lørdag 26. august 2017

የሶማሌ ክልል ልዩ ፖሊስ” አማካይነት በኦሮሚያ እና በኦሮሞ ሕዝብ ላይ የተፈፀመዉን ወረራ በማስመልከት የኦሮሞ ዲ. ግንባር ባለ6 ነጥብ መግለጫ አወጣ

በ”የሶማሌ ክልል ልዩ ፖሊስ” አማካይነት በኦሮሚያ እና በኦሮሞ ሕዝብ ላይ የተፈፀመዉን ወረራ በማስመልከት ከኦሮሞ ዲሞክራሲያዊ ግንባር የተሰጠ መግለጫ
(PDF) ባለፉት ሦስት ዓመታት ዉስጥ በሕወሐት የሚመራዉና ለስሙ “የኢትዮጵያ መንግሥት ነኝ” የሚለዉ ገዢ ቡድን የተስፋፊዉን የሶሚሊያ መንግሥት የ“ታላቋ ሶማሊያ” ምሥረታ ህልም ዕዉን ለማድረግ እንደሚሠራ የሚያመለክቱ የተለያዩ ደባዎችን “አስተዳድረዋለሁ” በሚለዉ የኦሮሞ ሕዝብ ለይ እየፈፀመ መሆኑን በግልፅ አሣይቷል፡፡ እንደሚታወቀዉ የኦሮሚያን መሬት እና ሌሎች የአካባቢዉ ግዛቶችን አጠቃሎ “ታላቋን ሶማሊያ“ የመመሥረት ሙከራ የተጀመረዉ በዚያድባሬ ዘመነ መንግሥት ነበር፡፡ የ“ታላቋ ሶማሊያ” ምሥረታ እንቅስቃሴ በኢትዮጵያ፣ በኬንያ እና በጂቡቲ ግዛቶቸ ዉስጥ የሚኖሩትን የሶማሊኛ ቋንቋ ተናጋሪዎች በወታደራዊ ኃይል በማንበርከክ እነዚህ ሕዝቦች የሰፈሩበትን መሬት ወደ ሶማሊያ ግዛት ለማጠቃለል የታለመ እንደነበረ አይዘነጋም፡፡ ይህ የ“ታላቋ ሶማሊያ” ህልም እንግዲህ በምሥራቅና ምዕራብ ሐረርጌ፣ በባሌ፣ በአርሲ፣ በጉጂ እና በቦረና የሚኖሩትን የኦሮሞ ብሔር አባላት እስከነመሬታቸዉ “ሶማሌ አቦ“ የሚል ስያሜ ሰጥቶ የሶማሊያ አካል ለማድረግ ታስቦ የተጀመረ የተስፋፊነት ህልም ነበር፡፡
በ1977 የሶማሊያ መንግሥት በኢትዮጵያ ላይ የከፈተዉ ጦርነትም ይህን ህልም ዕዉን ለማድረግ ታስቦ የተከፈተና በኢትዮጵያ ሕዝብ ድል አድራጊነት የተደመደመደ እንደነበረ የቅርብ ጊዜ ትዝታችን ነዉ፡፡ ይህ በምሥራቁ የአገራችን ክፍል የተካሄደዉና የኦሮሞ ሕዝብ ከሌሎች ኢትዮጵያዉያን ወገኖቹ ጋራ በመሆን በጀግንነት ያከሸፈዉ የሶማሊያ የመስፋፋት ህልም ኋላ ላይ ሶማሊያ የምትባለዉም አገር እንድትፈርስ ካደረጉት ምክንያቶች አንዱ ሆኖ በታሪክ ተመዝግቧል፡፡ በዕብሪተኝነት የመስፋፋት ዓላማን ይዞ የተነሣዉ የዚያድባሬ መንግሥት ይመራቸዉ የነበሩት ልዩ ልዩ ጎሣዎች መስፋፋቱ ሣይሣካላቸዉ ሲቀር ወደ እርስ በእርስ ጦርነት ገብተዉ የገዛ አገራቸዉን እስከማፍረስ እና መንግሥት-አልባ እስከመሆን ደረሱ፡፡
የ“ታላቋ ሶማሊያ“ ህልመኞች ያተኮሩባቸዉን የአገራችንን ግዛቶች ስናስብ እንግዲህ በኢትዮጵያ እና በሶማሊያ መንግሥታት መካከል ተካሂዶ የነበረዉና በኢትዮጵያ ድል አድራጊነት የተደመደመዉ የኢትዮ-ሶማሊያ ጦርነት በኦሮሞ ሕዝብ እና በዚያድባሬ ተስፋፊ መንግሥት መካከል የተደረገ ጦርነት ነበር ማለት ይቻላል፡፡ በወቅቱ የኦሮሞ ታጋዮችና መሪዎች ይህን ኦሮሞን ወደሶማሌነት ለመለወጥና በባርነት አስገድዶ ለመግዛት ታቅዶ የተከፈተብንን የመስፋፋት ጦርነት በጀግንነትና በቆራጥነት ተቋቁመዋል፡፡ በጣም ብዙ የኦሮሞ ታጋዮችም የደም፣ የአጥንት እና የሕይወት መስዋዕትነት ከፍለዋል፡፡ በአጠቃላይ አነጋገር ለ1977 የዚያድባሬ ወረራ መክሸፍ የኦሮሞ ሕዝብ ታሪክ የማይረሣዉ አኩሪ ሚና ተጫዉቷል፤ ከፍተኛ መስዋዕትነትም ከፍሏል፡፡
ይህ የኦሮሞን መሬት ቆርሶ በተዘዋዋሪ መንገድ ለሶማሊያ የመስጠት ዓላማ ዛሬም ቢሆን በሕወሐት አበረታችነትና ደጋፊነት መልኩን ቀይሮ እንደቀጠለ ነዉ፡፡ ይህ የአሁኑ ወረራ ከማንም በላይ የሚመለከተዉ የተወረረዉ ግዛት ባለቤት የሆነዉን የኦሮሞ ሕዝብ እንደመሆኑ መጠን እያንዳንዱ ኦሮሞ ከተወረረዉ አካባቢ ያለዉ ርቀት ሣያግደዉ፣አቅጣጫ ሣይከልለዉ፣ የአፋን ኦሮሞ የአነጋገር ዘይቤ ሣይከፋፍለዉ እና የፖለቲካ አመለካከት ብሎም የፖለቲካ ድርጅት አባልነት ወይም ደጋፊነት ሣይለያየዉ እስከዛሬ ሲያደርግ እንደነበረዉ ሁሉ ከጫፍ እስከ ጫፍ ተነቃንቆ በኦሮሞነቱ ብቻ አብሮ በመቆም ለወራሪዉ ቡድንም ሆነ ቡድኑን አቅፎና ደግፎ በእጅ አዙር ላሰማራዉ የሕወሐት ገዢ ቡድን የማያዳግም ትምህርት የመስጠት ግዴታ አለበት፡፡ ይህ ግዴታ የሚመነጨዉ ደግሞ የዚህ ወይንም የዚያ አካባቢ ተወላጅ ከመሆን፣ ወይም የዚህ ወይንም የዚያ ፖለቲካ ድርጅት አባል ወይም ደጋፊ ከመሆን ሣይሆነ ከኦሮሞነት እና ኦሮሞነት ብቻ ነዉ፡፡ ክምንም በላይና ከየትኛዉም አመለካከታችን በፊት ኦሮሞነታችን (ማንነታችን) ሊያቀራርበንና አንድ ላይ ሊያቆመን ይገባል፡፡ ስለሆነም በኦሮሚያ መሬትና በኦሮሞ ሕዝብ አንድነት ላይ አነጣጥሮ የተከፈተብንንና የሕወሐት እጅ በቀጥታ እና በተዘዋዋሪ መንገድ ያለበትን ይህን የአሁኑን የመስፋፋት ጦርነት የኦሮሞ ሕዝብ ከዳር እስከዳር ተንቀሣቅሶ በጀግንነት፣ በአንድነት እና በወንድማማችነት ስሜት በጋራ በመታገል ማክሸፍ አለበት፡፡ የተጠየቀዉን መስዋዕትነት ሁሉ ከፍለን ይህን መልኩን ቀይሮ በአዲስ መንገድ የተሰነዘረብንን የታላቋ ሶማሊያን ህልም እንደትናንቱ ሁሉ ዛሬም ማክሸፍ ብቻም ሣይሆን ዳግም እንዳያንሠራራ አድርገን ከመሠረቱ መምታት ይኖርብናል፡፡ በአንድነት ቆሞ ለአንድ የጋራ ዓላማ አብሮ መታገልን ደግሞ የኦሮሞ ሕዝብ በፊንፍኔ ጉዳይ ማለትም በ”የአዲስ አበባ ማስተር ፕላን” ተብዬዉ የሕወሐት ሴራ ላይ፣ በቁቤ አፋን ኦሮሞ ጉዳይ እና ኦሮሞን እንደኦሮሞ በሚመለከቱ ሌሎች ሕወሐት-ሠራሽ ጥፋቶች ላይ በተግባር አሣይቷል፤ አሁንም እያሣየ ነዉ፡፡ በ”ሶማሌ ልዩ ፖሊስ” ስም ከሕወሐት የተሰነዘረብንን ወረራ ለማክሸፍም በኦሮሞነት ላይ የተመሠረተ አንድነታችን ከምን ጊዜዉም በላይ አስፈላጊ ነዉ፡፡
ስለሆነም በሕወሐት ግፊት ብሎም በሕወሐት አገዛዝ የጦር መሣሪያና የሞራል ድጋፍ የተጀመረዉን የሶማሌ ክልል ወረራ የማክሸፉ ተግባር የእያንዳንዱ ኦሮሞ የማይናወጥ ጠንካራ የኦሮሞነት አቋም የሚንፀባረቅበት የኦሮሞ አንድነትም በተግባር የሚታይበት እንደሚሆን የኦሮሞ ዲሞክራሲያዊ ግንባር በፅኑ ያምናል፡፡ ይህን ፅኑ እምነት መሠረት በማድረግም የኦሮሞ ዲሞክራሲያዊ ግንባር ለሁሉም ነፃነት ፈላጊ ወገኖች፤ በኦሮሞ ሕዝብ ስም ተደራጅተዉ ለሚንቀሣቀሱ የፖለቲካ ድርጅቶችና የሲቪክ ማህበራት በሙሉ እና ለመላዉ የኦሮሞ ሕዝብ የሚከተለዉን የትግል ጥሪ ያቀርባል፡-
1. የኦሮሞ የሲቪክና የፖለቲካ ድርጅቶች በሙሉ በአስቸኳይ ተሰብስበን ይህን በኦሮሚያ መሬትና በኦሮሞ ሕዝብ ላይ የተሰነዘረዉን ወረራ እንዴት ማክሸፍ እንደሚቻል ተወያይተን ዉጤታማ የሚያደርገንን መፍትሔ በጋራ እንድንፈልግ ወገናዊ ጥሪያችንን እናቀርብላችኋለን፡፡ በመሠረቱ በነፃነት ጉዳይና የኦሮሚያን ግዛት በማስከበር ጥያቄ ላይ ካልተስማማን በምን ላይ ልንስማማ እንችላለን?
2. አሁን በሥልጣን ላይ ካለዉ የኢትዮጵያ መንግሥት ተብዬ የጥቂቶች ገዢ ቡድን ጋር እየሠራችሁ ያላችሁ የፖለቲካ ድርጅቶችም ሆናችሁ ሕዝባዊና የሙያ ማህበራት አብራችሁ እየሠራችሁ ያላችሁት የሕወሐት ገዢ ቡድን የኦሮሚያን መሬት ለባዕዳን አሣልፎ ከመስጠት ወደኋላ የማይል፣ የኦሮሞን ሕዝብ ከአገር ባለቤትነት ወደተዋራጅ ባርነት ዝቅ ለማድረግ ሌት ከቀን የሚሠራ መሠሪ ቡድን መሆኑን ተረድታችሁ አሰላለፋችሁን በአስቸኳይ አስተካክሉ ልንላችሁ እንወዳለን፡፡ ከምንም በላይ የኦሮሞን ሕዝብ ደም እያፈሰሰ፣ ሕይወት እየቀጠፈ፣ ብሎም ሌሎች ፀረ-ኦሮሞ የሆኑ ኃይሎችን በኦሮሚያና በኦሮሞ ሕዝብ ላይ የበላይ እንዲሆኑ ሁኔታዎችን እያመቻቸ ካለ መንግሥት ነኝ ባይ የጥቂት ወያኔዎች ቡድን ጋር በመሰለፋችሁ ከታሪክ ተጠያቂነት አትድኑም፡፡ ስለሆነም የኦሮሚያ ምክር ቤት አባላት፣ የኦሮሞ ሕዝብ ዲሞክራሲያዊ ድርጅት (ኦሕዴድ) አባላት እና በአጠቃላይ የኢትዮጵያ መንግሥት ነኝ ከሚለዉ የጥቂቶች ቡድን ጋር በአንድ ወይም በሌላ መልኩ እየሠራችሁ ያላችሁ ኦሮሞዎች በሙሉ ዛሬ ነገ ሣትሉ የተሣሣተ አሰላለፈችሁን እንድትመረምሩና ሕዝባችሁን ከሶማሌ ወራሪና ከሕወሐት አገዛዝ ነፃ ለማድረግ የሚካሄደዉን ፍትሃዊ ትግል እንድትቀላቀሉ ጥሪ እናደርግላችኋለን፡፡
3. ኦሮሞ ሆናችሁ የህወሀትን መንግሥት በማገልገል ላይ የምትገኙ የአገር መከላከያ፣ የፖሊስና የደህንነት አባላት በሙሉ ከአብራኩ የወጣችሁት የኦሮሞ ሕዝብ በቆራጥነት ያነሣዉ የነፃነት፣ የሰላም፣ የአንድነትና የአገሩ ባላቤት የመሆን ጥያቄ እናንተንም ስለሚመለከት ከገዢዉ ቡድን ተፅዕኖ ሥር በመዉጣት የኦሮሞን ሕዝብ ትግል እንደትቀላቀሉ ወገናዊ ጥሪያችንን እናቀርብላችኋለን፡፡
4. ታላቁ የኦሮሞ ሕዝብ ሆይ፡- እንደማንኛዉም የዓለም ሕዝብ በገዛ አገርህና ተፈጥሮ በለገሰችህ ለም ምድር ላይ በሰላም፣ በክብርና በነፃነት ሠርቶ የመኖር ሙሉ መብት አለህ፡፡ ለጊዜዉ ግን የጠላቶችህ አፈናና ጭቆና ከዕለት ወደዕለት እየጨመረብህ ነዉ፡፡ ይህ ሁሉ ሆኖ ግን ጠንክረህ በመታገል ድልን እንደምትጎናፀፍ አንጠራጠርም፡፡ ለአስተማማኝ ድል ለመብቃት ግን ወራሪ ጠላትን ከኦሮሚያ ምድር ጠራርጎ ማስወጣትና ሰብዓዊ መብትህን ማስከበር ብሎም በገዛ አገርህ በሰላም፣ በነፃነትና በተረጋጋ ሁኔታ ለመኖር የሚያስችልህን ሁኔታ ለማመቻቸት ኃይልህን አስተባብረህ ጠንክረህ ከመታገል ዉጭ ሌላ አማራጭ የለህም፡፡ ስለሆነም የጀመርከዉን የነፃነት፣ የእኩልነት፣ የፍትህና የአገርህ እዉነተኛ ባለቤት መሆንህን የማረጋገጥ ትግል የበለጠ እንድታፋፍም ስናሣስብህ የጀመርከዉ ትግል ከአስተማማኝ ድል በመለስ የማይቆም መሆኑን በማስገንዘብም ጭምር ነዉ፡፡
5. የኢትዮጵያ ሕዝቦች ሆይ፡- በሕወሐት አቀነባባሪነትና ሁለ-ገብ ድጋፍ በኦሮሚያ ምድርና በኦሮሞ ሕዝብ ላይ የተፈፀመዉ ወረራ በመላዉ ኢትዮጵያና በሁሉም ኢትዮጵያዉያን ላይ የተፈፀመ ወረራ መሆኑን መረዳት ይኖርባችኋል፡፡ አሁን በኦሮሚያ ምድርና በኦሮሞ ሕዝብ ላይ የተፈፀመዉ ሕወሐት-መራሽ ወረራ በጀግንነታችን ያከሸፍነዉን የትናንቱን የ“ታላቋ ሶማሊያ” ምሥረታ ተልዕኮ ያነገበ በመሆኑ በመላዉ ኢትዮጵያና በሁሉም ኢትዮጵያዉያን ላይ የተፈፀመ ወረራ እንደሆነ ተረድታችሁ ከኦሮሞ ሕዝብ ጎን እንድትሰለፉ ጥሪያችንን እናቀርብላችኋለን፡፡ በእንደዚህ ዓይነቱ ያለአግባብ የመደፈር፣ የመወረር እና የመጠቃት ወቅት አብሮ መቆም አንድነታችንን የሚያጠናክር ከመሆኑም በላይ አንድ ላይ መቆማችንን የማይወደዉንና የማይፈልገዉን የሕወሐት ገዢ ቡድን የሚያሣፍር ብሎም የሚያዳክም መሆኑን ተረድታችሁ ከኦሮሞ ወገናችሁ ጎን እንድትሰለፉ ጥሪያችንን ስናቀርብላችሁ ለወገናዊ ጥሪያችን አጥጋቢ መልስ እንደምትሰጡ በመተማመን ነዉ፡፡
6. ለሁሉም የኢትዮጵያ ሕዝቦች ችግር፣ መከራና ስቃይ ዋነኛዉ ምክንያት እና ብቸኛዉ ምንጭ ሥልጣንን በሕዝብ ፍላጎት ሣይሆን በጠመንጃ አፈሙዝ የተቆጣጠረዉ ጨካኝ፣ ዘራፊና ግፈኛ የሆነዉ የሕወሐት ገዢ ቡድን ነዉ፡፡ ይህ ቡድን በመንግሥት ሥልጣን ላይ ተደላድሎ እስከተቀመጠና ሁሉንም የመንግሥት ሥልጣን በቀጥታና በተዘዋዋሪ መንገድ ጠቅልሎ ይዞ ጭቆናዉን እስከቀጠለ ድረስ ለየትኞቹም ችግሮቻችን መፍትሔ፣ ለየትኞቹም ፍትሃዊ ጥያቄዎቻችን ተገቢ መልስ ልናገኝ አንችልም፡፡ ስለዚህ “በሶማሌ ክልል ልዩ ፖሊስ” ስም በአገራችን ላይ የተፈፀመዉን ወረራ ለማክሸፍም ሆነ የሕወሐትን የጭቆና አገዛዝ ከሥር መሠረቱ ለመናድ የኢትዮጵያ ሕዝቦች በሙሉ በብሔር-ብሔረሰብ፣ በቋንቋ፣ በትዉልድ አካባቢ፣ በፖለቲካ አመለካከት፣ በሃይማኖት፣ ወዘተ ሣንለያይ እጅ ለእጅ ተያይዘን አንድ ላይ በመቆም በተለያዩ የአገሪቱ ክፍሎች በአጠቃላይ፣ በመላዉ ኦሮሚያ ደግሞ በተለይ የተቀጣጠለዉን የነፃነት ትግል የበለጠ እንድናፋፍምና ለድል እንድናበቃ ወገናዊ ጥሪያችንን እናቀርብላችኋለን፡፡
ነፃነት እና ፍትህ ለሁሉም!!
የኦሮሞ ዲሞክራሲያዊ ግንባር ነሐሴ 2009
P.O.BOX 56224 | Washington, DC, 20040 USA | Email: OromoDemocraticFront@gmail.com | Web: www.OromoDemocraticFront.org

onsdag 23. august 2017

Ethiopia: Oromia region observes shutdown called by opposition

Ethiopia: Oromia region observes shutdown called by opposition

ETHIOPIA

Ethiopia’s Oromia region has been hit by a five-day shutdown called by the main opposition group – the Oromo Federalist Congress (OFC). 
The OFC says it has planned the protest to run from today (August 23) till Sunday August 27. The party said the call had been heeded with businesses and transportation service muted in most parts of the region. 
Local media reports that the purpose of the strike is to remember protesters who were killed during the anti-government protests last year. It is also aimed at demanding the release of political prisoners arrested during the deadly protests.
The spreading protests led to the imposition of a state of emergency in October 2016. The six-month directive was earlier this month lifted by the parliament. It lasted a total of 10-months due to a four-month renewal in April this year.
The Oromia region is experiencing its second such protest this year. The first was in July when a tax hike by the government was resisted by a similar shutdown. 
The OFC’s leader, Merera Gudina, is currently in detention awaiting trial on charges of terrorism. Thousands were detained during the protests that also hit the Amhara region. The government has since reported mass releases and says others have been processed for court.

torsdag 17. august 2017

Ethiopia human rights group puts spotlight on abuses in prisons [Video]

The Ethiopia Human Rights Project (EHRP) has shone light on instances of rights abuses in the country’s prisons. 
EHRP used the story of a young woman, Nigist Yirga, who has been held by authorities since 2015 for participating in anti-government protests that hit the East African country.
Nigist – born and raised in the northern Gonder region said her only crime was for participating in peaceful demonstrations of July 2015. ‘I was arrested due to my participation in the protest.
I expressed my objections to the mass arrest and killings that was happening all over the country, which was why I took part in the protest. That led to my imprisonment.
‘I expressed my objections to the mass arrest and killings that was happening all over the country, which was why I took part in the protest. That led to my imprisonment,’ she added.
She discloses further that after arrest, she was sent to a detention center in the capital Addis Ababa – over 730km from Gondar. She was held in the Meakelawi facility which is notorious for widespread torture.
She chronicled how she was held incommunicado in Addis Ababa – an extremely cold cell with late night interrogations were some of the horrors she faced. She told how her hair and toe nails were pulled whiles she stood naked in front of male officers. 
The 3 minutes 44 seconds cartooned video clip posted on Youtube said she was currently being held at the Kality prison where a certain degree of abuses continue among others: highly restricted visits which last 30 minutes. ‘I should not have suffered all these because I exercised my right,’ she concluded.
It is not known when and how the story of Yirga was documented. The EHRP is a non-governmental organization whose vision is ‘the amplification of Ethiopian Human Rights Voices,’ its website says.
‘Ethiopia Human Rights Project (EHRP) understands the challenges that local civil societies in Ethiopia face and their limitations to engage on rights advocacy because of the restrictive environment in which they operate in,’ they added.







torsdag 10. august 2017

panel of three judges at the Federal High Court 4th criminal bench have today passed a decision denying the request for bail submitted by Bekele Gerba

BG Quote

Mahlet Fasil
Addis Abeba, August 10/2017 – A panel of three judges at the Federal High Court 4th criminal bench have today passed a decision denying the request for bail submitted by Bekele Gerba, (pictured), first secretary general of the opposition Oromo Federalist Congress (OFC).
The decision came after the judges have failed to respond during the previous four trials that followed the court’s July 13 decision to reduce the terrorism charges against Bekele Gerba to criminal charges.
In today’s hearing the judges have said that they accepted prosecutor’s argument that if released Bekele would get “involved in acts of inciting violence.”
The decision was unexpected to many in the court compound and to Bekele himself. “Truth be told, I was not expecting this; I held onto some hope that the justice system would work but it didn’t go as I expected it today; maybe some time in the future…” a calm and composed Bekele said upon hearing the verdict.
On July 13, the court ruled that Bekele Gerba, who was first detained in December 2015 shortly after the start of the popular Oromo Protests, should defend not the terrorism charges he was originally accused of, but article 257/A of the 2004 Criminal Code.
Under the reduced charges Bekele Gerba faces accusations of “Violence against the national state”, which includes, among others, “outrage against the constitution, obstruction of the exercise of constitutional powers, and armed rising and civil war.”
Bekele Gerba was  charged in April 2016 along with 21 defendants that included defendants Dejene Fita Geleta, Secretary General of OFC, and Gurmesa Ayano, another senior member, with various articles of the ATP. The charges included, but not limited to, alleged membership of the banned Oromo Liberation Front (OLF), public incitement, encouraging violence, as well as causing the death of innocent civilians and property destructions in cities such as Ambo and Adama, 120km west and 100km east of Addis Abeba, during the recent Oromo protests in Ethiopia.
In its verdict on July 13, the court acquitted five of the 22 defendants, reduced the terrorism charge against Bekele Gerba to criminal charges, and ordered the remaining 16 to defend the terrorism charges brought by the federal prosecutors.
The court adjourned to hear defense witnesses of Bekele Gerba and the 16 from August 14 – 18, 2017.  AS

tirsdag 8. august 2017

If Ethiopia’s state of emergency is over, will Merera be released?

by Africa Times Editor
Dr. Merera Gudina briefing the European parliament about the crisis in Ethiopia on November 9, 2016.
Dr. Merera Gudina briefing the European parliament about the crisis in Ethiopia on November 9, 2016.
Ethiopia lifted last week the state of emergency imposed since October 2016, but the decision has raised questions about what happens to those detained during mass arrests on politically motivated charges during that time.
Among them is Merera Gudina, the academic and longtime opposition leader whose arrest was – according to Ethiopian officials – specifically based on a violation of state of emergency provisions.
The head of the Oromo Federalist Congress was detained November 30 after returning from Brussels, where he delivered a speech to members of the European Union Parliament and testified on the Ethiopian human rights crisis along with Berhanu Nega and Olympic athlete Feyisa Lilesa. He was subsequently charged with terrorism in a case that continues to work its way through Ethiopian courts and was most recently adjourned until October.
Merera remains in prison, and remains firm in refuting the terrorism charge while testifying that his life’s work and teaching always has been to oppose violence.
In a statement issued on December 20, in response to the international community’s concern over Merera’s arrest, the Ethiopian government clarified that it was not because of his appearance at the European parliament, but because he violated the emergency laws.
“Despite his awareness of these provisions, Dr. Merera Gudina allegedly met and discussed with the leader of a group listed as terrorist in Brussels,” the government said. “If this meeting is confirmed by the investigation, this would have to be considered as a clear and deliberate violation of the state of emergency.”
With the emergency over, however, come calls for his immediate release and that of other detainees.
“The government should release those arbitrarily detained or subject to politically motivated charges, including opposition politicians like Dr. Merera Gudina,” the Human Rights Watch said Monday. The statement also called for meaningful reforms that address the issues on which protests are centered.

Apartheid on the rise in Ethiopia says American economist and civil resistance expert




In an exclusive interview with ESAT, David Steinman, a Wharton-educated economist and expert in civil resistance, accuses the TPLF regime of replicating the policies of the defunct Apartheid regime in South Africa. He says the rise of a highly discriminatory minority regime of the TPLF in Ethiopia was not a coincidence but a deliberate scheme to exploit and oppress the majority of Ethiopians. Steinman asserted that opposition groups have no choice but to unite against such a divisive and corrupt regime to pave the way for radical political and economic changes.
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Open letter on behalf of Dr. Tadesse Biru Kersmo to Alison Saunders

Alison Saunders
Director Public Prosecution
Crown Prosecution Service
Rose Court, 2 Southwark Bridge
London
Dear Alison Saunders,
Ethiopian Advocacy Network, a grass roots organization committed to promoting respect for human rights and the rule of law, is deeply concerned and disturbed by the news that Dr. Tadesse Biru Kersmo, a well-known dissident and pro-democracy activist was briefly detained by UK authorities on terrorism charges and later released on bail pending appearance in court. Dr. Kersmo is a permanent resident of UK and has been living in London with his British wife for quite sometime now. The case against Dr. Kersmo is based solely on circumstantial evidence and the result of worrisome and growing reliance on roundly criticized intrusive and overreaching laws.
Tadesse B. Kersmo
Dr. Tadesse Biru Kersmo
Dr. Kersmo, a scholar, researcher, and God-fearing Christian believes only a genuine democratic system will bring peace and stability in Ethiopia and the Horn of Africa. Dr. Kersmo is a passionate defender of human rights and a dedicated advocate for social justice. His well-known activism has made him an implacable enemy and a prime target of the Ethiopian regime.
In 2014, Dr. Kersmo was the victim of a high-profile cyber attack by the Ethiopian regime against Ethiopian exile community activists residing in the UK and in the US. The attack specifically targeted computer systems belonging to senior officials of dissident organizations.
Examinations undertaken by Privacy International in collaboration with Citizen’s Lab confirmed the detection of the surveillance software FinSpy on Dr. Kersmo’s computer. This illegal espionage and intrusion into Dr. Kersmo’s privacy on British soil was facilitated by the use of software developed and produced by the British-German company Gamma International.
This active surveillance by a foreign regime beyond its borders and within UK jurisdictions is obviously a grave violation of privacy, freedom and human rights. By engaging in these unlawful activities on UK soil, the Ethiopian regime demonstrated its total disregard for UK laws and its willingness to go to great lengths (using unlawful practices) to stifle dissenting voices and to create an environment of fear among the Ethiopian exile community members who have been granted protection in UK.
Despite these flagrant violations of international and British laws, the UK government has taken no action against the Ethiopian regime, or held Gamma International accountable for the illegal export of software to one of the most repressive regimes in Africa.
We strongly believe that the charges brought against Dr. Kersmo by UK government, a very strong supporter and major financier of the Ethiopian regime, is a politically motivated witch hunt that charts a frightening future for freedom of speech and privacy in the UK. Despite repeated condemnation of the regime led by the Tigrean People’s Liberation Front (TPLF – an organization listed in the Global Terrorism Database) by various human rights organizations, the EU and the UN, the UK administration continues to pour scarce resources into the coffers of the Ethiopian regime in spite of its deplorable human rights record.
In fact, the UK’s government unconditional support has emboldened the Ethiopian regime to escalate its brutal crackdown inside Ethiopia and to continue to take a belligerent stance against neighboring countries, further destabilizing an already fragile region. Since the 1998 border conflict, Ethiopia and Eritrea have been in a state of war, a situation so precarious it made these two nations a leading source of refugees that are currently engulfing Europe.
The authoritarian regime in Ethiopia and its declaration of a state of emergency in October 2016 has stripped the basic rights and dignity of citizens at times forcing them to change their ethnic identity. The state of emergency that has allowed the regime to rule by fear and terror for 9 months is fueling extremism and risks the disintegration of the 2nd most populous country in Africa.
Dr. Kersmo has been quite open regarding his political activities in general and his support for legally operating dissenting organizations in defense of constitutional freedom and basic rights. One of the organizations he has been supporting is Ginbot 7, Movement for Justice Freedom and Democracy- a secular and non-sectarian organization striving for liberal democracy, and arguably a widely recognized movement with huge following across regional and ethnic divide.
Dr. Kersmo was charged with several counts of violation of section 58 of the U.K. “Terrorism Act 2000”. Civil liberties groups were outraged when the law was first enacted. They had argued that the law could be used against legitimate opposition groups of exiled dissidents who, having no legitimate avenue for dissent under oppressive regimes have fled their country and found safe haven in the United Kingdom.
This is what, Liberty, also known as the National Council for Civil Liberties, had to say on the Act:
“There is a real danger that refugees and others who have fled repressive regimes to the safety of this country will become a legitimate target of the police merely because they support the overthrow of that regime, even if they themselves are opposed to violence.”  (Emphasis added).
The charges against Dr. Kersmo are exactly what civil rights groups feared and anticipated will happen and what a California State University Constitutional law professor calls: “Prosecution by Proxy”.
We the undersigned call on UK government:
  • To drop this politically motivated charge against Dr. Kersmo and to review and amend “Terrorism Act 2000” particularly section 58 of the act to prevent the misuse and the infringement of basic rights. The Act has sweeping power and far too broadly defined provision and that as a result it has been abused to intimidate and persecute law abiding and upstanding individuals such as Dr. Kersmo. The act makes it possible for UK-based activists campaigning for change to be labelled terrorists. Legal experts argue that had the Act been in place during the Thatcher government, they could have made supporting Nelson Mandela illegal.
  • We ask the UK administration to put forward a legislation that will suspend all manner of support to the Ethiopian regime until it is willing to enact credible reforms and to comply with internationally recognized democratic norms. UK taxpayer’s money should not be used to sustain one of the most deplorable and authoritarian regimes in Africa.
  • We also urge the UK to use its leverage to pressure the Ethiopian regime to open the political space, respect universally guaranteed human rights and release all political prisoners including Mr. Andargachew Tsege, a British citizen who was secretly kidnapped in Yemen and renditioned to Ethiopia where he had been sentenced to death, in absentia, in 2009.
Yours sincerely
Ethiopian Advocacy Network is a grassroots organization that was formed in January 2015 by Ethiopian-Americans, Ethiopian activists and community organizers to promote democracy, human rights, and justice in Ethiopia through advocacy, civic education and grass roots mobilization. EAN has a global presence with members in the USA, Africa, Canada and Europe.