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I. Introductory Material Justice in Ethiopia: A Victim of Political Intrigue and Expediency "What really is justice? Justice is the basis for all civilization. In assuring the ordinary citizen's right to work and live peacefully and without fear, justice forms the cornerstone of nationhood. This notion is central to all civilization. That is why every nation worthy of its citizens has spent and continues to spend enormous resources trying to ensure the independence of the justice system. The moment the justice system of a nation fails to uphold the rights of the ordinary citizen, that nation's end is near. Such a time, is upon Ethiopia..." "...This web site... is a reflection of the age-old yearning of our people for the ever-elusive, ever-unattainable justice and for fair treatment. As such, it will try to bring to light the true nature of the status of justice, (such as there is), in Ethiopia. It will also try to accommodate all relevant information and data on the status of justice in Ethiopia, the workings of the Courts and the current “trials” being conducted. The utmost effort has been made and will continue to be made to ensure the authenticity of all information, data and supporting documents posted on this site..."
Ethiopia -- Country Report on Human Rights Practices - 2006  US Department of State, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, March 6, 2007 “…Although the constitution and law prohibit arbitrary arrest and detention, the government frequently did not observe these provisions in practice…” Ah, the "Constitution"! It also prohibits among other things, denial of the right to assemble, denial of the right of free speech, denial of a fair trial, denial of life itself and, generally speaking, the supremacy of the state (individuals with power, that is) over the constitution. It is really amazing how much and how long a farce can be propagated...
Human Rights Watch Report on Ethiopia - 2004 "...The Ethiopian government continues to deny many of its citizens’ basic human rights. Police and security forces have harassed, illegally detained, tortured, and in some cases, killed members of the political opposition, demonstrators and suspected insurgents. The government has also continued its efforts to muzzle the private press through the use of criminal sanctions and other forms of intimidation..."
Human Rights Watch Report on Ethiopia - 2003 "...The judiciary remained unable or unwilling to stop human rights violations... Often judges refused to release prisoners on bail even when the police or prosecutor had no proper grounds for their detention. Instead, hearings were adjourned for two weeks at a time to allow police to investigate. Occasionally, a court would order the release of a prisoner only for the prisoner to be rearrested and jailed within a day or two... ...Prisoners held for non-bailable offenses were incarcerated for years while their cases were investigated..."
'Human Rights Watch' Report on Ethiopia (2002) "...The judiciary, with rare exceptions, was complicit in the government's violations of human rights. The courts routinely granted extensions allowing individuals to be held in detention without formal charges and without bail while the police "investigated," usually at a snail's pace. Rarely did they inquire into the need for holding suspects in custody. Court hearings convened every several weeks, only to have the court uncritically permit the police to investigate for months. Court cases historically lasted for years, during which time activists and government critics, apparently held only for their nonviolent criticism of the government, endured harsh detention conditions. Sometimes charges were eventually brought; sometimes prisoners were released after months of captivity without charge or trial...." "....The government jailed civil rights advocates, political rivals, students, and journalists without formal charges, and police used lethal force against unarmed civilians... The system also often abused its authority and lacked transparency and accountability..."
Ethiopia: A Judiciary without Justice By Lammii Guddaa An early article on the workings of the Ethiopian legal system "...It's difficult for a judge to remain independent of political or party ideological influence. Those judges or magistrates who are determined to stick to their professional ethics, have a short tenure in office unless, of course, they are prepared to compromise their ethical principles, and support the ruling party's political stance... Government representatives keep a close eye on judges' work and decisions handed down. If a particular judge fails to measure up to what is "required" of him by government and party, then chances are, the judge's appointment will be rapidly terminated..." II. Justice and the Constitution "...When the 'Constitution of the F.D.R. Ethiopia' was introduced through much fanfare a few years back by the ruling party, the EPRDF, it was heralded both as the harbinger of peace, stability and development and a guarantor of justice for the common man. Comprising of lofty articles such as those on 'Independence of the Judiciary', 'Right to Life…', 'Right of Persons Arrested', etc., it indeed was a high-sounding document purporting to do just that......Cynics and sceptics amongst us notwithstanding, no one would have thought that the EPRDF itself and its leadership in particular, would blatantly and, (in retrospect), with characteristic and total disregard for the opinion of the Ethiopian people at large, violate and desecrate almost all the articles of the “hallowed” Constitution. Apparently, this is in keeping with the true nature and inherent hypocrisy of the current leaders of Ethiopia and would definitely be dealt with in conjunction with their numerous other misdeeds when the time comes. What is more disturbing and of much higher danger to the future of our country than political crimes of even such a magnitude is the complicity of the justice system, especially the judiciary, in the commission of these crimes and in making a mockery of the laws of the country. Report upon report shows that the judiciary, “with rare exceptions”, is aiding and abetting the trampling of the inalienable basic rights of the individual Ethiopian. This is destroying the fabric of society as we know it by further eroding the trust of the common man on a public institution of great import--the justice system. There can be no excuse for this act: wilful complicity or not, everyone involved in this despicable act of opportunism will surely be held accountable. No one dare ignore, this fact—least of all those of us who have lived through the travails of our recent history..." (Full article detailing recorded instances of the violation of constitutional rights of individuals through the complicity and instrument of the judiciary including the particulars of the cases and the "rulings" of the presiding judges is under preparation and will be posted soon) By Hailu Aberra "...the Federal Supreme Court's surrender to the very statute that robs it of its constitutional power is suicidal and unforgivable. Particularly so because not even the courts are entitled to relinquish their legal power and thereby neglect their monumental responsibility of guardianship against the violation of rights." "...By recognizing the very proclamation that substituted the discretionary power of the court, the FSC has failed the Constitution and its responsibilities. The court does not have the right to waive its independence or its power. But by giving legitimacy to a proclamation that renders its role insignificant and its decision void, it has willingly surrendered to force. Thereby, the FSC has bowed to the very force that has decreed to detain the suspects not in accordance with the law as interpreted by courts, but in spite of it..." "...The willingness of the FSC to surrender to forceful dictations could be explained by various so-called pragmatic considerations. But they could never be justified unless cowardice could be considered to be a virtue that justifies to the role play evil's accomplice..." (Entire Document)
III. The Courts in Ethiopia: Guardians of Justice or Political Marionettes? The fact that this question can be raised, by itself, indicates something gravely wrong with the status of justice in Ethiopia and the system seemingly set up to uphold it. In fortunate countries where justice is paramount, the system composed of the Police, the Public Prosecutor and the Courts functions in such a manner that miscarriage of justice will be the exception rather than the norm. In these countries, the Police can and do, (within the bounds of law), investigate all credible allegations of wrongdoing at all levels. If the Police believe that they have a case, the Public Prosecutor's Office must make sure that indeed, the case as presented to it can withstand the scrutiny of the Courts. The Courts in their turn, being the ultimate arbiters and guardians of justice, exercise the final responsibility of determining the credibility of the case as per the laws of the land. Then and only then, would a case see the light of day in the Courts. Does this happen or is this happening in Ethiopia? Is the justice system functioning as per its ideals and living up to its immense responsibility or has it succumbed to opportunism and fallen victim to the shenanigans of politics? The following articles including documents detailing the backgrounds of the highly publicized on-going "trials" would help answer this question. Privatization Related Ongoing Trials
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Commercial Bank (CBE) Related Ongoing Trials (Some Pointers to the Real Story on Alleged Corruption at the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia) "...Any probe or investigation on corruption should have started with an appraisal of the loan contracts and the performance of the loans—since, wrong and corrupt lending decisions should normally lead to a non-performing loan, hence, a failed loan contract. It is this non-performance and failure that should have led backwards, towards investigating wrong deeds...." "... The PM and his henchmen have indeed conducted a full-fledged audit and inspection on almost "everything" related to these businesspeople. Having failed to come up with something irregular, they ended up with fabricating a charge that deliberately says nothing about the loan contract and its performance but a lot about a non-offence at all...." "...there is no question that corruption was and still is—(in as much as the real perpetrators are at large)—rampant in our country. One need only ask a few simple questions to know who these people really are. For instance, one can ask whose children (among the past and present leadership of the EPRDF) go to Sandford School, an elite "international community" school where the tuition and incidental fees amount to over Birr 32,000 per annum per child? Where would PM Meles, Foreign Minister Seyoum, the late Security Minister Kinfe, etc., source such amount of money—an amount greater than their total annual official salary and benefits combined—to send their children to this outrageously expensive school? Why did these same people vigorously oppose the proposal that everyone of the EPRDF's leaders and their relatives be investigated for illegal gains/corruption? One can ask but, one shouldn't expect answers to come voluntarily from these people....." “…yx!T×eà NGD ÆNK ysÈcW -Q§§ BDéC s!dm„ XSk 12 b!l!×N BR y¸dRs# s!çN knz!H BDéC WS_ lx!HxÁG DRJèC yts-W BDR k3 b!l!×N BR b§Y wYNM kÆNk# BDéC WS_ 25% bmè YçÂL ¥lT nW… xB²®c$ xh#N xLkfL BlW tb§¹tW yq„T yx!HxÁG DRJèC BDéC bST¶NG ÷¸t&W bk#L Xytm„lT ïRÇ yx]d”cW yfqÄcW ÂcW…” “…xh#N ktkss#T 19 tbĶãC WS_ bxè _§h#N kúcW b¬C Æl# ÷¸t&ãC ytfqÇT BDéC 9 BÒ ÂcWÝÝ xS„ tbĶãC ïRD yfqd§cW ÂcWÝÝ bm-N s!¬YM kt-qsW 1.106 b!l!×N BR WS_ 938 ¸l!×N wYNM 84.7% ÃHl#N yfqdW ïRD nW… _Ãq&W bXRG_M yÑS g#ÄY b!çN mmz¾W tbDé mmlS wYNM xlmmlS b!çN ñé µl_R_R bq_¬ m-yQ ÃlÆcW xè mlS ÷¸t&ÃcW YçN nbR…” If you can't read the Amharic script above, you may need to download and install 'VG2 Main' font. Alternatively, you can upgrade your browser to IE 5.
k¬²b! z@U A very illuminating and detailed report on the “Anti-Corruption Campaign” of the TPLF/EPRDF government that, among other things, shows the crystal clear political basis for the “trials” underway and the immense harm that has befallen the country as a direct result. Additionally, it is now becoming sadly obvious that these “trials” have irreparably damaged whatever little credibility the Ethiopian justice system had during the rule of the current regime. The real story behind the “Sugar Auction Corruption” trials--one of the politically motivated and apparently totally baseless trials launched by the government of PM Meles. k¬²b!ãC “…y‰s#N ?UêE mBT `§ðnT y¥ÃS-BQ yFT? |R›T XNÄ@T yz@¯CN mBT l!-BQ l!ÃS-BQ YC§L) … FT? y-¥W ?ZB XWnT XND¬¹NF Ãb”L½ lFT? lRT: Yö¥L BlÖ b¥sB XMnT yÈlbT yFT? |R›T ‰s# yxf ym=ö¾ t‰ mœ¶Ã çñ s!qR YHC xgR MN q‰T) YH ?ZB MN qrW) …” “… b?g w_ mNgD BDR wSÄC“L bmÆL ltkss#T nUÄ@ãC 85% y¸çnWN BDR yfqdW y]r ÑSÂW xRb¾ xè wrd wLD wLÇ X l@lÖC kFt¾ ymNG|T Æl|LÈÂT y¸gß#bT yx!T×ùà NGD ÆNk yS‰ xm‰R ïRD nW … Xnß!H t$Æ Æl|LÈÂT½ b!ÃS-YQM Xns#N l!ÃS-YQ b¸gÆ DRg!T l@§W FÄWN s!ö_R s!Æ s!sÑ “X¾ N[#/N nN” b¥lT XNQLF YwSÄcW kçn y¸ÃSgRM nW…Ks# l@§½ ¬œ¶W l@§…” |
Ethiopia activists found guilty BBC, Monday, 24 December 2007 “…An Ethiopian court has convicted two anti-poverty activists of inciting violence after the elections in 2005... "Despite the lack of evidence proving their involvement in leadership and participation during the unrest, no evidence could be found to refute accusations of incitement," judge Mohammed Aminsani told the court, AFP news agency reports. "As a result, the court has found them guilty on this respect." Hundreds of thousands of people took part in demonstrations at alleged vote-rigging and some 193 people were killed. Most of the dead were protesters, killed by security forces…”
What's the crime of Daniel and Netsanet? The following is a quote from a commentary by noted jurisprudent Prof. Al Mariam: It has always been like that in Meles' "courts". Also, read a statement by Amnesty International titled "Ethiopia: Prisoners of conscience unfairly convicted; face possible 10-year prison terms" Ethiopia PM attacks UN on Somalia BBC News, December 20, 2007 “…Mr Meles admitted Ethiopia's withdrawal from Somalia was taking "a lot longer" than planned because of delays in the deployment of African Union peacekeepers. "... I hope that those who have the resources will support the African Union so they can deploy the peacekeeping troops," he said. Even with half the expected number, the force would "go a long way in making the appropriate environment for us to withdraw", Mr Meles added…”
So now it's the UN's fault?! Power corrupts, they say, power begets arrogance and creates a person out of touch with reality. Let's fast-reverse to January 19, 2007 and read a transcript from an interview Meles gave to the BBC sub-titled 'Ethiopia's prime minister says his forces will begin withdrawing from Somalia over the next few days': "...Our withdrawal is not predicated on the presence of AU peace keeping troops in Somalia... Our decision to withdraw is independent of the decision of the AU to deploy forces... This myth of Ethiopia's withdrawal precipitating a total collapse in Somalia... it is just another myth..." What do you say to that? What has changed since then? No one, no one, let alone a person who has the responsibility of leading a country, would have gone blindly into such a misadventure--(boasts at the time notwithstanding). Unfortunately for both the Ethiopian and Somali people, the dire effects of that decision (whose motive certainly had nothing to do with the interests of the country) will be around for generations... Mugabe signs democracy pledge Critics skeptical of 'Lisbon declaration' David Blair, The Daily Telegraph, Monday, December 10, 2007 “…Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe pledged to uphold "democracy and the rule of law" yesterday when a raft of African autocrats signed a declaration supposedly heralding a new era of open politics... President Omar al-Bashir of Sudan, who seized power in a coup and is waging a brutal war in Darfur, also signed the "Lisbon declaration." Other signatories included Meles Zenawi, the Ethiopian prime minister, who jailed the entire opposition leadership after staging a widely condemned election in 2005, and President Umaru Yar'Adua of Nigeria, who won an election denounced by every independent observer group for ballot-rigging and violence…”
Need we comment? To be an African... FTH lxsÍ xBR¦ bs»N x»¶µ yTG‰Y tw§íC½ HÄR 2 qN 2000 ›.M (DekiAlula) An appeal for justice for Ato Assefa Abraha. His case is another example of and reiterates the comment about "personal" politics below. EU Annual Report on Human Rights 2007 Council of the European Union, Brussels, Oct. 18, 2007 “…Respect for human rights and the rule of law, and the promotion of multi-party democracy, are key concerns in relations with Ethiopia. The EU has called on the government to stop the harassment of the opposition and civil society organisations, and to carry out a permanent and inclusive dialogue with the opposition to implement democratic provisions in practice. Concern has also been expressed about the freedom of the press, government interference in the operation of private media, and the high numbers of detained journalists. The EU has also remained worried about the human rights situation related to internal conflicts such as in the Ogaden…”
Statements such as this and efforts of organizations such as the EU do help bring attention to the plight of millions of Ethiopians. However, it is business as usual for Zenawi and co. as thousands remain incarcerated including human rights activists Netsanet Demissie and Daniel Bekele (petition), former PM Tamrat Layne, etc. Farcical pronouncements such as the one on HR2003 ("Wuchale"?!) from some quarters notwithstanding, it is all vindictively personal and/or ruthlessly political in Zenawi's Ethiopia... Analyzing the Outraged Reaction from the Ethiopian Government and its Supporters to Passage by the U.S. House of Representatives of HR 2003: Ethiopian News and Views, Oct. 7, 2007 “…The reaction of the Ethiopian government and its supporters to the passage of HR 2003, has been fairly extreme. The Aigaforum website, which is a vocal supporter of the government, has been posting articles which call for severe repression against the opposition. One article even calls for the killing of the opposition leaders who testified in Congress!…”
As usual, Dagmawi has written a lucid piece of analysis on a current event in Ethiopia, i.e., the reaction from the Ethiopian Government and its supporters [to HR2003]. We would venture to add a small addendum, however. Ofttimes, the cause for an apparently complex situation would turn out to be just plain simple. The “extreme” reaction of the regime in Ethiopia to HR 2003 has its cause on one small part of the bill, the part that specifically targets individuals involved in wrong-doing, the section to do with travel restrictions! Everything else (“interference in internal affairs”, “harms(!) the Ethiopian people”, etc.), is just window dressing. You may be surprised how banal (and blatantly selfish) people’s motives for doing the things they do may be. The tragedy is that in our case, these people lead/are the government... Full text of the Prepared Statement of Birtukan Mideksa, First Vice Chair, Coalition for Democracy and Unity Party, Ethiopia US House of Representatives Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health, Oct. 2, 2007 “…The fact of the matter is that there is no independent judiciary in Ethiopia today... Although judges are supposed to be free of political party politics, many are under the control of the party in power, if not outright members. The judiciary is not perceived as an independent and impartial body accessible by the public to seek justice and protect their legitimate rights. With the judiciary under the effective control of the executive, as it is today, there is little confidence in its institutional powers or the legitimacy of its rulings; and very little public expectation that the judiciary can be the guarantor of individual rights protected by the constitution or the law. As a result, the Ethiopian judiciary has failed to be the guardian of the Constitution and a protector of human rights…”
AI Calls for Greater Protection of Human Rights in Ethiopia as Country Celebrates Millennium Amnesty International Public Statement, Wednesday, Sept. 12, 2007 “…[As Ethiopia celebrates a new Millennium on Sept. 12, 2007,]... Amnesty International calls on the Ethiopian government to issue a special declaration of commitment to protection of human rights. Respect for human rights, in a year that has seen the arrests and jailing of human rights defenders, should have a place in Ethiopia's Millennium objectives, Amnesty said…”
MSF denied access to Somali region of Ethiopia MSF Press Release, 04-09-2007 “… [MSF] had conducted several assessments of the humanitarian needs in the area when it was forced to evacuate its teams for security reasons in late July. Despite repeated appeals over the past weeks to gain permission to return, the Government of Ethiopia has denied MSF access... MSF international staff saw emptied and burned villages and assisted numerous people who reported being forcibly displaced from their homes... Our teams have treated people who have been forced to flee their homes and are now struggling to survive with little or no assistance. People are living in fear because they find themselves targeted by and caught between armed groups. We are urgently calling for immediate access to the region in order to help civilians in need…” "We are supposed to have burned villages. I can tell you, not a single village, and as far as I know not a single hut has been burned. We have been accused of dislocating thousands of people from their villages and keeping them in camps. Nobody has come up with a shred of evidence. Nobody." PM Meles in an interview with Time/CNN. Ironically, the last question in the interview was "What keeps you awake at night?" Ethiopia Pardons 38 Opposition Leaders By Stephanie McCrummen, Washington Post Foreign Service, July 21, 2007 “…The Ethiopian government on Friday pardoned 38 of the country's top political opposition leaders, [and] released them from prison... The 38 who were pardoned were convicted last month and on Monday given life sentences in a trial widely denounced by human rights groups... Following an Ethiopian tradition of resolving disputes, a group of prominent elders had been negotiating the terms of the prisoners' release, which finally included a letter signed by the prisoners accepting some responsibility for the election violence, despite findings of a government investigation that blamed Ethiopian security forces…” The theatrics of a sham trial accompanied by Meles and co.'s ridiculously transparent antics as law-respecting, ”Constitution" defenders have ended in a predictable manner. Not in any way to denigrate the effort of the 'elders' or anything but believing that Meles' decision was influenced even an iota by their plea is the height of naivety. Never in the history of the TPLF/EPRDF has a dispute of any kind or any level been settled through negotiations--it is an alien concept to them. Notwithstanding Meles' parroty "Banana republic" comment, he was kowtowing to the demands of his masters, that’s all. Incidentally, if one wants to stick to concrete facts, one might want to note that the "Constitution", ("outrages" against which the Opposition leaders were "convicted" of), is the same "Constitution" Meles and co. routinely trample over (no doubt, as a matter of political exigency). But what do we Ethiopians know--we are only 70 million or so disenfranchised people unable to distinguish a charlatan from a messiah (or so Meles and his masters think)... Will 35 Ethiopians Acknowledge Blame to Win Their Freedom? By Howard Lesser, VoA, Washington, DC, 18 July 2007 “…This week’s sentencing of 35 Ethiopian activists to life-in-prison has been followed by reports they are accepting blame in exchange for their freedom. The dilemma of signing a government release in exchange for a reprieve invites the question of whether the government is trying to coax the pardons in order to get the dissidents out of the international human rights spotlight…” Now take this: "Negotiation can only be made between two free persons. There can be no negotiation between an organ which has imprisoned the CUD members because they broke the law, and the prisoners on the respect for the rule of law". This was a statement by PM Meles on June 28th in a speech to the "Parliament", (now take this also) while he had in his possession the "pardon" document recently made "public". Notwithstanding the questions circulating widely regarding the authenticity (or lack thereof) of said document, what does this say about the good faith approach and general credibility of Meles/TPLF/EPRDF? So are they congratulating themselves saying "seranlachew" "techawetnbachew" or something as crass as that? It is sad really, that matters of state are being handled in such an amateurishly fiendish manner… It is sad also to see statements such as "The Amnesty Board is doing its best", or "the constitution this, the constitution that" from those who should know better. What amnesty board? What constitution? What a fiasco! All over... Life in jail for Ethiopia leaders BBC News, Monday, 16 July 2007, 10:38 GMT “…An Ethiopian court has handed down life sentences to all of the main opposition leaders convicted of links to violent election protests in a major trial. Eight of the 38 opposition figures in court were given shorter prison terms. The prosecution had demanded the death penalty for them all. They refused to recognise the court, saying the trial was political... 'The accused have committed serious crimes, which caused the death of civilians and security forces and attempted to overthrow the government,' [High Court judge Adil Ahmed] said…” This does bring to mind the story of the 'Frde Gemdl Dagna' of years back... Siye Abraha Released EthioZagol, July 10, 2007 “…The Federal Supreme Court today sentenced former defense minister Siye Abraha to five years imprisonment on charges of corruption. Since Siye has already been in jail for more than five years, he will be released. Siye, who many suspect, was jailed by the Meles administration because of his serious differences with the Prime Minister on the issues of Ethiopian sovereignty, looked happy when the decision was read by the court. The court sentenced the other defendants on the case, Fitsumzeab Asgedom, Beshah Azmete, Assefa Abaha and Tamrat Layne to five years, eight years, nine years, and three months imprisonment respectively. It means Fitsumzeab will also be released…”
Convictions in Ethiopia Trials Condemned by Amnesty International USA AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL USA, PRESS RELEASE, June 15, 2007 “…Amnesty International USA (AIUSA) condemns the recent convictions in Ethiopia of 38 opposition party members, journalists and a human rights defender on charges that could carry life in prison or the death penalty.
Ethiopia verdict 'not political' BBC, Tuesday, 12 June 2007 “…Ethiopia's government has denied accusations that the conviction of 38 opposition leaders was intended to stifle political dissent...The 38 were found guilty of links to 2005 protests against alleged poll-rigging, in which 193 people died... Government spokesman Bereket Simon told the BBC the court was independent and had based its verdict on hard evidence. But an opposition lawyer said the suddenness of the verdict exposed the trial as a sham and mockery of justice..."This government... has no notion of the implications of its actions - it's very vindictive, it has no sense of the sanctity of law, with all the various atrocities it has committed," [exiled CUD leader Andargachew Tsege] said…”
Constitutional Rights and Constitutional Wrongs: Justice System Reform Through Accountability in Ethiopia Prof. Al Mariam, May 6, 2007 “…[Let me begin with] the observation that anyone who bothers to read the “Constitution of the Federal Republic of Ethiopia” will no doubt be overawed by the panoply of political rights and due process guarantees in it. Indeed, the reader may be left with the distinct impression that this constitution describes not Ethiopia, but Utopia-- that imaginary island with a perfect social, legal, and political system described by Sir Thomas Moore.
Ethiopia blocks opposition Web sites - watchdog Reuters Alert Net, 01 May 2007 “…an Internet watchdog on Tuesday accused Ethiopia of blocking scores of anti-government Web sites and millions of Weblogs in one of sub-Saharan Africa's biggest cases of cyber-censorship... Ethiopia dismissed the report as 'a baseless allegation'. 'We may have technical problems from time to time,' Information Ministry spokesman ... said. 'But we have not done anything like that and we have no intention of doing anything like that'…” The technical version of the standard, cookie-cutter Meles doublespeak "...one can't say problems are not there but we are doing our best..." in response to [veritable] accusations regarding mass murder, mass arrests, HIV/Aids, general injustice, mismanagement, etc.? Plain stupidity or what? So "technical problems" in internet access have undergone an unprecedented organic evolution in Ethiopia and now exclusively target "sites related to freedom of expression, human rights and political opposition"? MOCKERY OF JUSTICE BY EMBOLDENED NAKED TYRANNY Coalition for Unity and Democracy Party, April 5, 2007 “…[the "ruling" (by the "court")] flies in the face of the all round and consistently repeated condemnation of the charges as politically motivated and as a brazen attempt to criminalize dissent by all international human rights organizations known to man and the declaration by all that the charged are quintessentially prisoners of conscience... All Ethiopians and members of the international community who are not encumbered by political expediency know that what is at trial here and what is on the verge of being sentenced to death or long incarceration is peace, liberty and democracy in Ethiopia…” No one (save the blindly naïve) should be surprised by the "ruling" of the sham court. Do read 'Keystone Cops, Prosecutors and Judges in a Police State', an analysis of the ongoing "court" charade written way back in December 2006 by Prof. Al Mariam and predicting the outcome of the "trial" proceedings. TPLF's Secret Document? Op-Ed ETHIOMEDIA, April 3, 2007 “…sustaining an environment of fear and conflict is the modus operandi of the two Eritrean groups whose number one threat to their survival in power is the unity of the Ethiopian people…” An extremely well-written piece that should help open the eyes of many. One is reminded of the following poem (excerpt):
“…
dGä ²Ê Y,WÝ The Pageant of the Ugly The Competition of the TPLF and EPLF for Good Looks By Fekade Shewakena, March 16, 2007, ETHIOMEDIA “…It appears the only thing any dictator needs these days is to grab as much language dear to the West as possible and charm down a few diplomats and the lords of poverty, the World Bank and the IMF... Pretend that you know some macro economics and multiple definitions of democracy, cook growth statistics, keep talking about jargons like good governance, poverty reduction, democracy, pluralism and election…” That's all! How true. How verily true...
Ethiopia -- Country Report on Human Rights Practices - 2006 US Department of State, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, March 6, 2007 “…Although the constitution and law prohibit arbitrary arrest and detention, the government frequently did not observe these provisions in practice…” Ah, the "Constitution"! It also prohibits among other things, denial of the right to assemble, denial of the right of free speech, denial of a fair trial, denial of life itself and, generally speaking, the supremacy of the state (individuals with power, that is) over the constitution. It is really amazing how much and how long a farce can be propagated...
Ato Assefa Abraha's Response and Related Documents - Oct./Nov. 2006 Following are some documents received recently regarding the ongoing case (almost 6 years now) of Ato Assefa Abraha, former chairman of the Privatization Agency, his brothers and two businessmen accused of corruption by the EPRDF regime. Audit Reports (please note that the audit reports, as received, are very large files)
Human Rights Watch Report on Ethiopia - 2006 HRW World Report, 2007 “…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... 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... 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…”
Tyrant defying the Will of the People (Part 1) Kahsay Berhe, May 22, 2006 “…Today, a proxy rules over Ethiopia. A syndicate of 'donor ambassadors' runs the internal and external affairs of the nation through the surrogate regime of Meles Zenawi... Ethiopia does not have a government that stands for the strategic interests of the country. The "achievement" of the TPLF regime consists in the dismemberment of the country and in the status of being a land- locked country... The present predicaments are mostly home made. Fortunately or unfortunately, we have the means either to heal or deepen our wounds. How to heal them? I think we need to stop talking about each other and to begin talking to each other to find out how we should build a democratic and prosperous motherland in equality, security and stability…”
Wro. Birtukan Mideksa's Letter to US Ambassador in Ethiopia Kinijit “…Madame Ambassador, the United States may favor order over justice in this region as long as the war on terror is on course. The pragmatic choice might be occasionally holding your nose when the government of the region's biggest power committed human rights abuses. But order wouldn't be served when the government turned into alienating and disfranchising a big chunk of its population. Memorandum on Current Situation in Ethiopia Undersigned Ethiopians, 20th March 2006 “…The Prime Minister has failed Ethiopia in defending the sovereignty of the people and the territorial integrity of their country, internal peace and harmony. He is unwilling to free the people from the humiliating dependency on handouts for survival. The ruling group collaborated with enemies of Ethiopia to undermine Ethiopian unity and access to international waters. The regime conspired with forces, which wanted to benefit at the cost of Ethiopia and Ethiopians. The current crisis is the creation of the leaders of the TPLF/EPRDF in general and that of the prime minister, who has absolute power, in particular…”
Ethiopia - ICJ calls for immediate and unconditional release of Lawyer Berhane International Commission of Jurists, 22nd March 2006 “…Lawyer Behane was arrested at his home on 19 February 2006 by security forces. He appeared in court on 6 March 2006, when he was remanded in custody for 14 days without charge "per the government's request". On 21 March 2006 he was again produced before the Court and remanded in custody for a further ten days as the investigating officers claimed that they had not completed their investigations…” For the 'uninitiated', this is the modus operandi of the EPRDF 'criminal justice' system. The government decides (beforehand) the fate of the "enemy" and its arms (police, judiciary) execute its wishes to the letter faithfully... EUEOM Final Report on the Legislative Elections in Ethiopia EUEOM Ethiopia, March 14, 2006 “…VOTING
The report is out but what are the powers that be going to do about it? If past experience is anything to go by, nothing much. However and contrary to what Ato Meles might think ("We in the EPRDF have faced off many more serious challenges"), it remains that there is a limit to what any "government" can do to cling to power by force or guile... Country Report on Human Rights Practices -- Ethiopia 2005 US Department of State, March 8, 2006 “…[human rights violations observed included] unlawful killings, including alleged political killings, and beating, abuse, and mistreatment of detainees and opposition supporters by security forces • poor prison conditions • arbitrary arrest and detention of thousands of persons, particularly those suspected of sympathizing with or being members of the opposition • detention of thousands without charge, and lengthy pretrial detention…” A detailed account of the sinister machinations of a discredited government in its futile efforts to continue clinging to power by force... Ethiopian leader defends campaign against critics Betsy Pisik, THE WASHINGTON TIMES, February 23, 2006 “…Human rights groups, Western governments and Ethiopians abroad have been harshly critical of Mr. Meles, accusing him of jailing thousands and killing many more since protests erupted over elections last year... Mr. Meles rejected those complaints with a common barnyard expletive and accused the West of having a "double standard" on human rights. He also denounced a "campaign of vilification" by vocal groups of Ethiopians living abroad... Attorneys for the defendants--who include most of the top CUD leadership--say they will not speak in court, even if they are compelled to appear. "They will not plead, because they do not recognize the legal authority of the court," said a lawyer who has worked with several opposition figures. "They say this is a puppet court, a kangaroo court; and they will not respond."…” Ethiopia: Prisoners of conscience prepare to face 'trial' AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL, February 22, 2006 “…These people are prisoners of conscience, imprisoned solely on account of their non-violent opinions and activities... We fear the defendants may not be tried in accordance with internationally-recognized standards of fair trial before impartial and independent judges... Furthermore, the grounds advanced by the prosecution for the charge of 'genocide' do not even remotely match internationally-recognized definitions of genocide -- or the definition set out in the Ethiopian Criminal Code. This absurd charge should be withdrawn immediately…” Blair turns his back on friend who failed him Jonathan Clayton, The Times, February 13, 2006
Imprisoned KINIJIT Leaders Message to all Ethiopians (on withdrawal from the proceedings of the court) EMF Unofficial translation: By Seiyfu Demmissie, 19 January, 2006 “…[This] premeditated trial is based on the threats of the prime minister who warned us of the consequences if we do not take up our allotted seats in the parliament... The prosecutor has indicted us as per the decisions and order of the prime minister and shunned his responsibility of upholding the rule of law... The court has played the role of the prosecutor and was not ready and willing to attend to our defense cases. The court was greatly influenced by the police and the prosecutor and reversed the decisions it has taken. The court has served as an additional attacking weapon of the politicians. The court has served as a cover and tool for the ruling party to wipe out the political opposition and the free press... [Therefore] we the accused do not wish to be accomplices to a repressive system that uses the judiciary system as a tool. Consenting to and taking part in the court proceedings based on fabricated charges is tantamount to collaboration with the system…” Britain to press Ethiopia over opposition crackdown Nita Bhalla, Reuters, 17 January, 2006 “…Britain said on Monday it would press Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi to talk with jailed opposition leaders facing treason charges. Hilary Benn, Britain's aid minister, said he was seriously concerned about the situation in the East African nation. 'Since the May elections, people have been shot down on the streets, people have been arrested and many are currently on trial,' he told Reuters. 'The only way forward is by dialogue with those representing all the shades of opinion in Ethiopia, both government and opposition, and you've got to do that in parliament in the end,' he said. 'I don't see how you can do it through the courts.'…” The glaring fact that most in the West are missing is that no independent "Courts" exist in Ethiopia to begin with. The "Courts" in Ethiopia, especially the so-called "Supreme Court", have time and again proven that they are mere extensions of the ruling party--viz. HRW's report "...the judiciary, with rare exceptions, was complicit in the government's violations of human rights..." and hence, the government's insistence that the case Britain's aid minister is "concerned" about be handled by the "Courts"... Ethiopia: Hidden Crackdown in Rural Areas Independent Inquiry Should Investigate Rural Violence Human Rights News, HRW, 13 January, 2006 “…'The Ethiopian government is violently suppressing any form of protest and punishing suspected opposition supporters,' said Peter Takirambudde, director of Human Rights Watch's Africa Division. 'Donor governments should insist on an independent, credible investigation into abuses by federal police and local officials in rural as well as urban areas'…” A three-piece suit does not a democrat make Matthew Lee, Sapa-AFP, 10 January, 2006 “…'The notion of the "new generation" of democrats was a misconceived idea based on the analysis of inexperienced diplomats and the eagerness to wipe out the influence of east European ideology and Soviet influence at the end of the Cold War,' a western diplomat in Ethiopia said, speaking on condition of anonymity... 'The notion was not based on the reality on the ground,' he said... In Ethiopia, Meles, now in his 15th year in power, has drawn criticism for a massive crackdown on dissent after deadly unrest that hit the country after disputed elections last May. A total of 131 opposition figures and journalists face trial on treason and other serious charges... [the west] “has reaped what it sowed” by focusing on rulers’ grand promises at the expense of nurturing democratic values at the local level…” ETHIOPIA: Trial of opposition activists "divisive" - US diplomat IRIN, 05 January, 2006 “…A United States diplomat in Ethiopia has described as "divisive" the decision by Ethiopian government authorities to try 129 opposition leaders, journalists and local aid workers, on charges including treason and genocide... [Huddleston] said charges against five local Voice of America (VOA) reporters, accused of "outrages against the constitution", should be dropped... 'If the [Ethiopian] government has an issue with VOA, it needs to be taken up directly with the US government and the embassy -- not in a court of law.'…”
US bars Humvee sales to Ethiopia after post-election violence Good governance gone bad The New York Times (through IHT), 27 November 2005 “…[the Ethiopian prime minister] Meles has often been lauded as an exemplar of good government by the likes of Prime Minister Tony Blair... But it turns out that Meles is in favor of democracy only when people are voting for him... As things stand, the only example Meles is setting is one of autocratic repression... Blair should publicly evict Meles from his Commission for Africa. The rest of the international development crowd should exile him. That is the problem with good press: Eventually you have to live up to your image…” Detained Ethiopian opposition leaders are 'political prisoners' Monsters and Critics, 27 November 2005 “…[Leaders of Ethiopia's main opposition Coalition for Unity and Democratic Party (CUDP) who have been detained for nearly a month] said they would go on hunger strike, beginning Monday, to protest their 'illegal' detention... 'It is a mockery of human rights when such leading democratic countries as Germany and Britain greet the leader of a country only a few days after his government was involved in mass murder of demonstrators,' Mesfin Woldemariam, CUDP member and civil rights activist, said…” Special court order opposition leaders to remain in custody EiTB24, 21 November 2005 “… A special court ordered leaders of Ethiopia's main opposition party to remain in custody when they appeared in court Monday for preliminary proceedings ahead of possible trial on treason charges…” The charade begins... It is amazing how they keep doing exactly the same thing, time and time again and expect to get away with it all, (including the massacre of scores of our citizens), that is, until one understands that the defining characteristic of this regime is contempt towards peoples' opinions and more so that of Ethiopians... Political storm sweeps away much of the privately-owned press Reporters sans frontières (Reporters Without Borders), 15 November 2005 “…'The Ethiopian government is once again yielding to panic and sending its police to settle its differences with the opposition,' the press freedom organisation said. 'Appropriate methods exist if Prime Minister Meles Zenawi wants to challenge press reports. And if they do not exist, he is in a position to create them. Instead, he has launched a manhunt, filled his prisons with prisoners of conscience and plunged his country into a terrible political crisis'…” Comments on the Ethiopian Crisis Prof. Christopher Clapham, University of Cambridge, 7 November 2005 “…It now seems to me beyond any plausible likelihood that the EPRDF government can re-establish its position as an acceptable public authority - entirely regardless of whether that authority be democratic or not. On the contrary, it has now reached the point, reached by the imperial and Derg regimes before it, at which its authority has withered away, and cannot be recovered. It has lost 'the mandate of heaven', and in these circumstances, only three possible outcomes remain:…” A highly knowledgeable and lucid analysis of past, current and possible future events. All three possible scenarios outlined by the Professor indicate that the EPRDF regime's time is up. For the sake of the people of Ethiopia, however, we hope that the leaders of the regime choose the first option and the international community "support" them in that... Recent arrests of opposition leaders and police killings of 46 demonstrators AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL, Public Statement, 11 November 2005 “…Amnesty International considers the 24 detainees to be prisoners of conscience who have not used or advocated violence, and that the other 34 would also be prisoners of conscience if detained. It renews its call for them to be immediately and unconditionally released... Amnesty International fears the detainees may be denied bail and kept in prolonged pre-trial detention in harsh conditions, leading to a lengthy trial with many adjournments, and that they may not receive a fair trial according to international standards…” It seems that the modus operandi of this "brutal regime" is becoming clear to everyone... Michela Wrong asks why Blair backs a brutal regime Michela Wrong, New Statesman, Monday 14th November 2005 “…a regime that has been hailed by Tony Blair as an example of progressive African government has shot women and children in the streets, detained thousands, and rounded up the opposition leaders who accuse it, with ample justification, of rigging elections in May... Like Isaias, Meles has tried democracy and found it doesn't work for him... [donors]... could try asking themselves [a] fundamental question: just how helpful, just how appropriate, is the missionary zeal with which the west keeps pushing a one-size-fits-all political model on governments that are willing to believe democracy is a fine and wonderful thing, so long as they remain in power?…” Ethiopian opposition, editors face treason charges CNN/AP November 9, 2005 “…'[The politicians and journalists] will not be released and they are accused of engaging in insurrection... I don't know what the prosecution will ask for but the death penalty is still legal in Ethiopia. On a personal note that is not the penalty I would like to see applied,' Meles said. 'It is for the prosecution and courts to decide, but if I have any say on it I would prefer prison sentences rather than death sentences'…” He is going for broke, as they say, now even directly challenging his "sustainers" (the donor nations). Totally oblivious of and removed from reality, he believes that strong-arm measures and pure chicanery that have served him well in the past would continue to serve him now. Not only does he not try to normalize the simmering situation as any responsible government leader faced with such a situation would try to do, he stokes and fuels peoples' anger by threatening to apply the death penalty on journalists and political leaders who were just trying to respect the wishes of the people who elected them. After insulting the intelligence of everyone involved including of Ethiopians' in particular by stating that he doesn't know if 'the prosecution will ask for the death penalty' (as if there is an independent judiciary system), he continues to "magnanimously" state that if he has 'any say on it', he 'would prefer prison sentences rather than death sentences'. Talk of chicanery. Talk of megalomania. And this after credible reports that it was all a deliberately orchestrated affair from the start. A tragic, tragic, situation is unfolding with the ever-suffering people of Ethiopia bearing the brunt of such cynical acts. The end, however, is approaching fast... Protest strike at Ethiopia deaths BBC, November 7, 2005 “…Several Ethiopian opposition leaders have been brought before judges for the first time since being detained a week ago following the start of clashes...They were not charged, but ordered to be held for another 14 days…” In an apparently hasty response to lawyers filing 'habeas corpus' writs at the courts and some belated pressure from the West, some of the opposition leaders were shown on state TV as they were "brought" to "court". The question here is to which court were they brought to? In a characteristically contemptuous move against Ethiopian citizens and all observers, the government trampled the "Constitution" it (sickeningly) professes to uphold for the umpteenth time and set up a special (leyou) "Court" in the offices of one of the ministries where the theatre of bringing the detained leaders to "court" can be played out. Not surprisingly, the "court" immediately endorsed the request by police for a continued detention of another 14 days (the maximum allowed). It should be also noted that thousands of others have been jailed mostly in malaria infested, concentration-camp-like prisons away from the eyes of international observers and completely denied legal counsel--again, in broad contravention of the so-called "constitution". Not content to completely shut down all independent newspapers, the regime is also continuing to hunt down their editors and publishers, thus shedding the last vestiges of its "democratic" façade. Naturally, how long this will be allowed to go on is a matter of grave concern and trepidation for the ever-suffering public... One of the greatest hoaxes in Ethiopian history By Wogenie Berta: November 6, 2005, ETHIOMEDIA “…Two weeks ago, hundreds of EPDRF cadres held a secret meeting in Addis Ababa and they were asked to identify and list every opposition member and supporter in the city and forward detailed information to the central office. Then the planners selected riot staging areas throughout the city, the primary focus to be the densely populated Merkato. Once the opposition announced the stay-home-strike for November 5th, the regime decided to pre-empt it by staging its make-believe riot on November 1, four days in advance of the scheduled strike…” This is a highly credible analysis given the (rather amateurish) Machiavellian tactics that the regime in Addis is universally known for. It strikes at the heart of the matter--exactly when, how and where did the opposition leaders call for violent demonstrations? On the contrary, if anything--they called for a series of peaceful protests, highest among them being a stay-at-home protest. It was an extremely clever move that would stoke and strengthen public support while at the same time depriving the regime of an excuse to "neutralize" the opposition movement by using the pretext of combating violence. Perplexed Meles and henchmen, totally foreign territory, no idea how to "combat" peaceful acts of protest that could well topple them from their precarious perch, what to do?--ergo, pre-empt the move, fabricate violence… How cynical can one be? And for what? Demonstration in Bonn as conference on Africa begins Nov 5, 2005, 18:10 GMT “…An estimated 400 Ethiopians demonstrated as guests arrived Saturday for a reception in Bonn before the conference began...They said they were protesting at the use of police force in Ethiopia, where nearly 50 people have been killed in the last few days in anti-government demonstrations [and] Prime Minister Meles Zenawi's attendance at the conference. Meles did not attend Saturday's pre-conference reception hosted by the mayor of Bonn, Baerbel Dieckmann…” This shameless, shameless man has the gall to show his face in Europe not even a day after personally presiding in the murder of scores of our citizens including women and children. Contrast that with the French premier who immediately cancelled a planned trip to try and take care of the far less serious (not a single protestor has been harmed) disturbances in Paris. What were the German leaders thinking when they extended this invitation? It is the classic case of adding insult to injury… Urgent Appeal from Ana Gomes - Call on EU Governments and the Commission November 2, 2005 “…Stop the killing of Ethiopians who dare to believe that democracy is possible in Ethiopia…” Fellow countrymen and women, Ethiopia is facing a danger so great, it is unprecedented in its history. Insanity is the order of the day as Meles continues to hurtle down an incomprehensible path of no return. How else can one describe the slaughter of unarmed protestors, including women and children, without regard to consequences? Ana Gomes' courageous call is truly commendable. However, the deadly poison Meles and his henchmen are planting and disseminating through such irresponsible and reprehensible acts can only be neutralized by the sanity of all Ethiopians and ensuing reason they so apply. Let's all understand that it is not people of one ethnic background or another, one religious persuasion or another, nor one geographical region or another which are orchestrating these murderous acts. It is a handful group of entirely selfish, power-crazy and manipulative individuals, totally out of touch and removed from the reality on the ground. Like all such group of individuals at such a stage in history, their demise is near if not already begun--they will soon be gone. Let's prevent their poison from spreading. 23 killed in Ethiopia election violence Times Online, November 02, 2005, By Jonathan Clayton, Africa Correspondent “…BRITAIN reacted furiously yesterday after riot police shot dead at least 23 people, including several women, in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa during a second day of demonstrations over disputed elections... As the violence flared, Ethiopia’s ambassador in London was summoned to the Foreign Office while the United Kingdom’s ambassador to Ethiopia delivered a strong protest note…” Ethiopia clashes kill 23, special forces in capital Reuters South Africa, Wed Nov 2, 2005 5:39 PM GMT
Violence across Ethiopian capital
Decisive Measures or "Yemayadagim Irmija" Ethiopian News and Views September 30, 2005 “…Slz!H W-@¬cW l!qy„ y¥YCL ÆH¶ çcWN Wún@ãC btÒl m-N XSk m=ršW dqE” ¥zGyT Y-Q¥L b¸L XMnT nW XSk xh#N DrS kwNjl# UR y¸m_N XRM© ÃLwsDnWÝÝ XRM© xLtw\dM BlW QR lt\ß# wgñC YHN mgNzb# Y-Q¥L Bü xSÆlh#... -¼¸ mlS “… xBZh yHZB DMA ÃgßW mNGST YHNN ... ytrUU mNfS½ yL¥T lWõC½ FTH Ä!äK‰s! (?!?!) … ym-bQ ymk§kL `§ðnT XNÄlW b¸ÃrUG_ mLk# tgb!WN ZGJT XNÄ!ÃdRG xSf§g! çñ btgßbT wQT bs§M xdF‰ëC y¥ÃÄGM XRM© XNÄ!wSD x_Bö Y-Y”L …” UTNA
ØÁ‰L ±l!S lF¼b@T xL¬zZ XNÄl ÍYl# tzU ±l!SN lk\\#T t¥¶ãC _BQ yöÑT GlsB ¬\„ b×/NS xNbRBR ¶±RtR /Ml@ 17 1997 “…ØÁ‰L ±l!S lFRD b@T y¥Y¬zZbTN MKNÃT XNÄ!ÃSrÄ yb§Y xµL bçnW ØÁ‰L g#Ä×C ¸n!St&R b!¬zZM FRD b@t$ YHNN g#ÄY úYmlkT yKs# +B_ -FaL b¸L ÍYl# XNÄ!zU wsn... ykœëC -b” xè släN dMs@ ±l!S lFRD b@t$ xL¬zZ ÃlbTS MKNÃT b¸L §qrb#T _Ãq& ClÖt$N ÃSÒl#T ľ YÿYS g¼ÚÄ!Q «lFRD b@t$ _BQ l!öÑ xYCl#MÝÝ g#Ć yFRD b@t$ Slçn xYmlkèTM´ y¸L M§> s_têLÝÝ -b”W xè släN «XNÁT xYmlkt"M)´ b¸L §qrb#T _Ãq& «XNd xND z@U BÒ l!mlkTãT YC§L´ s!l# ľW mLsêLÝÝ «¬Ä!à bHG SR›t$ §Y MNDN nW êSTÂCN)´ b¸L §ns#T _Ãq& «kFRD b@t$ UR xtµ‰ Xyg-Ñ nW)..´ y¸L _Ãq& xzL `Yl ”L tsNZéÆcW xb@¬tcWN xÌR-êL…”
The Hijacked Election: Corrupted vote tabulation in Ethiopia: May 16-June 3 Ethiopian News and Views, July 15, 2005 “…The vote tabulation and reporting process for the May 15 election was abused and corrupted by the EPRDF. Any new government that assumes power based on the fraud-tainted results will lack democratic legitimacy…” What's amazing here is that the leaders of the TPLF/EPRDF regime are still fantasizing that they would be able to get away with it all--brutal repression culminating in the murder and maiming of scores of our fellow citizens included. The proverbial genie, however, is out of the bottle and no amount of [laughable] sophistry or vindictive theatrics of the kind being perpetrated in the Addis Ababa city administration or even the ongoing, blatant manipulation of the election complaints investigation process will put him back in... Urgent Action -- Further information on: Ethiopia: Fear of torture / Prisoners of conscience Amnesty International, July 6, 2005 [While intense international pressure forced authorities to release thousands of arbitrarily detained persons] “…several thousand people, some of whom may be prisoners of conscience, may still be held in official prisons such as Ziwai prison (where over 500 are still held) or in army or police centres (such as Sendafa police college) which are not officially designated prisons. The authorities have ignored the legal and constutional requirement that an arrested person should be brought before a court within 48 hours, as have the judges hearing the cases…” Nothing surprising here, except perhaps for naïve observers from outside--has always been the distinguishing nature of all repressive regimes and in particular of this regime... EU Parliament Resolution on Recent Events in Ethiopia July 7, 2005 [The EU Parliament] “… Condemns the violent repression of civilians, opposition leaders and supporters and the killing of at least 36 persons; Expresses its fullest sympathy and solidarity to the people of Ethiopia and presents its condolences to the victims' families; Calls on the Union and the international community to stay vigilant and to do their utmost to contribute to a peaceful solution to the current tensions and not to allow the Ethiopian democratisation process to come to a halt; …” Excerpted from Document P6_TA-PROV(2005)07-07 ("Texts Adopted by the European Parliament at the Sitting of Thursday July 7, 2005") Chairman Smith Calls on Ethiopian Government To Cease and Desist Violent Response to Protests June 9, 2005 “…The current violence began last Sunday when police reportedly went onto the campus of Addis Ababa University to arrest students who had been protesting the disputed results of the May elections... 'President Bush must take all necessary steps to persuade the Ethiopian government to immediately halt the state-sponsored violence in Ethiopia, which it has declared to be a strategic country for America's Africa policy,' Chairman Smith said…” The Congressman's statement confirms what has been reported earlier--that the Ethiopian government's security personnel sparked the violence through unprovoked arrest of university students. Yet, the government of PM Meles/Ato Bereket has the gall or rather, as we say in Ethiopia "close your eyes, I'll fool you" verve, to blame unemployed youth ("adegegna bozene"), "chauvinists", the opposition,... anyone but itself for the carnage it has unleashed. More dangerously and in a typically outdated manoeuvre to cling to power, EPRDF leaders are now trying to sow discord through fanning imaginary "ethnic" differences and "hatred" created mainly due to their divisive 'ethnic federalist' system. Ethiopia and its people have survived many a disaster (including recent ones instigated by the likes of the Dergue) for this ignorant plot to succeed. Unfortunately for the leaders of the EPRDF (but fortunately for us), they are too much removed from the realities on the ground to understand this (viz. the results of the election and their expectations). As one netter recently observed "they won't be able to recognize the truth if it stared them in the face". And obviously, they are unaware of the timeless saying which goes: there is no stopping an event whose time has come...
Ministry Revokes Permits of VoA, Deutsche Welle (ENA June 8, 2005) “…The permits have been revoked after the reports of the journalists on the post election process have been scrutinized and found false and imbalanced. The Ministry's press license and inspection department has taken the measure to prevent the illegal and unethical reports from harming the legally protected areas of benefits of huge importance, the Ministry's statement said…” "...legally protected areas of benefits of huge importance"? God knows what that means but, never identified with intellect and reason-based actions to begin with, 'Baghdad Bob' Berket and group, (including the PM, it seems), are panicking. How else would one explain direct provocation that led to such a terrible escalation? (Sources say that all this started when state security personnel arrested some university students on the night of 6th June, ostensibly to prevent the staging of a hunger strike the next day). Since when has a 'hunger strike' been equated with 'violence'? On the contrary, if anything. What makes these events at the university and other higher education campuses doubly sad is that the person ordering these barbaric acts was, once upon a time, one of the university student leaders fighting against acts of [the Imperial] police much more benign by any measure... Police Beat, Arrest AAU Students SA; AP - Mon Jun 6, 2005
Ethiopia arrests election protesters CNN - Mon Jun 6, 2005
Government throws 8 editors in jail EFJA (Ethiomedia, June 2, 2005) “…Eight editors of some of the leading newspapers in the Ethiopian capital were thrown into jail on Thursday, prompting a press watchdog's call on the Ethiopian people and press freedom groups around the world to oppose the new wave of government threat that has targeted members of the independent press…” Here we go again...
CNN (Reuters) June 3, 2005 “…Ethiopian authorities have released without charge eight journalists arrested in connection with reports they filed after last month's parliamentary polls, the country's main media association said on Friday…” Analysis of Results Suggests Large-Scale Vote Tampering in East Gojjam ENV, 26 May 2005 “…In the two largest towns, Debre Markos and Mota, the adjusted turnout averaged 73.4%. Both these towns are located in East Gojjam and were the only weredas in East Gojjam that were won by the CUD. Without these towns included, the median adjusted turnout in East Gojjam would rise to 74.6%. In other words, rural turnout in East Gojjam was higher than the turnout in the towns, and the rural voters made fewer mistakes on their ballots than the townspeople did (invalid % was lower in the rural areas than the towns)... Another large discrepancy between East and West Gojjam was in the relationship between turnout and winning percentage. In West Gojjam, there was no relationship between adjusted turnout and the CUD margin of victory. In East Gojjam however, there is a strong relationship between the EPRDF margin of victory and the adjusted turnout…” Dagmawi's level-headed analysis shows that there is nothing the EPRDF regime would stop at to steal the people's vote--a crystal clear fact to many observers but not maybe to outsiders such as Mr. Carter... ETHIOPIA: Concerns over delays in vote counting Reuters AlertNet, 25 May 2005 “…In a statement, the EU observers said the trickle of results, claims of victory by the government and opposition and the denial of access to the state-run media for government opponents was threatening the electoral process... 'These practices, taken as a whole, are seriously undermining the transparency and fairness of the elections,' a statement released by the [EU] observer mission said. 'They also risk increasing the scope for manipulation and consequently putting in doubt public confidence in the process'…” Election 2005: No Vote for Meles Zenawi By Tecola Hagos May 11, 2005 “…After carefully studying the record of the governments of Prime Minister Meles Zenawi for the last ten years, as well as the transition period of 1991 to 1995, we have reached the unequivocal conclusion that a vote for Meles Zenawi and his party the TPLF, and/or associates on May 15 '05 is a vote for the destruction of Ethiopia…” yMRÅ ( ?g# s!ÈS g@¬cW xyl ¶±RtR GNïT 7 1997 “… [yMRÅ ïRD] x!?xÁG bGL} bYÍ yMRÅWN DM} bt+brbr h#n@¬ l¥GßT dÍ q XÃl ÆlbT h#n@¬ DRg!t$N ¥SöM bDRJt$ §YM tgb!WN XRM© bMRÅ Hg# xNÉR mWsD Y-bQbT nbR …”
bmNG|¬êE ÃLçn# DRJèC MRÅ ïRD mµkL bnbrW KRkR F¼b@T ys-W Wún@ ¶±RtR ¸ÃZà 30 1997 “…yMRÅ ?g# md‰jT MRÅ lm¬zB ¥SÒl#N XN©! lMRÅ m¬zB md‰jTN mSfRT x§drgMÝÝ yFT/B/@R ?g# xNq{ 408¼2¼ X 454¼1¼ DNUg@ãC kDRJt$ ›YnT UR XSµLtU= ¥N¾WNM B/@‰êE n#é (Civic activation) m|‰T YÒ§LÝÝ kúëC lz!H tGÆR ytÌÌÑ s!v!K ¥~b‰T s!çn# MRÅ lm¬zB ymtÄd¶Ã dNÆcW WS_ b!õTt$ mLµM b!çNM MRÅ lm¬zB GN ¬²b!nT k›§¥cW UR xlmU=t$ bqE nW… yMRÅ ïRD mUb!T 27¼97 ›.M ÃwÈW mm¶Ã kxêJ UR y¸U+ bmçn# kxÄ!S xbÆ †n!vRs!tE yt¥¶ãC ?BrT bStqR yl@lÖC 14 kúëC b?G yts- mBT y¸nµ bmçn# tfÚ¸ l!çNÆcW xYgÆMÝÝ yGNïT 7 qN 1997 ›.M yMRÅ £dTN XNÄ!¬zb# F¼b@t$ wS•L…”
Interesting and Commendable Discussion An interesting, informed and commendable discussion between two Ethiopians on the justice system and other ills of our country as posted on Ethiomedia. Objective discussions such as these no doubt will ultimately help remove the blight our unfortunate country is suffering from. “… Most of the country's elite either served Meles as foot soldiers or wasted precious time in the paralysis of analyzing Meles' system of destruction…” Our sovereignty: A time to stop Meles Halefom: April 7, 2005 “…the Ethiopian people have witnessed the Prime Minister violate and change, the law of the land authored by himself or issue one in an instant to sustain his power, or ward of imagined or real threat against it... and the courts were made a joke of the century, as they were turned into kangaroo courts where the police dictate the fate of the prisoner…”
Response to Halefom Yared Legesse: April 8, 2005
A response to Yared Legesse By Halefom: April 15, 2005
New Penal Code Co-opts Draft Press Law The Reporter - April 02, 2005 “… The controversy over the draft press law took another twist this week with the inclusion of some of its basic punitive provisions in the new Penal Code of the country that will come into effect early next May... An observer describes the manner of including and the contents of the additions to the penal code, which was passed into law by the same parliament last year, as a serious violation of the law-making process of the country and, thus, amounts to ambushing the whole structural safety of the legal system…” yrqEq$ yPÊS ?G DNUg@ãC ywNjL ?G çnW [dq$ ¶±RtR mUb!T 21 1997 “… k›mT bðT [Dö T§NT bM¼b@t$ btššlW ywNjL ?G brqEQ PÊS xêJ ynb„½ X xh#N bwNjL ?g# ktµtt$T mµkL bPÊS W-@T yxzUíC MZgƽ yPÊS xzU° kl@l xú¬¸W `§ð YçÂL y¸lW½ yê xzU° `§ðnT yYSѧ kçn wYM yPÊS W-@T bwÈbT g!z@ ê xzU° bSLÈn# lmgLgL XNd¥YCL bGL{ y¸ÃmlKt$ h#n@¬ãC µl# yPÊS xú¬¸ `§ð YçÂL½ yPÊS ê xzUJ WKL ys-W sW XNd ê xzUJ lmS‰T y¸CLbT h#n@¬ kl@l wYM ytëmbT g!z@ µlf½ yPÊS W-@t$ bts‰= wQT yPÊs#N xú¬¸ l¥wQ µLtÒl bMTk# `§ð y¸çnW x¬¸W mçn#½ yPÊS W-@t$ §Y yx¬¸W SM ÃLtgl[ mçn#N wYM x¬¸ ÃLçnW sW SM bhsT mgl[#N XÃwq yPÊS W-@t$N Ãs‰= ¥N¾WM sW y¸l#T X khgR W+ y¬tm HTmTN b¸mlkT `§ð y¸çnW bW-@t$ bGL lm-qM k¸ÃSgÆW sW W+ yçn xSmÀ wYM Ãs‰=W ¥N¾WM sW `§ðnT XNÄlbT y¸dnGgW lxBnT Y-qúl# …”
«MRÅ ïRD fRî XNÄ!êqR ÃqrBnW _Ãq& WDQ çñ MRÅW FT¦êE YçÂL y¸L XMnT ylNM´ ¶±RtR yµtET 23 1997 “… bx!T×ùà ysBxêE mBèC h#n@¬N YbL_ xSkð y¸ÃdRgW |Rxt$ bGF y¸m‰ mçn#N y¸ÃrUG-W yz@¯CN mBT mRg_ ?G y¥YdRSbT kQÈT nÉ yçn wNjL lmçN bmÒl# nW … YH dGä xm‰„ l?G y¥Yg²Â bHUêE |RxT y¥ÃMN mçn#N bGL{ ÃúÃL…” PéØsR mSFN wLd¥RÃM¿ yx!smg# l!qmNbR
Summary of story in English by Ethiomedia: Top Secret (now declassified) Documents of the early Dergue Era (Ethiopian Review) Follow the link below to read a fascinating set of previously 'Top Secret' but now declassified documents of the early days of the Dergue and its relationship with the former Soviet Union and East Germany--a precursor for events to come and the situation Ethiopia finds itself in now... Anatomy of a Third World Cold War Crisis: NEW EAST-BLOC EVIDENCE ON THE HORN OF AFRICA, 1977-1978 Arbitrary Laws and Processes at the Service of the Government The "Anti-corruption" act of the current Ethiopian government is widely believed to have been promulgated solely with the aim of attacking political opponents. The damage of such shortsighted acts by an institution that calls itself a government is incalculable by any measure and, without doubt, constitutes a crime against a nation. Additionally, the personal suffering and pain imposed on the unfortunate victims of arbitrary laws such as this is obviously immense. Following are three articles we received from concerned individuals which try to give a clear picture of the situation at hand with respect to the damage being wrought on the country as a whole and the so-called "trials" against business people and professionals being orchestrated by the government to further its ill defined goals. And the compliant role of the "Courts" in this sorry affair? Well, suffice it to say that Ethiopia is yet again at a very sad period in its long, long history with no end in sight... Economic Impact of the Ethiopian Government's "Anti-corruption" Campaign Suppressing Business Competitors in the name of Fighting Corruption The Case of CBE Officials and Selected Business Rivals ?G ÃLtkbrbT MRÅ ?UêE l!çN Yb”LN) ¶±RtR _R 24 1997 “… nÉ ÆLçn ïRD½ nÉ ÆLçn ¸Ä!à nÉ MRÅ m-bQ y?LM „Å nW bGNït$ MRÅ tSÍ l¥DrG xScU¶ YçÂL…” Election ruse: the international community being taken for a ride By G |
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