ethiopia

 

Ethiopian by Mr.Endalkachew gulum

-April 28, 2014The Committee to Protect Journalists is alarmed by the Ethiopian government’s arrests of nine journalists in one of the worst crackdowns against free expression in the country.

 

Top row, from left: Zelalem, Natnail, Mahlet. Middle row, from left: Atnaf, Abel, Befekadu. Bottom row, from left: Tesfalem, Edom, Asmamaw. (Courtesy Zone 9, Addis Guday, Facebook)

“With the latest arrests, Ethiopian authorities are turning the peaceful exercise of free expression into a crime,” said CPJ East Africa Representative Tom Rhodes.

On Sunday, a public prosecutor in the capital, Addis Ababa, accused the detainees–editor Asmamaw Hailegeorgis, freelancers Tesfalem Waldyes and Edom Kassaye, and bloggers Abel Wabella, Atnaf Berhane, Mahlet Fantahun, Natnail Feleke, Zelalem Kibret, and Befekadu Hailu–of working with foreign human rights organizations and using social media to create instability in the country, according to news reports and local journalists. Tesfalem, Asmamaw, and Zelalem will have their next court hearing on May 7, while the rest will appear in court on May 8, the same sources said. The journalists have not been formally charged with a crime.

The bloggers are members of an independent collectivecalled Zone 9, which publishes news and commentary, according to news reports. Formed in May 2012 in response to the evisceration of the independent press and the narrowing of the space for free expression, the group’s name is derived from Kality Prison, the main jail where Ethiopia’s political prisoners, including several journalists, are held, reports said. With the motto “We Blog Because We Care,” the group has voiced concerns over domestic issues, including political repression and social injustice. The Zone 9 blogs were frequently blocked inside Ethiopia, but gained a following with Ethiopians in the diaspora, according to local reports.

The arrests follow an April 23 announcement on Facebook by the bloggers in which they said they would resume publishing after seven months of inactivity. They had suspended publishing after being harassed by security agents, according to the blog. The day before their arrest, security agents allegedly ordered Natnail to hand over contact details of all Zone 9 members, a request he refused, local journalists told CPJ.

Local journalists said the other detainees–Asmamaw, a senior editor of the private Amharic weekly news magazine Addis Guday, and freelancers Tesfalem and Edom–may have been arrested on suspicion of being affiliated with the Zone 9 journalists.  Edom had been approached on several occasions and asked about her relationship to the other Zone 9 journalists and the support they received from outside organizations, the same sources said.

“These are not journalists. Their arrest has nothing to do with journalism, but with serious criminal activities,” Getachew Reda, an adviser to Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn, told Reuters. “We don’t crack down on journalism or freedom of speech. But if someone tries to use his or her profession to engage in criminal activities, then there is a distinction there.”

“We call on Ethiopian authorities to halt their slide into paranoia and authoritarianism, and instead to allow critical commentary and public debate to thrive,” said CPJ’s Rhodes. “These nine journalists should be released immediately.”

Ethiopian government spokesman Shimeles Kemal did not immediately return CPJ’s repeated calls for comment.

The journalists, who were arrested in multiple raids on Friday and Saturday, have been denied access to their family and lawyers and are being held at the Maekelawi federal detention center, according to local journalists. According to a report by Human Rights Watch, interrogators at Maekelawi routinely use torture to extract false confessions from detainees. The Ethiopian government denies the allegations.

 

 

Violations of human rights in Ethiopia !

Politics ! from  mr.Endalkachew guluma

-modern concept of human rights is rooted in the experiences of ‘legal lawlessness’ when crimes were committed with the authorization of the law, and when some human beings were denied their status as such. An answer to these experiences was the emergence of the international human rights law. The main aim of this branch of international law is to prevent broad violations of fundamental rights from recurring in the future. Appreciating the worth of every human being, the international community decided to eliminate elements that could destroy the individual person, but also to create the conditions that would enable him or her to develop and flourish. Accordingly, the Preambles to the International Bill of Rights provide that the “foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world” is the “inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family.” (International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, 1966). However, the dictator government of Ethiopia, otherwise known the Tigrayan People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), is unable in the enforcement of these rights and remain a headache – mainly due to technical blockades, lack of effective institutions, or the existence of weak institutions only, and lack of political will to implement human rights with differing degrees. Therefore, asking your rights in Ethiopia will either lead you to  imprisoned or count you as anti-government.

Instability in the Horn of Africa and TPLF
The current crisis in the Horn of Africa is a struggle between oppressed peoples, who are fighting for self-determination and, on the other hand, the regime of TPLF that is trying to impose its rule by force.

The regime has set off war, hunger, poverty and disease to ransack the country. In particular, the regime has been and is systematically violating human rights of the Oromo and other peoples in the country as well and the neighboring regions. There are many resistance movements in Ethiopia to stop these human rights violations of the TPLF regime; among them is the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF).

The Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) believes in peace, democracy and development. As the main organ that is championing the right of self-determination of the Oromo people, it fully realizes the present day global reality. It affirms that the international community does have legitimate concerns and interests in the political stability and economic development of the Horn of Africa. Moreover, the OLF is cognizant of the fact that the day of carving spheres of influence and promoting clients in superpower rivalry has given way to globalization. Further, the OLF firmly believes in the immediate termination of the vicious cycle of political conflicts, economic backwardness, environmental degradation, natural and man-made disasters that today ravage the peoples of the Horn of Africa. (OLF on Liberating the Oromo People for Stability and Development in the Horn of Africa)

Human Rights Issues in Ethiopia
Allegations of arbitrary detention, torture, and other ill-treatment at the hands of Ethiopian police and other security forces are not new. But, since the disputed 2005 elections, the Ethiopian government has intensified restrictions on freedom of expression, association, and assembly, deploying a range of measures to clamp down on dissidents. These include arresting and detaining political opposition figures, journalists, and other independent voices, and implementing laws that severely restrict independent human rights monitoring and press freedom.

Since 2009, a new law, the Anti-Terrorism Proclamation, has become a particularly potent instrument to restrict free speech. The law’s provision undermine basic legal safeguards against prolonged pre-charge detention and unfair trials. In this context, Maekelawi, the main torture and investigation facility, has become an important site for the detention and investigation of some of the most politically sensitive cases.

Many detainees accused of offenses under the law — including some of Ethiopia’s most prominent political prisoners — have been detained in the Maekelawi facility as their cases were investigated or prepared for trial (Human Rights Watch, 2013).

In addition, as a result of enforcement of the FDRE Proclamation 621/2009 (the Charities and Societies Proclamation), which has been intended to impose superior regulation of charities, the party leaders of TPLF decide who should receive and who should not receive the emergency support at grassroots level in the respective community. Older Oromos are usually victims of this type of abuse because of their allegiances to the values of the Oromo Gadaa system, that promotes respect and dignity to people in difficult situation. In so doing, technically, the authorities decide who should die from and who should survive the hunger. (Ethiopia/UK: Oromo rally in London)

Endless Focus on Oromos by TPLF, Why?
The Oromo people constitute the single largest national group in the Ethiopia empire and the Horn of Africa with the total population of over 40 million. The number of the Oromo people and the geographical location of their country Oromia make the Oromo country (Oromia) the heart of Ethiopia. The Ethiopian empire mainly survives on the economic resources of Oromia although the Oromo people are one of the most impoverished and terrorized indigenous people. Recognizing that Oromia is the richest and largest populous state, the Tigrayan-led Ethiopia government has been using collective violence to dominate, control and exploit Oromia, which is the key in controlling the Ethiopian government’s political economy. Understanding the situation in Oromia helps in generalizing what is going through the country. (Oromo Studies Association, 2010)

The Oromo people are arrested and accused of being members or supporters or sympathizers of the Oromo liberation struggle led by the OLF. To the Ethiopian government authorities, every Oromo appears to be a member of the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF), a political organisation struggling for the socio-economic, cultural and political rights of the Oromo people. One has to prove he/she is not a member or supporter of the OLF in order to live in relative peace. The safest proof is one and only one – to become a member of the EPRDF, the ruling coalition party of organizations created by TPLF; failure to prove non-affiliation with OLF or any attempt to remain politically indifferent has come to be dangerous in Ethiopia for every ordinary Oromo. Business persons are systematically eliminated from investment and smallscale business if they fail to be members of the ruling party in any case. Every student in college or university is required to secure membership of the ruling party at the campus in order for her/him to get a job in public institutions or to run private business after the completion of the study. The situation is worse for the rural people whereby farmers are required to be members of and demonstrate allegiance to the EPRDF in order to get agricultural inputs and/or have their children learn in school without assault by the government security.

 

PM Hailemariam: A Cocktail of Arrogance, Ignorance, and Incompetence !

 

From mr.Endalkachew guluma

Arrogance, ignorance, and incompetence. Not a pretty cocktail of personality traits in the best of situations. No sirree. Not a pretty cocktail in an office-mate and not a pretty cocktail in a head of state. In fact, in a leader, it’s a lethal cocktail.   Graydon Carter

More than a year and half ago, November 1, 2012, I was skeptical about the man but would like to give the benefit of the doubt, hence  wrote, “Mr. Hailemariam Desalegn, 48, has been prime minister of Ethiopia not more than three months now but has already made several serious mistakes. I was among the first who wished him good luck within his first few office days but his unchristian and copycat drama make me question his integrity. I pray God will help him. Mr. Hailemariam is a highly educated man. He has a graduate degree in sanitation engineering. He was President of the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and People’s Region (SNNPR) for five years; then served as Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Ethiopia for almost two years. More than that, many claim and witness, including Mr. Hailemariam, that the man is a devout Christian with uncorrupt and respectful solid Christian background. So, how such a strong, educated, dedicated, uncorrupt, and ethical personality becomes full of lies or mistakes? Some say he is a strong Christian with weakness in telling the truth. Is there such personality? If so, can we categorize him as a person with multiple personality? One  who plays tricky political games, entertain lies, enjoy purposeful mistakes, and disregard the truth while another of him regrets, confesses, cries, talks smooth, and believes Christ?…. Now, in February 2014, I have no illusion about the man. I am not skeptic about him.  I know for sure (unequivocally), he doesn’t have multiple personality or any other mental disorder; however, he is just a cocktail of arrogance, ignorance, and incompetence.    Chris Ortiz listed ten signs of leadership incompetence,  and the number is delegating  work rather than balance workloads: In his televised press conference this week, PM Hailemariam told the nation that he is not in control but ‘a committee’ that no one knows. Who are these people? Incompetence breeds incompetence. According to David Dunning, a psychologist at Cornell University, stated ‘incompetence deprives people of the ability to recognize their own incompetence. To put it bluntly, dumb people are too dumb to know it. Similarly, unfunny people don’t have a good enough sense of humor to tell. This disconnect may be responsible for many of society’s problems.’ I know it is yours now, too  The people of Ethiopia elected the house of representative and the house elected you…. We already know that you are not in control but at least you could have said it differently and act like better; however, you couldn’t do it because you are too ignorant to figure out that.  Let me give you a simple example since you may find this concept hard to understand…. Ato Girma, the one who always sit on your far left, is elected by his constituent to serve as a member of parliament. No one, not any committee, but his constituents have the right to take him out…either to make him a local leader or unemployed. That is unequivocally true! But this democratic truth doesn’t work in your case according to your own statement. Don’t you respect your constituent when you say ‘my party can send me anywhere to serve…?’ If you know, your bosses are not those unknown committee members (TPLF?) but the people that elected you…your people!.

Finally, it is offensive to hear what you said about Assab. Being arrogant is being offensive. As a proud Ethiopian, you offended me. Hundreds of thousands of Ethiopians died to protect that part of Ethiopia. It was, it is, and it will be wrong and offensive.

 

 

Russia, Egypt meet to discuss $4B arms deal; Turkey and Egypt row over the Ethiopian dam

 

From  mr.Endalkachew guluma

February 13, 2014 (UPI) — Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and President Putin after the weapons purchase deal that was financed by Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirate, MOSCOW, Feb. 13 (UPI) – Egyptian Defense Minister Abdel Fattah al-Sisi met with Russian President Vladimir Putin, signaling strengthening ties, officials said. The purpose of al-Sisi’s visit Wednesday was to finalize an arms deal worth a possible $4 billion after the United States halted longstanding military aid and shipments of arms to Egypt, Ahram Online reported, citing anonymous Egyptian military sources. Egyptian Foreign Minister Nabil Fahmy, though, said Egypt is not looking to replace one international partner with another. “These … talks [between defense and foreign ministers] reflect how important Egypt is for Russia and how excellent relations are between us,” he said. Fahmy, who was also on hand for the meeting, said he had planned to discuss the Ethiopian Renaissance dam and counter-terrorism cooperation. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the talks emphasized Russia’s desire to “enhance bilateral relations that have continued alongside decades of mutual respect and cooperation.” Egypt minister slams turkey for role in Ethiopian dam . Egyptian Irrigation Minister Mohamed Abdel-Muttalib accused Turkey of offering expertise to Ethiopia over the proposed Nile dam project that will threaten Egypt’s water supply World Bulletin / News Desk | February 13, 2014 Egyptian Irrigation Minister Mohamed Abdel-Muttalib said Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu had visited Addis Ababa and offered Turkish expertise on Ethiopia’s controversial multi-billion dollar hydroelectric dam project. “Any side that doesn’t like Egypt could be in the scene,” Abdel-Muttalib said in televised statements late Tuesday. “The Turkish foreign minister visited Addis Ababa and offered them [Ethiopian officials] Turkish expertise,” he added. “What I want to say is that when Turkey built the Ataturk Dam, it made the Syrians and the Iraqis thirsty and ignored international agreements,” Abdel-Muttalib claimed. “I want to stress that Egypt is not Iraq or Syria, and Ethiopia is not Turkey,” he added.
The Turkish government is yet to respond to the Egyptian minister’s claims. Ethiopia is building a hydroelectric dam, called the Renaissance Dam, over the Blue Nile where most of Egypt’s Nile water revenues come. But the controversial project has raised alarms in Egypt, the most populous Arab country, about itswater share.Nile water distribution among the countries of the Nile basin used to rest on a colonial-era agreement giving Egypt and Sudan the lion’s share of Nile water. Citing development ambitions, Ethiopia insists it needs to build a series of dams to generate electricity both for local consumption and exporting. It maintains that the new dam can be of benefit for the two downstream states of Sudan and Egypt, which will be invited to purchase electricity generated by it. “Ethiopian officials say they do want to harm Egypt. But when we ask them to put that on paper they refuse,” said Abdel- Muttalib. The remarks came hours after his return from Addis Ababa where he held talks with officials there on the dam. He accused Ethiopian officials of turning down all proposals to narrow the gap between the two sides.“We are not naïve to continue dialogue without reaching a solution. There are other alternatives that we need to take,” the minister said without elaborating. Source: World Bulletin

From mr.Endalkachew guluma

 

The challenges of Ethiopian professionals !

                                   From mr.Endalkachew guluma

who are more important ,Ethiopian professionals employees or just employees of government ? I have no question  about the peoples profession , some areas can be cover only by experience. and some sensitive areas needs profession with experience . why  I said so is  weather the place is for professionals or not ,government interferes any time when his members  believes essential to involve for there personal issue.  always interfering and commanding peoples to speak /not to speak , to wright/ not to wright  , to do / not to do  , to go / not to go …. ..In Ethiopia there is no profession respect as the discipline expecting from the professionals .
It is so sad to say , no where  left for professionals workers that the government  refraining him self from interfering. Not only Journalism but also almost every Profession like in high courts Judge’s Lawyers can not work  , Mangers (at any different level and office) , Doctors , drivers and even student at different level etc….
More over those professionals should be part  of the current regime or member of weyane  in order to survive and run there day to day activity. There is wide difference between professional employees and  weyane employees . What I mean is so clear; profession has its own loyalty for that specific field of Staff, that the person is responsible .Those professional’s who give weigh for the staff they are standing or delegated , can  not get something priority and recognition  unless they are part of weyane .   Since it is sometimes a matter of survival for most of them  and may be a matter of lucking or  have no option . So the last option of of those professionals will be to be part of weyane member or will live the country and decide to live abrade . I am really sorry when I mention this point .

The main and post places are already taken by TPLF members and leaders. and they are not professional at all ,some of them manage big organization because they are belongs to the current regime and few of them they might have few training from civil service college . .
I can’t dream the future of Ethiopia, unless truly those professionals are involving with full loyalty through the hole part of Ethiopia with different filed of study  .
all people can not have the same profession and talent , so those politically gifted people need’s to be truly  unite and fight strongly together for better solution .

 

 

human right

Politics ! from  mr.Endalkachew guluma

Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Front (EPRDF) conducted organizational evaluation and quoted Bereket Simon, former Ethiopia’s Information Minister and new advisor to Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalgen, on how he characterized the differences amongst the EPRDF leaders during their deliberations. He said:

Before we replaced Revolutionary Democracy with Developmental Democracy, the Front has been divided into three groups. One group of the leadership had argued that our problem was internal and that we need to first check that, while the other group held that our problem was Shabia/Eritrea and that we need to fight them first, but the third position which said that after fighting Shabia/Eritrea, we should then look at our internal problems had become the winning idea.

According to the statement, the EPRDF is no longer a Revolutionary Democracy. It is now Developmental Democracy (whatever that means). In order to come up to that determination however, the group was divided to three camps but the final outcome was a decision to fight “Shaebia/Eritrea” as a primary focus and address their issues later.

After the late genocidal dictator Meles Zenawi was rumored to have been sick, incapacitated or dead, Bereket Simon used the time cunningly to direct the course of the current Ethiopian political direction to suit his needs and the needs of few of his close allies.

The irony, one prerequisite to development or any progress for any nation is peace. When a nation ensures relative peace then there is a foundation for progress. The decision by the EPRDF to “Fight Shaebia/Eritrea” as a prerequisite to their developmental democracy is simply absurd, laughable and dangerous at the same time.

After a 15 year period that started with a border war and morphed into the current so called No-War No- Peace strategy; the Tigrayan People’s Liberation Front (TPLF/EPRDF) decided to continue on the same path albeit with a dressed-up name. The question is, at what cost? Who paid for it initially? Who is responsible for the last 15 years? The TPLF evaluation did not entertain peace with Eritrea; does that mean they have no intention to make peace with Eritrea ever? Furthermore, on what grounds does Ethiopia’s current regime, the TPLF/EPRDF is trying to continue the path of hostility? What is the ultimate goal? How will Eritrea deal with the intransigent TPLF? And ultimately, what constituency of Ethiopia will support this intransigence?

Moreover, how did Ethiopia do without peace with Eritrea? Could it have done better?   How have the people of Ethiopia and Eritrea fared? Is the past 15 years a model by which two neighboring countries should conduct their affairs for the future? Who pays for all these? Who paid for the past?

The key question, why did Bereket Simon come-out now and made these absurd statements? Moreover, why now, when many particularly the US, for the first time in over 15 years is talking peace did Bereket Simon roll-out this war agenda? The questions are endless.

The answer to all these questions are found on a statement one astute Eritrean political figure made a while back. When asked to respond about outrageous repeated statements by the TPLF against Eritrea, he answered, “When a dog barks uncontrollably disturbing peace, the best option is to talk to the owners of the dog.”

There are three key reasons why Bereket Simon decided to come out and declared the continuation of the hostilities.

1) The current chatter that the US is on the verge reestablishing ties with Eritrea is a concern and they are crying for some attention. They want to make sure that the US does not abandon them. Ambassador David Shinn’s comment that we will not have relations with Eritrea at the expense of our important ally Ethiopia is designed to do just that; allay concerns. That however, is not working because the reaction to Ambassador Shinn has been very harsh.

2) Improved Eritrea US relations are a serious concern for the pocket books of the minority regime. Ethiopia has provided boots for the West that funds its military. In turn the TPLF controls its army with the billions in funding received from the West specifically the US by using it as incentive. Those who are loyal are rewarded by assignments on peacekeeping missions for lucrative pay. That means there is a security dimension to it as well because the funds pacify multi ethnic military that could turn on them.

3) Peace is the greatest threat to the very existence of the TPLF/EPRDF. Therefore, they must perpetuate these conflicts particularly with Eritrea. The TPLF is using the border issue to control the people of Ethiopia by misleading them as if the border is a negotiating ploy hence continues the declared No-Peace No-War agenda indefinitely.

Time the enemy

The TPLF/EPRDF has run out of time. There has been tremendous regional and global changes that lead to change of attitude and approach in dealing with the countries of the region. Their strategy to subdue Eritrea failed. To the contrary all economic signals indicate that Eritrea is forging ahead independently. The US waited for over a decade and half to bring regime change in Eritrea using Ethiopia and failed.

China’s influence in the region is forcing changes on US Africa policy. The changes on Western global Geo-Strategic shift away from Middle East to Asia plays a factor. Military and other budget cuts in the US will certainly affect changes. In addition, the death of Meles Zenawi and, the power transition that ensued has created a precarious power- sharing leadership arrangement that generated a great deal of uncertainty.

Moreover, countries in the region are working for their interests diligently. Recent activities by countries in the region particularly Egypt, Sudan and Eritrea are something to pay attention to for many reasons.

To Conclude

The US holds the key to Eritrea Ethiopia future relations simply because Ethiopia as a client state and dependent on US for political, diplomatic, economic, food and military support/aid is amenable to US demands. Thus, when and if the US decides it is on the best interest of the US for the TPLF to create peace with Eritrea then there will be no choice left but to acquiesce to US demands. That is the reality.

The question however remains, after paying dear lives of over 20,000 Eritrean souls, thousands more wounded; after having millions displaced; after decades of hostility that impacted families negatively in many ways; in short, after Eritrea paid the price with dear blood why on earth will the people of Eritrea throw a lifeline to the TPLF? Will they?

That simply means the neck of the TPLF is on the table. The US is at a critical point where they have to make a choice whether to save Ethiopia or the TPLF. When an organization with no constituency and according to Bereket Simon not clear about the future-direction of the nation  decide to place their fate on hostilities with a neighboring country Eritrea; the US has a lot to worry about.  When the perception remains Bereket Simon is the key figure rendering Prime Minister Hailmariam Desalegne as a figurehead, the US has a lot to worry about. Is TPLF/EPRDF Ethiopia?  These are some sticky points. Ambassador David Shinn tried to address these conundrum but no takers. He said,

“Although the United States might decide to try again to improve relations with Eritrea, it will not do so at the expense of its ties with Ethiopia.”

The statement above said Ethiopia, not TPLF/EPRDF. The US is cognizant of these complexities. The US at this stage is desperate to save Ethiopia because the current states of affairs are unsustainable.

Ambassador Hank Cohen’s approach is therefore commendable as he is trying to thread a thin line to save a nation from embedded ethnic-political-system that can spell disaster with long term consequences for the region and US long term interests.

Eritrea therefore holds the key.

´

 

 

Ethiopia is going from sunshine towards hell ! why ?

 

from Mr.Endalkachew guluma

In future Ethiopia is going from sunshine to the darkest/worst  time ! why ?  let me talk about it ! Human Rights Watch is gravely concerned by increased restrictions used to limit human rights activities in many countries. The Ethiopian authorities continue to severely curtail basic freedoms including freedom of expression and association. Human Rights Watch shares the concerns raised by the Special Rapporteur on the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association both in his annual report and in his observations report on the government’s increased use of restrictive legislation to quash dissent and independent voices. Since June 2011, the government has arbitrarily arrested and prosecuted members of the media and political opposition under its vague and overbroad Anti-Terrorism law.  journalists and opposition members have been convicted under the law including on charges of support to terrorism for engaging in the peaceful exercise of freedom of expression journalists, at least some opposition members, and  others are currently on trial facing politically motivated terrorism charges. Similarly, dozens of leaders and members of registered Oromo opposition parties have been detained since August 2011 and are on trial on terrorism-related charges. The 2009 Charities and Societies’ law has been used to strictly curtail the legitimate work of civil society organizations, especially those working on human rights, both in terms of staff numbers and field of work. Several key Ethiopian human rights groups have been forced to significantly reduce their operations due to the restrictions on foreign funding imposed by the law or arbitrary enforcement by the new agency established to regulate nongovernmental activity. More recently, the government has attempted to further curtail the rights to free expression and information by systematically blocking media, human rights and political opposition websites, through a new “agreement” by the largest government printing house in Addis.  This arrangement allows printers to censor material prior to publication.  Additionally, a new law further criminalizes the use of telecommunication networks such as Skype. In his observation report, the Special Rapporteur on the freedom of association also warned that a series of measures taken by the Chinese authorities in respect of the Tibetan Buddhist Kirti monastery, including security raids and surveillance, with police presence inside and outside monasteries to monitor religious activities, seriously impeded the exercise of the right to association of members of the monastic community. Since the immolation by two Tibetans outside Lhasa’s Jokhang temple Human Rights Watch has documented other restrictions on freedom of association and assembly. Security forces in Lhasa have been carrying out sharply increased identity checks on the streets of the city. Tibetans from areas where protests have recently taken place, in eastern Tibet, have been ordered to leave not only the capital, but the Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR) as well. Those expelled are not known to have been accused of any wrongdoing and there are no reports to date of non-Tibetans being expelled. In addition, Lhasa authorities have imposed a ban on public gatherings of more than three people in the city. Human Rights Watch believes that the progressive denial of rights to Tibetans is likely to further exacerbate tensions in the region, and urges the Chinese government to uphold its obligations on the freedom of association.

 

 

Ethiopia when opportunists fall in the Hall-of-Shame !

politics-From From  Mr.Endalkachew guluma

The recent interest in Jawar Mohammed’s rant on Islamic Forum isn’t new and should not consume too much of our precious time. It should remind us the cost of opportunistic tribal and religion peddlers on our people survival.Jawar has been preaching the same thing in similar forums before. Only after he became full adult a few years ago and started appearing in the international Media as young ‘political analyst’ to make his next opportunistic move people in large number noticed him. In fact, the late Melse said and done far worst things peddling tribalism at the same age with no one noticing.Jawar is the new generation tribal opportunist coming to age. Like many opportunist of our time he is a moving target; running loss without much challenge. He began his journey in isolation from the real world; fixated by tribalism to get his wants. As an ‘Oromo’ he ranted about victimization of the ‘Abyssinians’ Empire that didn’t get him much traction beyond his circle. As self appointed spokesperson of the ‘the oppressed Nation and Nationality’ of Ethiopia, he crossed Woyane drawn regions to form solidarity with other ethnic ‘victims’ of his imagination, that didn’t get him anywhere either. In exile, he became African-Black-Oromo-Ethiopian American to put his tribe aside in solidarity with his race as victim of ‘American racism’; that wasn’t even a blimp on the radar to be noticed.  As youth ‘victim of the old’ he went back generations and talked about the youth victims as a force in the democratic movement of the Arab Spring model to come in Africa (except Ethiopia he preserve to liberate his Oromia). He is a classic opportunist peddler of the new generation.The only people he skipped in his opportunistic victim rant are the women of Ethiopia or in his case Oromia. Whether he forgot women because they don’t serve his opportunistic agenda or he feels they don’t count as victims because he is the male species that ‘victimize’ them, nobody knows. But, when he runs out of victims that would serve his agenda and crossed regions and borders to look for Muslims as his next ‘victims’ to seek solidarity and mix it with his ‘Oromia’ ambition is when he exposed his true nature as a genocidal tribal peddler driven by some unknown force with a bigger agenda than freedom and liberation, just like the late Melse Zenawi.  Give him an audience and stir him up enough he is allover the world map at the service of what his audience want to hear while he is pushing his main agenda by all means necessary.His problem began when he is forced to break loss of tribalism to appear as ‘political analyst’ in the world Media a few years back. He completely put aside his tribal agenda to be all-he-can-be for one-and-all of the world audience; pimping universal suffrage to get platform. When he returned back and forth peddling his tribal agenda is when everything broke loss.In reality, Jawar is a manifestation of the ‘Woyane Doctrine’ that prevailed after Marxism ideology bit the dust and left the field open to be filled by tribal opportunist in a cover of Ethnic Federalism. He will be around as long as there are confused and uninformed audience (a meal ticket for opportunist) to manipulate his way in-and-out of the world audience and tribalism until he is no more. It seems the only thing opportunist of our time need to get platform these days is to wave their educational credential and a sharp mouth without doing practical anything.Jawar, like his mentors before him is stuck in his tribal prism that brought us today’s Revolutionary Democracy of Woyane; fueling his ambition. Thus, like Melse he is trying to maneuver his way in-and-out of his tribal cage to test the diversity of the world and the complexity of democratic governance that demands the truth: to-be-or- not-to-be a leader or a pimp.  The pressure is so much so tribal Jawar and universal Jawar are in collusion course.His political ambition was born on ‘Oromia’ like the late Melse was on Tigray. The only hope tribal opportunists had to have traction is preaching confined audiences of their tribe.  But, when he found out he can be a leader of the world with Ivy League education and the attention of the world Media on the top of the universal President Barak Hussein Obama ascendency to the pinnacle of world power the poor kid got caught up between a tribal peddler and the possibilities of universal leader. His tribal upbringings (thanks to Woyane and OLF) to his new fantasy of wanting to be universal without putting a penny to earn it became incompatible. He ended up fallen in Hall-of-Shame just like Melse Zenawi tried and fail to go back where he started.  As far as Ethiopians are concerned Jawar is damage good as a leader or political analyst with no redemption value. Therefore, searching for solidarity with anybody he can find to push his main agenda is the only thing left for him.When they say leaders are born not made they aren’t kidding. It is because leaders see the possibilities when opportunists see the impossibilities.   Leaders seek democracy to empower people for the possibilities but opportunists seek tribalism to stay alive. That is why Ethiopia is full of opportunities in the position of power or aspiring to be.Jawar ambition to learn political science to be an Oromo leader didn’t do him good. The more he learned the Science the more confused he become from his original tribal sin. His inconsistency from the old tribal Jawar to the new universal Jawar began to show, just like his old mentor Melse Zenawi that moved away from the old tribal Zenawi to the new opportunist universal Zenawi to end up having none.  That is why tribal opportunists go ballistic when rejected and return back to their safe house of tribalism; blaming everybody but themselves.Ethiopians are way civilized than what tribal opportunist at the bottom end offer. What we should ask ethnic opportunists is to stick with their primitive tribalism than wondering around where they don’t belong. The problem with Jawar as it was with Melse is they go in-and-out of tribalism and ended up to be no good for their ‘tribes’, the people of Ethiopia and humanity as a whole thus, democracy and individual freedom.Jawar went further in his recent rant; dragging religion in tribalism. That, my friends is when tribalism hit the bottom. Like Woyane dragging religion when minority tribalism hit the bottom Jawar greed to drag religion in his Oromia took him where no tribal peddler has gone before. There is no end to tribal opportunist journey to nowhere. Only Ethiopians can stop them on their tracks before they cause more chaos more than what they already did to stay alive.In a sprit of Ethiopiawinet tribalism is a dead end as Jawar proved us beyond reasonable doubt when he peddles the Muslim audience. One thing people didn’t notice is he was speaking, not in English, Arabic or Oromigna but in Amharic to tell the Muslim audience how ‘majority Muslim Oromia’ can save the Muslim religion itself; insulting his audience more than one way. Frankly, Ethiopians Muslim can save the lost soul before he goes further and turn in to an Imam and claim he is the messenger of the Prophet himself.

 

Today, I touch upon human rights, torture and freedom in Ethiopia !

 

FROM  MR.ENDALKACHEW GULUMA

Freedom of expression

A number of journalists and political opposition members were sentenced to lengthy prison terms on terrorism charges for calling for reform, criticizing the government, or for links with peaceful protest movements. Much of the evidence used against these individuals consisted of examples of them exercising their rights to freedom of expression and association.The trials were marred by serious irregularities, including a failure to investigate allegations of torture; denial of, or restrictions on, access to legal counsel; and use of confessions extracted under coercion as admissible evidence.In January, journalists Reyot Alemu, Woubshet Taye and Elias Kifle, opposition party leader Zerihun Gebre-Egziabher, and former opposition supporter Hirut Kifle, were convicted of terrorism offences.In June, journalist Eskinder Nega, opposition leader Andualem Arage, and other dissidents, were given prison sentences ranging from eight years to life in prison on terrorism charges.In December, opposition leaders Bekele Gerba and Olbana Lelisa were sentenced to eight and 13 years’ imprisonment respectively, for “provocation of crimes against the state”.Between July and November, hundreds of Muslims were arrested during a series of protests against alleged government restrictions on freedom of religion, across the country. While many of those arrested were subsequently released, large numbers remained in detention at the end of the year, including key figures of the protest movement. The government made significant efforts to quash the movement and stifle reporting on the protests.In October, 29 leading figures of the protest movement, including members of a committee appointed by the community to represent their grievances to the government, and at least one journalist, were charged under the Anti-Terrorism Proclamation.In both May and October, Voice of America correspondents were temporarily detained and interrogated over interviews they had conducted with protesters.The few remaining vestiges of the independent media were subjected to even further restrictions.In April, Temesgen Desalegn, the editor of Feteh, one of the last remaining independent publications, was fined for contempt of court for “biased coverage” of the trial of Eskinder Nega and others. Feteh had published statements from some of the defendants. In August, he was charged with criminal offences for articles he had written or published that were deemed critical of the government, or that called for peaceful protests against government repression. He was released after a few days’ detention and the charges were dropped.In May, the authorities issued a directive requiring printing houses to remove any content which could be defined as “illegal” by the government from any publications they printed. The unduly broad provisions of the Anti-Terrorism Proclamation meant that much legitimate content could be deemed illegal.In July, an edition of Feteh was impounded after state authorities objected to one cover story on the Muslim protests and another speculating about the Prime Minister’s health. Subsequently, state-run printer Berhanena Selam refused to print Feteh or Finote Netsanet, the publication of the largest opposition party, Unity for Democracy and Justice. In November, the party announced that the government had imposed a total ban on Finote Netsanet. A large number of news, politics and human rights websites were blocked. In July, Parliament passed the Telecom Fraud Offences Proclamation, which obstructs the provision and use of various internet and telecommunications technologies.

Human rights defenders

The Charities and Societies Proclamation, along with related directives, continued to significantly restrict the work of human rights defenders, particularly by denying them access to essential funding.In October, the Supreme Court upheld a decision to freeze around US$1 million in assets of the country’s two leading human rights organizations: the Human Rights Council and the Ethiopian Women Lawyers Association. The accounts had been frozen in 2009 after the law was passed.In August, the Human Rights Council, the country’s oldest human rights NGO, was denied permission for proposed national fundraising activities by the government’s Charities and Societies Agency.It was reported that the Agency began enforcing a provision in the law requiring NGO work to be overseen by a relevant government body, severely compromising the independence of NGOs.

Torture and other ill-treatment

Torture and other ill-treatment of prisoners were widespread, particularly during interrogation in pre-trial police detention. Typically, prisoners might be punched, slapped, beaten with sticks and other objects, handcuffed and suspended from the wall or ceiling, denied sleep and left in solitary confinement for long periods. Electrocution, mock-drowning and hanging weights from genitalia were reported in some cases. Many prisoners were forced to sign confessions. Prisoners were used to mete out physical punishment against other prisoners.Allegations of torture made by detainees, including in court, were not investigated.Prison conditions were harsh. Food and water were scarce and sanitation was very poor. Medical treatment was inadequate, and was sometimes withheld from prisoners. Deaths in detention were reported.In February, jailed opposition leader, Andualem Arage, was severely beaten by a fellow prisoner who had been moved into his cell a few days earlier. Later in the year, another opposition leader, Olbana Lelisa was reportedly subjected to the same treatment.In September, two Swedish journalists, sentenced in 2011 to 11 years’ imprisonment on terrorism charges, were pardoned. After their release, the two men reported that they were forced to incriminate themselves and had been subjected to mock execution before they were allowed access to their embassy or a lawyer. Between June and August, a large number of ethnic Sidama were arrested in the SNNP region. This was reportedly in response to further calls for separate regional statehood for the Sidama. A number of arrests took place in August around the celebration of Fichee, the Sidama New Year. Many of those arrested were detained briefly, then released. But a number of leading community figures remained in detention and were charged with crimes against the state.There were reports of people being arrested for taking part in peaceful protests and publicly opposing certain “development projects”.

FROM Ethiopia  MR..ENDALKACHEW GULUMA