Ethiopian Election is a Farce, Senior Opposition Leaders declare

Ethiopian Election is a Farce, Senior Opposition Leaders declare

Ethiopian Satellite Television and Radio (ESAT) interviewed Dr. Merera Gudina and Dr. Beyene Petros, senior opposition leaders of Medrek coalition [Ethiopian Federal Democratic Unity Forum], about Sunday’s general election in Ethiopia. The opposition party leaders said that the election held on May 24, 2015 was highly flawed; EPRDF, as all authoritarian regimes do, used an extremely coordinated vote-rigging tactics and massive human rights abuse during the Election Day throughout the regions. Dr. Beyene said that the atrocities committed during this election by the regime security forces and cadres had not been observed in the past 24 years. Dr. Merera said that the 2015 “election” is not election per se; it is a vote rigging and stealing in broad daylight and total disrespect of the voting populace.

Massive Human Rights Abuses

It was reported that two Medrek members were killed in Oromia Region. An accredited observer was shot to death by the regime security forces at Mida-kegne Wereda in the vicinity of Ambo, Oromia region of Ethiopia. Another election observer appointed by Medrek was killed at Kofele Wereda at night on the eve of election. In Hadiya Zone, Southern Nations and Nationalities Region (SNNP), Medrek representatives were severely beaten by the EPRDF cadres. Some of those who sustained injuries were reportedly admitted to a Zontal Hospital.

Clear and Pervasive Electoral Fraud and Irregularities

Electoral fraud and irregularities were observed in most polling stations throughout the country. According to Dr. Merera and Dr. Beyene, a fair and free election did not take place on May 25, 2015 in Ethiopia; the regime cadres simply rigged the votes using the federal police and local militia as instruments of coercion, intimidation, and persecution.

There were reports of several incidences that the ballot boxes were stuffed with EPRDF votes on the eve of the election. Observers and witnesses who requested the ballot box to be emptied before the polling begins in the morning were intimidated and beaten. In Hadya, for instance, several people were injured during the clash. Some people were refused treatment at the Zonal clinics.

Moreover, polling agents, counting agents, and accredited observers were all harassed, chased away from the polling stations, intimidated, or were forced to sign that the vote count was free and fair, Dr. Merera and Dr. Beyene disclosed.

At Ambo polling stations where Dr. Merara contested, federal police and local militia took the ballot boxes away; and the whereabouts of the ballot boxes remain unknown. In twenty polling stations, Dr. Merera said Medrek secured majority votes. However, nothing is known how the votes are counted since Medrek representatives and observers are absent due to the massive coercion and intimidation. Accordingly, it is likely that Medrek may lose the constituency it won. Dr. Merera added that only in five or six polling stations the Medrek representative and members were able to stop vote rigging. People at Ambo area said that they would not allow their votes stolen.

The vote rigging and electoral fraud is similar and with a discerned pattern in all other constituencies where Medrek participated. In Sidama, people found ballot boxes in restrooms. In all other constituencies, nothing is known how much votes Medrek had secured, Dr. Merera said. Dr. Beyene Pertros, another the senior leaders of the coalition opposition Medrek, said that the election drama was conducted in a way EPRDF wanted. It did not conform to the laws and regulations of the electoral process. Hence, the election is far from free and fair.

Dr. Merera and Dr. Beyene emphasized that the National Electoral Board of Ethiopia had never been independent. In polling stations that Medrek participated, Federal Police, Special Force, and Militia members campaigned for EPRDF to the extent of intimidating the voters to mark on EPRDF symbol which is a bee. In several instances, the security personnel were seen snatching ballots from voters and told to go home. They rigged the vote at a gun point, Dr. Beyene added.

The veteran opposition political party leaders said that the voters in general and the opposition party members in particular not only underwent ordeals of physical abuse but also received psychological trauma that really hurt citizens more than the physical attack.

The election process was not conducted in accord to the rule of law. However, the ruling party may allow some seats for the opposition members to join the parliament depending on the feelings of the voters, the leaders commented. Medrek leaders said nothing was disclosed so far as how many seats the regime would allow them to secure in the parliament.

Asked about the measures Medrek would take, Dr. Merera said, “Medrek members will discuss and reach to some decision; we will keep on fighting for justice and democracy”

The two senior politicians say that Medrek has traversed a very long way to bring democracy and freedom to the people of Ethiopia peacefully. Dr. Merera and Dr. Beyene said Medrek’s supporters and sympathizers did all they could to bring peaceful change in effect. However, people are met with challenging tasks and are asking what their further actions can be. The veteran politicians called on their supporters in particular and Ethiopian people in general not to feel desperate in their endeavor of waging the struggle peacefully as a means of changing the regime. They joined the struggle against EPRDF in the hope of change the political conditions in the country though the incumbent leadership refusing to allow a meaningful free, fair, and competitive election since and in the aftermath of 2005 election where the EPRDF massively stole the election and declared itself a winner, and where hundreds of protesters were killed, and thousands were imprisoned. The two leaders further called on the fragmented opposition parties to struggle in unison for lasting peace and democracy. Dr. Beyene Petros in particular called on those Ethiopians in the Diaspora to support them in their effort to bring democracy and freedom in Ethiopia.

The absence of both European Union and the United States from observing the electoral process has given the ruling party another incentive to commit massive fraud and vote rigging, Dr. Beyene also said. In 2005 election, the European Union reported that the election held in Ethiopia was flawed; and the government had a degree of restraint from rigging votes on a massive scale as has been the case during the election held this past weekend.

The Charities and Societies Proclamation and Anti-Terrorism Laws introduced after 2005 election were intentionally meant to weaken the participation of NGOs and Journalists in the democratic process, human rights monitoring and advocacy, and observing the electoral process in the country. Unless the Ethiopian regime abrogates this law, it would be difficult for the country to move forward.

The European Union, the United States and other donor organizations need to pressure the Ethiopian government to widen the democratic space. It was dismaying to know the United States’ double standard policy of nurturing dictatorial regimes in the pretext of fighting terrorism, the leaders said. Both Dr. Merera and Dr. Beyene called on US Congress and Senate to put pressure the US Administration to revise its Foreign policy on Ethiopia and put it on the right track, as the Foreign Policy pursued by both current and past US Administrations has helped to increasingly embolden an authoritarian regime to further its repressive acts and tactics to stifle freedom and liberties of the people, thus forcing people to resort to all forms of measures and alternatives for a regime change, which the country cannot afford. An extensive campaign in the US and Europe is needed to create awareness of human rights atrocities in Ethiopia, both leaders have added during the interview.

Coverage of the Election on the International Media

Several international media and organizations reported the Ethiopian National election was not free and fair. The Guardian stated that the election held on May 24, 2015 was marred by harassment claims. Human Rights Watch says the election drama as “the culmination of the government’s five-year strategy of systematically closing down space for political dissent and independent criticism”. Euronews documented rights groups accusations of the ruling Front’s cracking down on critics. The New York Times re-counted Ethiopians’ disillusionment with the ruling party’s tight control over the political sphere, harassment and arbitrary detentions. All Africa depicted how Ethiopians were left in dark in the absence of free press. The Voice of America questioned the credibility of the national election in the absence of western observers. 

ESAT
















 

As Ethiopia votes, what’s ‘free and fair’ got to do with it?

Ethiopia, Washington’s security partner and Africa’s second most populous country, is scheduled to hold national elections on May 24. The ruling Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) and its allied parties won 99.6 percent of the seats in the last round of elections in 2010. There is no doubt that the ruling party will win again.

The party has ruled since 1991 when it seized power following a prolonged civil war. It dominates all major political, economic, and social institutions, has virtually eliminated independent political space, and opposition parties are fractured and harassed. Ethiopia has jailed more journalists than any other country in Africa.

The EPRDF is an extremely strong and effective authoritarian party. Yet Wendy Sherman, the Under Secretary of Political Affairs in the Department of State, recently said, “Ethiopia is a democracy that is moving forward in an election that we expect to be free, fair and credible.” What roles do elections play in authoritarian states and what, if anything, do they have to do with “free, fair, and credible” standards?

Part of the answer is to recognize that elections and political parties in autocratic states play different roles than they do in democratic states. Electoral processes are used by authoritarian regimes to consolidate power and to demonstrate the ruling party’s dominance, as argued by scholars of comparative politics such as Schedler and Gandhi and Lust-Okar. Research byGeddes shows that single-party authoritarian regimes tend to be more stable and last longer than military or personalistic ones. Strong parties manage instability by encouraging intra-elite compromise, co-opting opposition, and institutionalizing incentives to reward loyalty. Elections and strong political parties thereby contribute to “authoritarian resilience,” as scholars note with reference to China, Iran and Syria, and Zimbabwe.

read more:  http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/monkey-cage/wp/2015/05/18/as-ethiopia-votes-whats-free-and-fair-got-to-do-with-it/?postshare=7401431971578174

ከኢትዮጵያ ሳተላይት ቴሌቪዥንና ራዲዮ የተሰጠ መግለጫ
ባለፉት ጥቂት ቀናት ኢሳት በአሞስ ሳተላይት ወደ አየር መመለሱን መግለጻችን ይታወሳል። ይሁን እንጅ በስልጣን ላይ ያለው አገዛዝ ከደሃው ኢትዮጵያዊ የሚሰበስበውን ገንዘብ በመጠቀም በሚያደርገው ተደጋጋሚ የአፈና ሙከራ የኢሳት የአሞስ ስርጭት እንደገና እንዲቋረጥ ተደርጓል። ባለፉት 5 ዓመታት ሲደረግ የነበረው የአፈና ሙከራና የዲፕሎማሲ ዘመቻ ፣ አገዛዙ ኢሳትን ከምንም በላይ የሚፈራው ሃይል መሆኑን የሚያረጋግጥ ነው።
ምንም እንኳ በኢሳት ላይ በሚደርሰው ተደጋጋሚ አፈና የተነሳ ኢትዮጵያውያን ከፍተኛ የገንዘብ ወጪ እንዲያወጡ መገደዳቸው ቢያሳዝነንም፣ የገዢው ፓርቲ ድርጊት ለነጻነታችንና መብታችን መከበር የምናደርገውን ትግል ይበልጥ አጠናክረን እንድንቀጥል የሚያደርገን ነው።
የህዝብ ሃብት የሆነውን ኢሳት በአፈና እስከመጨረሻው ማስቆም አይቻልም፤ ደጋግመን እንደተናገርነው ኢሳትን ለማፈን የሚወጣውን ወጪ የሚመገቡት አጥተው በየጎዳናው ለወደቁት ዜጎች ዳቦ መግዣ ወይም ስራ አጥተው ስደትን እንደመፍትሄ እየወሰዱ በየበረሃው በአሳዛኝ ሁኔታ ህይወታቸውን ለሚያጡ ወጣቶች ስራ መፍጠሪያ በዋለ ነበር። ባለፉት5 አመታት ኢሳትን ለማፈን የወጣው በብዙ ሚሊዮን የሚቆጠር ገንዘብ፣ ብዙ ትምህርት ቤቶችን ፣ ብዙ የጤና ተቋማትን ፣ ብዙ መንገዶችን በመገንባት የዜጎቻችንን ህይወት በመጠኑም ቢሆን ለመለወጥ ያስችል ነበር፤ ሌላው ቢቀር ቢያንስ የመንግስት ሰራተኛው ለአባይ ግድብ በሚል ተገዶ የሚያወጣውን ገንዘብ መሸፈን ይቻል ነበር። ይህን በማድረግም የህዝባችንን ኑሮ ሲኦል ያደረገውን የኑሮ ውድነት በተወሰነ መጠን መቅረፍ ይቻል ነበር።
አገዛዙ ከደሃው ህዝብ የሚሰበስበውን ገንዘብ ለአፈና ማዋሉ አንድቀን በህግ ፊት እንደሚያስጠይቀው ሊያውቀው ይገባል።
ኢሳት የአሞስ ስርጭቱ ቢቋረጥም በሌሎች ሳተላይቶች ተመልሶ ለመውጣት አሁንም ጥረቱን አጠናክሮ ቀጥሎአል፤ ጥረቱ እንደተሳካ መረጃውን ለኢትዮጵያ ህዝብ የሚገልጽ ሲሆን፣ የኢሳት መረጃዎችን አሁንም በናይል ሳት ላይ በሚሰራጨው ሬዲዮ እንዲሁም በፌስቡክና በኢሳት ዌብሳት ላይ መከታተል የምትችሉ መሆኑን ለማስታወስ እንወዳለን።

ኢሳት

Ethiopia is the world’s 15th leading imprisoning nation, says ICPS

In officially known prisons in Ethiopia, International Centre for Prison Studies (ICPS) reports that there are 93,044 prisoners. This puts the country into the 15th leading imprisoning nation in the world.

However, since Ethiopia has so many unknown prisons, often where tortures are routinely practised, the number of prisoners in Ethiopia is very small and misleading.

In Africa, even then Ethiopia ranks the second highest imprisoning nation, after South Africa with its 157, 284 prisoners.

At 2.8 percent, however, Ethiopia ranks 31st in the proportion of its female prisoners relative to the total prison population in Africa. The dubious honor in this, i.e., female prisoners rate has gone to the Central African Republic and Rwanda, at 8.2 percent and 6.4 percent, respectively.

At 14.0 percent, Ethiopia ranks 172nd in the world by the number of its pre-trial detainees.

Based on estimated population of 84.2 million in 2011, the prison population rate is 111 in Ethiopia per 100,000 national population. In world prison population rate, Ethiopia is 135th and 19th in Africa. Leading countries in this rates within national populations are Seychelles, Rwanda and South Africa.

Since 2000, according to the ICPS report, prison population in Ethiopia has been increasing significantly. Between the first year and the second, the increase was 12.0 percent and 19.0 percent, it also rising as the total number reached 112,361 in 2010.

http://ethiopiaobservatory.com/2015/04/03/ethiopia-is-the-worlds-15th-leading-imprisoning-nation-says-icps/ 

The media's the most powerful...

Most Ethiopians believe Ethiopia is being held hostage to the illegitimately-elected authoritarian and ethnic apartheid regime of the TPLF/EPRDF. During the last national election, the regime claimed they won by 99.6%. They are accountable to no one for these figures or for their methods for staying in power; however, a system of spies has been put in place to report opposition activity from the federal level to the neighborhood level. This was in effect during the pre-election period and continues today; essentially eliminating all political space.

Following the election, Human Rights Watch conducted an investigation on the political use of foreign aid and found overwhelming evidence that aid was used to reward party members and the withholding of such things as food, seed, fertilizers, agricultural resources, jobs and education to non-party members was used to punish political dissenters.

There is no question as to the abuse of funds;particularly if one leaves the choreographed sites and staged witnesses the regime is known to produce. For us Ethiopians, these are our family members, community members and friends who provide the substantiation of this report. One needs only to view the absurd results of the election via the make-up of the parliament. The TPLF/EPRDF regime controls all but one of the seats out of 547.

The only newspaper, radio station and TV station are all controlled by the regime. Technology is also controlled. Access to the Internet (0.5%) Ethiopians Want Security is among the lowest in the world; about seven times behind the African average with the government being the only provider; limiting access and closely monitoring use. Internet opposition websites are all blocked. The rate of mobile phone usage (5%) is one of the lowest in Africa; twenty times less than leading African countries and even lower than war-torn Somalia which has not had a government for the last twenty years and is considered a failed state. This is the Ethiopia Wendy Sherman alluded to as a democratic few weeks ago.

Obang

 

ይህ የምትመለከቱት ወጣት መሰረት ሙሌ ይሰኛል፡፡ የወያኔ 24ኛ ክፍለ ጦር 3ኛ ሬጅመንት ወታደሮች ከመተማ ሸዲ አቶ ፈለቀ ከተባለ የ50 ዓመት ጎልማሳ ጋር አፍነው ወደ ሁመራ በመውሰድ ምሽት ላይ ጉድጓድ ካስቆፈሯቸው በኋላ አቶ ፈለቀን ከጉድጓዱ ውስጥ እንዲጋደም አድርገው በሁለት ጥይት ደብድበው ሲረሽኑት መሰረት በደመነብስ ወዳገኘው አቅጣጫ እግሬ አውጭኝ ይላል፡፡ ከዚያም ወታደሮች የእሩምታ ተኩስ ከፍተው የጥይት በረዶ አዘነቡበት፤ እንደዚህ ከሽንጡ፣ ከቀኝ እግሩ ከጭኑና ከባቱ ላይ ባጠቃላይ ከ3 ቦታ በጥይት ተበሳስቶ ከአርበኞች ግንቦት 7 ሰራዊት ደርሶ ህይወቱ ሊተርፍ ችሏል፡፡
ግፉ አሁንም እንደቀጠለ ነው፤ ህወሓት ሌሎችንም የመተማ አካባቢ ነዋሪዎች እያፈነ ወደ ሁመራ በመውሰድ እየረሸናቸው ይገኛል፤ ደርጉ አስሬ፣ አያናው አለምዬ፣ ስዩም ዘርይሁን፣ ታደሰ ማትያስና ጎሸ ገበዬ የተባሉት የመሰረት ሙሌ የቅርብ ሰዎች በህወሓት 24ኛ ክፍለ ጦር 3ኛ ሬጅመንት ታፍነው ተወስደው የደረሱበት አልታወቀም፡፡ የጎልማሳው አቶ ፈለቀ አጣ እንደደረሰባቸው ይታመናል፡፡ ደርግን በዘር ማጥፋት ወንጀል የሚከሰው ወያኔ የዘር ማጥፋት አየፈፀመ ይገኛል፡፡

                                   

Ethiopian Air lines banned it's staff to use Mobile

Ethiopian Air lines banned it's staff to use Mobile and other portable electronic device in and around.

 

የኢህአዴግ ከፍተኛ ባለስልጣናትን በሙሉ ሲያስገመግሙ ከከረሙ

ሚያዝያ ፬ (አራት) ቀን ፳፻፯ ዓ/ም ኢሳት ዜና :- ጠ/ሚኒስትሩ ሚኒስትሮችንና የኢህአዴግ ከፍተኛ ባለስልጣናትን በሙሉ ሲያስገመግሙ ከከረሙ በሁዋላ በመጨረሻ ራሳቸው 15 ሰአታት በፈጀ ግምገማ ተገምግመዋል። አብዛኞቹ በአቶ ሃይለማርያም የስራ ችሎታና
አመራር ላይ ዘለፋ ቀረሽ ሂስ አቅርበውባቸዋል። አቶ ሃይለማሪያም የቀረበባቸውን ሂስ ለመቀበል ዝግጁ አለመሆናቸው ግምገማው ረጅም ጊዜ እንዲወስድ አድርጓል። ግምገማው ከምርጫው በሁዋላ የሚቀጥሉና የማይቀጥሉ ባለስልጣናትን ለመለየት እና ግድፈታቸውን
አርመው ሰርተው እንዲጠብቁ ለማድረግ ያለመ መሆኑ ተነግሯል።
አቶ ሃይለማርያም ከህወሃቶቹ ከአቶ አርከበ እቁባይ፣ አቶ ስብሃት ነጋና አስመላሽ ወልደስላሴ የሰላ ትችት ሲቀርብባቸው፣ ከራሳቸው የደህዴን አባላት ከሆኑት ከአቶ ሬድዋን ሁሴንና ሙፈሪያት ከሚልም ዘለፋ ቀረሽትችት አስተናግደዋል። አብዛኞቹ ብአዴኖች፣ አቶ በረከት
ሳይቀሩ የአቶ ሃይለማርያምን ቁርጠኝነት ጥያቄ ውስጥ አስገብተዋል። በመጠኑም ቢሆን የራሩላቸው የውጭ ጉዳይ ሚኒስትሩ ዶ/ር ቴዎድሮስ አድሃኖም ብቻ ናቸው።
አቶ ሃይለማርያም እንቅስቃሴያቸውንና የሌሎችን ሰዎች እንቅስቃሴዎች የሚቆጣጠሩ የስለላ ካሜራዎች እንዳይተከሉ፣ በጽህፈት ቤታቸው ያለውም እንዲነሳ ማድረጋቸው ከደህንነት ሃይሉ ጋር አጋጭቷቸው እንደቆየና ውዝግቡ አሁንም ድረስ እንደቀጠለ መሆኑ ተወስቷል።
አቶ ሃይለማርያም አንዳንድ መልሶችን ሲሰጡ እንባ ይተናናቃቸው ነበር። በተወሰኑ ቦታዎች ላይ ደግሞ በእልህና በወኔ ተሟግተዋል። አቶ ስብሃት ነጋ በአቶ ሃይለማርያም ላይ ለሰነዘሩት ትችት፣ አቶ ሃይለማርያም ” ስብሃት በጣም ይጮሃል፣ እንዳሞራ ሁሉ ይዞረኛል፣ እዚህ
ሳወያይም ይጮሃል፣ አለቃ መሆን ችግር ነው ብየ ዝም አልኩ። ንግግር ከመልክ ያምራል ይባላልና ያሳሳትኩት ነገር ካለ አርማለሁ። በአባባል ክፍተት ካለ ይቅርታ” በማለት መልሰዋል።
የግምገማውን ዝርዝር ሪፖርት በነገው ዘገባ የምናቀርብ መሆኑን ለመግለጽ እናወዳለን።
http://ethsat.com/…/esat-daily-news-amsterdam-may-12-2015-…/

Calls for unity

The source of the problem is that Ethiopians have been indoctrinated with years of ethnic hate, division,alienation and the dehumanization of others. Where compassion is missing. life and flourishing cannot exist. Even those inflicting it on others are empty of meaning. lasting purpose and meaningful fulfillment. The fact that Ethiopia is a beggar country. depending on others to meet their needs, is a direct result that we are told to not care about others.

The absence of compassion in babies will lead to their deaths and i that same absence of compassion in a society will destroy its people. in fact, i believe the lack of compassion in Ethiopia is at the root of the death and suffering our people in Ethiopia and outside throughout the world.

As Ethiopians have left their homes, they have been persecuted, targeted and caused to suffer great hardship in the name of Ethiopia. It has brought shame and humiliation to us. yet, in only a few weeks time after the massacred of our people in Libya and South Africa, i have seen Ethiopians rise up in compassion, crossing previous boundaries that had been established for years. Calls for unity.  

ወያኔ ሕዝብን አዘናግቶ በህዝብ ልጆች ላይ ከፍተኛ የሞራል ድቀት የሚያስክትል ተጨማሪ ወንጀሎችን ሊሰራ አቅዷል

ወያኔ ሕዝብን አዘናግቶ በህዝብ ልጆች ላይ ከፍተኛ የሞራል ድቀት የሚያስክትል ተጨማሪ ወንጀሎችን ሊሰራ ስላቀደ በአስቸኳይ በአንድነት ተቀናጅተን ይህንን እኩይ ስርአት ልናስወግድ ይገባል::ከመቼውም ጊዜ በላይ እርስ በርስ መግባባትና መስማማት ያለብን አስቸኳይ ሰዓት ላይ ነን፡፡ምርጫውን ተከትሎ የሚወለደው ሕዝባዊ አመጽ ያስደነገጠው ወያኔ አንዳርጋቸው ጽጌን ጨምሮ ዞን ዘጠኝ ጦማሪያንን እና ጋዜጠኞችን የመፍታት እቅድ አለ የሚል ወያኔያዊ ፕሮፓጋንዳ ለማዘናጊያ/ለስልጣን ማስረዘሚያ እየረጨ ይገኛል:: ወያኔ ያልገባ ነገር ቢኖር ሕዝቡ የሚያደርገው ትግል ለለውጥ እንጂ እስረኞች ሲፈቱ ተሰብስቦ ሊቀመጥ አይደለም:;እስረኞቹ ራሳቸው የታሰሩት ለሕዝቦች ነጻነት እና መብት ሲታገሉ መሆኑን ማናችንም የምናውቀው ወያኔንም ሆዱን የቆረጠው ይህ መሆኑ እሙን ነው::

መንግስት ከሕዝብ ሳይግባባ ሲቀር ሕዝብ ከሕዝብ ጋር እንዳይግባባ የማይቆፍረው ጉድጓድ የለም::በሃይማኖት በዘር በአስተሳሰብ ወዘተ እክይ ስራዎችን ተግቶ በመስራት ጥላቻን መዝራት የአምባገነኖች አንዱ ባህሪ ነው::ይህ ባህሪ በ አሁኑ ወቅት ኢትዮጵያ ውስጥ ለማንቀሳቀስ ቢፈለግም ያለው ጨቋኝ ስርአት አልተሳካለትም::ሕዝብን እያባሉ በማደናገሪያ አሉባልታ እየረጩ እያረጋጉ እያዘናጉ አፍዝዞ መግደል..ይህ ወያኔያዊ ስልት ተነቅቷል::የተነቃበት ወያኔያዊ ስልት በመሆኑ ሕዝቡ በፍጹም በነጻነቱ እና በመብቱ ላይ እንደማይደራደር በተግባር የሚያስመሰክርበት ጊዜያት ቀርበዋል::የህዝብ የትግል ውጤት በግፍ የታሰሩ ንጹሃንን ነጻ ያወጣል:: በግፍ የተሰደዱትን ወደ ሃገር ቤት ይመልሳል::ፍትህ ላጡት ብርሃን ይሆናል::የህዝብ የትግል ውጤት…..

ያለንበት ሰዓት ላወቀው ይሁን ላላወቀው በእርስ በእርስ መግባባት እና መስማማት ላይ ተመስርተን በመቻቻል በአንድነት የምንቆምበት ሰአት ነው::ለወያኔ የማደናበሪያ እና የማዘናጊያ ስልቶች ሳንታለል ለነጻነት እና ለመብት የምናደርገውን ትግል በመሃል አገር ይሁን በዳር አገር ላይ ጠንክረን ልንገፋበት ግድ የሚለን አስረአንደኛው ሰአት ላይ መድረሳችንን ልንረዳ ይገባል::
ፍትህን አጥተው የሚገላቱ የሃይማኖት አባቶች እና ምሁራን የፖለቲካ ፓርቲ አመራሮች እና አባላት ጦማርያን እና ጋዜጠኞች በጅምላ ታፍሰው ብየማጎሪያ ካምፑ የተከማቹ ወገኖቻችን ሁሉ የድረሱልኝ ጥሪ እያሰሙ ያሉበት እቅት ላይ መሆናችንን ማወቅ ሲገባን ለኛ ነጻነት እና መብት መከበር ትግሉን ጀምረው የተሰዉ ኢትዮጵያውያንም ደም እየጮኽ ነው::ፍትህ አጥተው በየእስር ቤቱ የሚገላቱ ወገኖቻችን ቀጠሮ መርዘሙ በራሱ ከካንጋሮ ፍርድ ቤት ውሳኔ አለመሰጠቱ በራሱ ሊያሳየን የሚችለው ነገር ቢኖር ምርጫውን በጁ ካደረገ በኋላ ወያኔ አዘናግቶና ተረጋግቶ በህዝብ ልጆች ላይ ከፍተኛ የሆነ የሞራል ድቀት ሊያስከትል የሚችል ተጨማሪ ወንጀል ለመስራት ማቀዱን ስለሆነ ጠንክረን በመታገል ይህንን ስር አት ላንዴና ለመጨረሻ ጊዜ ልናሰወግድ ይገባል::‪

Satenaw

The United States’ irresponsible praise of Ethiopia’s regime

A response to Wendy Sherman?
The United States’ irresponsible praise of Ethiopia’s regime
Washington Post

ETHIOPIA’S ELECTIONS, scheduled for May 24, are shaping up to be anything but democratic. A country that has often been held up as a poster child for development has been stifling civic freedoms and systematically cracking down on independent journalism for several years.

It was consequently startling to hear the State Department’s undersecretary of state for political affairs, Wendy Sherman, declare
during a visit to Addis Ababa on April 16 that “Ethiopia is a democracy that is moving forward in an election that we expect to be free, fair and credible.” The ensuing backlash from Ethiopians and human rights advocates was deserved.

Ms. Sherman’s lavish praise was particularly unjustified given Ethiopia’s record on press freedom: It has imprisoned19 journalists, more than any other country in Africa. According to a new report by the Committee to Protect Journalists, the country ranks fourth on its list of the top 10 most censored countries in the world. At least 16 journalists have been forced into exile, and a number of independent publications have shut down due to official pressure.

Last weekend marked one year since six bloggers were arrested and jailed without trial. The “Zone 9” bloggers, who used their online platforms to write about human rights and social justice and to agitate for a democracy in Ethi­o­pia, were charged with terrorism under the Anti-Terrorism Proclamation, which has been used to clamp down on numerous journalists critical of the regime. Today, the bloggers remain imprisoned, awaiting what will likely be a trial by farce.

As for the elections, opposition parties say the ruling Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front , led by Hailemariam Desalegn, has undermined their efforts to register candidates for the May vote. Since last year, members of opposition parties and their supporters have been arrested and harassed. In March, the sole opposition leader in Parliament said he would not run for reelection due to state interference with his party’s affairs. The EPRDF, which has been in power since 1991, was reported to have won the last elections in 2010 with 99.6 percent of the vote.

The State Department released a statement last week urging Ethiopia to release journalists who have been imprisoned for doing their jobs. But as the considerably more high-profile statement by Ms. Sherman indicated, the Obama administration has been reluctant to criticize what it regards as a key security ally in the Horn of Africa. A State Department spokeswoman confirmed this week that Ms. Sherman’s comments “fully reflect the U.S. government’s positions on these issues.”

With its ancient culture, strategic location and population of 94 million, Ethi­o­pia is indeed key to the future of eastern Africa. But that does not justify make-believe statements or a go-softly approach that is not working. The United States should stop funneling millions of aid dollars to a regime that has continued to choke off the media, hamper the participation of opposition parties and silence its critics. If the election is not judged by independent observers to live up to Ms. Sherman’s billing, the administration should swallow her words — and change its approach.