Aid in the wrong hands – The Telegraph

By Telegraph

31 Oct 2014

Is Ethiopia’s government, whose security forces are guilty of rape and torture, a worthy recipient of £329 million of British taxpayers’ money?

30 years ago, Band Aid mobilised a generation of British teenagers behind the campaign to help Ethiopia recover from famine. Today, Ethiopia is the second-biggest beneficiary of British aid, receiving no less than £329 million last year. And yet the same government that is favoured by this largesse has also carried out appalling atrocities. This week, Amnesty International detailed how Ethiopia’s security forces are guilty of rape and torture as they struggle against separatist rebels. Meanwhile, Hailemariam Desalegn, the prime minister, is untroubled by criticism in the local press or any public opposition, for the simple reason that both are effectively banned. The Department for International Development’s plan for Ethiopia shamelessly notes the country’s “progress toward establishing a functioning democracy”, but adds: “There is still a long way to go”. Indeed. A very long way to go.

The question is whether such a government is a worthy recipient of British taxpayers’ money. Our aid does not go to Ethiopia’s security forces, of course, nor to the secret police who create such fear. Yet British funding for schools and hospitals could release resources for Mr Hailemariam to spend on repression. Foreign aid will always give recipient governments more discretion over what to do with their own money. DfID would say that British aid is, for example, helping almost two million Ethiopian children to go to school – and that is a fair point. But DfID’s budget jumped by 32 per cent between 2012 and 2013 – the biggest percentage increase ever enjoyed by any Whitehall department in peacetime history. DfID has failed to allay the suspicion that its officials are more concerned with spending this money than guarding against possible unintended consequences. Sadly, that risk is greater in Ethiopia than almost anywhere else.

አብርሃ ደስታ; ሀብታሙ አያሌው; የሽዋስ አሰፋ ; ዳንኤል ሺበሺ በይፋ ክስ ተመሰረተባቸው

October31,2014

• አብርሃ ደስታ የሁለት ድርጅቶች አባል ነው የሚል ክስ ተመስርቶበታል

• ወደ አዲስ አበባ ማረሚያ ቤት እንዲዘዋወሩ ታዟል

ነገረ ኢትዮጵያ 

በልደታ የፌደራሉ ከፍተኛ ፍርድ ቤት አራተኛ ምድብ ወንጀል ችሎት ዛሬ ጥቅምት 21/2007 ዓ.ም ከቀኑ ዘጠኝ ሰዓት አካባቢ በተሰየመው ችሎት 10 ተከሳሾች በፌደራል አቃቢ ህግ በይፋ ክስ ተመሰረተባቸው፡፡ ተጠርጣሪዎቹ ከ100 ገጽ በላይ የክስ ቻርጅ የተነበበላቸው ሲሆን ከክስ ቻርጁ ጋር ከ300 ገጽ በላይ የምርመራ ሰነድ ቀርቦባቸዋል፡፡

የክሱ መዝገብ የተከፈተው ዘላለም ወርቃገኘሁ በተባለውና ‹‹የግንቦት 7 አመራር ነው፡፡›› ተብሎ ክስ በተመሰረተበት ግለሰብ ሲሆን በዚህ የክስ መዝገብ የተካተቱትም፡-

1ኛ ተከሳሽ ዘላለም ወርቃገኘሁ
2ኛ ተከሳሽ ሀብታሙ አያሌው
3ኛ ተከሳሽ ዳንኤል ሺበሺ
4ኛ ተከሳሽ አብርሃ ደስታ
5ኛ ተከሳሽ የሽዋስ አሰፋ
6ኛ ተከሳሽ ዮናታን ወልዴ
7ኛ ተከሳሽ አብርሃም ሰለሞን
8ኛ ተከሳሽ ሰለሞን ግርማ
9ኛ ተከሳሽ ብርሃኑ ደጉ
10ኛ ተከሳሽ ተስፋዬ ተፈሪ ናቸው

ለሁሉም ተከሳሾች ከዛሬ በፊት ክስ እንዳልደረሳቸውና ዛሬ ፍርድ ቤት ውስጥ እንደተሰጣቸው ታውቋል፡፡ በችሎቱ 6ኛ ተከሳሽ ከሆነው ዮናታን ወልዴ በስተቀር ሁሉም ያለ ጠበቃ የቀረቡ ሲሆን ጠበቃዎቹ ያልቀረቡበት ምክንያትም ጠበቆቹ ደምበኞቻቸው የሚቀርቡበት ቦታና ጊዜ ስላልተነገራቸው እንዲሁም ቀደም ብለው እንዳይገናኙ በመደረጋቸው መሆኑን አቶ ኃብታሙ አያሌው ችሎቱ ላይ ተናግሯል፡፡

ከሳሹ የፌደራል አቃቢ ህግ በ1996 የወጣው የወንጀል ህግ እና የጸረ ሽብር ህግ ጠቅሶ ክስ ያቀረበ ሲሆን ክሶቹ በሁለት ዋና ዋና ጭብጦች ቀርበዋል፡፡ የመጀመሪያው ጭብጥ ‹‹ከሽብርተኛ ቡድኖች ጋር በጋራ በመስራት›› የሚል ሲሆን ‹‹ህገ መንግስቱንና ህገ መንግስታዊ ስርዓቱን በኃይል ለመናድ፣ የመንግስትን መሰረተ ልማት በማፈራረስ፣ ህዝብን ለአመጸ በማነሳሳት መንግስትን መለወጥ አላማው አድርጎ ከሚሰራውና ራሱን ግንቦት 7 ብሎ ከሚጠራው ቡድን ጋር አባል በመሆንና በወንጀል ድርጊቶች በመሳተፍ›› በሚል ቀርቧል፡፡

ሁለተኛው የክስ ጭብጥ ‹‹የሽብር ቡድን አመራር በመሆን›› የሚል ሲሆን በተለይም የአንደኛ ተከሳሽ ዘላለም ወርቃገኘሁ ‹‹የሽብር ቡድኑ አመራር በመሆንና አባል በመመልመል›› በሚል የክስ ጭብጥ ቀርቦበታልል፡፡

ከ2-5ኛ የክስ መዝገብ የሚገኙት ማለትም ሀብታሙ አያሌው፣ ዳንኤል ሺበሽ፣ አብርሃ ደስታና የሸዋስ አሰፋ ‹‹ህጋዊ የፖለቲካ ፓርቲን ከለላ በማድረግ ግንቦት 7 የተባለውን የሽብር ቡድን አላማ ለማሳካት ተንቀሳቅሰዋል፡፡ ፋሲል የኔ ዓለምና ሌሎች የሽብር ቡድኑ አባላት ጋር በስልክ በመነጋገርና በማህበራዊ ድህረ ገጸ የተለያዩ መልዕክቶችን ተለዋውጠዋል›› የሚል ክስ ቀርቦባቸዋል፡፡ አብርሃ ደስታ ከግንቦት 7 በተጨማሪ ‹‹ደምኢት የተባለ ቡድን አባል ነው፡፡›› የሚል ክስ ቀርቦበታል፡፡

በስተመጨረሻም ፍርድ ቤቱ ሁለት ጉዳዮች ላይ ውሳኔ ሰጥቷል፡፡ አንደኛው ረቡዕ ጥቅምት 26/2007 ዓ.ም 3 ሰዓት ተከሳሾቹ ዋስትና ይሰጣቸው አይሰጣቸው በሚለው ጉዳይ ላይ ፍርድ ቤቱ ከተከሳሾቹ ጠበቆች ጋር ተማክሮ ውሳኔ ይሰጣል ተብሏል፡፡ በሁለተኛነት ተጠርጣሪዎቹ ባቀረቡት አቤቱታ መሰረት ቀደም ሲል ለአራት ወራት ወደቆዩበት ማዕከላዊ እስር ቤት እንዳይመለሱ ፍርድ ቤቱን ስለጠየቁ ፍርድ ቤቱ በአዲስ አበባ ማረሚያ ቤት (3ኛ) እንዲቆዩ ትዕዛዝ ሰጥቷል፡፡

ተከሳሾቹ ትናንት ጥቅምት 20/2007 ዓ.ም አራዳ ምድብ ችሎት ይቀርባሉ ተብሎ የነበር ቢሆንም ሳይቀርቡ ቀርተዋል፡፡ በተመሳሳይ ዛሬ ጥቅምት 21/2007 ዓ.ም ጠዋት ወደ ልደታ ፍርድ ቤት ተወስደው የነበረ ቢሆንም እንደገና ወደማዕከላዊ ተመልሰው ከሰዓት እንዲቀርቡ ተደርገዋል፡፡

U.S. Deeply Concerned by Sentence of Ethiopian Journalist

Press Statement

Jen Psaki
Department Spokesperson
Washington, DC
October 30, 2014

The United States is deeply concerned by the October 27 sentencing of Ethiopian journalist Temesgen Desalegn to three years in prison for “provocation and dissemination of inaccurate information.” Freedom of expression and freedom of the press are fundamental elements of a democratic society, and the promotion and protection of these rights and freedoms are basic responsibilities of democratic governments.

As President Obama stated during his meeting in September with Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam, it is important that Ethiopia’s progress and positive example on economic development and regional conflict resolution extends to civil society as well. We urge Ethiopia to make similar progress with regard to respect for press freedom and the free flow of ideas and reiterate our call for the Ethiopian government to release journalists imprisoned for exercising their right to freedom of expression.

BBC interviewing torture survivor and Dr Awol K on Amnestry rep

የሰብዓዊ መብት ጥሰት በኦሮሞ ተወላጆች ላይ ተባባሰ መባሉ

የኢትዮጵያ መንግሥት በኦሮሞ ተወላጆች ላይ የእስራት፣ የስቃይ፣ የግድያ እና የግፍ ተግባር ይፈፅማል ሲል ዓለም አቀፉ የሰብዓዊ መብት ተሟጋች ድርጅት አምኒስቲ ኢንተርናሽናል ይፋ ባደረገዉ ሪፖርት ገለፀ። ድርጅቱ ይፋ ባደረገዉ ሪፖርት በሽዎች የሚቆጠሩ ኦሮሞዎች የእስር የስቃይና የግድያ ሰለባ ሆነዋል።

እንደ ሪፖርቱ የኢትዮጵያ መንግሥት ይህን ያደረገዉ የሚደርስበትን ተቃዉሞ ለማፈን ሲል መሆኑን ዶይቸ ቬለ ያነጋገራቸው የዓለም አቀፉ የሰብዓዊ መብት ተከራካሪ ድርጅት አምንስቲ ኢንተርናሽናል አጥኚ ክሌር ቤስተንን አስረድተዋል። የኢትዮጵያ መንግሥት ዘገባውን ሃሰት ነዉ ሲል አጣጥሎአል።

«ኦሮሞ በመሆኔ» የሚል ርዕስ የተሰጠዉ የዓለማቀፉ የሰብዓዊ መብት ተከራካሪ ድርጅት አምኒስቲ ኢንተርናሽናል ሪፕርት ከ 200 በላይ ምስክርነትን በማየት ያቀረበዉ ዘገባ መሆኑን ያትታል። ከጎርጎረሳዊዉ 2011 እስከ 2014 ዓ,ም ድረስ በትንሹ 5000 ኦሮሞዎች ለእስር መዳረጋቸዉን እንዲሁም የመንግስት ጥቃት የኦሮሞ ባህላዊ ማንነታቸዉን በሰላማዊ መንገድ ለመግለፅ የሞከሩ ተቃዋሚዎችን ተማሪዎችን እንዲሁም የተቃዋሚ ፓርቲ አባላትን እንደሚጨምር ሃተታዉ ያሳያል። መንግሥት በኦሮሞዎች ላይ የጥቃት ብትር ማነጣጠሩን በምን ማረጋገጥ ይቻላል ለሚለዉ ጥያቄ በኬንያ የአምንስቲ ኢንተርናሽናል አጥኒ ክሌር ቤስተን እንደሚሉት
በዘገባችን ላይ ያቀረብነዉ ኦሮሞዎች በጎሳ አድሎ እንደሚሰቃዩ ነዉ። ከዚህ ጋር አያይዘንም እኛ የየተመለከትነዉ በኦሮሞ መስተዳድር ሰዎች ሆነ ተብሎ ዒላማ ስለሚሆኑበት አሰራር ነዉ። በኦሮምያ በፌደራል ፖሊስ ጣብያዎችና በእስር ቤቶች ከፍተኛ ቁጥር ያላቸዉ ኦሮሞዎች እንደሚገኙ ብዙ መረጃዎች ይደርሱናል።»
በሪፖርቱ ላይ እንደሚያመለክተዉ የኦሮሞን ባህል ተግባራዊ የሚያደርጉ በ100 የሚቆጠሩ ሰዎች ለእስር ተዳርገዋል። ሰዎቹ ይህን በማድረጋቸዉም መንግሥትን እንደሚፃረሩ ተደርጎ ነዉ የተወሰደዉ። የአምንስቲ ኢንተርናሽናል አጥኚ ክሌር ቤስተን እንደሚሉት የኢትዮጵያ መንግሥት የኦሮሞ ተወላጆችን የሚያሰቃየዉ የተቃዋሚ ፓርቲዎች ደጋፊዎች ናቸዉ በሚል ጥርጣሬ ነዉ። ግፉ የሚፈፀምባቸዉ ሰዎች ደግሞ በሁሉም ሙያና መስክ የተሠማሩ ናቸዉ።
«ገበሪዎች፤ አስተማሪዎች፤የጤና ባለሙያዎች፤የመንግሥት ተቀጣሪዎች ሳይቀሩ በዘፈቀደ ታሥረዋል። ለምሳሌ ተፎካካሪ የንግድ ተቋም ለመመስረት በመሞከሩ (የገዢዉን ሥርዓት) ርዕዮተ ዓለምን ይቃረናል በሚል የታሠረ ተማሪ አነጋግረናል።የኦሮሞ ነፃ አዉጪ ግንባር አባል ነዉ ተብሎ የሚጠረጠር ሰዉዬን ሚስት በማዋለዱ የታሠረ አዋላጅ አነጋግረናል።በማዳበሪያ አቅርቦትና ሽያጭ ቅሬታ ያሰሙ በመቶ የሚቆጠሩ ገበሬዎች ታሥረዋል።ገበሬዎቹ ባሉበት አካባቢ የሚሠራ የግብርና ባለሙያም አብሮ ታሥሯል። የሱ ተግባር የገበሬዎቹን ጥያቄ ለመንግሥት ማቅረብ ነበር።ይሁንና ገበሬዎቹን ለዓመፅ አነሳስተሐል ተብሎ ታሥሯል።»

የምርመራችን የመጀመርያዉ ደረጃ የተፈፀመዉ የህግ ጥሰቶችን ሁሉ መመዝገብ ነበር ያሉት የአምንስቲ ኢንተርናሽናል አጥኚ ክሌር ቤስተን የታፈኑትና የታሰሩትን ሰዎች ሁኔታ ሁሉ ባለመካተቱ ሪፖርቱ የተሟላ አይደለም።
« ይሁንና ከ 2011 ዓ,ም ወዲህ በኦሮምያ የነበረዉ መታመቅ ተከፍቶ በደልን በይፋ መግለፅ የተጀመረበት ግዜ ሆንዋል። ዝምታን ችላ ብሎ ስሞታን የማቅረቡ ሁኔታ ነዉ የተጀመረዉ። እስከዝያ ግዜ ብዙ ያልተናገረዉ የታፈነዉ ሁኔታ በከፊል እንደምንገነዘበዉ የኢትዮጵያ መንግሥት በነፃዉ ፕረስና ነፃ በሆኑ የሰብዓዊ መብት ድርጅቶች ላይ እገዳ በማድረጉ ነዉ። ስለዚህም የሰብአዊ መብት ጥሰቶች ሁሉ በየዘርፉ በሰነድ መያዝና ለዓለማቀፍ ማሕበረሰብ መቅረብ ይኖርበታል። የኢትዮጵያ መንግሥት ግን ይህ ችግር መፍትሄ እንዲያገኝ ፈቃደኛ አይደለም።»
ኦሮሞ ከኢትዮጵያ ትልቁ ብሔረሰብ መሆኑን ያመላከተዉ የአምንስቲ ዘገባ ሁለት መቶ ሰዎች በሰጡት አስተያየት ላይ የተመሠረተ ነዉ። ኬንያ የሚገኙት የአምንስቲ ኢንተርናሽናል አጥኚ ክሌር ቤስተን በሰጡት ቃለ ምልልስ ዓለማቀፉ ማህበረሰብ፤ የተመ የሰብዓዊ መብት ኮሚሽን እንዲሁም የአፍሪቃዉ የሰብዓዊ ጉዳዮች ኮሚሽን በአስቸኳይ ነጻ የሆነ የሰብዓዊ መብት ጥሰት አጣሪ ቡድን እንዲያሰማራ ጠይቀዋል።
የኢትዮጵያ የኮሚኒኬሽን ጉዳዮች ሚንስትር አቶ ሪድዋን ሁሴይን ግን የአምንስቲን ዘገባ አፍሪቃን ለማንቋሸሽ ያለመ፤ የተለመደ ፖለቲካዊ አቋም በማለት አጣጥለዉታል



 አዜብ ታደሰ
ተክሌ የኋላt


http://www.dw.de/%E1%8B%A8%E1%88%B0%E1%89%A5%E1%8B%93%E1%8B%8A-%E1%88%98%E1%89%A5%E1%89%B5-%E1%8C%A5%E1%88%B0%E1%89%B5-%E1%89%A0%E1%8A%A6%E1%88%AE%E1%88%9E-%E1%89%B0%E1%8B%88%E1%88%8B%E1%8C%86%E1%89%BD-%E1%88%8B%E1%8B%AD-%E1%89%B0%E1%89%A3%E1%89%A3%E1%88%B0-%E1%88%98%E1%89%A3%E1%88%89/a-18026213?maca=amh-standard_feed-amh-11646-xml







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Ethiopia: the Beginning or the End?

October 25, 2014

by THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN (The New York Times)

Last week’s events in Ethiopia were unbelievable, although we may not know for years or even decades what their final meaning is. What’s important, however, is that we focus on what this means on the street. The current administration seems too caught up in spinning the facts to pay attention to the important effects on daily life. Just call it missing the fields for the wheat.

When thinking about the recent troubles, it’s important to remember three things: One, people don’t behave like computer programs, so attempts to treat them as such are going to come across as foreign. Computer programs never suddenly set up a black market for Western DVDs. Two, Ethiopia has spent decades as a dictatorship closed to the world, so a mindset of peace and stability will seem foreign and strange. And three, freedom is an extraordinarily powerful idea: If corruption is Ethiopia’s glass ceiling, then freedom is certainly its flowerpot.

When I was in Ethiopia last June, I was amazed by the level of Westernization for such a closed society, and that tells me two things. It tells me that the citizens of Ethiopia have no shortage of potential entrepreneurs, and that is a good beginning to grow from. Second, it tells me that people in Ethiopia are just like people anywhere else on this flat earth of ours.

So what should we do about the chaos in Ethiopia? Well, it’s easier to start with what we should not do. We should not ignore the problem and pretend it will go away. Beyond that, we need to be careful to nurture the fragile foundations of peace. The opportunity is there, but I worry that the path to peace is so narrow that Ethiopia will have to move down it very slowly. And of course Addis Ababa needs to come to terms with its own history.

Speaking with a young student from the small Shiite community here, I asked him if there was any message that he wanted me to carry back home with me. He pondered for a second, and then smiled and said, nama es tubo, which is a local saying that means roughly, “A bad penny always turns up.”

I don’t know what Ethiopia will be like a few years from now, but I do know that it will remain true to its cultural heritage, even if it looks very different from the country we see now. I know this because, through all the disorder, the people still haven’t lost sight of their dreams.

በአዲስ አበባ ውስጥ የሚታየውን የሃይል እጥረት ለመቅርፍ ረጅም ጊዜ ሊወስድ እንደሚችል ባለሙያዎች ገለጹ

ስማቸው እንደይጠቀስ የፈለጉ በኢትዮጵያ መብራት ሃይል ስር የሚሰሩ ሰራተኞች ለኢሳት እንደገለጹት በአዲስ አበባ የሚታየው የመብራት ሃይል መቆራረጥና መጥፋት ነዋሪውን ለስቃይ እየዳረገው ነው። እናቶች የአቦኩትን ሊጥ ለመጋገር ሲዘጋጁ መብራት ይጠፋና ሊጡ የሚደፋበት ጊዜ መኖሩን የሚናገሩት ሰራተኞች፣ ነዋሪዎች ምሬታቸውን ለመስሪያ ቤቱ በማቅርብ መልስ ሲያጡ የመብራት ሃይል ሰራተኞች ለጥገና ሲንቀሳቀሱ መኪኖቻቸውና ሰራተኞች  በተበሳጩ ሰዎች እንደሚመቱ ገልጸዋል።

መንግስት የከተማውን የሃይል ማሰራጪያ መስመር እንዲያስፋፋ ከአምስት አመት በፊት የቀረበለትን እቅድ ውድቅ በማድረጉ አሁን ለሚታየው ችግር መንስኤ መሆኑን የገለጹት ሰራተኞች፣ በቅርቡ ዶ/ር ደብረጺዮን የማስፋፋፊያ ስራው ለቻይና ኩባንያ መሰጠቱንና እስከ ሰኔ ወር ድረስ እንደሚጠናቀቅ ለህዝብ መናገራቸውን አስታውሰዋል። ይሁን እንጅ ይላሉ ሰራተኞች፣ እስካሁን ድረስ ምንም አይነት ስራ ባለመጀመሩ የተባለው የማስፋፊያ ስራ እንኳንስ በ10 ወር በ5 አመታትም ላይጠናቀቅ ይችላል።

አሁን ያለው መስመር ከ40 አመት በፊት የተዘረጋ መሆኑን  የሚናገሩት ሰራተኞች፣ በተለይ አዲስ ለሚገነባው የባቡር መስመር ማንቀሳቀሻ ሃይል ከየት እንደሚገኝ ግራ እንደገባቸው ተናግረዋል። ዶ/ር ደብረጺዮን ለባቡሩ የሃይል አቅርቦት የሚሆን ሚኒ-ሰብስቴሽን በአጭር ጊዜ እንሰራለን ብለው ህንዶች ቃል እንደገቡላቸው ለሰራተኞች ቢናገሩም፣ አብዛኞቹ ሰራተኞች በስራው ስኬት ላይ ጥርጣሬ እንዳላቸው ገልጸዋል።

መንግስት በአዲስ አበባ ያለውን የሃይል አቅርቦት ለማሙዋላት በመቸገሩ ከፍተኛ ሃይል ለሚጠቀሙ ፋብሪካዎች ሃይል በመፈረቃ ለማከፋፈል እንደሚገደድ አስታውቋል።

በተመሳሳይ ዜና ደግሞ ቆጣሪ ለማግኘት ተመዝግበው የሚጠባበቁ ዜጎች ቁጥር አሁንም ከፍተኛ መሆኑን ሰራተኞች ገልጸዋል። ከ3 አመት በፊት የመከላከያ ኢንጂነሪንግ ማስተር ሜትር የሚባል ቆጣሪ ለማምረት ከኮርፖሬሽኑ 15 ሚሊዮን ብር ቢቀበልም፣ ቆጣሪዎቹን በተባለው ጊዜ ለማድረስ ሳይችል በመቅረቱ በርካታ ዜጎች ገንዘብ ከፍለው አገልግሎቱን ሳያገኙ ቀርተዋል። መከላከያ ኢንጂነሪንግ በተመሳሳይ መንገድ ትራንስፎርመሮችንና ሌሎች እቃዎችን ለመስራት ከኮርፖሬሽኑ ገንዘብ ቢቀበልም፣ እቃዎችን በተባለው ጊዜና ጥራት ለማምረት ባለመቻሉ፣ ተጨማሪ ችግር እየተፈጠረ ነው።

በተነሱት ቅሬታዎች ዙሪያ የመንግስት ባለስልጣናትን አስተያየት ለማካተት የተደረገው ሙከራ አልተሳካም።

Oslo protested against TPLF delegations lead by Tewodros Adhanom

በትግራይ የሚገኘው ተጠባባቂ ጦር ለሕወሓት ጥሪ እንዲዘጋጅ ተነገረ

በትግራይ የሚገኘው ተጠባባቂ ጦር ለሕወሓት ጥሪ እንዲዘጋጅ ተነገረ

የደርግ የመጨረሻ “መሳሪያ ታጠቁልኝ “አመታቶች በወያኔም እየተደገሙ ነው።
– የደህንነት ሹሙ ባንክ ኦፍ አቡደሃቢ ያላቸውን 34 ሚሊዮን ዶላር ውስጥ 20 ሚሊዮኑን ወደ ማሌዢያ ባንኮች ማዘዋወራቸው ታወቀ።

በመሃል ሃገር ያለውን ጦር ሰሜን ግንባር ላይ አስፍሮ በምትኩ በትግራይ ክልል የሚገኘውን ትግሪኛ ተናጋሪ ተጠባባቂ ጦር በማስታጠቅ በመሃል አገር ላይ ለማስፈር እቅድ መያዙን በመከላከያ ሚኒስቴር የምድር ጦር መምሪያ ውስጥ የሚገኙ ምንጮች ለምንሊክ ሳልሳዊ ባደረሱት መረጃ ገልጸዋል።

ስርአቱ በመበስበስ ላይ መሆኑ እና ውድቀቱ መፋጠኑን በማወቁ ለሌላው ኢትዮጵያዊ ያለውን አመኔታ ስላጣ ለህዝብ ታማኝ አለመሆኑን ስላወቀው በዙሪያው የአንድ ብሄር ታጣቂ ጦር በመሰብሰብ እና ራሱን ከተከላካይነት ወደ አጥቂነት ለማሸጋገር እንዲሁም የትግራይ ተወላጅ ያልሆኑ ዜጎችን አንድ ችግር ቢከሰት መሃል ሃገሩን በማመስ በጅምላ ለመፍጀት እንዲያመቸው ይህንን ዘዴ በሕወሓት የተቀየሰ መሆኑ ታውቋል። በሃገሪቱ የሚገኙ የትግራይ ተወላጆችን በሙሉ በድጋሚ ለማስታጠቅ እና በተጠንቀቅ በሌላው ኢትዮጵያዊ ላይ ፍጅት ለመፍጠር ማቀዱን የተናገሩት ምንጮቹ እንደማይሳካለት እና የትግራይ ተወላጆችም እንደነቁ ገልጸዋል።
ደርግ በበሰበሰበት የመጨረሻው አመታቶቹ ካድሬዎቹን እና አጨብጫቢዎቹን ማስታጠቁ ከውድቀት አላዳነውም ያሉት ምንጮቹ አሁንም ሕወሓት የደርግን ባህርያት እየደገመ መሆኑን በገሃድ እየታየ ነው ብለዋል።

ይህ በእንዲህ እንዳለ የደህንነት ሹሙ የሆነው ጌታቸው አሰፋ ባንክ ኦፍ አቡደሃቢ በተሰኘ የአረብ ባንክ ውስጥ በዱባይ ድብቅ ውሽማው በሆነችው እና ከአቶ መላኩ ከተነጠቀችው በወይዘሮ ጸጋማርያም ገብረስላሴ ስም ተመዝግቦ ከሚገኘው 34 ሚሊዮን ዶላር ውስጥ 20 ሚሊዮኑን ወደ ማሌዢያ ባንክ ማዘዋወሩ ታውቋል። ወይዘሮዋ ጠቅልላ ሃገር ቤት ለመኖር ማቀዷን ተከትሎ በዱባይ የሚገኘውን ንብረቱን እና ገንዘቡን በመሰብሰብ ላይ እንደሚገኝ ታውቋል። እንዲሁም አቶ ኢሳያስ ወልደጊዮርጊስ የሚዘርፈውን ገንዘብ የሚልከው እና የሚያስቀምተው ካናዳ በምትገኘው እና እህቱ በሆነችው በቀድሞ የኪቤአድ ስራ አስኪያጅ ወይዘሮ አወጣሽኝ ስም መሆኑ ይታወቃል ሲሉ ባለመረጃዎቹ ጨምረው ገልጸዋል።
ምንጭ፡ ምንሊክ ሳልሳዊ

The First Oromo Running for United States Senate: From Displaced Immigrant to Senate Candidate – Prof. Mohammed Abbajebel Tahiro

By EDITORIAL BOARD OF OromoTV.com

The United States, from its inception, has been the beacon of hope not only for immigrants and citizens alike, but the world. When most think of the United States, the first thing that comes to mind is the commitment to a free, fair and impartial democratic way of life. One that welcomes all to participate not only as voters, but potential candidates for a variety of elected offices at the local, state and federal levels. It is this level of commitment to democracy and economic opportunity that attracts immigrants from all over the world to the shores of the United States. In fact, President Barack Obama serves as a great reminder to Americans and the world what’s possible for those who aspire to hold office at the highest levels of government. Born to a Kenyan father and a Kansas woman, he embodies what one can achieve if they are willing to pursue their dream. No country in the world can boast of a democracy that makes the story of President Barack Obama possible.
Inspired by this incredible story and driven by the need to implement a fiscal responsibility, the first Oromo candidate for the Senate has emerged from the Lone Star State of Texas. For those unfamiliar with the Oromo people, they are the largest ethnic group in East Africa – numbering an estimated 40 million. The Oromos practice traditional Oromo religion “Waqafanna,” Christianity and Islam. However, they have faced centuries of persecutions from the Ethiopian government, and most recently, many Oromo students and adults alike were subjected to abuse, disappearance, torture and murder at the hands of the current regime. Continued persecutions have forced many to migrate to neighboring countries and beyond, including Kenya, Sudan, Egypt, South Africa, Norway, England, Germany, Canada and the United States. Fleeing centuries of upheavals, Oromo immigrants have called these countries and countless others home, and continue to fight for the rights of those who remain at the mercy of the Ethiopian government despite being the largest ethnic group in Ethiopia and the greater East Africa. Collectively, the Oromo language remains the fourth widely spoken language in all of Africa.
The emergence of the first Senate candidate dawns a new beginning for the entire Oromo diaspora. Professor Mohammed Abbajebel Tahiro was born and raised in Ethiopia. He attended the Addis Ababa University and was forced to migrate to neighboring Kenya due to political and social instabilities. He moved to the United States in 1989 in search of better opportunities free of political persecutions. In 1996 he married Shadia Omar, and they have four children. He moved from Minnesota, home to the largest Oromo diaspora community, to North Texas, where he started a logistical company. He earned his undergraduate, and subsequently, a graduate degree in Economics from the University of Texas. He is currently an Associate Professor of Economics at Collins College in Plano, Texas.

David Cameron writes to Hailemariam Desalegn

October 23, 2014

David Cameron writes to Ethiopian PM on behalf of British political dissident on death row

Andargachew “Andy” Tsege, a critic of the Ethiopian regime, was kidnapped in Yemen

(The Independent) – The Prime Minister has personally intervened in the case of a British father-of-three facing the death sentence in Ethiopia, after the man’s children appealed for his help.

David Cameron wrote to the Ethiopian Prime Minister in a bid to save the life of Andargachew “Andy” Tsege, 59, whose plight was revealed by The Independent last Friday.

His actions were in response to what he described as “very touching messages” from Mr Tsege’s children, who are calling for the Prime Minister to help get their father home.

Mr Tsege, who came to Britain as a political refugee in 1979, was arrested at an airport in Yemen in June and promptly vanished. Two weeks later it emerged he had been sent to Ethiopia, where he has been imprisoned ever since. The Briton, a prominent opponent of the Ethiopian regime, is facing a death sentence imposed five years ago at a trial held in his absence.

Menabe, his seven-year-old daughter, recently wrote to Mr Cameron asking him to help get her “kind, loving and caring dad” out of prison. Her twin brother, seven-year-old Yilak, simply asked: “What are you doing to get my dad out of jail?” Mr Tsege’s 15-year-old daughter, Helawit, summed up the mood of the family in her letter: “Please, please, please (!) bring him back soon. We miss him so much.”

Responding to the children’s appeals, the Prime Minister claimed the government is taking the case “very seriously”. In the letter to Yemi Hailemariam, Mr Tsege’s partner and mother of their children, Mr Cameron admitted “Ethiopian authorities have resisted pressure” from British officials to have regular “access” to Mr Tsege.

“As a result of the lack of progress to date I have now written personally to Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn to request regular consular access and his assurance that the death penalty (which the British Government opposes in all circumstances) will not be imposed,” he added. “I very much hope that there will be further progress to report in response to my letter,” he concluded.

Responding to the news yesterday, Maya Foa, head of the death penalty team at legal charity Reprieve, commented: “The Prime Minister says he is ‘concerned’ – but where is the outrage at this flagrant breach of international law, and the ongoing abuse of a British citizen?”

She added: “Andy’s small children are terrified of losing their father, his partner is desperate with worry, and we are no closer to seeing Andy released and returned to safety. Enough delays – we need firm action now to bring him home to London.”

Reprieve has begun legal moves which could result in a judicial review to force Foreign Office officials to press for Mr Tsege’s immediate release and return to Britain – something which the Government has resisted to date. A letter to Treasury Solicitors, sent last week by lawyers acting for the charity, argues: “Far from not being ‘entitled’ to request his return, the UK Government has every reason to do so and we urge you to exercise that power as a matter of urgency.”

Meanwhile, Mr Tsege’s family remain in limbo. The past four months have been “agonising” said Ms Hailemariam. “Waking up every day not knowing where Andy is or how he’s being treated is taking a terrible toll on my children and myself.” She added: “The Prime Minister has told our family that he is taking action, but it seems like next to nothing is being done to get Andy back. The children and I need him here with us in London. The Government must demand his return, before it’s too late.”

 sours http://ecadforum.com/blog/david-cameron-writes-to-hailemariam-desalegn/

Ethiopian Federal police says it has charged suspected rebels, opposition under 36 files

October 22, 2014

The Ethiopian Federal Police Commission has said that it has charged suspected members of the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF), Ginbot 7 Movement for Freedom, Justice and Democracy, Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF), Gambela People’s Liberation Movement (GPLM), Benishangul People’s Liberation Movement (BPLM) and Al Shabaab under 36 files in the past Ethiopian year 2006.

The Force said to loca media that out of the 36 terrorism files, investigation had been completed on 27 of them and the files were sent the relevant department. Out of which four were members of the OLF, six Ginbot 7, one ONLF, three GPLM, two BPLM and two Al Shabaab members.

These suspects were trained and sent over here by the Eritrean government, it said. Police said 119 suspects were found guilty and were sentenced from one to twenty-five years imprisonment.

Meanwhile, the Commission preferred to keep quiet regarding the huge casualties that the Force sustained in the Sheko Mezenger area of Southern Ethiopia.

Although the Commission said its capacity of fighting terrorism has increased, it has been internationally criticised for linking and detaining bloggers, journalists and politicians with the named rebel groups using the internationally condemned Ethiopian Anti Terrorism Proclamation.

ዘጠኝ የፖለቲካ ፓርቲዎች የትብብር ስምምነት ተፈራረሙ

ዘጠኝ የፖለቲካ ፓርቲዎች የትብብር ስምምነት ተፈራረሙ

Posted on October 21, 2014by pitchu1

ነገረ ኢትዮጵያ ጋዜጣ ከአዲስ አበባ እንዘገበው ዘጠኝ የኢትዮጵያ የተቃዋሚ ፖለቲካ ፓርቲዎች ዛሬ ጥቅምት 11/2007 ዓ.ም በሰማያዊ ፓርቲ ጽ/ቤት የትብብር ስምምነት ተፈራረሙ፡፡

ፓርቲዎቹ ለረዥም ጊዜ ስለ ትብብር ሲመካከሩ የቆዩ መሆኑ የታወቀ ሲሆን፣ ዛሬ ሰባት ገጽ ያለው ሰነድ ላይ የትብብር ፊርማቸውን በማኖር ትብብሩን ሊመሩ የሚችሉ አመራሮችንም መምረጣቸው ታውቋል፡፡

ዘጠኙ ፓርቲዎች የትብብር ስምምነቱ ያስፈለገበትን ምክንያት በሰነዱ ላይ ገልጸዋል፤ በዚህም ‹‹ነጻ አሳታፊና ታአማኒ ምርጫ እንዲካሄድ በትብብር ለመስራት፣ የፖለቲካ ምህዳሩን ለማስፋትና የዜጎችን ሰብአዊና ዴሞክራሲያዊ መብቶች እንዲከበሩ በጋራ መታገል››ን በተመለከተ በጋራ ለመስራት ተስማምተዋል፡፡

በዚህም መሰረት ፈራሚዎቹ ፓርቲዎች የሚከተሉትን አመራሮች ትብብሩን እንዲመሩ መርጠዋል፡-
1. ሊቀመንበር ኢንጅነር ይልቃል ጌትነት ከሰማያዊ ፓርቲ
2. ምክትል ሊቀመንበር አቶ ኤርጫፎ ኤርጌሎ ከከንባታ ህዝቦች ኮንግረንስ
3 ዋና ፀኃፊ አቶ ግርማ በቀለ ከኦሞ ህዝቦች ዴሞክራሲያዊ ድርጅት
4. ምክትል ፀኃፊ አቶ ካሳሁን አበባው ከመኢአድ
5. ገንዘብ ያዥ አቶ ኑሪ ሙደሂር ከመኢዴፓ ሆነው ተመርጠዋል፡፡
በትብብር ለመስራት ሲወያዩ ከነበሩት 14 ፓርቲዎች መካከል አንድነትና መድረክ ውስጥ የታቀፉት ፓርቲዎች ትብብሩን ለመፈረም በየ ድርጅቶቻቸው ውሳኔ ባለመተላለፉ ያልፈረሙ ሲሆን ትብብሩ እስከ ቅዳሜ እንዲጠብቃቸው ጠይቀዋል፡፡ በመሆኑም በተጠቀሰው ጊዜ ውስጥ ይፈርማሉ ተብሎ ይጠበቃል፡፡

ትብብሩ ስለ ቀጣይ የትግል ሂደትና ስለ ትብብሩ አጠቃላይ ሂደት ላይ ነገ ጥቅምት 12/2007 ዓ.ም ከጠዋቱ አራት ሰዓት በሰማያዊ ፓርቲ ጽ/ቤት መግለጫ ይሰጣል ተብሎ ይጠበቃል፡፡

Source:: Zehabesha

ሰማያዊ ፓርቲ ምርጫ ቦርድ የጠራውን ስብሰባ ረግጦ ወጣ

October 17,2014

• ምርጫ ለማካሄድ የሚያስችል ምህዳር እንዲኖር እንስራ የሚለው ጥያቄ ተቀባይነት አላገኘም

ሰማያዊ ፓርቲ ምርጫ ቦርድ ዛሬ ጥቅምት 7/2007 ዓ.ም በ2007 ዓ.ም ይካሄዳል ተብሎ የሚጠበቀውን 5ኛው አገራዊ ምርጫ በተመለከተ ከአገራዊ ፓርቲዎች ጋር ለመወያየት በጊዮን ሆቴል የጠራውን ስብሰባ ረግጦ ወጣ፡፡ ሰማያዊ ፓርቲ ስብሰባውን ረግጦ የወጣው የምርጫ ቦርድ ምርጫው ፍትሃዊ እንዲሆን መስራት ያለበትን ነገሮች ሳይሰራና ፓርቲዎችም ያሉባቸውን ችግሮች አቅርበው መወያየት ሳይችሉ ስለ ጊዜ ሰሌዳ ማውራቱ አስፈላጊ አይደለም በሚል መሆኑን ስብሰባውን ለመሳተፍ ሄደው የነበሩት ተወካዮች ለነገረ ኢትዮጵያ ገልጸዋል፡፡

በስብሰባው ላይ የተገኙት የፖለቲካ ፓርቲዎች ምርጫ ቦርድ ስለ ጊዜ ሰሌዳው ከመወያየት በፊት ለምርጫ የሚያበቃ ምህዳር እንዲኖር በመስራት ኃላፊነቱን እንዲወጣ የጠየቁ ሲሆን በ1997 ምርጫ ወቅት ፓርቲዎች ያሉባቸውን ችግሮች በዝርዝር መወያየታቸው ቢያንስ ቅድመ ምርጫው ዴሞክራሲያዊ እንዲሆን ማገዙን ገልጸዋል፡፡ በተጨማሪም ከ1997 ምርጫ በኋላ ምርጫ ቦርድ ፓርቲዎች ችግራቸውን በዝርዝር በመወያየት፣ ዴሞክራሲያዊ ምርጫ ለማካሄድ ስለሚያስችሉ ጉዳዮች መነጋገር ባለመቻላቸውና ምርጫ ቦርድም በጉዳዩ በህገ መንግስቱና በአዋጁ የተሰጠውን ኃላፊነት ባለመወጣቱ የፖለቲካ ምህዳሩ እንደተዘጋም በመግለጽ ምርጫ ቦርድን ወቅሰዋል፡፡

ፓርቲዎቹ በ2005 የአዲስ አበባ፣ የድሬዳዋና የአካባቢ ማሟያ ምርጫዎች በፊት ምርጫ ቦርድ ኃላፊነቱን ሳይወጣ አዳማ ላይ ‹‹ስለ ጊዜ ሰሌዳው እንወያይ›› ብሎ ስብሰባ በጠራበት ወቅት ‹‹መጀመሪያ ለምርጫ የሚያበቃ ምህዳር እንዲኖር መወያየት አለብን›› ብለው ጥያቄ ቢያቀርቡም ቦርዱ ፈቃደኛ ባለመሆኑ ከምርጫው ራሳቸውን ማግለላቸውን ገልጸው በዚህ አመትም ለምርጫ የሚያበቃ ምህዳር እንዲኖር እንደሚፈልጉ አሳስበዋል፡፡

ንግግር ካደረጉት መካከል የሰማያዊ ፓርቲ ተወካዮች የሚገኙበት ሲሆን የፓርቲው ጥናትና ስትራቴጅ ኃላፊ ኢንጅነር ጌታነህ ባልቻ ‹‹ምርጫ ቦርድ በህገ መንግስቱና በአዋጁ የተሰጠውን ኃላፊነት እየተወጣ አይደለም፡፡ ፓርቲዎች ስለሚደርስባቸው በደል በዝርዝር ተወያይተው ገዥው ፓርቲ የሚያደርስባቸው በደል መቆም ካልቻለ ምርጫ ለማድረግ የሚያስችል ምህዳር ሊፈጠር አይችልም፡፡ በመሆኑም 30ና 40 ደቂቃ ለማይፈጅ የጊዜ ሰሌዳ ድልድል ጊዜያችን ከማጥፋታችን በፊት ነጻ ምህዳር ስለሚፈጠርበት ሁኔታ መነጋገር ይገባናል፡፡›› ሲል የምርጫ ቦርድ ኃላፊዎችን አሳስቧል፡፡››

ኢንጅነር ጌታነህ አክሎም ‹‹የዘንድሮው አመት ከእስከዛሬው የተለየ ነው፡፡ ህዝቡ ከእስከ ዛሬው በባሰ ምሬት ውስጥ ይገኛል፡፡ ከመቼውም ጊዜ በበለጠ ለውጥ ይፈልጋል፡፡ በመሆኑም ይህን አመት እንደስከዛሬ ሳይሆን በተለየ መልኩ ልናየው ይገባል፡፡ እንዲህ ባለው ወቅት ችግር ሊከሰትም እንደሚችል መገመት ይቻላል፡፡ ሰላማዊና ዴሞክራሲያዊ ምርጫ ለማካሄድ የሚያስችል ምህዳር እንዳይፈጠር በመደረጉ በአገራችን ለሚመጣው ችግር ደግሞ ኃላፊነቱን የምትወስዱት እናንተ የምርጫ ቦርድ ኃላፊዎች ናችሁ፡፡ የፓርቲዎችንና የምርጫን ጉዳይ ተግባራችሁን መወጣት ባለመቻላችሁ በሚመጣው ችግር በታሪክ ተጠያቂዎች መሆናችሁ አይቀርም፡፡›› ሲልም አስጠንቅቋል፡፡

‹‹ከጊዜ ሰሌዳው በፊት ፓርቲዎች የሚደርሱባቸውን ችግሮች ዘርዝረው ስለመፍትሄው እንነጋገር፣ ነጻ ምህዳር ስለመፍጠር ከአሁኑ መስራት አለብን፣ ምርጫ ቦርድ ኃላፊነቱን ይወጣ›› የሚሉ ጥያቄዎች የተነሱባቸው የምርጫ ቦርድ ኃላፊዎች ተመሳሳይ ጥያቄዎችን ያነሳሉ ያሏቸውን የፓርቲ ተወካዮች እድል በመከልከል ከገዥው ፓርቲ ጋር በቅርበት ለሚሰሩ ፓርቲዎች እድል በመስጠት አጀንዳውን ለማስቀየስ መጣራቸውን የሰማያዊ ፓርቲ ተወካዮች ለነገረ ኢትዮጵያ ገልጸዋል፡፡

በተለይ ‹‹የጋራ ምክር ቤት›› ተብሎ በሚጠራው የፓርቲዎች ስብሰብ አባል የሆኑ ፓርቲዎች ‹‹አሁን ስለ ጊዜ ሰሌዳው እንወያይ፣ በሌላ ጊዜ ስለ ችግሮቻችን በመወያየት ችግሮቹን መፍታት እንችላለን፡፡›› የሚል ሀሳብ በማቅረብ ‹‹መጀመሪያ ነጻ ምህዳር ለመፍጠር እንስራ›› ያሉትን ፓርቲዎች ሀሳብ ሊሞግቱ እንደሞከሩ ታውቋል፡፡

የምርጫ ቦርድ ኃላፊዎች አብዛኛዎቹ ፓርቲዎች ያቀረቡትን ‹‹መጀመሪያ ነጻ ምህዳር እንዲኖር እንስራ›› የሚል ሀሳብ በመግፋት ስለ ጊዜ ሰሌዳው ለመወያየት ሲመርጡ የአካሄድ ጥያቄ ቢነሳም ሳይቀበሉት ቀርተዋል፡፡ ሰማያዊ ፓርቲን ወክለው ስብሰባው ላይ ተገኝተው የነበሩት ምክትል ፕሬዝደንትና የምርጫ ጉዳይ ኃላፊ የሆኑትን አቶ ስለሽ ፈይሳ እንዲሁም የጥናትና ስትራቴጅ ኃላፊ ኢንጅነር ጌታነህ ባልቻ ‹‹መጀመሪያ ስለ ምህዳሩ መነጋገር አለብን፣ ችግሮች መፈታት አለባቸው፡፡›› የሚል ቅሬታ ቢያቀርቡም ተቀባይነት ባለማግኘታቸው ‹‹ችግሮች ሳይፈቱ ስለ ጊዜ ሰሌዳ አንወያይም›› ብለው ስብሰባውን ረግጠው ወጥተዋል፡፡

Ethiopia’s alleged terrorists: vocal bloggers and independent journalists

YORDANOS ABEBE 17 October 2014

In attempting to minimize the risks attendant to human rights work in an authoritarian setting, Ethiopian NGOs have been hesitant to support young activists who face government persecution.

Iain Levine of Human Rights Watch has noted that “an essential element of human rights work is to fulfill the moral imperative of bearing witness, by demonstrating solidarity with local activists and showing principled support for victims of human rights violations.”

The real test for human rights organizations, whether they work in democratic or non-democratic settings, is how they respond to the most difficult, and at times controversial cases of rights abuses. Fear of government reprisal should not prevent those who claim to work for a free and democratic Ethiopia from standing in solidarity with activists facing persecution.

Ethiopian bloggers and journalists under arrest

The Ethiopian government levied terrorism charges against seven bloggers from theZone 9 collective (one in abstentia), and three independent journalists on July 17, 2014, almost three months after detaining them in April. With the 2015 national elections approaching, there are indications that the arrests were politically motivated. No credible evidence has been provided to substantiate the government’s allegations, that the bloggers were connected to terrorist organizations, and that they were planning to destabilize the country. In fact, there is every indication that the bloggers were using social media to peacefully voice their concerns about the lack of democracy in Ethiopia, promote civic dialogue among the youth, and organize virtual campaigns; including one calling on the Ethiopian government to respect the country’s liberal constitution.

The bloggers readily interacted with politically conscious youth on both sides of Ethiopia’s highly polarized environment. Despite a repressive regime that silences millions of Ethiopians, the Zone 9ers “blogged because they cared.”

A poster asking for the bloggers release: “Let us mourn for those of us who are silenced by the shackles of fear, instead of those who are incarcerated by an authoritarian system for speaking their heart.” (Credit @Berehket)

Outcry from international community

The arbitrary arrests and detention of the Zone 9 bloggers and journalists generated a substantial outcry. Regional and international organizations such as Amnesty International, Article 19, the Committee to Protect Journalists,East and Horn of Africa Human Rights Defenders Project, Freedom House,Human Rights Watch, the Media Legal Defense Initiative, and Reporters Without Borders, have denounced the arrests as one more example of the disregard for rule of law in Ethiopia, and called for the immediate release of the activists.

During his visit to Addis Ababa in April 2014, a few days after the bloggers and journalists were arrested, US Secretary of State John Kerry privately raised concernswith Ethiopia’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister. At a press conference, the Secretary emphasized that anti-terrorism proclamations should not be used to curb the free exchange of ideas. The US State Department has since reiterated theseconcerns.

Ethiopia’s NGOs remain silent

In the face of this vocal advocacy from regional and international human rights institutions, the lack of solidarity from Ethiopia-based organizations is both disconcerting and disheartening.

The silence of Ethiopia’s diminished rights-based organizations can partly be attributed to the 2009 Charities and Societies Proclamation, which created a repressive environment for NGOs. One provision of this law prohibits organizations that receive more than 10 percent of their funds from foreign sources from engaging in activities intended to promote democracy, human rights, conflict resolution, and the protection of the rights of women, minorities, and ethnic groups.

The Charities and Societies Agency, a newly established regulatory body, is authorized to monitor NGOs, interfere in their internal affairs, and dissolve organizations found to be in contravention of the law’s largely ambiguous directives. As a result, the nascent civil society sector in Ethiopia has beencrippled. Many NGOs have had to change their mandates from rights and advocacy related activities, and direct their focus to less controversial areas such as development.

The absence of public advocacy for the Zone 9 bloggers and journalists by Ethiopia-based organizations is symptomatic of the proclamation’s impact on rights-based work. None of Ethiopia’s NGOs have dared to join the international outcry and call for the release of those arrested. Even after the youth were charged under the country’s draconian and overly broad anti-terrorism proclamation, which has consistently come under international scrutiny for being used to circumvent freedom of expression, we have yet to see a principled stand from Ethiopia-based organizations.

While some might defend the disinclination of rights-based organizations to engage in public acts of solidarity, the dearth of private encouragement and support for the young activists is nonetheless disturbing. Even before the Zone 9 bloggers were arrested, some civil society leaders were uncomfortable, and at times unwilling, to attend private human rights events that were inclusive of the bloggers. Although such precaution may help to ensure the survival of some Ethiopian NGOs in the short-term, it will surely be a detriment to the human rights sector in the long run. In an authoritarian environment, trying to eliminate risk from the inherently risky field of human rights work is not realistic.

So, what would solidarity look like?

True solidarity would begin with publicly embracing the bloggers as activists with a legitimate place in discussions about human rights, and being prepared to support them without regard to the government’s accusations. Under the current circumstances, prison visits would go a long way toward fostering solidarity, as would attempts to investigate the incidents of abuse and torture that the detainees have reported. Ethiopian human rights organizations can play an important role in monitoring court proceedings and coordinating pro bono legal services for the young activists where necessary. NGOs could also demonstrate solidarity with their fellow activists by using available channels (be it with government officials, the diplomatic and donor community, or regional and international organizations) to appeal their convictions.

Ethiopian NGOs can learn from the online and offline activism that has sprung up in support of the bloggers and journalists. Since the arrests, young Ethiopians have taken to twitter and other platforms under the#freezone9bloggers campaign. Within four weeks, the trial tracker blog went up online and now acts as a repository of information about the arrests, court appearances, and issues related to freedom of expression in Ethiopia. Numerous youth have appeared at each scheduled court hearing, and many have visited the bloggers and journalists in prison to show their support, despite the constant threat of harassment from security officials.

Ethiopia-based human rights organizations would benefit from reaching out to concerned youth and other citizens as potential members and volunteers, to nurture their passions and encourage their activism. In fact, such an approach could infuse much needed dynamism and creativity into these beleaguered organizations. In light of current limits on financial support from foreign sources, engaging and recruiting politically conscious youth could become an important method of strengthening the human rights community, and promoting a more open and inclusive Ethiopia.

source –     https://www.opendemocracy.net/yordanos-abebe/ethiopia%E2%80%99s-alleged-terrorists-vocal-bloggers-and-independent-journalists

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Government blasted for ‘dodging obligations’ and not pressing for release of Brit on death row in Ethiopia

October 16, 2014

The Independent

The partner of a British father-of-three being held on death row after he was spirited into Ethiopia has accused the Government of “dodging its obligations” by insisting it has no grounds for demanding his release.

Andargachew “Andy” Tsege, 59, was arrested at an airport in Yemen in June, and vanished for a fortnight until he reappeared in Ethiopian detention facing a death sentence imposed five years ago after a trial held in his absence.

The Foreign Office is now facing legal action after it classified Mr Tsege’s arbitrary disappearance and removal to Ethiopia as “questionable but not a criminal matter” and said that despite the risk of torture and the ultimate sanction hanging over him it did not feel “entitled” to demand he be returned home to London.

Yemi Hailemariam, Mr Tsege’s partner and the mother of their three children, told The Independent she was deeply concerned that Britain was soft-pedalling on his case to preserve its relationship with an increasingly important ally in east Africa.

Mr Tsege, who came to Britain as a political refugee in 1979 and is a prominent dissident campaigning against the Ethiopian regime, is feared by Ms Hailemariam and the legal charity Reprieve to be at extreme risk of torture. Electrocution, beatings and abuse, which includes tying bottles of water to men’s testicles, have been reported by detainees, and Mr Tsege’s whereabouts has not been revealed by the Ethiopian authorities.

Ms Hailemariam said: “For anyone reading what has happened, it must be clear that Andy is the victim of a crime. He was kidnapped to Ethiopia and faces the death sentence from a trial where he wasn’t even represented. He is a political prisoner.

“The Foreign Office is dodging its obligations and it is hard to see any other reason than it is to preserve Britain’s wider relationship with Ethiopia. It is now 117 days that he has been in detention and Britain must now say enough is enough.”

Reprieve, which has taken up Mr Tsege’s case, said it was starting legal action against the Government, potentially leading to a judicial review, to force it to press for the Briton’s immediate release and repatriation.

Maya Foa, director of the Reprieve’s death penalty team, said: “Andy Tsege is now well into his fourth month of detention and, incredibly, we are no closer to knowing where he is or even whether the Ethiopians plan to execute him. The UK Government’s unwillingness to take action is simply unacceptable.”

The father-of-three was en route to Eritrea when he was arrested during a two-hour stop over in the Yemeni capital, Sana’a, at the apparent request of the Ethiopian authorities, who seem to have had foreknowledge of Mr Tsege’s travel arrangements.

The Yemeni authorities have claimed the arrest and subsequent transfer of the Briton to Ethiopia – without any opportunity to challenge the move – took place on the basis of a security agreement between the two countries.

In a letter to lawyers for Ms Hailemariam, seen by The Independent, the FCO said it accepted “due process” did not appear to have been followed in the case but said his disappearance did not amount to a “kidnapping”.

It added that it required evidence that a British national was not being treated “in line with internationally accepted standards” before it could consider approaching local authorities. The letter said: “On the information presently available, the Foreign Secretary does not consider that the United Kingdom is entitled to demand Mr Tsege’s release or his return.”

Ms Hailemariam said: “Andy has been abducted and placed on death row on the basis of a politically motivated trial. It is difficult to think of circumstances that would fall further below ‘internationally-accepted standards’. What will it take for Britain to demand the return of one of its citizens?”

A FCO spokesman said: “The British Embassy in Ethiopia remains in contact with the Ethiopian authorities about regular consular access to Mr Tsege in the future so we’re able to continue to monitor his welfare. We also continue to press for reassurances that the death penalty imposed in absentia will not be carried out.”

The Independent revealed earlier this month that public money is being used to train security forces in Ethiopia under a £2m programme run by the Department for International Development (DfID) to fund masters degrees for 75 Ethiopian officials on improving the accountability of security services.

Material on the DfID website explaining the scheme has since been removed, prompting Reprieve to write to International Development Secretary Justine Greening asking whether the policy is under review or has been erased “to avoid embarrassment”.

DfID admitted it had cancelled the masters courses due to “concerns about risk and value for money”. A source said the decision was not linked to the case of Mr Tsege.