Ethiopia Human Rights Bill Advances

WASHINGTON, D.C. – A comprehensive bill sponsored by Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) to promote human rights and democracy in Ethiopia was approved today by the International Relations Committee.

Smith, who is the Chairman of the Africa, Global Human Rights, and International Operations Subcommittee said “freedom and human rights in Ethiopia have seriously deteriorated under President Meles Zenawi.”

According to Smith, more than a hundred elected officials, party activists, journalists and human rights defenders were “thrown into jail on trumped up charges.” He said, “Violence against dissidents has increased significantly and yet there have been no credible accounts for the slaughter of protestors in the streets of Addis last year.”

Smith was joined by Rep. Donald Payne, Ranking Member of the Subcommittee in presenting the Bill. The bipartisan legislation has 17cosponsors.

The bill—the Ethiopia Freedom, Democracy and Human Rights Advancement Act of 2006 (HR 5680)—includes an authorization of $20 million over two years to assist political prisoners, indigenous Ethiopian human rights organizations, independent media, civil society and to promote legal training.

“We not only call on the Ethiopian government to unconditionally release all political prisoners, we establish a program to tangibly assist them.” Smith said.

“The people of Ethiopia deserve an independent, fair and transparent judiciary, another goal of this bill,” he said. Read More...

Getting away with Murder

Watch this video to see the brutality of TPLF Tigrayan government.

Former Top U.S. Official Says Situation In Ethiopia Is Not A Happy One

Listen to the interview with Ambassador Herman Cohen
on the 1st year anniversary of the Election that was rigged by the current TPLF government. It is to be recalled after losing the election TPLF Tigrayan forces were deployed to kill, rape and mass arrest the Ethiopian civilians and any one who they thought voted for the opposition.

'Poison,' Politics, and the Press in Ethiopia

In Ethiopia's toxic political climate, Zenawi's government sweeps up jornalists and shuts down newspapers

The imprisoned journalists—several of whom were interviewed by CPJ with the government’s permission—said they were doing their jobs in criticizing the administration of Prime Minister Meles Zenawi. “We’re not against this government,” Fassil Yenealem, the jailed publisher of Addis Zena, told CPJ. “It is through this government that we began to write. But when the government sees people starting to demand more democracy, freedom of expression, and development, they think it’s the fault of the press.” Read more

UN condemns Ethiopia over rights

Thousands were arrested and many were killed by the TPLF government forces following violent protests





United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour has strongly criticised Ethiopia's human rights situation, calling it "worrying".

She added "It is worrying that at best we are in [a] state of stagnation, especially regarding political and civil rights which are in decline after months and years of hope," she told the AFP news agency. Read More

Testimony of an ex-TPLF official to the House Subcommittee on Africa

Global Human Rights and International Operations

Testimony by Andargachew Tesge
Member, Central Council
Coalition for Unity and Democracy Party

Professor Mesfin Woldemariam -- a human rights defender in TPLF's jail

Professor Mesfin Woldemariam, 75-year-old founder and former chairman of the Ethiopian Human Rights Council, has been detained since early November 2005, following opposition party demonstrations to protest peacefully against alleged fraud in Ethiopia’s May 2005 elections. A retired geography professor from Addis Ababa University, he is Ethiopia’s most prominent human rights defender. He recently spent a year at Harvard University.

Jailed along with Mesfin Woldemariam are many others, including leaders of the opposition political party Coalition for Unity and Democracy (CUD), journalists, and anti-poverty activists. These include Dr. Berhanu Negga, a professor of economics, Dr. Yacob Hailemariam, a former prosecutor in the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, Hailu Shawel, Bitukan Mideksa, Getachew Mengiste, Gizachew Shifferaw, Dr. Hailu Araya, Debebe Eshetu, Muluneh Eyual, Daniel Bekele, Natsanet Demissie, and Dr. Befekadu Degefe. Although the charges against the defendants include “treason” and “violent conspiracy,” Amnesty International considers them to be prisoners of conscience who have been jailed solely on account of their non-violent opinions and activities. Read more

Amnesty International April 06 --- Ethiopia: fear of Torture and unfair trial

URGENT ACTION
Ethipia: Torture/ possible prisoners of conscience/ fear of unfair trial

Torture/ possible prisoners of conscience/ fear of unfair trial

• Kifle Tigeneh (m), aged 67, elected member of parliament for Coalition for Unity and Democracy (CUD), businessperson
• Solomon Aregawi (m), aged 20, journalist
• Admassu Abebe (m), aged 50
• Getachew Kebede (m), aged 58, elected member of Addis Ababa City Council for CUD, army captain
• Kifle Mekonnen (m), aged 60, elected member of Addis Ababa City Council for CUD
• Solomon Demissie (m), 70, elected member of Addis Ababa City Council for CUD
• Molla Alemayehu (m), aged 56
• Mulunesh Mammo (f), aged 39
• Natnael Mekonnen (m), aged 28
• Wassihun Alemu (m), aged 60
• And 23 others

Those named above are among 33 members or alleged members of the Coalition for Unity and Democracy (CUD) opposition political party who have been charged with offences including "outrages against the Constitution" and "genocide". The defendants could face an unfair trial, and if they are found guilty, they could face the death penalty.

Eight of those named above claim that they have been tortured in detention. The 33 were detained following demonstrations organized by the CUD in November 2005 against alleged election fraud. They were charged before the Federal High Court in the capital, Addis Ababa, on 20 March. No date has been set for their trial. Amnesty International is concerned that they may not receive a fair trial by an independent court according to recognized international standards.

Getachew Kebede, Kifle Mekonnen and Solomon Demissie (all three of whom are Addis Ababa City Council members-elect, representing the CUD), Admassu Abebe, Molla Alemayehu, Mulunesh Mammo, Natnael Mekonnen and Wassihun Alemu, all complained in court that they had been tortured while detained by police in the Central Investigation Bureau in Addis Ababa, and denied medical treatment for injuries sustained during torture.

Wassihun Alemu claimed that he had suffered hearing damage and a broken hand through torture. He also claimed that he had been denied food for several days, despite needing to eat regularly as he suffers from diabetes.

Getachew Kebede said he had been forced to sign a statement even though he could not read it because he was bleeding so heavily after being beaten. Another defendant said he had been given electric shocks. Some named the police officers who had allegedly tortured them. Read more

The killing fields of Ethiopia --- Donkoro Chaka: A "Deaf Bush" in Ethiopia

by Glenn Brigaldino
Wednesday, 05 April 2006
The rare glimpses at Ethiopia through the cracked lenses of mainstream media distort more than they inform about the political crisis in this country of over 75 million people. The blurred picture that comes to the distant minds in Europe and North America usually includes a long history of famine conditions and war with neighbouring Eritrea.

With the fall of the Mengistu dictatorship in 1991 and independence for Eritrea, cautious optimism emerged that Ethiopia may finally start to rebuild, heal and develop in peace and freedom. Hopes culminated in 2005 when the May 15 federal elections appeared to promise genuine democratic choice to Ethiopians. Today, nearly a year later, democracy and development have been stopped in their tracks. When election results indicated that the ruling regime of Meles Zenawi might have been voted out, the Prim minister unleashed his tightly controlled security and federal police forces on those who dared to protest against blatant manipulation of vote tallying and recounts.

First in June and again in November 2005, dozens of protesters, mainly in the capital Addis Abeba were shot to death. Tens of thousands of suspected sympathizers, even youngsters aged fourteen were hunted down and rounded up for deportation to various remote military centres and concentration camps. Abuse of detainees was widespread and continues for those still imprisoned. At the height of the detention wave in November last year, detention camp populations were quickly swelling, for example, a source on the ground in Ethiopia reported that:

• Birrsheleko in Gojam west Ethiopia more than 38,000 detained
• Dedessa in Wellega southwest Ethiopia more than 20,000 detained
• Denkorochaka in Wello north Ethiopia, number not known, but estimated in thousands
• Shewarobit in north Ethiopia estimated in thousands
• Ziway prison in south Ethiopia estimated in thousands
• Hurso camp in eastern Ethiopia estimated in thousands.

In addition there are many other detention camps throughout Ethiopia of which the exact locations and number of detainees is unknown. Read More

(Video) U.S. House Hearing: "Ethiopia's Troubled Internal Situation" : the Committee on International Relations (ff to minute 13)

Click here to Watch.
Congressman Chris Smith shaking hands with Andargachew Tsege, an opposition official who testified before a congressional hearing about the political repression going on in Ethiopia.

Mr Andargachdew was one of thousands of political detainees held at Zwai Concentration Camp in central Ethiopia following Meles Zenawi's nationwide crackdown in the aftermath of the 2005 elections.

Ethiopia -- Injustice will be done

Mar 16th 2006 ADDIS ABABAFrom
The Economist print edition

An ill-judged treason trial

Mr Meles is not listening

THE trial of 129 opposition politicians, journalists and other dissenters starts later this month in Addis Ababa. The accused face a range of charges, including treason and planning “genocide”. Among them are the leaders of the Coalition for Unity and Democracy (CUD), an umbrella organisation of several parties, mainly representing one of the largest ethnic groups, the Amhara. The prisoners include the coalition's elected mayor of Addis Ababa, Berhanu Nega, and 13 of the country's more independent journalists. But putting opponents and critics in the dock on trumped up charges will not endear the government of Meles Zenawi to the western governments that have given Ethiopia hundreds of millions of dollars in aid. Read More

Professor, a prisoner of conscience, in Ethiopian jail

Dr Yacob Hailemariam

The Virginian-Pilot © February 23, 2006

It’s been three and a half months since his arrest, and Yacob Hailemariam still sits in a dank Ethiopian jail.

Fortunately, there are signs that officials here and elsewhere are finally taking notice.
The Kempsville resident and former NSU professor, who has been declared a “prisoner of conscience” by Amnesty International, is awaiting trial on trumped-up charges of treason and genocide.

In all, Ethiopia’s increasingly despotic regime — a Potemkin democracy designed to nab foreign aid dollars — has jailed some 131 opposition leaders, journalists and aid workers. Read more

Ethiopia: Prisoners of conscience prepare to face 'trial'

Dr Birhanu Nega, an elected mayor of Addis Abeba, curently in the dungeons of TPLF Government.
Press release, Amnesty International
2/02/2006

As international concerns regarding the human rights situation in Ethiopia escalate, Amnesty International called for the immediate and unconditional release of opposition leaders, human rights defenders and journalists who will face trial tomorrow on charges that include treason, violent conspiracy and "genocide".

"These people are prisoners of conscience, imprisoned solely on account of their non-violent opinions and activities," said Kolawole Olaniyan, Director of Amnesty International's Africa Programme. "It is unacceptable that they are now facing serious criminal charges that could lead to death sentences and possible execution."

"We demand their immediate and unconditional release and a halt to this attempt by the Ethiopian government to criminalize freedom of expression and prevent legitimate political and human rights activity." Read more

"The Year of Living Dangerously" in Ethiopian capital

22 Feb 2006 01:03:00 GMT
Source: Reuters
By C. Bryson Hull

ADDIS ABABA, Feb 22 (Reuters) - In Addis Ababa, the cool highland nights are no longer the only chill in the air.

Fear has crept back into the wide boulevards of Ethiopia's capital since Prime Minister Meles Zenawi's government unleashed a harsh crackdown on opposition members and arrested thousands following post-election violence.

"It's the 'Year of Living Dangerously,'" said a Western embassy official, referring to the 1982 movie, starring Mel Gibson, about political turmoil in Indonesia.

Even months after relative calm was restored, the kind of paranoia last felt under the oppressive Derg military dictatorship is gripping people, residents and expatriates say. Read more

The architect of the mass arrests and Killings in Ethiopian

Melese Zenawie, the self appointed Prime minister of Ethiopia

Africa's 'New Generation' Likened to Old

Leaders once lauded by the West are accused of adopting the autocratic ways of predecessors.

By Edmund Sanders, Times Staff Writer

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia — Like the elephants that roam the East African savannas, this region's Big Men once looked like an endangered species.

Some leaders were toppled by coups d'etat, others by democratic revolutions or international pressure. Their replacements — mostly young, former guerrillas who spoke of sweeping reforms — were heralded by then-President Clinton and other Western leaders as the "new generation" of African statesmen. International aid and investment began flooding into the region.

But to the disappointment of many, this new guard is beginning to adopt some of the undemocratic behavior of the dictators it replaced. And resulting tensions with Europe and the U.S. are threatening efforts to combat poverty and build strategic partnerships against terrorism.

Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, a onetime favorite of the West, was blamed for a bloody postelection crackdown last year in which police shot to death dozens of students and imprisoned thousands more protesters, including elected opposition leaders. Read more

Democratic dawn in Ethiopia fades as abuses come to light

Post-election protests have resulted in a wave of arrests
Inigo Gilmore in Addis Ababa
Sunday December 4, 2005 The Observer

Ethiopia is in danger of losing millions of pounds of foreign aid as disturbing new evidence of violence and mass detentions emerges from the country that until recently was being hailed as the great democratic hope of Africa.

International donors are deeply concerned about the political chaos in a country whose prime minister, Meles Zenawi, was supposed to be setting an example of good governance.

Five months after Ethiopia descended into political chaos following a dispute over the country's first democratic elections, details are emerging that give a disturbing glimpse into the scale of human rights abuses taking place. Read More

A Dream Defiled --The Betrayal of Ethiopia's Democracy

By Micha Odenheimer Sunday, December 18, 2005; B04

The Addis Ababa airport I used to know was shabby and neglected, an overgrown shack of wood, concrete and tin. It smelled of incense mingled with the dank, sweet odor of sewage. But the old airport had been torn down since my last visit; in its place was a sparkling, high-ceilinged structure of metal and glass into which light poured from every direction.Now, as I rode into the city, traffic stopped for a herd of goats and beggars were sleeping on the traffic islands that divided the road. But people were also bustling around with cell phones stuck to their ears, and brightly lit Internet cafes were filled with young people. Things were changing for the better, it seemed when I arrived last month. There was no reason to suspect that Ethiopia was poised to plunge headlong into darkness -- that within a week, dozens of street protesters would be dead, and tens of thousands of young people arrested. Read More

Ethiopia -- Good governance gone bad

The New York Times SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2005

Somebody needs to remind Meles Zenawi that he is supposed to be setting the example for how democracy should work in Africa. As things stand, the only example Meles, the Ethiopian prime minister, is setting is one of autocratic repression.Meles has often been lauded as an exemplar of good government by the likes of the Prime Minister Tony Blair of Britain, who picked him to help draft his Commission for Africa report on how to reduce poverty and promote democracy on the continent. But it turns out that Meles is in favor of democracy only when people are voting for him. Read More

Atrocities committed by the Ethiopian Government

More on BBC

"Throughout history, it has been the inaction of those who could have acted; the indifference of those who should have known better; the silence of the voice of justice when it mattered most; that has made it possible for evil to triumph”

His Imperial Majesty Emperor Haile Selassie

Ethiopia festival turns violent

At least 16 people are shot when violence breaks out at an Ethiopian Christian festival in the capital. Some of the tens of thousands of people started chanting opposition slogans and throwing stones, police say. Read more