Monday, April 29, 2013

The Agenda of Nile Dam Fundraising Event organized by TPLF, In Oslo Norway has failed again

By Eden Abera: Sunday, 28 April 2013

On April 28,2013 The Agenda of Nile Dam Fundraising Event organized by TPLF, In Oslo Norway has failed again.

Oslo Norway April 28,2013
It was almost intolerable and angry to know and see TPLF's own agenda to bring back again the propaganda of Fundraising event for the so called development for Ethiopians in Norway when there is total ignorance of hearing the voice of the people for Justice. What comes first ? Human rights of the people in one country or construction of Dam under injustice ?

It is really a big ignorance of TPLF's to come repeatedly in Norway and announce a fundraising event for angry Ethiopians who are tired of being victims of TPLF's, hearing news of injustice all the times, who have family prisoned in Homeland , who loses a freedom of religion, who is being victimised because of Ethnicity, and with all Human right violation in Ethiopia. TPLFs came in Norway to collect a fund raising money from this Ethiopians.

They have planned to raise money again in Oslo after they failed to do it in Stavanger Norway on 20 of April 2013. It is obviously known that they are not after the money but their own propaganda of making up story how they have supporters and the same all 11% economy growth talk, they dare to do it again in Oslo but could't make it at all, it was even worse of humiliation to run away chased by the people, they changed the place of where the fundraising event will take place what they first announced ,because they were afraid what they will face again for sure but then their tactic of changing place was known immediately by the organized group of Ethiopians. So the people have got in to the place before anything has begun. It was more than three hundred people demonstrated against TPLF'S agenda. All the people who have been in the place were angry and impatient to see them and were shouting TPLF is thief,killer, we need justice,and so many slogans written like free prisoners of conscience, Free Oromo student prisoners and picture of innocent prisoners who are suffering in Ethiopia,and also demand of freedom of religion.

The united demonstration of Ethiopians in Norway could not give a breath to TPLF representatives to forward one step ahead, so that the Norwegian police were forced to stop the program and it was not possible for the representatives to make it even look like close to what they have planned to do so.
 
Finally the voice of the people for justices was louder, for there is so much injustice going on in Homeland.

The video says it all.

 
 

Sunday, April 21, 2013

ኢህአዲግ (ወያኔ) የአባይን ግድብ የቦንድ ሽያጭ በባህር ማዶ የሚኖሩ ኢትዮጵያውያንን መተንኮሻ አድርጎታል

ጌታችው  ከኦስሎ


ዛሬ እነሆ በኖርዌይ እንዲህ ሆነ

Ethiopians in Norway protest, April 2013


ቪዲዮ



ከኖርዌይ ከተሞች ውስጥ በደቡባዊ ክፍል የምትገኘው ስታቫንገር ከተማ ዛሬ ሚያዝያ 12/2005 ዓም በስዊድን የኢትዮጵያ አምባሳደር ወ/ሮ መብራት በተገኙበት ለአባይ ግድብ ቦንድ ሽያጭ የተዘጋጀው ዝግጅት ከኦስሎ ከ ስምንት ሰዓታት በላይ በአውቶቡስ ተጉዘው በስብሰባው በተገኙ ኢትዮጵያውያን በገጠመው ከፍተኛ ተቃውሞ ሙሉ በሙሉ ዝግጅቱ ተሰርዞ አምባሳደሯ በፖሊስ ቦታውን ለቀው እንዲሄዱ ተመክረው አዳራሹን ለቀው ወጥተዋል።

በመርሃግብሩ መክፈቻ ላይ በሥርዓት ተቀምጠው የተገኙት ኢትዮጵያውያን መርሃግብሩ ከመጀመሩ በፊት ”በዘመነ ኢህአዲግ የተገድሉትን ኢትዮጵያውያን በቅድሚያ በህሊና ፀሎት እናስብ ይህንንም ለማድረግ ሁላችንም ከተቀመጥንበት እንነሳ” በማለት አምባሳደሯም እንዲነሱ እና አብረው በፀሎት እንዲያስቡ ይጠይቃሉ።አምባሳደሯም ሆኑ አብረዋቸው የመጡት ፈቃደኛ አልሆኑም። በመቀጠል ኢትዮጵያውያኑ እንግዲያው ስለ አባይግድብ አሁን ልንነጋገር አንችልም በማለት ያስታውቃሉ።በእዚህ መሃል ከፍተኛ የተቃውሞ ድምፅ መሰማት ይጀምራል።

”ከአባይ በፊት የሰብአዊ መብት ጥሰት ይገደብ!”

”የሙስሊሙ ድምፅ ይሰማ!”

”የኢትዮጵያውያን ድምፅ ይሰማ!”

”የዘር መድሎ ይቁም!” (stop apartheid in Ethiopia!”

ወዘተ… የሚሉ መፈክሮችን በማሰማት ላይ ሳሉ የኖርዌይ ፖሊስ ሁኔታውን ለማረጋጋት ሁሉም እንዲቀመጡ ይነገራቸዋል። በእዚህን ጊዜ ግን ኢትዮጵያውያኑ የኮኮብ ምልክት ያለበትን ከአምባሳደሯ ጀርባ ባለው ግድግዳ ላይ የተለጠፈውን ባንዲራ የኢህአዲግ አርማ ኮኮብ በሌለበት በኢትዮጵያ ባንዲራ ሸፍነው ጨርሰው ነበር።

Ethiopians in Norway raised Ethiopian flag

ፖሊሱ ኢትዮጵያውያንን ካስቀመጠ በኃላ ቀጥሎም ሁኔታው ደህና መሆኑን ለማስረዳት ይሞክራል። በእዚህ መሃል ኢትዮጵያውያኑ ይብሱን ቁጣቸውን በዜማ ይቀጥላሉ።

”ተከብረሽ የኖርሽው ባባቶቻችን ደም

እናት ኢትዮጵያ የደፈረሽ ይውደም የደፈረሽ ይውደም”

ይህን የተመለከቱት ፖሊሶች ኢትዮጵያውያኑን ከማስወጣት አምባሳደሯን ማስወጣት ትክክለኛ እርምጃ እንደሆነ ስለተረዱ አንዱ ፖሊስ ወደ አምባሳደሯ ቀርቦ አዳራሹን ለቀው እንዲወጡ በቃልም በእጁም መውጣት እንዴት እንደሆነ እያሳየ ይነገራቸውል።

አምባሳደር መብራት ቦርሳቸውን አንስተው ወደ አዳራሹ ዘወር እያሉ እየተመለከቱ ወደ በሩ አዘገሙ። ኢትዮጵያውያኑ ቀጠሉ።

”ተከብረሽ የኖርሽው ባባቶቻችን ደም

እናት ኢትዮጵያ የደፈረሽ ይውደም የደፈረሽ ይውደም”’

”ሌባ ሌባ አለ ገና አለ ገና!”

አምባሳደሯ ፈጠን ባለ እርምጃ በፖሊስ ታጅበው ወደ መኪናቸው ሄዱ።

ኢህአዲግ የአባይን ግድብ የቦንድ ሽያጭ በባህር ማዶ የሚኖሩ ኢትዮጵያውያንን መተንኮሻ አድርጎታል።

ማንም ኢትዮጵያዊ አባይ ቢገደብ ኢትዮጵያ ከድህነት ብትወጣ አይጠላም። ዛሬም ተቃውሟቸውን የገለፁት ኢትይጵያውያን ለኢትዮጵያ ሞት የሚመኙ ሆነው አይድለም። ኢህአዲግ ግን በውጭ የሚኖረውን ኢትዮጵያዊ ያሳጣ እየመሰለው ብዙ ተቃዋሚ አለ ብሎ የሚያስበበት ቦታ ሁሉ የአባይ ግድብ ቦንድን ካርድ እየመዘዘ የልዩነት መስመር በኢትዮጵያውያን መሃከል ይፈጠራል ብሎ ያስባል። ለእዚህም አይነተኛ ማስረጃው የመጀመርያው የአባይ ቦንድ ሽያጭ ዝግጅት በዋሽግተን ዲሲ ሲዘጋጅ ብዙ ኢትዮጵያውያን ካርድ ወስደው አክትቪስት ታማኝ በየነን ጨምሮ ወደ ስብሰባው ቦታ ሲሄዱ ”የእንጀራ ልጅ እና የቤት ልጅ” በሚል መለያ አድርጎት ”አንተ አትገባም አንተ ግባ” እያለ መለየት ጀመረ።

”በሀገራችን ጉዳይ ያለንን ሃሳብ መስጠት እንፈልጋለን ካርድ ይዘናል” ያሉ ታማኝንም ጨምሮ እንዳይገቡ ተከለከሉ።

በወቅቱ የሚገቡት ኢትዮጵያውያን ምንም አይነት ሃሳብ ቢኖራቸው ሃሳባቸውን መስማት እና ምላሽ መስጠት ያን ቀን መግባባት ባይቻል ለቀጣይ ሌላ ስብሰባ አድርጎ መመካከር የጤነኛ መንግስት ልዑክ አሰራር ነበር።ኢህአዲግ ግን ከመጀመርያው የአባይ ግድብን ሲያነሳ በባህርማዶ ያለው ሕዝብ ሲቃወም በሀገር በት ያለው መደገፉ ስለማይቀር ይለያያል። በውጭ ያለውም ብሔራዊ ስሜቱ አይሎ እርስ በርሱ ይከራከራርል የሚል ታሳቢ ያደርገ አቀራረብ ስለነበረው በዋሽግተኑ ስብስባ ላይ እራሱ ኤምባሲው በድብዳቤ የጠራቸውን ሁሉ ተምታተውበት አላስገባም አለ።ኢትዮጵያውያን በገዛ የሀገራቸው ጉዳይ ባይተዋር ሆኑ።

በእንደዚህ አይነት የተጀመረው የ አባይ ጉዳይ ይሄው ኢህአዲግ እስካሁን ድረስ እንደማስይሳካ እያወቀ በባህር ማዶ የሚኖሩ ተቃዋሚዎች እና የሀገራቸው ጉዳይ የእግር እሳት የሆነባቸውን ኢትዮጵያውይንን መተንኮሻ አድርጎ ይጠቀምበታል።በነገራችን ላይ ይሄው ተመሳሳይ መርሃግብር በኦስሎ ለ አፕሪል 23/2013 መርሃግብር መያዙን ከአምባሲው ድህረገፅ ላይ የተለጠፈው ማስታወቂያ ያስነብባል። ሃገራዊ ህብረት ሳይፈጠር፣ዜጎች ከአንድ ክልል ወደ አንድክልል ካልፈቃድ ለምን ገባችሁ ተብለው እየታሰሩ(የሰማያዊ ፓርቲ አመራሮች በ ቤንሻንጉል ክልል ለመታሰር ያበቃቸው)፣ በሺዎች መሬት እና ንብረታቸውን ተነጥቀው ሲንከራተቱ አንዳች ያልተናገረው መንግስት ይህም ከፍተኛ ተቃውሞ በኢትዮጵያውያን ዘንድ በፈጠረበት በእዚህ ጊዜ ስለ አባይ ግድብ ቦንድ ግዙ ብሎ መጠየቅን ምን ስም እንስጠው?

ESAT Daily News

Amsterdam: April 20, 2013


                 
Norway Police intervened and stopped the planned TPLF meeting when activists disrupted TPLF meeting in Stavanger, Norway.


                                     
                      Ethiopia: Norway Police Stopped TPLF meeting

Saturday, April 20, 2013

Politiet stoppet møte i Tasta bydelshus


Politiet rykket ut med tre biler og seks politimenn og stoppet et møte i Tasta bydelshus der stemninga var i ferd med å bli svært så amper blant de vel 300 frammøtte.




Video


Politiet stoppet møte


Et møte med 300 etiopiere i Tasta bydelshus ble stoppet av politiet.
De rundt 300 frammøtte var etiopiske asylsøkere eller folk med etiopisk bakgrunn. Politiet fryktet at det skulle komme helt ut av kontroll da folk i salen gikk til hard verbal konfrontasjon mot to representanter fra den etiopiske ambassaden i Stockholm som hadde innkalt til og ledet møtet.
Politiet ga først beskjed om at alle demonstrantene måtte forlate møtet, mens de to ambassadefolkene og deres eventuelle støttespillere kunne bli sittende. Dette nektet de frammøtte demonstrantene, og flere fryktet at det skulle komme til åpen konfrontasjon mellom politiet og folk i salen. Deretter bestemte innsatslederen Øyvind Sveinsvoll ved Rogaland politidistrikt seg for å stoppe hele møtet og rydde hele salen.
Det var en klok avgjørelse, mente flere av de frammøtte demonstrantene. De ville ikke at de to ambassadefolkene skulle bli sittende igjen som «seiersherrer» mens de selv ble kastet ut.
- Målet vårt var å stoppe møtet. Det klarte vi, sier en av dem til Aftenbladet.

ARTIKKELEN FORTSETTER UNDER BILDET


Mange av dem i salen tok ordet og fortalte om slektninger som var blitt fengslet, drept eller som hadde forsvunnet i politiets varetekt.

Mange av dem i salen tok ordet og fortalte om slektninger som var blitt fengslet, drept eller som hadde forsvunnet i politiets varetekt.
FOTO:Jarle Aasland

Måtte isolere ambassadefolkene

Stemningen ble spent at politiet valgte å isolere de to ambassadefolkene fra resten av møtedeltakerne. De eskorterte dem ut til en privat bil som fraktet dem vekk fra området. De 300 frammøtte fikk deretter slippe ut av salen.
Det var generalkonsul ved den etiopiske ambassaden, Mebrat Beyene Abay, som skulle lede møtet sammen med ambassade-sekretæren. Hovedtemaet var innsamling av penger i det etiopiske eksilmiljøet til et meget omstridt oppdemningsprosjekt - et prestisjeprosjekt for regimet i Etiopia.

Massedemonstrasjoner i utlandet

De etiopiske myndighetene har forsøkt å holde lignende "innsamlingsmøter" både i Sør-Afrika, Saudi Arabia, USA og Tyskland, og hver gang har møtene endt i svære demonstrasjoner mot brudd på menneskerettighetene i Etiopia. Folk fengsles uten lov og dom, frie valg er avskaffet, ytringsfriheten likeså, avisene er statskontrollert og mange journalister sitter fengslet.

Ikke frivillig betaling

Flere tok til ordet under møtet på Tasta bydelshus og sa dette ikke var en frivillig innsamlingsaksjon. De som ikke betalte inn penger, kunne forvente seg problemer når de henvendte seg til ambassaden for å få pass eller id-papirer.

Ruster seg til Oslo-opprør

Lørdagsmøtet var det første i sitt slag i Norge. Og eksil-etiopierne kom i egne busser fra Oslo, andre kom fra Steinkjær, Otta, Stord og Bergen for å demonstrere i Tasta bydelshus mot det sittende regimet i Etiopia.

28. april skal den etiopiske ambassaden i Stockholm holde et lignende møte i Oslo.

- Vi kommer til å fylle hele busser med demonstranter, sa flere av de frammøtte til Aftenbladet.



Innsatsleder Øyvind Sveinsvoll ved Rogaland politidistrikt i samtale med en av demonstrantene. I forgrunnen sitter generalkonsulen ved den etiopiske ambassaden i Stockholm.

FOTO: Jarle Aasland
  • Hele salen kokte av demonstrasjoner i Tasta bydelshus lørdag ettermiddag

  • De to ambassadefolkene som skulle lede møtet, måtte finne seg i at folk fra salen dekket til regimets flagg.
    FOTO: Jarle Aasland


  • Rundt 300 fylte salen, mange av etiopierne var tilreisende fra andre byer.
    FOTO: Jarle Aasland


  • Stort engasjement da det ble diskutert med politiet.
    FOTO: Jarle Aasland


  • FOTO: Jarle Aasland


  • De to representantene fra ambassaden fikk høre mange historier fra hjemlandet.
    FOTO: Jarle Aasland


  • Engasjementet var altså så stort av møtet ble stoppet av politiet.
    FOTO: Jarle Aasland


  • Her viser demonstrantene fram noen av slagordene sine.
    FOTO: Jarle Aasland

















Protest rally in Oslo, Norway: Against the recent forceful eviction of Amharas from different parts of Ethiopia

By ecadforum, 19.04.2013

Ethiopians in Norway have held a great and spectacular demonstration
Ethiopians in Norway have held a great and spectacular demonstration opposing the recent evictions of ethnic Amharas from different parts of Ethiopia and demanding freedom in Ethiopia.
The demonstrators showed their anger and frustration walking through the main street in Oslo and chanting slogans denouncing the barbaric act of the TPLF regime and demanding democracy and regime change in Ethiopia.
The participants in the demonstration were different organizations, political parties, supporting organs, civic organizations, religious groups and independent individuals reflecting Ethiopians unity and colorfulness!
The demonstrators have also met the representative of the Norwegian parliament –Stortinget, and delivered their appeal.
In this demonstration Ethiopians in Norway not only showed their solidarity with all victims of TPLF in Ethiopia, but also confirmed their determination to confront any activities what so ever done in Norway by TPLF in the name of Ethiopian people!



OSLO - Ethiopians protest against ethnic cleansing!

By EthiomediaApril 20, 2013



 OSLO, Norway - Ethiopian protesters on Thursday expressed outrage at the ongoing ethnic cleansing of Amhara, and called for the removal of the TPLF regime that is responsible for the heinous crime.

– Stopp støtten til regimet

Norge må slutte å støtte et regime som driver med etnisk diskriminering og bryter menneskerettighetene, var slagordet til flere titalls etiopiere, som demonstrerte utenfor Stortinget tidligere denne torsdagen.

Foto: Claudio Castello

Tonen var resolutt da et flere titalls etiopere som bor i Norge, holdt en protest utenfor Stortinget tidligere i dag.



Gjengen avbildet her mener de elleve prosentene som går fra Norge som u-hjelp er med på å bidra til en håpløs situasjon for flesteparten av Etiopias minoritetsgrupper.
Foto: Claudio Castello
 
– Norge må slutte å støtte Etiopias myndigheter økonomisk og moralsk. Regimet er udemokratisk og villig til å drive med etnisk rensing, var en av anklagene som ble lest opp under appellene på Eidsvolls plass.

Shemilesseb (43), fikk opphold i Norge på grunn av politisk aktivitet i hjemlandet. Han er skuffet over at Norge har opprettet såpass gode økonomiske og politiske forbindelser til Addis Abeba.
Foto: Claudio Castello
 
"Rensingen" som det siktes til er anklagene om at etiopiske myndigheter tvangsflytter tusener av amhara-språklige bønder fra Etiopias sørlige regioner. Tvangsflyttingen skal ha skjedd under uverdige former, mener flere av de som var tilstede under demonstrasjonen.
 
– Folk har blitt tvunget til å forlate hjemmene sine uten noen av sine eiendeler. Flere skal ha blitt mishandlet av soldater, og vi har allerede fått høre om folk som mistet livet på grunn kvelning, i det de nærmest ble stablet oppå hverandre i forskjellige lastebilder. sier Gennet, en kvinne i 50-årene, som kom som politisk flyktning til Norge, til utrop.no.
 
– Kastet i elven

Ifølge andrehåndsbeskrivelser som hun har fått via bekjente i Etiopia, var det en brutal skjebne som møtte folk som ikke ga etter for soldatenes ordrer.
 
– Ifølge det jeg fikk høre ble de slått livløse med geværkolber, og kastet ned i nærmeste innsjø eller elv, forteller hun videre.
 
Hvor langt har regjeringens kampanjer mot amhara-folket foregått?
 
– I snart 22 år. Problemet med Etiopia er at Norge har et svært godt forhold til regimet, og sender flere millioner årlig i investering og u-hjelp. Norge må bruke sin posisjon for å utøve press slik at vi får slutt på denne etniske rensingen, legger hun til.
 
Frykter et nytt Somalia

Shemilesseb (43) kom også til Norge som flyktning. Ha sier rett ut at han demonstrerer fordi "vi etiopere kan ikke lenger leve som slaver"
 
– Regjeringen domineres av tigrinjerne, som er den mest innflytelsesrike av alle etnisiteter i landet, og presser sin vilje på de andre. Folk som ikke er tigrinjere behandles som andreklasses borgere. Norge må sette foten ned og kutte støtten til regimet i Addis Abeba, mener han.
 
Ifølge Shemilesseb er kampanjene godt planlagte, ved at enkelte grupper tvangsflyttes sammen eller at hele stammer sendes til ressursfattige områder.
 
– Formålet er å skape etnisk- og stammebaserte konflikter, mens majoriteten i landet får styre som de vil.
 
Han frykter kaos og at Etiopia blir som Somalia hvis hverken Norge eller det internasjonale samfunnet ikke griper inn.
 
– Vi har 80 ulike etniske grupper i Etiopia. Og da sier det seg selv at kaoset vil rå hvis landet skulle deles i 80 stater. Skal Etiopia preges av fred og demokrati så må alle etniske grupper komme overens med hverandre og ha like muligheter til å påvirke styringen av landet, sier han til utrop.no.

Sunday, April 14, 2013

Ministry or Foundation of Meles?


Meles Zenawi Foundation (MZF)

By Teklu Abate : Saturday, 13 April 2013

The government of Ethiopia organized a congress that founded the Meles Zenawi Foundation (MZF) on the 6th of April 2013 at the AU Hall in Addis Ababa. The foundation is set to establish a library, a research center, a fellowship programme, and a public park, and will also recognize great achievements. Present at the occasion were Meles family; senior government officials; Presidents of the Sudan, Uganda, and Djibouti; former President of Nigeria Olusegun Obasanjo; Commissioner of the African Union (AU) Commission Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma; and other invited guests.

Foundations play a crucial role in advancing social and economic development, science and technology, equality, democracy, and the rule of law worldwide. Taking this context, it is required to acknowledge and support the MZF, as Ethiopia needs more and more such independent voices as foundations, think tanks, professional associations, and NGOs.


                                    The late PM Meles, picture from Google

Unfortunately, the MZF seems to lack, from the very outset, such qualities as independence, diversity, innovation, and ambition expected of all foundations. I could argue that the MZF looks a quazi-government ministry that is intended to give to the works of the late PM eternity. I could further conclude that the foundation would not significantly contribute to the betterment of democratic culture and governance, freedom, and the rule of law in Ethiopia. It is rather intended to scale up and sustain the status quo. The following points ground this conclusion.

Aim of the Foundation


The rationale behind the formation of the MZF is to preserve the “legacy” of the late Meles. According to the AU website, “The Meles Zenawi Foundation aims to pursue the developmental democracy and socioeconomic renaissance initiated by the patriotic and pan-Africanist late Leader”. And the Ethiopian Radio and Television Agency has it that “The Meles Zenawi Foundation is dedicated to preserving and advancing the legacy of the Great Leader Meles Zenawi in his lifelong commitment to peace, justice, economic development, good governance, and democracy for the Ethiopian and African peoples”. Similarly, Walta Info wrote “The Foundation would serve as a living center of ideas and programs to further advance the works and legacy of the great leader Meles Zenawi”.

All these tell us just one thing: the foundation would not entertain ideas that deviate from the golden standard, Meles’ views and policies. Studies, scholarships, libraries, publications, and recognitions all must clearly reflect and advance the late PM’s convictions. We know that Meles did not care for democratic governance, individual freedom, free and fair election, national assets and cultures such as our flag and our borders, corruption, and generally the rule of law. The foundation is unfortunately poised to repeat the same failures. Nothing new is going to happen- it’s all about old wine in new bottle. This conclusion is consolidated further if one considers the governing bodies of the foundation.

The Board


The founding congress named 13 personalities to serve as board members for the foundation. Four members of the board are from Meles family, Azeb Mesfin is made President of the Board. The other members are Dr. Tedros Adhanom, Sufian Ahmed, General Samora Yenus, Tedros Hagos, Aster Mamo, Kassa Tekleberhan, Muktar Kedir, Shiferaw Shigute, Abdu Mohammed and Ahmed Nasir. These are all ministers or top government officials.

Generally, the government seems the creator and owner of the foundation. These officials are not known for running their respective government apparatuses quite well, save Dr Tewodros in his capacity as Minister of Health. It is unlikely that they would invest the kind of competence and conviction required to successfully run the foundation. The best they could do is just to simulate the operations of their government ministries and offices.

Why did the government like to get hold of the foundation this much? It is not because they have the readiness and competence to run an entity of this kind. It is because they do not want to see a genuinely independent organization that champions democratic principles and practices. The government is suffering from obsessive-compulsive syndrome- they have the conviction that no chance should be given to any organization to operate uncensored. They control professional associations, public institutions, religious institutions, and even Idirs. It is indeed due to this grip on power that enabled them to rule for decades. The government generously takes care of bills for any organization that plays within the defined territory.

Funding Regimes


According to Walta Info, “Funding for the Foundation will come from private donations, income generating programs, contributions from the government of Ethiopia and other sources in accordance with the law”. During the founding congress of the foundation, the regional governments of Ethiopia, the Addis Ababa City Administration (11 million), EFFORT (one million), MIDROC Ethiopia (25 million), and the Sudan, South Sudan, Rwanda, Uganda, and Djibouti pledged to provide nearly 184 million Birr for the foundation.

That means, regional governments (tax payers) have already started to feel the heat- it is their obligation to cover a significant part of the foundation’s costs. Just to preserve the legacy of the late PM, one has to pay. Contributing a lot for a foundation that is not going to conquer new grounds is both economically and morally unaffordable. We already have nine regional governments and millions of EPRDF cadres that work day and night to echo his legacy. Why should we need another structure having exactly the same mission? What are the legal and moral grounds to establish an ‘independent’foundation under government proclamation? Is it under the government’s legal jurisdiction to open new foundations for the founding members and ‘great’ leaders of EPRDF following their deaths? Helping and facilitating the establishment of a genuinely independent foundation is commendable but requiring, by law, the tax payer to regularly donate seems arbitrary and out of mandate.

Concluding Remarks


The legacy of Meles is itself highly controversial. That Meles was a visionary, democratic, and nationalistic leader is true only to EPRDF members and sympathizers. For the majority of Ethiopians, Meles failed to consider them as valuable and respected citizens. That he was a technical writer and speaker did not translate into democratic ideals and the rule of law. Erecting skyscrapers, constructing roads, schools, health facilities, and giant hydro-electric dams did not leave real legacy: people should have come first. If the founders really care about Meles, they should make the foundation a really independent organization that studies, disseminates and champions democratic ideas and practices regardless of Meles’ conviction. It is only this way that they could preserve Meles in Ethiopian history.  

Thursday, April 11, 2013

Deputy prime minister ato Demeke Mekonen and ato Hilawi Yosef humiliated (see video)




World Bank Must End its Support for Human Rights Abuses in Ethiopia


By David Pred, April 10, 2013

A multi-billion dollar aid program administered by the World Bank is underwriting systematic human rights abuses in Ethiopia. Last September, Ethiopian victims submitted a complaint about the program to the World Bank Inspection Panel, which is tasked with investigating whether or not the Bank complies with its own policies to prevent social and environmental harm. A meeting of the Bank’s board of directors to discuss the Panel’s preliminary findings was postponed on March 19th due to objections from the Ethiopian government.

Ethiopia is one the largest aid recipients in the world, receiving approximately US$3 billion annually from external donors. The largest aid program, financed by the World Bank, the UK, the European Commission and other Western governments, is called Promotion of Basic Services (PBS). It aims to expand access to services in five sectors: education, health, agriculture, water supply and sanitation, and rural roads. The PBS program objectives are indisputably laudable and aim to meet a number of dire needs of the Ethiopian population. There is evidence, however, that it is contributing to a government campaign to forcibly resettle an estimated 1.5 million people.

In the lowland region of Gambella, the government’s principle means of delivering basic services is through the implementation of the “Villagization Program”. The government claims that “villagization” is a voluntary process, which aims to “bring socioeconomic and cultural transformation of the people” through the resettlement of “scattered” families into new villages. The services and facilities supported by PBS are precisely the services and facilities that are supposed to be provided at new settlement sites under the Villagization Program.

However, Gambellans, now amassing in refugee camps in Kenya and South Sudan, report that the program has been far from voluntary. When I visited the camps last fall, the refugees reported a process involving intimidation, beatings, arbitrary arrest and detention, torture in military custody and extra-judicial killing. Dispossessed of their fertile ancestral lands and displaced from their livelihoods, Gambella’s indigenous communities have been forced into villages with few of the promised basic services and little access to food or land suitable for farming. Meanwhile, many of the areas from which people have been forcibly removed have been awarded to domestic and foreign investors for large-scale agro-industrial plantations.

In September, Human Rights Watch and my organization, Inclusive Development International, arranged a meeting with the World Bank and five newly arrived refugees in Nairobi. One by one, they gave chilling testimony of the abuses that they and their families have experienced under the Villagization Program. Their testimony corroborated detailed reports about the program by Human Rights Watch and the Oakland Institute.

Yet, despite these credible reports and first-hand accounts that Bank staff heard in Nairobi, the Bank has continued to deny the forcible nature of villagization. The Bank also insists that its project is not linked to the Villagization Program, despite its acknowledgement that it finances the salaries of public servants who are tasked with implementing villagization. These arguments are wholly disingenuous. Donors must accept responsibility for human rights abuses they help make possible and do everything in their power to prevent them. There are ways the Bank can support critical investments in human development while ensuring that it is not underwriting human rights violations. It could, for example, require that the Villagization Program comply with its safeguard policy on resettlement as a condition of its $600 million concessional loan for the latest phase of PBS. If this policy were applied, the government would have to ensure, and the Bank would have to verify, that resettlement is truly voluntary and that the program improves people’s lives.

Yet the Bank and bi-lateral donors have instead chosen a strategy of denial. They have invested too much for too long in Ethiopia to admit that things have gone horribly wrong, and they are too worried about upsetting a critical military ally in a volatile part of the world to start attaching human rights conditions to aid packages.

That is why the World Bank Inspection Panel is so important. After undertaking a preliminary assessment, the Panel determined that the link between PBS and villagization was plausible and it recommended to the Board a full investigation in order to make definitive findings. However, Ethiopia’s representative on the Board has stymied approval of the investigation. A meeting to discuss the Panel’s report scheduled on March 19 was postponed due to resistance from the Ethiopian government, which is vying to set the terms of the investigation.

The Inspection Panel was established as an independent body that people harmed by World Bank lending practices can access in order to hold the Bank to account. Bank managers and member states are not supposed to interfere in the process. The Bank’s president, Jim Yong Kim, should stand up for accountability and tell the Board to let the Panel do its job. The truth that will come out of this investigation may be inconvenient for the Bank and an important client government, but it will be a rare measure of justice for the Ethiopian people.

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Ethiopia threatens journalist with solitary confinement


By Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ): April 10, 2013

His Excellency Berhan Hailu
Minister of Justice
P.O. Box 1370
Addis Ababa
Ethiopia

Via facsimile: +251-11-517-755
Via email: justice@telecom.net.et


Dear Minister Birhan Hailu,

We are writing to bring to your attention the case of Ethiopian journalist and teacher Reeyot Alemu, whose health has deteriorated since her imprisonment in June 2011 on terrorism charges and who is now being threatened with solitary confinement. The Ethiopian Ministry of Justice has publicly subscribed to a vision in which "human and democratic rights are respected," yet Reeyot's full human rights are being denied to her in Kality Prison.

The Ethiopian High Court sentenced Reeyot, a columnist for the now-defunct independent weekly Feteh, to 14 years in prison on January 2012 under the country's anti-terrorism law. In August 2012, the Supreme Court acquitted her on two counts, but upheld the charge against her of participation in the promotion or communication of a terrorist act, and reduced her sentence to five years.

Prison authorities have threatened Reeyot with solitary confinement for two months as punishment for alleged bad behavior toward them and threatening to publicize human rights violations by prison guards, according to sources close to the journalist who spoke to the International Women's Media Foundation on condition of anonymity. CPJ has independently verified the information. Reeyot has also been denied access to adequate medical treatment after she was diagnosed with a tumor in her breast, the sources said.

We would like to draw your attention to the 2011 report by Juan E. Méndez, the United Nations special rapporteur on torture, in which he urged the prohibition of "the imposition of solitary confinement as punishment--either as part of a judicially imposed sentence or a disciplinary measure." We would also remind you that Ethiopia is a signatory to the United Nations Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment and is legally bound to uphold these principles.

As a current member of the United Nations Human Rights Council and a signatory to the African Charter on Human and People's Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Ethiopia has committed itself to upholding the human rights of all of its citizens. This includes the right to freedom of expression and speech, as well as protection from cruel and inhumane forms of punishment such as solitary confinement.

All of the charges against Reeyot were based on her journalistic activities--emails she had received from pro-opposition discussion groups and reports and photographs she had sent to opposition news sites. Reeyot, who received the International Women's Media Foundation Courage in Journalism Award in 2012, has covered key developmental issues in Ethiopia such as poverty, democratic opposition, and gender equality.

The prison sentence against Reeyot for performing her duties and exercising her rights as a journalist to ask questions and express opinions calls into question Ethiopia's commitment to the democratic values and human rights the country claims to uphold.

We urge you to fulfill Ethiopia's promise to build a humane and democratic state by withdrawing the threat of solitary confinement against Reeyot and ensuring her access to adequate medical care. No journalists should face detention or imprisonment in the exercise of their duty.

Yours sincerely,
Joel Simon
Executive Director

CC List:

Shiferaw Tekle-Mariam, minister of federal affairs of the Federal Republic of Ethiopia
Girma Birru Geda, ambassador of Ethiopia to the United States
Donald Booth, ambassador of the United States to Ethiopia
Lieselore Cyrus, ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to Ethiopia
Greg Dorey, ambassador of the United Kingdom to Ethiopia
Xavier Marcha, head of the European Union Delegation to Ethiopia
Juan E. Méndez, special rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, U.N. Human Rights Council
Claudio Grossman, chairperson, United Nations Committee against Torture
Firmin Edouard Matoko, UNESCO representative to Ethiopia
Pansy Tlakula, special rapporteur on freedom of expression, African Commission on Human and Peoples Rights
Med S.K. Kaggwa, special rapporteur on prisons and conditions of detention, African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights
Reine Alapini-Gansou, commissioner and special rapporteur of the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights
Margaret Sekaggya, U.N. special rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders
Arnold Tsunga, director, Africa Program, International Commission of Jurists
Antoine Bernard, chief executive officer, International Federation for Human Rights
Berhane Melka, head of Federal Prison Administration, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Tombet Ariane, head of delegation, International Committee of the Red Cross, Ethiopia
Alana Barton, program manager, International Women's Media Foundation, United States

April 10, 2013 11:45 AM ET 

Request for an immediate investigation in to the forced eviction of Amharas


Ethiopian People’s Congress for United Struggle (Shengo)

To Navanethem Pillay – Chair, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)

Request for an immediate investigation in to the forced eviction of Amharas from Western and Southern Ethiopia.

Ethiopian People's Congress for United Struggle (Shengo)Recent developments in Ethiopia indicate that thousands of ethnic Amharas have been forcefully evicted from the Benshangul Region in Western Ethiopia. Overnight, masses of unassuming people including vulnerable women and children have been uprooted and forced to leave their livelihood in the most callous circumstances. This forced eviction was confirmed by credible international news agencies including the Voice of America.

This is not the first time that such forced and ethnic based eviction was carried out targeting the Amharas in Ethiopia. Last year thousands were also evicted from Maji Guraferda a location in Southern Ethiopia in a similar action taken by the local authorities. According to a leaked memo the horrendous ethnic based forced eviction was ordered by the president of the southern region Mr Shigute.

Shengo is appalled by such inhuman and illegal act perpetuated with the full knowledge of the ruling EPRDF. To date the government has taken no steps to stop such ethnic based forced eviction. Shengo is very concerned that whatever the pretext, this current eviction is part of a systemic policy of “ethnic cleansing regions in Ethiopia”.

We contend that this action could constitute crime against humanity as defined by the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.

As such, we urge your office to give the situation a very urgent and immediate attention, investigate and avert further human tragedy.

Sincerely yours;
Ermias Alemu, (Dr)
Chairman

Cc Genocide watch
Human Rights Watch
Amnesty International
AU

Monday, April 8, 2013

Ethiopia: Right in Prison, Wrong on the Throne

By Alemayehu G Mariam
April 8, 2013


Last April, I wrote a “Special Tribute to My Personal Hero Eskinder Nega”. In that tribute, I groped for words as I tried to describe this common Ethiopian man of uncommon valor, an ordinary journalist of extraordinary integrity and audacity. Frankly, what could be said of a simple man of humility possessed of indomitable dignity? Eskinder Nega is a man who stood up to brutality with his gentle humanity. What could I really say of a gentleman of the utmost civility, nobility and authenticity who was jailed 8 times for loving liberty? What could I say of a man and his wife who defiantly defended press freedom in Ethiopia, even when they were both locked up in Meles Zenawi Prison just outside of the capital in Kality for 17 months! What could anybody say of a man, a woman and their child who sacrificed their liberties, their peace of mind, their futures and earthly possessions so that their countrymen, women and children could be free!?  

Ethiopian journalist Eskinder Nega is a special kind of hero who fights with nothing more than ideas and the truth. He slays falsehoods with the sword of truth. He chases bad ideas with good ones. Armed only with a pen, Eskinder fights despair with hope; fear with courage; anger with reason; arrogance with humility; ignorance with knowledge; intolerance with forbearance; oppression with perseverance; doubt with trust and cruelty with compassion. Above all, Eskinder speaks truth to power and to those who abuse, misuse, overuse and are corrupted by power.  

Now almost a year since I wrote my tribute, I remember my great friend and brother Eskinder Nega as he languishes in Meles Zenawi Prison. But I do not remember him in sadness or with heartache. No! No! I remember Eskinder in the hopeful, faith-filled and resolute words of American poet James Russell Lowell (“The Present Crisis”): “When a deed is done for Freedom, through the broad earth’s aching breast…/ Once to every man and nation comes the moment to decide…/ In the strife of Truth with Falsehood, for the good or evil side... For Humanity sweeps onward: where to-day the martyr stands…/ Truth forever on the scaffold, wrong forever on the throne…/  

Eskinder and his wife Serkalem did the right deed to defend the right of press freedom in Ethiopia. They spoke truth to falsehood in their newspapers and never backed down. They spoke right to wrong in kangaroo court. The man who tried for 20 years to right the wrongs of tyranny, today, like Lowell’s Truth, hangs on the scaffold in the belly of Meles Zenawi Prison, a place of “wrath and tears where the horror of the shade looms”, with his head bloodied but UNBOWED!   

 Last week, Birtukan Mideksa wrote an opinion piece for Al Jazeera urging the release of Eskinder Nega and other journalists including Reeyot Alemu (winner of the International Women’s Media Foundation 2012 Courage in Journalism Award) and Woubshet Taye (2012 Hellman/Hammett Grant Award) and all political prisoners in Ethiopia. Birtukan is the first female political party (Unity for Democracy and Justice) leader in Ethiopian history. Birtukan, like Eskinder, was the personal political prisoner of the late dictator Meles Zenawi. Meles personally ordered Birtukan’s arrest and on December 29, 2008, a year and half after he “pardoned” and released her from prison, he threw her back in jail without even the usual song and dance of kangaroo court. On January 9, 2010, Meles sent chills down the spines of reporters when he declared sadistically that “there will never be an agreement with anybody to release Birtukan. Ever. Full stop. That’s a dead issue.” On January 15, 2010, the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention adopted an opinion finding that Birtukan Midekksa is a political prisoner.  

It is heartwarming to read Birtukan’s moving and robustly principled defense of Eskinder Nega and the other Ethiopian journalists and political prisoners. It is also ironic that Eskinder should replace Birtukan as the foremost political prisoner in Ethiopia today.  

Few can speak more authoritatively on the plight of Eskinder and all Ethiopian political prisoners than my great sister Birtukan who also spent years in in the belly of Meles Zenawi Prison, a substantial part of it in solitary confinement. In her Al Jazeera commentary she wrote: 
 
My journey to become a political prisoner in Ethiopia began as a federal judge fighting to uphold the rule of law. Despite institutional challenges and even death threats, I hoped to use constitutional principles to ensure respect for basic rights… [Ethiopian] authorities have detained my friend Eskinder Nega eight times over his 20-year career as a journalist and publisher. After the 2005 elections, Eskinder and his wife – Serkalem Fasil – spent 17 months in prison. Pregnant at the time, Serkalem gave birth to a son despite her confinement and almost no pre-natal care. Banned from publishing after his release in 2007, Eskinder continued to write online. In early 2011, he began focusing particularly on the protest movements then sweeping North Africa and the Middle East. Eskinder, who does not belong to any political party because of a commitment to maintain his independence, offered a unique and incisive take on what those movements meant for the future of Ethiopia. Committed to the principle of non-violence, Eskinder repeatedly emphasised that any similar movements in Ethiopia would have to remain peaceful. Despite this, police briefly detained him and warned him that his writings had crossed the line and he could face prosecution. Then in September [14], 2011, the government made good on that threat. Authorities arrested Eskinder just days after he publicly criticised the use of anti-terror laws to stifle dissent. They held him without charge or access to an attorney for nearly two months. The government eventually charged Eskinder with terrorism and treason, sentencing him to 18 years in prison after a political trial. Unfortunately, Eskinder is not alone; independent journalists Woubshet Taye and Reeyot Alemu also face long prison terms on terrorism charges. 
 
Eskinder is a hero to the world but a villain to Meles Zenawi and his disciples 
 
Who really is Eskinder Nega? In Meles Zenawi’s kangaroo court, Eskinder has been judged a “terrorist”, a “public enemy”. In the court of world public opinion, Eskinder is celebrated as the undisputed champion and defender of press freedom. 
 
When speaking of my brother Eskinder, I could be accused of exaggerating his virtues, hyperbolizing his singular contributions to press freedom in Ethiopia and overstating his importance to the cause of free expression throughout the world. Perhaps I am biased because I hold this great man in such high respect, honor and admiration. If I am guilty of bias, it is because seemingly in Ethiopia they have stopped making genuine heroes like Eskinder Nega, Woubeshet Taye, Anudalem Aragie, Temesgen Desalegn… and heroines like Birtukan Midekssa, Serkalem Fasil, Reeyot Alemu….   
 
Let others more qualified and more eloquent than I speak of Eskinder Nega’s heroism, courage, fortitude, audacity and tenacity in the defense of press freedom.   
 
 
On December 3, 2012, when Carl Bernstein (one of the two investigative journalists who exposed the Watergate scandal leading to the resignation of President Richard Nixon) read at a public forum Eskinder’s last blog before he was arrested, he said:
 
No honor can be greater than to read Eskinder Nega’s words. He is more than a symbol. He is the embodiment of the greatness of truth, of writing and reporting real truth, of persisting in truth and resisting the oppression of untruth… So let us marvel at and celebrate Eskinder Nega. For who among us could write what I am about to read [a blog of Eskinder’s] spirit unbound, faith in freedom and the power of the word untrammeled… 
 
When Eskinder was named as the recipient of the prestigious 2012 PEN/Barbara Goldsmith Freedom to Write Award, Peter Godwin, president of PEN American Center said, “The Ethiopian writer Eskinder Nega is that bravest and most admirable of writers, one who picked up his pen to write things that he knew would surely put him at grave risk…” 
 
Larry Siems, director of PEN Freedom to Write Award, at the award ceremonies groped for words trying to describe Eskinder Nega. “…[This year] one [journalist] really stood out, and that is Eskinder Nega. So tonight we recognize one of the world’s most courageous, most intrepid, most creative advocates of press freedom that I have ever seen…   
 
In awarding its prestigious Hellman/Hammett Award for 2012, Human Rights Watch described Eskinder and the other journalists as “exemplifying the courage and dire situation of independent journalism in Ethiopia today. Their ordeals illustrate the price of speaking freely in a country where free speech is no longer tolerated.”   
 
 The Committee to Protect Journalists declared, “The charges against Eskinder are baseless and politically motivated in reprisal for his writings. His conviction reiterates that Ethiopia will not hesitate to punish a probing press by imprisoning journalists or pushing them into exile in misusing the law to silence critical and independent reporting.” 
 
 
The specific charge against Eskinder was that he conspired with a banned opposition party called Ginbot 7 to overthrow the government. At his trial, government prosecutors showed as evidence a fuzzy video, available on YouTube, of Eskinder at a public town-hall meeting, discussing the potential of an Arab Spring-type uprising in Ethiopia. State television labeled Eskinder and the other journalists as “spies for foreign forces.” There were also allegations that he had accepted a terrorist mission—what the mission involved was never specified. 
 
United States Senator Patrick Leahy read a lenghty statement into the Congressional Record informing his colleagues that “7,000 miles from Washington, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia… a journalist named Eskinder Nega stands accused of supporting terrorism simply for refusing to remain silent about the Ethiopian government’s increasingly authoritarian drift…” 
 
    
The United States remains deeply concerned about the trial, conviction, and sentencing of Ethiopian journalist Eskinder Nega, as well as seven political opposition figures, under the country’s Anti-Terrorism Proclamation. The sentences handed down today, including 18 years for Eskinder and life imprisonment for the opposition leader Andualem Arage, are extremely harsh and reinforce our serious questions about the politicized use of Ethiopia’s anti-terrorism law in this and other cases. 
 
Eskinder is a hero to the heroes of international journalism. In April 2012, twenty international journalists who have been recognised as “World Press Freedom Heroes” by the Vienna-based International Press Institute (IPI) stood by Eskinder’s side, condemned his unjust imprisonment on trumped up terrorism charges and demanded his release and the release of other journalists. These press freedom heroes minced no words in telling Meles Zenawi of their “extremely strong condemnation of the Ethiopian government’s decision to jail journalist Eskinder Nega on terrorism charges.”  
 
 
“The deprivation of liberty of Eskinder Nega is arbitrary in violation of articles 9, 10, 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and articles 9, 14, and 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights… The Working Group requests the Government to take the necessary steps to remedy the situation, which include the immediate release of Mr. Nega and adequate reparation to him.” 
 
In December 2012, 16 member of the European parliament demanded the release of Eskinder Nega and journalists Reeyot Alemu and Woubshet Taye.      
 
Who is (are) the real terrorist(s) in Ethiopia?   
 
Meles said Eskinder and all of the journalists he jailed are “terrorists”. If Eskinder Nega is a terrorist, then speaking truth to power is an act of terrorism. If Eskinder Nega is a terrorist, then advocacy of peaceful change is terrorism; thinking is terrorism; dissent is terrorism; having a conscience is terrorism; refusing to sell out one’s soul is terrorism; standing up for democracy and human rights is terrorism; defending the rule of law is terrorism and peaceful resistance of state terrorism is terrorism. If Eskinder Nega is a terrorist today, then Nelson Mandela was a terrorist then. The same goes for all of the other jailed journalists and opposition leaders jailed by Meles Zenawi. 
 
But the real terrorists know who they are. When Meles and his horde of guerilla fighters challenged military dictator Mengistu Hailemariam, they were officially branded as terrorists, bandits, mercenaries, criminals, thugs, murderers, marauders, public enemies, subversives, rebels, assassins, malcontents, invaders, traitors, saboteurs and other names. Were they?  
 
Let the evidence speak for itself. In an interview Meles Zenawi gave to an Eritrean magazine called Hiwot (which was translated into Amharic and published by Etiop newspaper, (Vol. 5 Issue No. 52), he presented himself as the Willie Sutton of Tigray pulling bank jobs all over the palce. Meles spoke proudly of the banks he and his comrade-in-arms robbed or attempted to rob to finance their guerilla war. Meles boasted of his “victorious” robberies in Shire and Adwa while regretting botched jobs in Axum. Today they own the banks!  
 
The current ruling party, “Tigrayan Peoples Liberation Movement” (TPLF), is listed today in the Global Terrorism Database as a terrorist organization. Documented acts of terrorism by the TPLF include armed robberies, assaults, hostage taking and kidnapping of foreign nationals and journalists and local leaders, hijacking of truck convoys, extortion of business owners and merchants, nongovernmental organizations, local leaders and private citizens and intimidation of religious leaders and journalists.  
 
An official Inquiry Commission established by Meles Zenawi to investigate the deaths that occurred in the post-2005 election period determined that security forces under the personal control and command of Meles Zenawi massacred 193 unarmed protesters in the streets and severely wounded another 763. The Commission concluded the “shots fired by government forces were intended not to disperse the crowd of protesters but to kill by targeting the head and chest of the protesters.” On November 1, 2005, security forces in the Meles Zenawi Prison in Kality gunned down 65 inmates while confined in their cells. No one has ever been brought to justice for these crimes against humanity. 
 
In September 2011, the world learned that “Ethiopian security forces (had) planted 3 bombs that went off in the Ethiopian capital on September 16, 2006 and then blamed Eritrea and the Oromo resistance for the blasts in a case that raised serious questions about the claims made about the bombing attempt against the African Union summit earlier this year in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.” Following its own investigation and “clandestine reporting”, the U.S. Embassy in Addis Ababa fingered “GoE (Government of Ethiopia) security forces” for this criminal act. If all other acts of state terrorism committed against Ethiopian civilians were to be included, the body count would be in the hundreds of thousands. 
 
Who are the real terrorists and criminals in Ethiopia today?
 
Tale of the Good Wolf and Evil Wolf  
 
The late Meles Zenawi and his apostles remind me of an old Cherokee (Native American) tale of two wolves: A grandfather tells his young grandson that everyone has a Good Wolf and an Evil Wolf inside of them fighting with each other every day. The Good Wolf thrives on peace, love, truth, generosity, humility and kindness. The Evil Wolf feeds on hatred, anger, greed, lies and arrogance. “Which wolf will win, grandfather?” asked the boy. “Whichever one you feed,” replied the grandfather.
 
Meles and his disciples have been feeding the Evil Wolf for decades, and now the Evil Wolf sits triumphantly crowned on the Throne of Hatred and Falsehood. They have fattened the Evil Wolf with a lavish diet of inhumanity, barbarity, brutality, ignobility, immorality, depravity, duplicity, incivility, criminality, ethnocentricity, mediocrity, corruptibility and pomposity.
 
Eskinder, Reeyot, Woubshet, Andualem. Temesgen and the rest have managed to tame the Good Wolf and have followed the path of peace, love and truth. Their wolf thrives on a simple diet of humanity, unity, integrity, authenticity, civility, morality, incorruptibility, dignity, affability, humility, nobility, creativity, intellectuality and audacity.
 
It is hard for the reasonable mind to fathom why Meles and his disciples chose to embrace and follow the path of the Evil Wolf. Indeed, the Evil Wolf has been very good to them. The Evil Wolf has made it possible for them to accumulate great wealth and amass enormous power. They have unleashed the Evil Wolf to divide and rule the country along ethnic, religious, linguistic and regional lines. They have used the Evil Wolf to destroy not only the lives and futures of young professionals like Eskinder, Birtukan, Reeyot, Woubshet, Temesgen and Andualem but also the future of the younger generation. They have used the Evil Wolf to sell off the country’s most fertile lands for pennies and plunder its natural resources. They have used the Evil Wolf to convict the innocent in kangaroo courts. They have used the Evil Wolf to strike fear and loathing in the hearts and minds or ordinary citizens. 
 
They have given new meaning to the ancient Roman playwright Paluatus’ aphorism homo homini lupus est (“man is a wolf to his fellow man”). They have used the Evil Wolf to create war from peace; strife from harmony; wrong from right; vice from virtue; division from unity; shame from honor; immorality from decency; poverty from wealth; hatred from love; ignorance from knowledge; corruption from blessing; bondage from freedom and dictatorship from democracy. In 21 years, Meles and his disciples have managed to jam a whole nation between the jaws of a snarling, gnarling and howling Evil Wolf.
 
How long before the Good Wolf wins over the Evil Wolf? 
 
The great Nelson Mandela wondered when Apartheid would end. He told those who had unleashed the Evil Wolf of Apartheid, “You may succeed in delaying, but never in preventing the transition of South Africa to a democracy.”
 
My friend Eskinder Nega warned the overlords of the Evil Wolf in Ethiopia, “Freedom is partial to no race. Freedom has no religion. Freedom favors no ethnicity. Freedom discriminates not between rich and poor countries. Inevitably freedom will overwhelm Ethiopia.” 
 
But how long before freedom overwhelms Ethiopia? How long before Ethiopia transitions to democracy? How long before “truth crushed to earth rises again” in Ethiopia? How long before all Ethiopian political prisoners are set free? Before Eskinder is released and joins his wife Sekalem and their son Nafkot? How long before Reeyot, Woubshet, Andualem… rejoin their families? How long before the Good Wolf wins over the Evil Wolf?
 
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. agonized over similar questions during the darkest days of the struggle for civil rights in America. His answer to the question, “How long?” was “Not long!”.
 
I know you are asking today, “How long will it take?” Somebody’s asking, “How long will prejudice blind the visions of men…?”
Somebody’s asking, “When will wounded justice, lying prostrate on the streets of Selma and Birmingham… be lifted from this dust of shame…? … How long will justice be crucified, and truth bear it?”
I come to say to you this afternoon, however difficult the moment, however frustrating the hour, it will not be long, because “truth crushed to earth will rise again.”
How long? Not long, because “no lie can live forever.”
How long? Not long, because “you shall reap what you sow.”
 
How long before the Good Wolf wins over the Evil Wolf? Not long, because “once to every man and nation comes the moment” to decide between Good and Evil.
 
How long before wounded justice, lying prostrate on the streets of Addis Ababa, Mekele, Adama, Gondar, Awassa, Jimma… is lifted from the dust of shame? Not long, “because the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.”
 
How long before truth and right crushed to earth rise up again in Ethiopia? Not long, because truth and right will not remain forever on the scaffold nor wrong and falsehood nest forever on the throne!
 
I have no greater honor than to stand up, speak up and defend my friends, brothers and sisters Eskinder Nega, Serkalem Fasil, Reeyot Alemu, Woubshet Taye, Temesgen Desalegn, Andualem Aragie and all political prisoners held in Meles Zenawi Prison!
 
Professor Alemayehu G. Mariam teaches political science at California State University, San Bernardino and is a practicing defense lawyer.