This bloog is my personal property, where I express my admire, feelings, comments, suggestions and objections about any thing. Hope you will give me your support to make it better. ለኢትዮጵያ !!
Saturday, December 15, 2012
Friday, December 14, 2012
Tigray conference "We fought Amhara"
The man is saying there is a problem withing TPLF. He states they fought and toppled Amhara and the Amhara regime, but now power has been transferred from Amhara to Adwa.
Open letter to Ambassador Susan Rice by Abebe Gellaw
Dear Ambassador Rice, I have great admiration and respect for you. I
believe that you have made the right decision not to bid for the position of
U.S. Secretary of State. Although your commitment to serving your country with
utmost integrity and passion is very commendable, some of your backstory is
truly disturbing, especially your position of steadfast inaction during the
height of the Rwandan genocide.
Last September, you
traveled to Ethiopia to attend the funeral of Ethiopia’s 21-year long dictator
Meles Zenawi. Your eulogy has troubled and upset so many ordinary Ethiopians.
You referred to Zenawi as a trustworthy friend to the U.S and you personally.
That is fine! But according to you, “Meles was disarmingly regular,
unpretentious, and direct. He was selfless, tireless and totally dedicated to
his work and family.” You also claimed: “Among Prime Minister Meles’ many
admirable qualities, above all was his world-class mind. A life-long student,
he taught himself and many others so much. But he wasn’t just brilliant. He
wasn’t just a relentless negotiator and a formidable debater.”
Yes, as a master of deception, he might have appeared selfless in front of global VIPs like yourself. Far from it, Meles Zenawi was an obstinate dictator who did not understand the language of diplomacy, negotiation and compromise. He killed, tortured and maimed countless Ethiopians. He divided the country along ethnic lines just to enforce his divide-and-rule policies.
Your “brilliant” friend did not have a world-class mind, as you claimed. He was narrow-minded who could not see the world beyond his nose and power, no matter how eloquently he could speak. Your friend was not selfless, but a narcissist who did everything in his power to destroy critics and dissidents.
It was even hurtful when you insensitively said: “He was tough, unsentimental and sometimes unyielding. And, of course, he had little patience for fools, or “idiots,” as he liked to call them…Meles was consistently reasoned in his judgments and thoughtful in his decisions; and, he was driven not by ideology but by his vision of a better future for this land he loved….”
As a critic, I was among those whom he labeled as terrorists, idiots and fools. For Meles, any critic is a threat including the minors killed savagely in broad daylight for protesting his tyranny and brutality. Tens of thousands of others are languishing in jails even after his death. Those were the “idiots and fools” he seemed to have referred to insensitively and you echoed approvingly.
Your eulogy for Zenawi was not only insensitive but also quite revealing as to your lack of commitment to the freedom of others that dictators like Zenawi robbed and destroyed. I am one of those countless Ethiopians abused, tortured and exiled by your “brilliant” friend.
I honestly feel that the world is lighter and safer without the likes of Meles, Gaddafi or Mubarak. Your brilliant friend was in fact an idiotic despot who did not know how to treat his fellow countrymen fairly, respectfully and kindly.
I do believe that your eulogy for dictators will be more measured and reasoned in the future. I hope this would be a teachable moment for you to move forward.
I wish you all the best.
Best regards
Abebe Gellaw
Exiled Ethiopian journalist
Yes, as a master of deception, he might have appeared selfless in front of global VIPs like yourself. Far from it, Meles Zenawi was an obstinate dictator who did not understand the language of diplomacy, negotiation and compromise. He killed, tortured and maimed countless Ethiopians. He divided the country along ethnic lines just to enforce his divide-and-rule policies.
Your “brilliant” friend did not have a world-class mind, as you claimed. He was narrow-minded who could not see the world beyond his nose and power, no matter how eloquently he could speak. Your friend was not selfless, but a narcissist who did everything in his power to destroy critics and dissidents.
It was even hurtful when you insensitively said: “He was tough, unsentimental and sometimes unyielding. And, of course, he had little patience for fools, or “idiots,” as he liked to call them…Meles was consistently reasoned in his judgments and thoughtful in his decisions; and, he was driven not by ideology but by his vision of a better future for this land he loved….”
As a critic, I was among those whom he labeled as terrorists, idiots and fools. For Meles, any critic is a threat including the minors killed savagely in broad daylight for protesting his tyranny and brutality. Tens of thousands of others are languishing in jails even after his death. Those were the “idiots and fools” he seemed to have referred to insensitively and you echoed approvingly.
Your eulogy for Zenawi was not only insensitive but also quite revealing as to your lack of commitment to the freedom of others that dictators like Zenawi robbed and destroyed. I am one of those countless Ethiopians abused, tortured and exiled by your “brilliant” friend.
I honestly feel that the world is lighter and safer without the likes of Meles, Gaddafi or Mubarak. Your brilliant friend was in fact an idiotic despot who did not know how to treat his fellow countrymen fairly, respectfully and kindly.
I do believe that your eulogy for dictators will be more measured and reasoned in the future. I hope this would be a teachable moment for you to move forward.
I wish you all the best.
Best regards
Abebe Gellaw
Exiled Ethiopian journalist
Thursday, December 13, 2012
SMNE December 13, 2010
Dear Friends and Colleagues;
December 13, 2012 marks the 9-year anniversary of the brutal massacre of 424 disarmed Anuak in Gambella, Ethiopia by the TPLF/EPRDF Defense Forces armed with guns and militia groups armed with machetes. Not just the families of the victims, but all Anuak, will forever remember that dark day that brought so many pains, tears and suffering.
Even after 9 years, some widows, some fathers, some mothers and children are still waiting to bury their loved ones properly. Some day their bodies, which were buried in mass graves, will be exhumed and buried with proper respect by their families and loved ones. Someday a memorial of remembrance may be erected in Gambella in their honor, to remind people that behind every name on that memorial, is a human life, given as a precious gift from God, our Creator.
Such memorials may be erected all over Ethiopia where innocent lives of Ethiopians have been taken. Someday, a large monument—a wall of shame—could be erected in Addis Ababa with the names of the Anuak and the names of all other people throughout Ethiopia who have lost their lives at the hands of this government that devalues human life.
On this Anuak Memorial Day, Anuak in Gambella cannot join with Anuak in the Diaspora in observing this day. It is prohibited by the TPLF or EPRDF government. Instead, they will have to look forward to the day they will be able to join together in a service such as the ones being held in USA, Canada, Europe, Australia, Kenya, South Sudan and in other cities where there are Anuak where they are free to remember the death of more than 1500 other Anuak who were killed in the next two years following the December massacre.
Because public mourning is not allowed, those who want to remember family members, friends and community members who died, must quietly carry out some kind of observances within their homes and hearts.
This TPLF regime wants to erase it from the memory of the Anuak, but this will never happen. Someday, all the details will be revealed for all to see on the shame-filled pages of our Ethiopian history books. Until then, Anuak are still waiting for those responsible to be brought to justice. As one Anuak who lost a family member recently said, “the TPLF and it killers have moved on, but we will never stop grieving or rest until the killers have been brought to justice and until our family members are buried properly.”
For the Anuak people and supporters of the Anuak, let us all remember this day together. Let us take this day of sorrow and make it a day of reconciliation and healing among all peace-loving Ethiopians. This pain we feel was brought because of hate, anger, envy and greed and we want to create a different Ethiopia.
May God bless all of those who are remembering this day of tragedy and may God help bring about an Ethiopia where truth, justice, freedom, reconciliation and harmony prevail over death and destruction.
Please take a few minutes and watch this heartbreaking video below: The testimonies of survivors and other witnesses of the December 13th Massacre.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uaZty97JXzU
Thanks so much for your never-ending support. Don’t give up. Keep your focus on the bigger picture and reach out to others and listen!
I am appealing to all my friends and colleagues to forward it to your friends. If you do, you will not just be giving a voice to our beautiful people, but you would be doing justice to our humanity. Knowing the truth is overcoming the first obstacle to freedom!
Sincerely your severance,
Obang
Executive Director of SMNE
E-mail: obang@solidaritymovement.org
http://www.solidaritymovement.org
-------------------------------------------------
The Bible Says (Ecclesiastes 11:4), "
- If You Wait for Perfect Conditions, You Will Never Get Anything Done - "
" - One Action is More Valuable Than a Thousand Good Intentions -
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
32 ONLF Rebels and Ethiopian Forces killed in Dhagahbour – Diplomatic Source
(Ogadentoday Press)- A report says that clashes
between ONLF, Ogaden National Liberation Front and a coalition of Ethiopian
military and Liyu Police Troops erupted in the restive Ogaden region,
Dhagahbour Zone on Tuesday.The sources said that 32 Ethiopian Troops
and ONLF fighters killed in the fighting.According to a diplomatic source based In
Jigjiga told Ogadentoday Press that ONLF troops attacked, a Labbiga, a small
village near to Dhagaxbour, where Ethiopian Troops had a military camp, the
ONLF troop’s ambush killed 30 Ethiopian coalition troops, while two ONLF
fighters killed, the source confirmed.Ethiopian troops carried out a massive crackdown after the attack, some
elders have been taken to prison; while some women are unknown where have been taken. Civilians in the
area express concerns about the crackdown.
Monday, December 10, 2012
Tigray Priest insulting Ethiopians Must Watch
I Don`t think this motherfucker is a priest at all, this idiot can not represent Our Ethiopian Orthodox Church.
Go to Hell Mr. fake Priest.
Sunday, December 9, 2012
Saturday, December 8, 2012
Denmark family adopted Masho and Roba Ethiopian kids touching story
Selling Ethiopian Children a profitable Business for Adaption Agency. African news: Over 5,000 Children are sold to foreigner from around the World – A very sad truth about a Multi Million $ business by bad Ethiopians which profit from this bad business.
Friday, December 7, 2012
A Summer for Ethiopia – A Scholar recounts his experience
The following post is written by William Luk. William is a Senior from Tufts University majoring in International Relations. He is a 2012 Oslo Scholar. He recounts his experience of working closely with Abebe Gellaw, in fighting internet censorship for Ethiopia.
This past summer has undoubtedly been a memorable one for Abebe Gellaw, theEthiopian Satellite Television (ESAT) and Ethiopia at large, and definitely for me as well. After meeting Mr. Gellaw at the Oslo Freedom Forum in May as one of the Oslo Scholars, I became much more knowledgeable about the dire situation in Ethiopia. In many respects, the media censorship in Ethiopia is not only comparable but may even be worse than that of China, where I frequently travel to. This came as a surprise to me, as Western media has always portrayed Prime Minister Meles, the dictator of the African country, as an ally. Through Abebe and this experience, my perception of not only Ethiopia, but also the politics of the press has been changed dramatically.
After the Conference, I immediately began working with Abebe. Although I was based in Hong Kong while ESAT is in Washington D.C., I worked telecommunicatively. My major task was to research on the topic of radio signal jamming, which is frequently used by Ethiopian authorities against foreign press. It has been one of the major challenges to ESAT, which tries to broadcast information to Ethiopians back home. Through my research, I learned about the many types of radio jamming, as well as counter jamming technologies. In fact, much of the existing technology in Ethiopia was acquired from China, which has invested heavily in many African countries in past decades, with the help of the Chinese Central Authorities. While no single counter technology is foolproof, there are some methods of radio transmission that are more difficult to penetrate into. Unfortunately, there are costs and obstacles to implementing these methods.
I had a heartfelt moment when I heard that Abebe stood up in the middle of an event attended by Prime Minister Meles in Washington D.C. and shouted “Meles Zenawi is a dictator!” At that instance, Meles was rendered speechless. In the land of the free, Abebe has silenced the dictator that had silenced, and exiled him. I could not begin to imagine how he must have felt– thousands of emotions mixed together in an overall ecstasy – the thrill of free speech. This fundamental right that we take for granted, was exemplified by Abebe in that moment.
Meles died towards the end of the summer. His death was not reported until days after his actual death, which serves to show the suppression and manipulation of information by the Government in Ethiopia. This was good news to Ethiopians whose rights have been restricted or taken away because of his regime. There is no doubt that this is a huge turning point in history. The question lies in whether it will turn for the better, or the worse. After all, a dictator’s death could very well be the beginning of another.
Ethiopia will have many obstacles ahead, from extreme poverty and illiteracy to lacking infrastructure. But the greatest one is finding a leader who will find a solution to the aforementioned problems, instead of using them as a means to keep his power in place. There are now great expectations for Prime Minister Hailemariam, basically automatically elected as the Ethiopian People’s Revultionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) holds the majority in the Parliament. In the meantime, the Ethiopia Satellite Television and Abebe Gellaw have and will continue to do its best to deliver the truth to Ethiopians back home and around the world.
source: http://osloscholars.com/2012/09/26/a-summer-for-ethiopia-a-scholar-recounts-his-experience/
Thursday, December 6, 2012
ESAT : Swedish TV4 program about two Swedish journalists (Ethiopia)
http://www.ethsat.com - Ethiopian Satellite Television (ESAT)
ESAT is the first independent Ethiopian Satellite Television service and Radio Station who broadcast to Ethiopia and the rest of the world.
ESAT is the first independent Ethiopian Satellite Television service and Radio Station who broadcast to Ethiopia and the rest of the world.
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
Monday, December 3, 2012
Statement: USCIRF Deeply Concerned by Emerging Religious Freedom Violations in Ethiopia
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 8, 2012| By USCIRF
The U.S.
Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is deeply concerned
about the increasing deterioration of religious freedoms for Muslims in
Ethiopia. Since July 2011, the Ethiopian government has sought to force
a change in the sect of Islam practiced nationwide
and has punished clergy and laity who have resisted. Muslims throughout
Ethiopia have been arrested during peaceful protests: On October 29, the
Ethiopia government charged 29 protestors with terrorism and attempting to
establish an Islamic state.
“These charges
are only the latest and most concerning attempt by the Ethiopian
government to crush opposition to its efforts to control the practice of
religion by imposing on Ethiopian Muslims a specific interpretation of
Islam,” said USCIRF Commissioner Azizah al-Hibri. “The
individuals charged were among tens of thousands peacefully protesting the
government’s violations of international standards and their constitutional
right to religious freedom. The Ethiopian government should cease
interfering in the internal affairs of its Muslim community and immediately
and unconditionally release those wrongfully imprisoned.”
Since July
2011, the Ethiopian government has sought to impose the al-Ahbash Islamic
sect on the country’s Muslim community, a community that traditionally has
practiced the Sufi form of Islam. The government also has manipulated
the election of the new leaders of the Ethiopia Islamic Affairs Supreme
Council (EIASC). Previously viewed as an independent body, EIASC is now
viewed as a government-controlled institution. The arrests, terrorism
charges and takeover of EIASC signify a troubling escalation in the
government’s attempts to control Ethiopia’s Muslim community and provide
further evidence of a decline in religious freedom in Ethiopia.
“The U.S. government
should raise with the new leadership in Addis Ababa the importance of abiding
by Ethiopia’s own constitution and international standards on freedom of
religion of belief. USCIRF has found that repressing religious
communities in the name of countering extremism leads to more extremism,
greater instability, and possibly violence,” said USCIRF Chair Dr. Katrina
Lantos Swett. “Given Ethiopia’s strategic importance in the Horn of
Africa and that Muslims account for more than one-third of all Ethiopians,
it is vital that the Ethiopian government end its religious freedom abuses
and allow Muslims to practice peacefully their faith as they see fit.
Otherwise, the government’s current policies and practices will lead to
greater destabilization of an already volatile region.”
Background
Ethiopian
Muslims traditionally are Sufis. Article 27 of the Ethiopian
constitution guarantees religious freedom and “the independence of the state
from religion.”
However, due
to a concern about the rise of Wahhabism in Ethiopia, the government in July
2011 brought al-Ahbash imams from Lebanon to train Ethiopian imams and
Islamic school educators on that sect’s beliefs to teach their students and
worshippers. The government dismissed from their positions those who
refused to be trained in or teach al-Ahbash and closed mosques andschools. Beginning in December 2011, protests
have been held almost every Friday outside of mosques after prayers.
While these demonstrations have taken place nationwide, they are centered at
the Awalia Mosque and Islamic school in Addis Ababa.
As the
protests continued, an Arbitration Committee of 17 Islamic leaders was
created this past spring to negotiate with the government about: 1)
respecting the Ethiopian constitution’s guarantees of religious freedom; 2)
ending government imposition of al-Ahbash on Ethiopian Muslims, while
allowing al-Ahbash to operate equally with other religious communities; 3)
re-opening and returning schools and mosques to their original imams and
administrators; and 4) holding new elections for the EIASC, and having these
elections take place in mosques, rather than in neighborhood government
community centers, to ensure that the community’s selections would be
honored.
By July, the
negotiations had failed and the protests increased in both size and
frequency. In response, the Ethiopian government started to crack down
on and intimidate the demonstrators, surrounding them with armed guards and
conducting house-to-house searches. Between July 13 and 21, the
government arrested all 17 members of the Arbitration Committee and at least
70 protestors. (While the government has confirmed 70 people were arrested,
demonstrators place the number in the hundreds). Human rights
organizations reported that the police used excessive force against
individuals during the arrests and while in detention. While many were
released after being held for a short time, nine of the Arbitration Committee
members remain in jail.
The charges
the government leveled on October 29 were the first issued against any of the
arrested protestors, including the nine Arbitration Committee members who
were not released with their colleagues in July. The individuals
charged were first detained and held in Maikelwai federal police detention
center, which frequently houses political prisoners and is known for abusing
prisoners, including torturing them during interrogations. The
individuals detained also were charged under the nation’s anti-terror law
which has been used to target dissent, rather than to stop terrorism.
Protestors now
hold up yellow or white placards to signal that they are peaceful and to
condemn the arrests and charges. While the demonstrations largely have
been peaceful, there have been a few violent incidents: On October 21,
2011 four Muslims were killed as they stormed a jail attempting to free
protestors and in April 2012 five people were killed protesting the dismissal
of an imam who refused to propagate al-Ahbash.
To interview a
USCIRF Commissioner please contact Samantha Schnitzer at sschnitzer@uscirf.gov or (202) 786-0613.
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