥ የታሰሩትን መሪዎቻቸውን ለማስፈታት በሚደረገው ጥረት ተሳታፊዎች ናቸው። የቅንጅት መሪዎች ከመታሰራቸው በፊት አቅርበዋቸው የነበሩትን 8 ነጥቦች አሁንም ሆነ ወደፊት በአንድነት እያራመዱት ነው። በትብብር ለነጻነትና ዲሞክራሲ ሁሉም ድጋፉን በመስጠት ላይ ይገኛል። ቀድሞውኑም የተነሱለትንና የኢትዮጵያ ህዝብ በአንድነቱ እንዲገፋና የዲሞክራሲ ተጠቃሚ እንዲሆን የሚደረገው ትግል በመቀጠሉ ላይ፤ ወይም አምባ ገነኑን የወያኔ አስተዳደር ገርስሶ ለመጣል በሚደረገው ሰላማዊ ትግል ውስጥ ተሳታፊዎች ናቸው። 18- የቅንጅቱ ድረ -ገፅ አለም አቀፉ የቅንጅት አመራር የራሱ የሆነ ድረ ገፅ እስከሞኖረው ድረስ አሁን ያለውን የ“ቅንጅት” ድረ ገፅ ይጠቀማል፤ እየተጠቀመም ነው። በተደጋጋሚ የሚወጡ መግለጫዎችም በዚሁ ድረ ገጽ ላይ ለህትመት ቀርበዋል። ሆኖም የዚህ ድረ ገፅ ሁኔታን የሚወስነው፤ የአለም አቀፉ ኮሚቴ ከሰሜን አሜሪካው አመራር ጋር የሚኖረው ግንኙነት ይሆናል። ይህም በቀጣዩ ስብሰባ ላይ የሚታይ ሊሆን ይሆን ይሆናል። 19- ቀጣዩ የቅንጅት ድጋፍ ሰጪ አካላት ካውንስል ስብሰባ ከላይ የተገለጹትንና ሌሎችንም ጉዳዮች ለመወሰን በኦገስት ወር መጨረሻ አካባቢ ምክር ቤቱ ይሰበሰባል። 20- ቀጣዩ የቅንጅት ድጋፍ ሰጪ አካላት ጠቅላላ ጉባዔ ቀደም ተብሎ በተያዘው እቅድ መሰረትም ቀጣዩ የድጋፍ ሰጪ አካላት ጠቅላላ ጉባዔ በወርሃ ኖቬምበር፣ 2006 ዓ .ም ቦስተን ላይ ይሰበሰባል። 21- ቅንጅት ወዴት እያመራ ነው ? በውጭ አገር የሚገኘው የቅንጅት አለም አቀፍ የፖለቲካ አመራር ወይም የድጋፍ ሰጪ አካላት ስራቸውን አላቋረጡም። የአመራር አካላት ቢያንስ በሳምንት አንድ ጊዜ ስብሰባ ያደርጋሉ። የድጋፍ ሰጪ ኮሚቴ አባላትም ሆኑ አመራሮች ጊዜያቸውንና ገንዘባቸውን በማውጣት በኢትዮጵያ የሚደረገውን ሰላማዊ ትግል በመደገፍ ላይ ናቸው። ለስብሰባ ከአንዱ ስፍራ ወደ ሌላው ሲሄዱ በራሳቸው ወጪ መሆኑንም መዘንጋት አይገባም። ይህ እራሱን ለቅንጅት መርህ ተገዢ ያደረገ ሃይል፤ ቅንጅቱን በመደገፍ ወደፊት ያመራል እንጂ ከቶውኑም በአሉባልታ ተደነቃቅፎ አይቀርም። ይህ በህዝቦች የደም መስዋእትነት የተገኘ ድርጅት በባህር ማዶ ከሚያደርገው የዲፕሎማሲ ትግል በተጨማሪ፤ ሰላማዊ ትግሉ በአገር ቤት እንዲፋፋም ጥረት በማድረግ ላይ ነው። ሰላማዊው ትግልም የቅንጅቱን መሪዎች ከእስር ከማስፈታት አልፎ፤ ለኢትዮጵያ ያለውን ራዕይ እንደጠበቀ ታሪካዊ የትግል ጉዞውን ይቀጥላል። 22- ግልጽነት ቅንጅት በግልጽ ከህዝብ ጋር የሚሰራ ድርጅት ነው። ለዚህ ማንም ጥርጣሬ ሊኖረው አይገባም። ሆኖም ግን መጠን ያለፈና ድርጅቱን አደጋ ላይ የሚጥሉ ነገሮችን የሚመቻችበት ምንም ምክንያት አይኖርም። በተለይም የፖለቲካው ስራ በህቡዕ እና በግልጽ እየተሰራ ነው። ዛሬ የምናደርገውን እያንዳንዱን የፖለቲካ ውሳኔ የወያኔ አስተዳደር መልሶ የቅንጅት መሪዎችን ለመክሰስና እንደመረጃ ለማቅረብ በሚሯሯጥበት ወቅት መረጃ አቀባይ ካልሆናችሁ ብሎ ሙግት መግጠሙ በራሱ ትክክል አይሆንም። ይህም እንደጥንካሬ እንጂ እንደደካማነት ሊታይ የሚገባው አይደለም። ከዚህ በተጨማሪም የውስጥ አሰራሮችና የፋይናንስ አወጣጦችን በተመለከተ አቃቤ ንዋይና ኦዲተር ሪፖርቱን ለስሜን ሜሪካ የድጋፍ ሰጪዎች ምክር ቤት ያቀርባል እንጂ፤ ለመላው አለም ህዝብ ሪፖርት እንዲያደርግ መጠየቅ የፖለቲካ ብስለትን አያሳይም። 23- አመራር በተደጋጋሚ በድረ ገጾች ላይ የሚነሳ ጉዳይ አለ። አመራሩ ደካማ እንደሆነ ተደርጎ የሚገለጽ ነገር አለ። ይህ አይነቱ ሂስ ጤናማ ሊሆን የሚችለው በትክክለኛ መንገድ ድክመቱን እና መፍትሄውን ጭምር በማቅረብ እንጂ በደፈናው በመተቸት አይደለም። በየትኛውም ወገን ያለ አመራር በድምጽ ለተወሰኑ ሃሳቦች እራሱን ተገዢ አድርጎ፤ በዲሞክራሲያዊ መንገድ እየሰራ በሚገኝበት ባሁኑ ወቅት በደፈናው ትችትና አሉባልታ ማስተጋባት ፈጽሞ ከማንም የሚጠበቅ አይደለም። እዚህ ላይ ሳይጠቀስ የማይታለፍ ነገር አለ። የሰሜን አሜሪካም ሆነ፤ የአለም አቀፉን ቅንጅት በሊቀመንበርነት የሚመሩት ሻለቃ ዮሴፍ ናቸው። ላለፉት 30 አመታት ከትጥቅ ትግል ጀምሮ፤ አሁን ደግሞ በሰላማዊ መንገድ ለአገራቸው የሚተጉና የሚሰሩ ሰው መሆናቸው ይታወቃል። ነገሮችን በእርጋታ የመመልከትና የአስታራቂነት ባህሪያቸው በተደጋጋሚ እንዲመረጡ ያደረጋቸው ይመስላል። በርግጥም በአሁኑም ወቅት ለአገራችን የሚያስፈልጋት እርጋታን የተላበሰ፤ ከስሜታዊነት የጸዳ እና ቢያንስ አምባገነን ያልሆነ ሰው ነው። እንዲህ አይነት ሰዎች በብዛት ማግኘታችን ደግሞ ቅንጅትን የሚያኮራው ጉዳይ ይሆናል። ከዚያ ውጪ ግን አመራሩ ውስጥ ያሉ ሰዎች ጠንካራም ሆነ ደካማ ጎን ሊኖራቸው ይችላል። ጠንካራውን ይበልጥ እያበረታታን ደካማው ከስህተቱ ተምሮ ለበለጠ ስራ የሚተጋበትን መንገድ መቀየስ እንጂ የሚጠበቅብን፤ እርስ በርስ ማናቆር ከጋዜጠኛውም ሆነ ከህብረተሰቡ የሚጠበቅ አይደለም። በመሆኑም ህብረተሰቡን ከማስተማር አልፈን ሚዛናዊ የሆኑ ዘገባዎችን በማቅረብ ወቅቱ የሚጠብቅብንን አደራ ልንወጣ ይገባል። 24- ከደጋፊዎችና ከህብረተሰቡ ምን ይጠበቃል ? በውጭ አገር የሚገኙ ደጋፊዎች በፋይናንስና በዲፕሎማሲው ረገድ ከሚያደርጉት አስተዋጽኦ በተጨማሪ የሰልማዊው ትግል ባለቤቶች መሆን ይኖርባቸዋል። እንደሚታወቀው ቅንጅት የመረጠው የትግል ስልት ሰላማዊ የሆነውንና ትእግስት አስጨራሹን የትግል መስመር ነው። ይህ ትግል ደግሞ በግብታዊነት የሚመራ ሳይሆን በሰከነ አዕምሮና በሚዛናዊነት መሆኑ ለሁሉም ግልጽ ነው። ሚዛናዊ የሆነ ትግል ማድረግ የሚቻለው ደግሞ ሁሉም ወደ አንድ አስተሳሰብ ሲቃረብ እንጂ፤ በተናጥል በሚደረግ ጉዞ አይደለም። በእርግጥ የቅንጅቱን አላማ ተከትለው የሚሄዱ አባላት ይህንን የጋራ አሰራር የመከተል የሞራል ግዴታ አለባቸው። ለዚህም በተከታታይ በሚደረገው የትግል መስመር ውስጥ መሳተፍ እና በጎደለው የትግል ስፍራ እራሳቸውን ተሳታፊ ማድረግ ይጠበቅባቸዋል። ለዚህ ሰላማዊ ትግልም ትእግስትና ያላሰለሰ ተከታታይ ተሳታፊነት አስፈላጊ ነው። ጋዜጠኞችም ሆኑ ህብረተሰቡ ይህንን ሰላማዊ ትግል ለማጎልበት ያላወቁትን እንዲያውቁ ያወቁትን እንዲበረቱ ማድረግ ህዝባችን የሚጠብቀው ወቅታዊ ግዴታ ይሆናል። Source