Ginbot7 weekly Press-release 20130214

Human Rights Watch World Report 2013 – Ethiopia

Ethiopia

Source: Human Rights Watch World Report 2013,  pp  114-120

The sudden death in August 2012 of Ethiopia’s long-serving and powerful prime minister, Meles Zenawi, provoked uncertainty over the country’s political transition, both domestically and among Ethiopia’s international partners. Ethiopia’s human rights record has sharply deteriorated, especially over the past few years, and although a new prime minister, Hailemariam Desalegn, took office in September, it remains to be seen whether the government under his leadership will undertake human rights reforms.

Ethiopian authorities continued to severely restrict basic rights of freedom of expression, association, and assembly in 2012. Thirty journalists and opposition members were convicted under the country’s vague Anti-Terrorism Proclamation of 2009.The security forces responded to protests by the Muslim community in Oromia and Addis Ababa, the capital, with arbitrary arrests, detentions, and beatings.

The Ethiopian government continues to implement its “villagization” program: the resettlement of 1.5 million rural villagers in five regions of Ethiopia ostensibly to increase their access to basic services. Many villagers in Gambella region have been forcibly displaced, causing considerable hardship. The government is also forcibly displacing indigenous pastoral communities in Ethiopia’s Lower Omo Valley to make way for state-run sugar plantations.

Freedom of Expression, Association, and Assembly

Since the promulgation in 2009 of the Charities and Societies Proclamation (CSO Law), which regulates nongovernmental organizations, and the AntiTerrorism Proclamation, freedom of expression, assembly, and association have been increasingly restricted in Ethiopia. The effect of these two laws, coupled with the government’s widespread and persistent harassment, threats, and intimidation of civil society activists, journalists, and others who comment on sensitive issues or express views critical of government policy, has been severe.  Ethiopia’s most important human rights groups have been compelled to dramatically scale-down operations or remove human rights activities from their man dates, and an unknown number of organizations have closed entirely. Several of the country’s most experienced and reputable human rights activists have fled the country due to threats. The environment is equally hostile for independent media: more journalists have fled Ethiopia than any other country in the world due to threats and intimidation in the last decade—at least 79, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).

The Anti-Terrorism Proclamation is being used to target perceived opponents, stifle dissent, and silence journalists. In 2012, 30 political activists, opposition party members, and journalists were convicted on vaguely defined terrorism offenses. Eleven journalists have been convicted under the law since 2011.

On January 26, a court in Addis Ababa sentenced both deputy editor Woubshet Taye and columnist Reeyot Alemu of the now-defunct weekly Awramaba Times to 14 years in prison. Reeyot’s sentence was later reduced to five years upon
appeal and most of the charges were dropped.

On July 13, veteran journalist and blogger Eskinder Nega, who won the prestigious PEN America Freedom to Write Award in April, was sentenced to 18 years in prison along with other journalists, opposition party members, and political
activists. Exiled journalists Abiye Teklemariam and Mesfin Negash were sentenced to eight years each in absentia under a provision of the Anti-Terrorism Law that has so far only been used against journalists. Andualem Arage, a member of the registered opposition party Unity for Democracy and Justice (UDJ), was sentenced to life for espionage, “disrupting the constitutional order,” and recruitment and training to commit terrorist acts.

In September, the Ethiopian Federal High Court ordered the property of Eskinder Nega, exiled journalist Abebe Belew, and opposition member Andualem Arage to be confiscated.

On July 20, after the government claimed that reports by the newspaper Feteh on Muslim protests and the prime minister’s health would endanger national security, it seized the entire print run of the paper. On August 24, Feteh’s editor, Temesghen Desalegn was arrested and denied bail. He was released on August 28, and all the charges were withdrawn pending further investigation.

Police on July 20 raided the home of journalist Yesuf Getachew, editor-in-chief of the popular Muslim magazine Yemuslimoche Guday (Muslim Affairs), and arrested him that night. The magazine has not been published since, and at this writing, Yesuf remained in detention.

On December 27, 2011, two Swedish journalists, Martin Schibbye and Johan Persson, were found guilty of supporting a terrorist organization after being arrested while traveling in eastern Ethiopia with the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF), an outlawed armed insurgent group. They were also convicted of entering the country illegally. The court sentenced them to 11 years in prison. On September 10, they were pardoned and released along with more than 1,950 other prisoners as part of Ethiopia’s annual tradition of amnesty to celebrate the Ethiopian New Year.

On several occasions in July, federal police used excessive force, including beatings, to disperse largely Muslim protesters opposing the government’s interference with the country’s Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs. On July 13, police forcibly entered the Awalia mosque in Addis Ababa, smashing windows and firing tear gas inside the mosque. On July 21, they forcibly broke up a sit-in at the mosque. From July 19 to 21, dozens of people were rounded up and 17 prominent leaders were held without charge for over a week. Many of the detainees complained of mistreatment in detention.

Forced Displacement

The Ethiopian government plans to relocate up to 1.5 million people under its “villagization” program, purportedly designed to improve access to basic services by moving people to new villages in Ethiopia’s five lowland regions: Gambella, Benishangul-Gumuz, Afar, Southern Nations Nationalities and Peoples’ Region (SNNPR), and Somali Region.

In Gambella and in the South Omo Valley, forced displacement is taking place without adequate consultation and compensation. In Gambella, Human Rights Watch found that relocations were often forced and that villagers were being moved from fertile to unfertile areas. People sent to the new villages frequently have to clear the land and build their own huts under military supervision, while the promised services (schools, clinics, water pumps) often have not been put in place.

In South Omo, around 200,000 indigenous peoples are being relocated and their land expropriated to make way for state-run sugar plantations. Residents reported being moved by force, seeing their grazing lands flooded or ploughed up, and their access to the Omo River, essential for their survival and way of life, curtailed.

Extrajudicial Executions, Torture and other Abuses in Detention

An Ethiopian government-backed paramilitary force known as the “Liyu Police” executed at least 10 men who were in their custody and killed 9 other villagers in Ethiopia’s Somali Region on March 16 and 17 following a confrontation over an incident in Raqda village, Gashaamo district.

In April, unknown gunmen attacked a commercial farm owned by the Saudi Star company in Gambella that was close to areas that had suffered a high proportion of abuses during the villagization process. In responding to the attack, Ethiopian soldiers went house to house looking for suspected perpetrators and threatening villagers to disclose the whereabouts of the “rebels.” The military arbitrarily arrested many young men and committed torture, rape, and other abuses against scores of villagers while attempting to extract information.

Human Rights Watch continues to document torture at the federal police investigation center known as Maekelawi in Addis Ababa, as well as at regional detention centers and military barracks in Somali Region, Oromia, and Gambella. There is erratic access to legal counsel and insufficient respect for other due process guarantees during detention, pre-trial detention, and trial phases of politically sensitive cases, placing detainees at risk of abuse.

Treatment of Ethiopian Migrant Domestic Workers

The videotaped beating and subsequent suicide on March 14 of Alem Dechasa Desisa, an Ethiopian domestic worker in Lebanon, brought increased scrutiny to the plight of tens of thousands of Ethiopian women working in the Middle East.

Many migrant domestic workers incur heavy debts and face recruitment-related abuses in Ethiopia prior to employment abroad, where they risk a wide range of abuses from long hours of work to slavery-like conditions (see chapters on the
United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Lebanon).

Key International Actors

Under Meles Zenawi’s leadership, Ethiopia played an important role in regional affairs: deploying UN peacekeepers to Sudan’s disputed Abyei area, mediating between Sudan and South Sudan, and sending troops into Somalia as part of the international effort to combat al-Shabaab. Ethiopia’s relations with its neighbor Eritrea remain poor following the costly border war of 1998-2000. Eritrea accepted the ruling of an independent boundary commission that awarded it disputed territory; Ethiopia did not.  Ethiopia is an important strategic and security ally for Western governments, and the biggest recipient of development aid in Africa. It now receives approximately US$3.5 billion in long-term development assistance each year. Donor policies do not appear to have been significantly affected by the deteriorating  human rights situation in the country.

The World Bank approved a new Country Partnership Strategy in September that takes little account of the human rights or good governance principles that it and other development agencies say are essential for sustainable development. It also approved a third phase of the Protection of Basic Services program (PBS III) without triggering safeguards on involuntary resettlement and indigenous peoples.

Source: Human Rights Watch World Report 2013,  pp 114-120

Patriots in Norway accord activist Tamagne Beyene a hero's welcome!

Ethiomedia; February 13, 2013

OSLO - Human rights activist Tamagne Beyene was accorded a hero's welcome upon his arrival in  Norway. The crowd that was waiting for the arrival of the prominent activist created a microcosm of Ethiopia by deploying representatives of Christians and Muslims, flag-hoisting men-in-uniform, and those graceful in patriotic regalia. 

Tamagne was on a fundraising European tour. Watching the video shows how much Ethiopian patriotism - if patriotism is love for ones own country and people - is much alive across Ethiopian communities in the Diaspora.

ESAT Weekly News 9 February 2013 Ethiopia

Tamagne Yet Ale

Ethiopian Golden  artist and activist Tamagn Beyene.

God be with you!!

ESAT Daily News Amsterdam 07 February 2013 Ethiopia

Ethiopia: TPLF agent who made terrorist threats exposed

Must Listen

Letter from Ethiopia: Regarding The Case Against Eskinder Nega

Tadias Magazine
Editorial

Published: Friday, February 1, 2013

New York (TADIAS) – Fairness, justice, forgiveness, equality before the law, and deference for the sanctity of life and human dignity are not foreign concepts to the diverse nationalities, cultures and religions that make up the modern Ethiopian mosaic, but it is not encouraging to see the legal language justifying the continued imprisonment of a number of Ethiopian journalists on the grounds that the nation’s current administration of justice meets international standards.

In a recent paper entitled Information on the Allegations Concerning the Arbitrary Detention of Mr. Eskinder Nega, Ethiopian legal experts wrote a 19-page response to the 16 members of the European Parliament who urged Prime Minster Hailemariam Desalegn back in December to consider the release of the imprisoned journalist Eskinder Nega. In the document, shared with Tadias, Ethiopian officials explain to the European MPs that their actions are anchored in international law.

“The trial process of Mr. Eskinder Nega demonstrates that due process guarantees were ensured in keeping with domestic legislations and international standards as enshrined in the ICCPR and other relevant human rights instruments to which Ethiopia is a party,” the document said. “International human rights law does not prohibit prosecution of members of terrorist organisations or those who support cooperate and assist terrorism by any means. Rather, it prohibits any form of discrimination and impunity of prosecution.”

This is open to interpretation, however, and it is apparently constitutional to brand citizens as terrorists for their critical views and subject them to arbitrary arrest and detention. It is illegal for writers, journalists, columnist, bloggers, and others with opposing perspectives to share unapproved observations with any audience if it touches upon subjects decrying abuses of power and corruption.

“The Constitution of Ethiopia strictly prohibits deprivation of rights or liberty without due process of law except on such grounds and in accordance with clearly established law,” the text continued. “This has been witnessed during the trial process of Mr. Eskinder Nega.”

The legal brief includes a twenty-six point argument covering topics including background of the case and pretrial detention, the charge brought against the defendant, the trial, observance of the right to legal counsel, as well as the accused’s right to visitations, and the appeals process in which Eskinder was actively involved.

In its opening paragraph the brief also highlights the individual freedoms and rights enshrined in the Ethiopian constitution. “No one can be deprived of his liberty for exercising his freedom of expression or being a critique of the Government,” it declared.

“Ethiopia is a country governed by of rule of law. All persons are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to the equal protection of the law.”

Then why are Reeyot Alemu, Eskinder Nega, Wubishet Taye and others languishing in jail separated from their families and friends? Why are they not able to practice journalism?

The brief also argues that in Eskinder’s case he was charged for conspiring to cause violence in collaboration with an illegal organization, noting that “Mr. Eskinder Nega was found guilty by court of law for involvement in a conspiracy to commit a crime of terrorism as an accomplice with a clandestine and terrorist organization named Ginbot 7 which has publically declared its intention to overthrow the democratically elected Government of Ethiopia through assassination of government officials, destroying public property, destabilizing peace and constitutional order of Ethiopia.”

“The Federal Prosecutor, after meticulously investigating Mr. Eskinder Nega’s participation in terrorism and ensuring the presence of ample evidence, requested the Federal First Instance Court in Addis Ababa for an arrest and search warrant.”

The document added: “Cognizant of its responsibility not to arrest, search or seize a person’s property contrary to the law, police arrested the defendant, searched and seized the relevant property of evidentiary significance after securing arrest and search warrant from the Federal First Instance Court. His house was searched and relevant evidences found were seized by court warrant issued by the Federal Court in accordance with article 26 (3) of the Constitution and article 19 of the Ethiopian Anti-Terrorism Proclamation. The defendant promptly brought before a court of law within 48 hours in accordance with article 14(3)(c) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and article 19 and 20(1) of the FDRE Constitution and tried without undue delay.”

The legal brief makes no mention of Ethiopia’s tradition of pardoning prisoners, most recently approved by the late Prime Minister Meles Zenawi before he passed away on August 20th, 2012, which freed over 1,900 inmates including two Swedish journalists — reporter Martin Schibbye and photographer Johan Persson — who were jailed for assisting members of the outlawed rebel group the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF).

As always, we remain hopeful that there is a light at the end of the tunnel for the Ethiopian journalists still incarcerated. And once more, we call upon PM Hailemariam Desalegn who was recently elected as the new chairman of the African Union to lead the AU by example by helping to remove his country from the list of Africa’s top jailers of journalists — a distinction Ethiopia currently shares along with Eritrea as the only two African countries spotlighted as the world’s top ten leading press offenders.

ESAT Daily News Amsterdam 01 February 2013 Ethiopia

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 Ethiopian News Amsterdam Feb 01, 2013

Indian, Ethiopian activists against land grabbing meet in New Delhi

Lagos, Nigeria – The Indian Social Action Forum (INSAF) and the Oakland Institute in the US will convene a day-long summit on 6 February at the India International Centre, New Delhi, bringing together activists resisting land grabs across India and Ethiopia.

In a press statement, received here Thursday by PANA, organizers said the meeting will be a ground-breaking opportunity for dialogue between Ethiopian small farmers and land rights activists and their Indian counterparts, providing space for those directly affected by land grabs to share their experiences, suffering, and collectively strategise to challenge institutional and corporate land grabbers.

In recent years, India has seen a massive transfer of land and natural resources from the rural poor to wealthy investors, the statement said, adding ‘And the country has become a leader in external land-grabbing as well.

‘Indian companies are the second largest investors in the Ethiopian economy, with approved investments worth nearly US$ 5 billion and land lease agreements for over 600,000 hectares across Ethiopia.

The deals have been facilitated by the Indian government, which supports merger and acquisition purchases of existing firms, public-private partnerships, and recently granted EXIM Bank’s largest single line of credit (US$ 640 million) to Ethiopia.

Ethiopia has been the focus of aggressive foreign agricultural investment, leasing out nearly 3.6 million hectares of land for commercial farm ventures from 2008-2010.

This investment corresponds with widespread human rights violations. Most egregiously, the Ethiopian government’s villagization programme will displace 1.5 million people by 2013 — with the five administrative regions that have the largest share of foreign investment the hardest hit.

The forced relocation of hundreds of thousands of indigenous people from their lands to make room for foreign investors has destroyed livelihoods and rendered small-scale farmers and pastoralist communities fearful of their own survival, as rapes and killings involving security forces have been reported in Lower Omo and Gambela regions.

Against this backdrop, the civil society summit aims to unify struggles across continents and amplify the voices of those impacted, thus lifting the demand for land rights and dignified livelihoods to a new level.

The Oakland Institute is an independent policy think tank whose mission is to increase public  participation and promote fair debate on critical social, economic and environmental issues.

Sorce: AfriqueJet Actualité Afrique

Hitler's Reaction To Walia losing

Internet in Ethiopia

Ethiopia has the second lowest Internet penetration rate in sub-Saharan Africa (only Sierra Leone’s is lower) and is currently attempting a broad expansion of access throughout the country. These efforts have been hampered by the largely rural makeup of the Ethiopian population and the government’s refusal to permit any privatization of the telecommunications market. Only 360,000 people had Internet access in 2008, a penetration rate of 0.4%. The state-owned Ethiopian Telecommunications Corporation (ETC) is the sole Internet service provider (ISP) in the country. Internet cafés are the main source of access in urban areas, and an active community of bloggers and online journalists now plays an important role in offering alternative news sources and venues for political dialogue. However, three-quarters of the country’s Internet cafés are in the capital city, Addis Ababa, and even there access is often slow and unreliable. A test conducted by a Media Ethiopia researcher in July 2007 determined that the average connectivity speed was 5 kBps and that Internet service in most cafés was unavailable between 10 and 20 percent of the time.

In 2005, Ethiopia announced plans to spend hundreds of millions of dollars over the next three years to connect all of the country’s schools, hospitals, and government offices, and most of its rural population, to broadband Internet via satellite or fiber-optic cable. Between 2005 and 2007, the government spent US$40 million to install Woreda NET and School NET, two nationwide networks meant to increase connectivity. Woreda NET provides e-mail, videoconferencing and voice-over-Internet Protocol (VoIP) services to local governments, and School Net provides streaming audio and video through a downlink-only VSAT (Very Small Aperture Terminal) satellite. The government has pledged to dedicate 10% of its annual budget to the development and maintenance of these networks, which are managed by the government-run Ethiopian ICT Development Authority (EICTDA).

Ethiopia has made several attempts to increase available broadband by laying 4,000 kilometers of fiber optic cable along the country’s major highways, by making overtures to the East African Submarine Cable System (EASSy) and by connecting Addis Ababa to existing fiber optic networks in Port Sudan and Djibouti. These ventures have had mixed success. The domestic network is not yet operational, though the government has promised to lay 10,000 more kilometers of cable by 2010. Once the cable has been laid, Ethiopia will consider opening the network to a second, private operator. EASSy has been delayed multiple times by disagreements among the member countries (though at the time of writing it was scheduled to be completed by June 2010), and the line to Djibouti was sabotaged and looted, allegedly by ONLF and OLF rebels, shortly after its completion in 2006.

Currently satellite Internet is available to some large corporations, but individuals are not permitted to have private satellite connections. The ETC also bans the use of VoIP in Internet cafés and by the general population, though its web site lists VoIP as part of the company's future broadband strategy.

In June 2012, the number of Internet users had increased to 960,331, or a 1.1% penetration rate.

Regulation and ISPs

The ETC and the Ethiopian Telecommunication Agency (ETA) have exclusive control of Internet access throughout the country. The ETA is not an independent regulatory body, and its staff and telecommunications policies are controlled by the national government. It grants the ETC a monopoly license as Ethiopia’s sole ISP and seller of domain names under the country code top-level domain, ".et". Internet cafés and other resellers of Internet services must be licensed by the ETA and must purchase their access through the ETC. Individual purchasers must also apply for Internet connections through the ETC. Though Ethiopia has considered some limited privatization of the telecommunications market, these plans are on hold until at least 2010 despite acknowledgments that the ETC has not been an effective service provider.
Censorship

The Ethiopian government maintains strict control over access to the Internet and online media, despite constitutional guarantees of freedom of the press and free access to information. Open Net Initiative (ONI) conducted testing on Ethiopia’s sole ISP, the ETC, in 2008 and 2009. The ETC's blocking efforts appear to focus on independent media, blogs, and political reform and human rights sites, though the filtering is not very thorough. Many prominent sites that are critical of the Ethiopian government remain available within the country. Ethiopia’s current approach to filtering can be somewhat spotty, with the exception of the blanket block on two major blog hosts. Much of the banned political and human rights–related content is available at sites that are not blocked. The authors of the blocked blogs have in many cases continued to write for an international audience, apparently without sanction.

The prime target of Ethiopia's filtering is political bloggers, many of whom oppose the current regime. Ethiopia blocks all blogs hosted at blogspot.com and at nazret.com, a site that aggregates Ethiopian news and has space for blogs and forums. Though many of the filtered Nazret blogs are critical of the government, the scope of the filtering is wide. Blocked Blogspot sites include Ethiopian and international commentators on politics and culture, including popular blogs EthioPundit and Enset.

Web sites of opposition political parties appear to be a priority for blocking, as are sites for groups that represent ethnic minorities within Ethiopia.

Many independent news sites covering Ethiopian politics or compiling international and local coverage are blocked, including CyberEthiopia, EthioMedia, EthioX, and EthioIndex. But some media sites carrying news and editorials that are unfavorable to the Ethiopian government are available, including Addis Voice and Ethiopian Review. International news sites such as CNN and Voice of America radio are not blocked.

Sites about some political dissidents are blocked, though information about them is available via a number of human rights Web sites that are not blocked, including Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and various Ethiopian-focused rights groups. Reporters without Borders, which has chronicled Ethiopian Internet filtering on its Web site .rsf.org), is not banned.

Major search engines, including Google, Yahoo, MSN, and others, were available in Ethiopia, and no e-mail sites have been blocked. Though VoIP has been banned within the country, sites offering that service, such as Skype, were not filtered. (Note: as of December 2010 the Skype home page and most pages including even a reference to Skype are not accessible through Internet Explorer, even at times when the network is operating at normal capacity, indicating that some sort of block is in place.) The ETC did not block censorship circumvention tools such as anonymizer.com, and Internet users within Ethiopia appear to have found alternative means of accessing banned sites.
Surveillance

In late December 2006, the ETA began requiring Internet cafés to log the names and addresses of individual customers, apparently as part of an effort to track users who engaged in illegal activities online. The lists are to be turned over to the police, and Internet café owners who fail to register users face prison. Bloggers believe that their communications are being monitored, and the state maintains the right to shut down Internet access for resellers or customers who do not comply with security guidelines. The government has closed Internet cafés in the past for offering VoIP services and for other policy violations.


From: wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

ESAT Tikuret Ethiopia Interview With Aba Amehaeyesus Ethiopia

አባ አምሃ እየሱስ ማብራርያ በኢሳት ትኩረት ዝግጅት ስለ የወያኔ መጫወቻ ስለሆነችው የኦርቶዶስ ሃይማኖታችን ሲኖዶስ ያብራሩት ማብራሪያ በውነት ወድጄዋለው፥፥ 

በአሁኑ ግዜ በኢትዮጵያችን ውስጥ ያሉት የሃይማኖት አባት ተብዬዎቻችን ከነፍሳቸው ይልቅ ለስጋቸው፥ ከኢትዮጵያ ህዝብ ይልቅ ወያኔዎችን ማገልገል ሥራዬ ብለው ይዘውታል፥፥

ብቻ ምን አለፋችው ሳያቁት ቀርተው ሳይሆን እያወቁ፥ ለሆዳቸው ስለተገዙ ብቻ ሃይማኖታችንን እና አገራችንን እያፈራረሱ ይገኛሉ፥፥

ወራዳ ሁላ፥

TPLF and the Culture of Violence

by Yilma Bekele

According to ESAT the FBI has foiled an attempt by the Ethiopian government to assassinate Ato Abebe Gelaw. Goosh Abera and his accomplices are under custody. Please note here I said the Ethiopian government since there seems to be no thin line between the TPLF party and the government. Why am I not surprised? I am not surprised because for the TPLF violence is sanctioned by the party leaders as a legitimate tool to achieve political, economic and military dominance.

The following weeks as we look closely at Goosh Abera and his criminal friends and the FBI presents a psychological profile of the alleged conspirators we are sure to find out certain telltale signs about TPLF and their bizarre psychopathic behavior. Individuals like Goosh are most probably equipped with basic rudimentary education if any and survive by their wit and ethnic fueled bravado. In Ethiopia they are known for carrying weapons conspicuously, brandishing them at will and revealing in their thuggish behavior. They are the kind that administers summary judgment on street corners, bars and clubs.

How was TPLF Chairman, the recently departed Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi able to achieve this goal in Ethiopia? The simple truth is by using violence to silence, intimidate, and eliminate his and the party’s actual or perceived enemies using any means necessary.  You do not need to be a Sherlock Holmes to detect this pungent smell of gun powder around most Woyanes.

Mengistu Hailemariam prepared the perfect ground for TPLF to flourish. He has already disarmed the population, delegitimized the family system and used the lowest denominators to be in charge of the Kebeles. TPLF inherited a demoralized, confused and tired population to mold in its own image.

The first target of this terrorist organization was the educated citizen. The University was stripped of its most experienced and independent thinkers. By ’94 the University was a former ghost of itself. The political system was dealt in a harsh way. Professor Asrat was murdered in the most inhumane way possible. Teachers President Assefa Maru was shot against a wall execution style. Masses of independent publication owners, editors and reporters were brutally beaten, murdered, bankrupted, intimidated, exiled or killed even in exile. Bank employees were fired in masse, telecommunication workers were discarded teachers and their unions were digested even Chamber of Commerce was not immune from TPLF take over. One thread common to all is that none of them were acquired peacefully. Violence was the main calling card of the TPLF.

Every opportunity he got the sick dictator used to trash our country and our history and every opportunity they got his security department used to bully, intimidate and made to cower with fear. My dear fellow citizens, you know there is nothing new in what I am telling you. Some have witnessed it, plenty have experienced it and a vast majority would try not to think about it. The shame is unbearable.

One thing about TPLF is it is not a behind the curtain type of organization. It practically advertises every hit and all illegal acts. They use their criminal action to send a clear message to the citizen. That is why they insist that all are aware and versed on their mode of operation. They use their Television news, their newspapers and radio to send warning messages before they take action. When the unthinkable happens some are heard to say ‘he/she was warned but refused to listen-they deserve it!”  You see the victim assumes the blame.

They have been systematically killing any and all emerging Ethiopians. They have goon squads that go around intimidating anybody they perceive to be a challenge. They use beating and flogging opponents to shame them in front of family, friends and a whole village. They use blackmail as a tool. They use the law to break the law. Meles used to amend the Constitution in a weekend. Even the Constitution is not worth any respect. Once you trash the Constitution what is on your way?

That is what the FBI s telling us. Their dirty deeds have arrived in America. Under Meles they were content in infiltrating our organizations such as Political Party support groups, Eders, Churches, Sport organization and disrupting from the inside. There is no Organization in North America that has not been a victim of TPLF insider disruption. They are crafty, relentless and completely understand our frame of mind. They exploit our ignorance, selfishness and greed to keep us in a daze.

The new TPLF leaders are a little bit reckless. I understand that too. It comes out of desperation. The group is under tremendous pressure. The late dictator I am afraid was a very selfish person. The sun revolved around him. When he left the light went dim. I do not think any social or military organization can take credit for the current upheaval. In my humble opinion the stink is coming from inside. I agree things are getting ripe on the outside and that could intensify the pressure inside the TPLF bowl. I am afraid the last CEO did not really care to what came after him. He was too busy surviving from day to day in this shark infested pond that he did not have the time and luxury to bother with outcome. He left an army with too many generals.  Here in America there is a saying ‘all chiefs and no Indians.’ Debretsion, Bereket, Sebhat, Gebru, Abbay and a bunch of tin pot Generals are on their own trying to carve the biggest pie for themselves.

This desperate act of attempt to assassinate Ato Abebe here in the US is the work of a mad man. If the group was trying to send a message about the long arm of TPLF it is a very stupid and crazy gesture. We have been complaining about their disruptive activities in our midst but this mission of trying to kill is a little concerning. There is no question the FBI will get to the bottom of this incident. It should be treated as act of terrorism by a government and investigated to the full extent of the law and let the chips fall where they may.

I am sure the alleged conspirator will name names and tell us who gave the order for such criminal act. I doubt one individual will take it upon himself to take such mission. The Ethiopian Government under Dictator Meles routinely used to kill, rough up and intimidate its opponents in the African countries they are exiled to. The new guys are a little daring. Prime Minister Debretsion and security chief Workeneh Gebehu Should be interviewed about the work of their agents and made to take responsibility for their actions. We hope the US government will take the necessary action of baring all Ethiopian Government officials and family members from entering the country before everything is known about this conspiracy to commit crime in the US. We should demand the US government protect us from the monsters they have been coddling.

This definitely is not their first time committing crime here in the US. They have been using every legal and illegal means to harass, bankrupt and shut down Ethiopian Review Web site. They have employed what is known as denial of service attacks (DDoS Attack) to block ER and various Web sites, they have hired attorneys to intimidate ER publisher and are present in every of our Churches sawing dissent and negativity.

As Ethiopians in exile we should take the actions of these criminals seriously. It is true there is no criminal without the victim. Sometimes it is unfortunate things happen but you really can’t leave your door open and cry about being robbed do you? It is time we accept responsibility. The Ethiopian people that are facing the brunt of TPLF abuse should wake up and face their coward enemies. By now it should be clear silence is not the answer. The one year anniversary by our Muslim citizens is clear indication the regime does not listen to reason. The steadfastness of our Muslim brethren should be applauded and emulated by the rest of us. The call by our Orthodox church in exile for every one of us to safeguard our religion and our country is a timely reminder.

The fact that we have muscle now is a very empowering feeling. The cooperation between Ginbot7, Afar Front, anti Woyane activists in Tigrai, OLF, Patriotic Front and the formation of Ginbo7 Forces is the right direction considering the nature of TPLF. As I said before leveling the playing field is called for. That is one small step for our Fronts and one giant step for Ethiopia.

As for the Diaspora it is time we stop enriching the coffers of the evil regime. Any kind of involvement in their Ponzi scheme adds one day more to their life. As there is no little pregnancy there is no such thing as a little investment. It has to be a clean and complete break. This Abesha way of qualifying our illegal act is not good for our future. Your selfish action is hurting us and we ask you stop it. It is like MLK said ‘In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.’  It is something to think about.

We feel the pain and hurt of our friend Abebe and his family. He has never threatened those that have hounded him and his family from his beloved homeland. His only weapon is his pen and pencil and the power of reason to resolve contradictions. Exiling him was not enough. Now they want to kill him in cold blood. That is the only language they speak. They have killed so many but they are unable to understand their violence has not resolved any of the outstanding issues. Don’t they see it? Don’t they know there are a lot more Abebes as there were plenty of Asrats, Assefas, Eskindirs, Reyots? When is this madness going to stop? When is our country going to be a citadel of peace and harmony instead of a poster child for famine and civil war?

You know what no one gives you your freedom. You have to snatch it from those that want to make you their slave. No oppressor has ever said enough, I am going to leave you alone here go in peace. No, every oppressor faced by human kind was compelled to relinquish power by force. Not reason but force. The French revolution, the American revolution, the Russian revolution, the Chinese revolution, the South African revolution are all examples of the citizens taking matters into his hands and forcing the oppressor to step aside. Woyane dogs are not going to wake up one morning and pack and leave. You and I have to push them out. That is the only proven way. Anything else invites more abuse.

source: http://ecadforum.com/2013/01/11/tplf-and-the-culture-of-violence/

Why should Ethiopians support ESAT? Mr. Tamagne’s Europe campaign tour

ESAT Europe Support Committee

Background information and Statement of the problem

In spite of Ethiopia’s long history and the fact that the nation is one of the ancient civilizations, the country is being ruled by absolute dictatorship which evolved to ethnic based totalitarianism under TPLF/EPRDF administration. Particularly in the aftermaths of the 2005 Ethiopian national elections, the regime developed a strategy of steadily shrinking press freedom and systematically eliminating independent newspapers in an attempt to rule the people of Ethiopia in total darkness.  Among the enacted three deeply flawed laws by Zenawi’s regime is the media law. The law contained numerous provisions that fundamentally violets freedom and human rights guaranteed under Ethiopia’s constitution and international laws – aimed at terrorizing journalists that report facts and criticize the intolerable TPLF policies. Escalating its repression the regime’s antiterrorism proclamation (ATP) of the 2009 has been widely used to criminalize any critical comments and dissent opposition in an attempt for an absolute grip over the media and to root out the seedlings of democracy. Pro-opposition websites has been blocked and jamming of websites and Medias including VOA and ESAT is frequent and is widely acknowledged by international organizations as stated underneath.

Reporter without boarders stated that Ethiopia’s press freedom is worsening; newspapers and journalists are under constant trait. It also stated that Ethiopia has joined the list of sub-Saharan countries that are keeping a close eye on the media and trying to control or influence editorial policies. Due to the regime’s increasing intolerance, it has been doing everything it can to stifle the critical impulses of journalists and to make life difficult for the private media. “The government is trying to suffocate the media”. In its statement the France-based international non-governmental organization urged the Ethiopian government to stop creating climate of fear against media professionals.

Freedom House (an independent watchdog organization that supports democratic change, monitors the status of freedom around the world, and advocates for democracy and human rights) stated in 2011 authoritarian regimes in various parts of the world censored news of the Arab uprisings fearing domestic unrest. Governments of various countries in Africa and the Middle East employed techniques ranging from information blackouts in the state media to sophisticated internet and text-message filtering. Ethiopia is among those nations which experienced substantial deterioration of press freedom in 2011 and independent media’s continued to face challenges. In its assessment Ethiopia score significant decline and is not free. Freedom on the net status measures countries level of internet and digital media freedom with numerical score from 0 the most free to 100 the least free.

In its 2012 report Freedom House stated Ethiopia received a numerical value of 75 (freedom on the net total) and Ethiopia is in category of not free (freedom on the net status). In its assessment it indicated that Ethiopia is among those not free countries where the government blocks large number of politically relevant websites and the state invested significant resources in technical capacity and manpower to identify content for blocking. It also indicated that such governments (not free countries) employ a range of tactics to curb internet freedom – including imposing pressure on bloggers, arresting users who post political comments that are critical of the authorities and use blocking and filtering as key tool for limiting free expression. Moreover concerned with the power of new technologies to catalyze political change Ethiopia is among the authoritarian states that have taken various measures to filter, monitor, or otherwise obstruct free speech online (Freedom House 2012 report).

According to the African Federation of Journalists, many African countries have accelerated their abuse and imprisonment of journalists and Eastern Africa is the worst affected. In its assessment it stated that Ethiopia is sliding in treatment of reporters and imprisoning journalists on anti-terrorism charges. In its report African Federation of Journalists highlighted the case of Eskinder Nega – renowned journalist who is among Ethiopian journalists imprisoned on anti-terrorism charges for criticizing of the EPRDF regime following Arab uprisings. Moreover an open letter by international journalists to the TPLF/EPRDF foreign minister highlights broader abuses: “Ethiopia’s history of harassing, exiling and detaining both domestic and foreign reporters has been well-documented. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists Ethiopia is the second-leading jailer of journalists in Africa. Over the past decade, 79 Ethiopian reporters have fled into exile, the most of any country in the world, according to CPJ data. A number of these have worked as stringers for international news agencies. Additionally, since 2006, the regime has detained or expelled foreign correspondents from the Associated Press, the New York Times, the Daily Telegraph, Bloomberg News, the Christian Science Monitor, the Voice of America, and the Washington Post.

Justification on the exceptional role of ESAT and the intended EU campaign

·         Role, guiding principle and objective of ESAT

In today’s Ethiopia there is one national TV, one national radio, one national daily, one English daily, one internet service provider and one telecom all under strict control of the dictatorial TPLF/EPRDF regime. The state-run media is solely focused on crude propaganda and shuts out critical views. As a result of this Ethiopians have been hungry of a media outlet that report facts and provide accurate analysis established for and by Ethiopians thus is accountable to the people. Realizing the complex challenge free press experiencing in our country and the inexorable aspiration of Ethiopian people for free media, Ethiopians founded the Ethiopian Satellite Television (ESAT) in 2010; and also established international support chapters all over the world. ESAT aspires to fill the gap so that the Ethiopian people will have unrestricted access to information, diverse viewpoints and perspectives.

The guiding principle in establishment and broadcasting of ESAT, the first independent Ethiopian satellite service, fully concur with Article 19 of the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights that “everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.”  To this end since its establishment ESAT is tasked to produce accurate and balanced news and information, as well as other entertainment, created for and by Ethiopians. It is committed to the highest standards of broadcast journalism and programming and will strive to provide an outlet of expression to all segments of the diverse Ethiopian community worldwide. Particularly it subscribes to the central principles of professional journalists that “public enlightenment is the forerunner of justice and the foundation of democracy.”  (http://ethsat.com/editorial-policy/)  ESAT believes that a well-functioning independent press is an essential element of a democratic system by exposing corruption, abuse of power, mismanagement and embezzlement of public resources. ESAT also believes that without free access to information and ideas, citizens are unable to participate meaningfully in the political system by exercising their right to vote or by taking part in the efforts to shape the process of public policy and decision making (http://ethsat.com/about-us/).

The primary objective of ESAT is therefore to provide free access to information for the people of Ethiopia (http://ethsat.com/about-us/).

·         ESAT fund raising and the scheduled Europe campaign tour

Currently, ESAT relies on the support it receives from individual donors and contributions from the Ethiopian Diaspora. Hence ESAT relies on the contribution of its supporters to stay on air.  Given the fact that successful task of public enlightenment is not usually cheap and rarely works overnight; sustained fundraising campaign is vital.  In any society the journey for democracy requires various instruments of democratization. The appeal of the media either as companion or alternative to other instruments of democratization is obvious. It is cheaper and less dangerous. It is also more effective than the acts of diplomacy in successfully igniting the path for democratization. Moreover in Ethiopia’s oppressive political system ESAT contributes in converting from opponent to democratic point of view or at least encourage rationality- is a possibility – which must appeal to all except the misanthropes. Countering the crude propaganda of the regime’s run media with fact based reporting and analysis do provide the Ethiopian public the data and thus confidence to demand genuine democracy. Free media also helps in protecting the path for democracy, when successfully ignited.

Mr. Tamagne Beyene ESAT Europe tour

Since its establishment ESAT has been striving to raise fund from Ethiopian diaspora all over the world. In this regard the renowned activist and artist Tamagne Beyene has made many successful campaigns all over the world. The scheduled Europe campaign tour by Mr. Tamagne is part of his active and unwavering commitment to see democratic Ethiopia. Particularly his role towards supporting and fund raising for ESAT is remarkable. Subsequent to the 2005 Ethiopian national election the quest for democracy by Ethiopian people, both at home and in the diaspora, has been significantly weakened. To this end ESAT has played momentous role in uplifting the spirit of Ethiopian people, the quest for democracy and unity – in which the role of Mr. Tamagne is again very remarkable.

Expected output and beneficiaries

The planned campaign in seven cities across Europe has several benefits for EAST and Ethiopians both at home and in the diaspora. The tour will not only inspire people who are already ESAT supporters to keep on contributing to this novel case; but also encourages those who felt hopeless to take part towards the common objective for democratizing Ethiopia. In the aftermath of the 2005 election one of the ingredients that significantly depressed many Ethiopians, on the quest of democracy in our country, is lack of strong credible independent Media of our own. The establishment of ESAT successfully voids that gap. The tour by Mr. Tamagne thus promotes democratic sentiment among Ethiopians at home and abroad particularly the diaspora residing in Europe. It contributes towards encouraging Ethiopians to demand human and democratic rights in our country. The planned tour also helps to encourage pessimists of democracy and even fanatic supporters of the regime to question their view and the danger that such exclusionist view has been pausing on our country. In such circumstances countering the crude propaganda of the TPLF regime, which attempts to manipulate and control public opinion, with accurate and fact based reporting urges those fanatic individuals who stood naked and unprotected to comprehend the true side of the story from the independent media ESAT. In this regard the benefits of the tour range from keeping motivated the already subscribed supporters of ESAT to convincing those who have not yet took part in supporting ESAT. Public opinion is essential and the core in the strive for democracy and thus the tour by Mr. Tamagne assists to maintain and enhance the approval rate of ESAT whilst contributing to raise the much needed funding to keep it on the air.

Support ESAT, the voice of the silenced people of Ethiopia!!

ESAT Insight with Gregory Stanton by Skype

ESAT  Interview with pro. . Gregory H. Stanton

President of Genocide Watch