Washington DC (ESAT)– Ambassador Vicki Huddleston, Assistant Deputy Secretary of Defense for Africa in the Office of the US Secretary of Defense, has said that Ethiopians have to move beyond the aftermath of elections 2005, which she referred to as a tragic time.

In an exclusive interview she gave to ESAT at the Pentagon, Ambassador Huddleston said that the aftermath of the 2005 elections left people feel excluded and bitter. “Ethiopia has to move beyond that time,” she said adding that both the opposition and the government need to begin “envisioning how they see Ethiopia in the future.” According to Ambassador Huddleston, Ethiopia is a great country but it can only be even greater “with all the people working together for the greatness and goodness of this country.”

She also noted that the U.S. Government had started bilateral talks with the Ethiopian government under the auspices of the State Department. “We are talking with Ethiopia about democracy, human rights, development and security,” she said.

Huddleston pointed out that she recently travelled to Ethiopia along with General Carter F. Ham, commander of U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM), and held talks with Mr. Zenawi and other senior government officials. She indicated that issues regarding human rights and democracy were raised during the talks and further revealed that US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had set up a joint commission with the government to discuss democracy, economic and security matters.

The Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense further pointed out that the United States has two major concerns in Africa, i.e. extremism and humanitarian disaster. According to Huddleston, the U.S. is trying to address security and stability concerns by building the capacity of African military forces. “We believe that it is not the United States or its allies who should be involved in Africa or intervene in Africa. It’s rather up to African nations, governments and militaries to resolve their own problems such as extremism and internal conflict,” she noted.

She added that the United States does not wish to see armies that abuse their own citizens. “All militaries have to understand basic human rights, international military law and how they treat the citizens of their own citizens.”

With regard to security and stability concerns in the Horn of Africa, Huddleston said that the sub-region is a great example of building the capacity of militaries under civilian leadership to deal with problems. “What the Department of Defense has done, along with the Department of State, under the overarching policy of the National Security Council, is to provide assistance to AMISOM, the African Union peacekeeping effort in Somalia,” she said.

She further pointed out that the US is providing training, assistance and equipment to support Ugandan and Burundian peacekeepers in Somalia and commended their impressive resolve to stabilize Somalia.

In relation to sanctions imposed on Eritrea by the UN Security Council, Huddleston stated that the sanctions were mainly imposed for Eritrea’s effort to destabilize the Horn of Africa by supporting extremist groups like Al Shabaab, which she described as a threat to the stability of the Horn of Africa.

The Assistant Secretary of Defense also says that despite the problems, Ethiopia has a democracy with a elections, a legislature and judiciary but needs to nurture civil society. But the renowned Ghanaian Prof. George Ayittey, President of the Free Africa Foundation, disagrees with the notion that Ethiopia under Mr. Zenawi is on a path of democracy. “Ethiopia is categorically not a democratic country; never has been for the past 50 years. Elections alone don’t make a country “democratic.” Meles Zenawi held fraudulent elections in May 2005,” he observed.

“When Ethiopians poured into the streets to protest the results, Zenawi’s goons opened fire on them, killing at least 200. He then locked up more than 30,000 opposition leaders and their supporters. This blatant fraud was repeated in the May 2010 elections, when Zenawi’s party, Ethiopian People Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF), secured 99.6 percent of the seats in Parliament – all but two of the 547 seats, effectively transforming Ethiopia into a de-facto one party state,” Ayittey said.

Prof. Ayittey called upon the US government to review its policy toward Ethiopia and make it more people-centered, rather than leader-centered. “For far too long, the US has invested much capital in the rhetoric of unsavory regimes, such as that of Zenawi. The brutal repression of the Zenawi regime runs counter to the freedom ideals the US espouses. More dangerously, the tyranny of the Zenawi regime may inspire the emergence of a rebel insurgency – exactly the same insurgency Zenawi waged against the dictator, Mengistu Hailemariam.”

Ambassador Huddleston, who served as US chargé d’affaires in Ethiopia during the 2005 election crisis, has told ESAT that she will be retiring at the end of this month and promised to have a more candid interview as a private citizen.

Little is known about Azeb Mesfin Haile’s journey to the heart of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), and by extension the pinnacle of power in Ethiopia.

She rarely gives interviews unless it is about scripted matters such as her “humanitarian” work.
I have had a chance recently to chat with a couple of people that know Azeb very well. The first one, who wants to remain anonymous, is a close relative of Azeb. The second one is called Mekonen Zelelew, former TPLF combatant and cadre. Mekonen is the man, whom she trusted and followed from Gadarif to TPLF hinterland. The bond between the two practically changed the course of Azeb Mesfin’s life journey.

Fifty-one year old Azeb is today one of the most vilified and demonized figures in Ethiopian history. That is quite obviously the burden of being a wife of a brutal dictator who oppresses, divides, abuses, tortures and kills his subjects. It is also a fact that she is not just Meles Zenawi’s wife, but practically second-in-command of her husband’s tyranny. In fact, those who know her well say that she is very mean and more dictatorial than her husband.

The only woman

Azeb is currently the only woman member of the most important shakers and movers of Ethiopia, the nine-member executive committee of the TPLF. She is also the mafia-style group’s central committee member. She is the only woman member of the executive committee of TPLF-controlled EPRDF and member of its council. Not only is she a member of the TPLF-dominated parliament and chairwoman of the social affairs standing subcommittee, but also patron of Ethiopia’s National Initiative for Mental Health and Chairwoman of Ethiopian Coalition of Women against HIV/AIDS. Azeb is everywhere but very mean to people around her. Most importantly, she is the ultimate controller of TPLF’s business conglomerates.

The state-run media respectfully call her the First Lady of Ethiopia. Her critics call her the “Mother of Corruption”; others refer to her as the “Queen of Mega” and the “Witch of Arat Kilo.”

Whatever she is called, Azeb’s arduous life journey started in Welkayit-Tegede, North Western Ethiopia, where Tigrians and Amharas have lived and intermarried for a longtime. Born in Welkayit from her father, Mesfin Haile, who was a peasant farmer and her mother, Konjit Gola.

Her mother is a daughter of the late “Fitawrari” Gola Goshu, who served as an Italian Askari during the 1935-41 Italian invasions. Gola Goshu was even given the feudal era military title “Fitawrari” (commander of the vanguard) by the Italian invaders. He was reportedly ambushed and killed by Ethiopian patriots. As a result of this story, Azeb’s family and relatives were held in low esteem by the community. It may be a coincidence but Meles Zenawi also came from a similar background.

From Gadarif to TPLF

As a country girl, Azeb was very active and served her parents as shepherdess. Before she immigrated to the Sudan, she did not have a chance to get educated beyond elementary school. In late 1970s, her parents sent her to Gadarif, Eastern Sudan, so that she would live with her aunt, Maniahlosh Gola, who had a small bar in Gadarif. It was a time of increasing insurgency in Northern Ethiopia including Welkayit, which was part of Gondar before the TPLF decided to controversially annex it to Tigray region. Due to her grandfather’s betrayal and her role in the annexation of Welkayit without proper consultation with the locals, Azeb is said to be still widely loathed in her birthplace.
Mekonen met Azeb in Gadarif, where her political journey began in late 1970s. Mekonen was already a TPLF member assigned in the Sudan. She was around 20 years old when they met and became very close to him, as a result of which he won her trust.

Mekonen remembers that they had once become so intimate that he even used to see her at night, sneaking in over the fence at her aunt’s house, where she used to sleep in a separate room. It was during this time that he used to tell her about the struggle of TPLF fighters to dismantle the military regime.

In 1980, Mekonen was called back to Tigray by the TPLF commanders. He confided in her that he had to leave for Shiraro, Tigray. But Azeb insisted that she would flee with him rather than stay with her aunt, who did not approve of the rebels. After all, she trusted her friend so much that she wanted to go wherever he was going.

Mekonen recalls that he had already recruited around 25 Tigrian women from Sudan, where so many people had taken refuge during the war. Azeb, who was a vulnerable young woman in a red-light district, joined the group and they set off to Shiraro, which was under the control of the TPLF at the time. They trekked on foot day and night from Gadarif to Shiraro via Kesela. After two days and nights of journey on foot, they entered Shiraro.
Azeb, who quickly got the nickname “Azeb Gola” after her infamous grandfather, was assigned and trained as a copy typist at TPLF political affairs bureau, where Meles was a rising ideologue and used to train cadres at that time. He became her boss and soon after they started having romantic liaison. But during that time having relationship with the opposite sex was a deadly sin in the TPLF. Many young fighters were killed as result. Meles was allegedly responsible even for the killings of some of his close friends, including Teklu Hawaz and Astebeha Dagnew.

To her credit, unlike Meles, Azeb is said to be known for her courage. In contrast, Meles has been described widely as a coward and someone who is cunning enough to push others into the fire from behind. This has been proven to be an enduring character of Ethiopia’s dictator who is accused of perfecting the worst form of sadistic treachery even by his once close friends and associates.

As Azeb’s meteoric rise in the TPLF is increasing day by day, she has almost become the other side of Meles. Azeb is said to be highly disdained among TPLF’s high priests and ordinary members alike. Using her husband’s power as a shield, she has eliminated anyone in her way. Sibehat Nega, Abaye Tsehaye, Abadi Zemu, Arkebe Ekubay et al have either been sidelined or kicked out by the Meles-Azeb coalition that has now been the only pillar holding the TPLF.

One of the most important battles that Azeb has been fighting is within EFFORT. She vanquished Sibehat Nega, who served as CEO of EFFORT from 2000 until his removal in early 2009. She then became “deputy” CEO, under Abadi Zemu, of EFFORT, the multi-billion business conglomerate in the same year. Last month, Azeb’s power struggle brought down Abadi Zemu, a longtime loyalist to Meles Zenawi. He was “appointed” Ethiopia’s ambassador to the Sudan, leaving behind one of the most sought-after position in the TPLF. After all, EFFORT is the money spinner that has been rotten with corruption. TPLF wealth watchers have repeatedly said that Azeb and her husband have been stashing away hundreds of millions of dollars in foreign banks. The renowned Ghanaian Professor George Ayittey recently said that they are not just stealing money but also buying expensive properties in North America and Europe. But Azeb claims that the Swedes told her that she and her husband are the poorest among rulers. According to her, Meles does not even know the color of the Ethiopian currency notes.

Despite the fact that she claimed to be suffering from poverty, Azeb is now overseeing multi-billion dollars projects and juggling too many balls simultaneously. One of her most important projects she manages is an expensive grand palace being built at an outlay of over 80 million birr. According to Edwardo Molano, Africa correspondent of the Spanish newspaper, ABC Internacional, Azeb spent 1.2 million Euro in one shopping spree in Europe. As Azeb Mesfin has not come out to deny the report or file a defamation lawsuit against the paper, one can take the silence as admission of guilt. Now that she is fully in control of the purse of EFFORT’s multi-billion dollar business empire, the cost of Azeb’s annual shopping sprees will probably be enough to feed millions of starving families.

A house divided

Mekonen says that Azeb’s family is divided between those who enthusiastically support her husband’s tyranny and those who are opposed to not only the regime but also the annexation of Welkayit into Tigray. Azeb’s aunt, Maniahlosh Gola, who currently lives in California, is vehemently against her niece’s corrupt lifestyle and the regime’s ethnocentric tyranny. As much as she feels ashamed of her father’s treason against Ethiopia, she strongly disdains the oppression and crimes being committed against the poor people of Ethiopia. This is confirmed by the anonymous source, a close relative of the Queen of Mega. The source also clarified that contrary to rumors, Azeb has never had a child with the late security chief But a well-placed little bird in Addis says that though Azeb has acrimonious relationships with the majority of TPLF bigwigs, it is not the case with a fellow executive committee member, Health Minister, Tedros Adhanom, who rose from obscurity to prominence. But it is learned that their intimacy has stirred whispers in the corridors of power.

The credible witness

Mekonen, who was born in Welkayit but raised in Shire was a teacher Gamo Gofa, Southern Ethiopia, before he joined the TPLF in its early days. He says he was shocked to witness the widespread brutality, killings, torture and crimes. After he saw Samora Yunis, the present Ethiopian army chief of staff, executing a TPLF fighter, who was suspected of wanting to leave the rebel group, at point-blank range, his faith in the front was shaken to its core.

In a two-part interview with the Ethiopian Satellite Television, he has exposed the crimes, treachery, brutality and torture committed by the TPLF under the command of Sebhat Nega, Abay Tsehaye, Meles Zenawi, Samora Yunis, and Siyoum Mesfin et al.

 Ye Andinet Dimitz Radio December o4, 2011

ሪፖርተር

ሪፖርተር የዘገበዉን በሽብር ወንጀል ተጠርጥረው ክስ የተመሠረተባቸው እነ አንዱዓለም አራጌ የኢትዮጵያ ሬዲዮና ቴሌቪዥን ‹‹አኬልዳማ›› በሚል ያዘጋጀው ፕሮግራም የእኛንና የፍርድ ቤቱን ክብር ነክቷል፣ ስማችንንም አጉድፏል፤›› በማለት ኅዳር 20 ቀን 2004 ዓ.ም. ለፍርድ ቤቱ አመለከቱ፡፡ ፍርድ ቤቱ ‹‹ስለራሳችሁ መብት ብቻ ተናገሩ›› በማለት ምላሽ ሰጥቷል፡፡

የፌዴራል ከፍተኛ ፍርድ ቤት ሦስተኛ ወንጀል ችሎት በሽብር ወንጀል ተጠርጥረው ክስ ከተመሠረተባቸው 24 ተከሳሾች መካከል፣ በችሎት ተገኝተው ክሳቸውን በመከታተል ላይ ያሉት ስምንት ተጠርጣሪዎች፣ ያቀረቡትን የክስ ይሻሻልልን ጥያቄ ተቀብሎ እንዲሻሻል ትዕዛዝ የሰጠበትን አንደኛና አራተኛ ክስ ለማየት፣ ኅዳር 20 ቀን 2004 ዓ.ም. የተሰየመው ከጠዋቱ 3፡45 ሰዓት ነበር፡፡

ዓቃቤ ሕግ ክሱን አሻሽሎ ማቅረቡን ፍርድ ቤቱ ካረጋገጠ በኋላ አስተያየታቸውን የሰጡት የተከሳሾቹ ጠበቆች፣ አንደኛው ክስ ምንም እንዳልተሻሻለ በመጥቀስ በድጋሚ ዓቃቤ ሕግ ክሱን አሻሽሎ እንዲቀርብ ትዕዛዝ እንዲሰጥላቸው አመልክተው፣ በአራተኛው ክስ ላይ ግን ምንም ተቃውሞ እንደሌላቸው ተናግረዋል፡፡

አንደኛው ክስ ባለሥልጣናት መግደል፣ ተቋማትን ማፈራረስ፣ የፋይንስ ተቋማትን መዝረፍ፣ ወዘተ የሚሉ ጭብጦችን የያዘ በመሆኑ፣ ማን ማንን ሊገድል እንዳሰበ፣ ማን የትኛውን ተቋም ሊያፈርስ እንዳቀደና ማን የትኛውን የፋይናንስ ተቋም ለመዝረፍ እንደተዘጋጀ በዝርዝር አለመገለጹን መጥቀስ፣ ዓቃቤ ሕግ በግልጽና በዝርዝር እንዲያስቀምጥላቸው ነበር የተከሳሾቹ ጥያቄ፡፡ ሆኖም ፍርድ ቤቱ እንዲሻሻል ትዕዛዝ የሰጠ ቢሆንም፣ ምንም አለመሻሻሉን ለፍርድ ቤቱ አመልክተው ድጋሚ ትዕዛዝ እንዲሰጥላቸው ጠየቁ፡፡

ዓቃቤ ሕግ በሰጠው ምላሽ፣ ክሱን ሲመሠርት የጠቀሰው የወንጀል ሕግ አንቀጽ 38(1) እና የፀረ ሽብርተኝነት አዋጁ አንቀጽ 4 የሚያስረዳው፣ ተጠርጣሪዎቹ ድርጊቱን ለመፈጸም ማሴራቸውን፣ ማደማቸውን፣ ግንቦት 7 ከሚባለው አሸባሪ ቡድን አመራሮች ባለሥልጣናትን እንዲገድሉ፣ ዜጎችን እንዲያፍኑ፣ ከፍተኛ የመንግሥት ተቋማትን እንዲያፈራርሱ፣ የገንዘብ ተቋማትን እንዲዘርፉና እንዲያዘርፉ ትዕዛዝ ተቀብለዋል፣ አባልና አመራር ሆነዋል እንጂ፣ በተናጠል ፈጽመዋል የሚል ክስ ስላልቀረበላቸው ጥያቄና ተቃውሞአቸው ውድቅ እንዲደረግለት ፍርድ ቤቱን ጠይቋል፡፡

በተለይ በ2003 ዓ.ም. ሊፈጸም የነበረን ዓላማ ለማስፈጸም ሥራ ተከፋፍለው እንደነበር የሚያስረዳ ክስ በመሆኑ፣ ተነጣጥሎ መቅረብ የሌለበትን ክስ ማቅረቡንም ዓቃቤ ሕግ ለፍርድ ቤቱ አስታውቋል፡፡

ፍርድ ቤቱ በሰጠው ብይን፣ ዓቃቤ ሕግ ባቀረበው ክስ ላይ በጠቀሰው የፀረ ሽብርተኝነት አዋጅ ቁጥር 4 ሥር በዝርዝር የተጠቀሰ በመሆኑና እያንዳንዱ ተጠርጣሪ በተናጠል ፈጸመ ያለው ነገር እንደሌለ በመግለጽ፣ የተከሳሾቹን ተቃውሞ ውድቅ በማድረግ፣ ተከሳሾቹ የእምነት ክህደት ቃላቸውን እንዲሰጡ አዟል፡፡

አንደኛ ተከሳሽ የሆነው የአንድነት ፓርቲ ቃል አቀባይ አንዱዓለም አራጌ ‹‹ድርጊቱን ፈጽመሀል አልፈጸምክም›› በሚል ከፍርድ ቤቱ ለቀረበለት ጥያቄ፣ ‹‹ይኼ ክስ በኢትዮጵያ የሚደረገውን ሰላማዊ ትግል ለማፈን የተዘጋጀ የውሸት ዲሪቶ ነው፤›› ሲል፣ ‹‹ፈጽሜያለሁ ወይም አልፈጸምኩም›› ማለት እንጂ ሌላ መናገር እንደማይችል ፍርድ ቤቱ ገልጾለት፣ በድጋሚ ሲጠይቀው ዝምታን በመምረጡ፣ ፍርድ ቤቱ ‹‹ድርጊቱን አልፈጸኩም›› ብለዋል በሚል እንዲመዘገብ አድርጓል፡፡

ሁለተኛው ተከሳሽና የአንድነት ፓርቲ አመራር አባል የሆነው ናትናኤል መኮንንም ሲጠየቅ ‹‹በሰላማዊ መንገድ መታገሌ ወንጀል ከሆነ ፈጽሜያለሁ፤›› ብሏል፡፡ ሦስተኛና አራተኛ ተከሳሾች ዮሐንስ ተፈራና የሽዋስ ይሁንዓለም ‹‹በክስ ቻርጁ የተዘረዘረውን አልፈጸምንም፤›› በማለት የእምነት ክህደት ቃላቸውን ሰጥተዋል፡፡

አምስተኛው ተከሳሽ ክንፈ ሚካኤል ደበበ ሲጠየቅ፣ ‹‹በክስ ቻርጁ የተዘረዘረውን ተረታ ተረቶች አልፈጸምኩም፤›› ሲል፣ ፍርድ ቤቱ ቆሞበት ከነበረበት ቦታ ወደፊት እንዲወጣ በማድረግ፣ ‹‹ፍርድ ቤቱ የሚያስከብረው ዜጐች ሲያከብሩት የኖሩትን የኢትዮጵያን የወንጀል ሕግ ነው፤ እንድታደርግ እየተጠየቅህ ያለው በኢትዮጵያ የወንጀል ሕግ ውስጥ ከተቀመጠው አንዱን አንቀጽ ነው፡፡ በተቀመጠው ሕግ መሠረት መግለጽ እንጂ፣ ሌላ ነገር መናገር የፍርድ ቤቱ ሥነ ሥርዓት አይደለም፡፡ የውስጥ ስሜታችሁን የምትገልጽቡት ቦታና ጊዜ አለው፤›› በማለት ካስጠነቀቀው በኋላ በድጋሚ ጠይቆት ‹‹አልፈጸምኩም›› ብሏል፡፡

ስድስተኛ ተከሳሽ ምትኩ ዳምጤ፣ ሰባተኛ ተከሳሽ እስክንድር ነጋና ስምንተኛ ተከሳሽ አንዱዓለም አያሌው የእምነት ክህደት ቃላቸውን እንዲሰጡ ሲጠየቁ፣ ‹‹ድርጊቱን አልፈጸምንም፤ ጥፋተኛም አይደለንም፤›› ብለዋል፡፡

ፍርድ ቤቱ ተከሳሾቹ የሰጡትን የእምነት ክህደት ቃል ካደመጠ በኋላ ዓቃቤ ሕግ አስተያየት እንዲሰጥ ጠይቆ፣ ተከሳሾቹ የቀረበባቸውን ክስ የካዱ በመሆናቸው፣ ‹‹እንደ ክሳችን የሚያስረዱልንን የሰዎች ምስክሮች እንድናሰማ (35 ናቸው ብሏል) ተለዋጭ ቀጠሮ ይሰጠን፤›› ሲል፣ ተከሳሾቹ ከተቀመጡበት በመነሳት እጃቸውን አወጡ፡፡

ፍርድ ቤቱ ‹‹አሁን ተለዋጭ ቀጠሮ መስጠት እንጂ አቤቱታ አንቀበልም፤›› ሲል፣ ከተከሳሾች ጠበቆች አንዱ ‹‹ክቡር ፍርድ ቤት የኢትዮጵያ ሬዲዮና ቴሌቪዥን የደንበኞቻችንን ስም እያጠፋ ነው፡፡ ይኸ ችሎት ሕጋዊ ችሎት ነው፤ ዕርምጃ ሊወስድ ይገባል፡፡ መብትን የተመለከቱ ነገሮች በጽሑፍ እንዲቀርቡ መደረግ የለበትም፤›› አሉ፡፡

‹‹ማመልከቻችሁን በጽሑፍ አቅርቡና የሚመለከተው አካል መልስ እንዲሰጥበት ይደረጋል፤›› በማለት ፍርድ ቤቱ ሲናገር፣ አንዱዓለም አራጌ በመሀል ተነስቶ፣ ‹‹እዚህ ፍርድ ቤት ተከስሼ ስቀርብ የመጀመርያዬ አይደለም፡፡ ይኼ ችሎት ግን ሊሰማን አልቻለም፡፡ በኢትዮጵያ ሬዲዮና ቴሌቪዥን መብታችን እየተጣሰ፣ ስማችን እየጠፋ፣ ክብራችን እየተነካ፣ የፍርድ ቤቱም ነፃ ሆኖ የመዳኘት መብት እየተነካ ለምን በጽሑፍ አቅርቡ እንባላለን? ድራማ እየተሠራብን እኮ ነው፤›› በማለት አመለከተ፡፡

‹‹ስለራስህ መብት ብቻ ተናገር ስለፍርድ ቤቱ ተወው›› በማለት፣ ያላቸውን ማመልከቻ በጠበቆቻቸው አማካይነት ጽፈው እንዲያቀርቡ በማዘዝ፣ የዓቃቤ ሕግን የሰዎች ምስክርነት ለመስማት ለታኅሣሥ 16 ቀን 2004 ዓ.ም. ተለዋጭ ቀጠሮ ሰጥቷል፡

VOA: On Meles Zenawi’s Fake terrorism law

Ethiopian diaspora live in Germany started a campaign against the racist and dictator Wayne to stop human right violations in Ethiopia.

Washington DC (ESAT News)–Renowned American Professor Theodore Vestal, who has been keenly studying and following Ethiopian affairs since the early 1960s, said that the domination of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) poses a threat to greater Ethiopia. Prof Vestal also indicated that the government may implode if the current conditions get worse and the people say enough is enough.

In an interview with the Ethiopian Satellite Television (ESAT), Vestal, Professor Emeritus of Political Science at Oklahoma State University, underlined that domination and hegemony by a single minority group within the government and other aspects of national life ultimately poses a serious problem.

“If it is the best of all possible worlds, one would hope that there would be a greater Ethiopia with popular participation by people from all parts of the country. But the TPLF followed the regiment, ideas and the philosophy of Marxism in setting up their government,” he explained.

He pointed out that a secret document made public in early 1990s revealed that the TPLF agenda of “winnning” the first and all succeeding elections, widely discredited as stage-managed. The professor noted that such a decision played havoc with democratic ideals and meaningful elections ever since.

Professor Vestal served as an election observer in 1992 where there were incidences of the regime’s agents interfering in the “democratic process” using intimidation and harassment. “They were harassing members of opposition parties, sometimes invading the party headquarters and scaring the people.” He said that he was able to witness how people were distressed and frightened when the police came in and took away files. He said that such a pattern has continued to the present day under various guises and similar tactics.

According to Professor Vestal, it is very difficult to have a level playing field where all the political parties who want to take part in the political process can express dissenting political views and criticize the government without fear of persecution.

Asked to comment on Zenawi’s insistence that he is building a democratic system, Prof. Vestal said that Zenawi has been saying that ever since he came to power. “One wonders if it needs to take so long ago at such a slow pace. But the critics continue to say that he could change things radically by opening up elections, democratic processes, and by not abusing human rights. Instead we have reports of hidden prisons, the arrest and sometimes torture and detention of people. That should not have any part in a democratic political system. Until such practices come to an end, I don’t see true democracy coming to fruition in Ethiopia,” he said.

Professor Vetal also pointed out that ethnic federalism tends to divide the people rather than uniting them as a multi-ethnic nation. He also expressed skepticism that TPLF’s domination cannot be reversed through elections so long as the elections continue to be rigged.

“When differences of language and culture becomes more significant than citizenship in a country, I think there are built-in problems that might result. We have seen some of these problems in some other countries when ethnic differences have been taken to an extreme with disastrous results,” he stated.

Prof. Vestal further pointed out that though the Ethiopian state has been held together, ethnic federalism has not accomplished as much as the government’s claims. “Ultimately the problem lies with the control of the TPLF group, which tends to have its cadres out working in the offices of the lower government officials. Let us say that there is a governor in a province, he probably has a TPLF shadow who is following what he does and telling the governor that he cannot make that kind of decision,” he said. He also added that federalism in Ethiopia is not under the control of the people but the TPLF.

The professor, who has been promoting his new book, The Lion of Judah in the New World, noted that Emperor Haile Selassie, who was deposed in the 1974 Ethiopian revolution, was progressive in his early years despite the fact that his modernization was not as fast as the educated elite were demanding. “He was maintaining a delicate balance between the feudal lords, the old aristocracy, and the Ethiopian church on the one hand and the young Western educated elite on the other hand,” he said.

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WASHINGTON, DC – Ethiopian Americans, Ethiopians and their friends on October 9 held a candle light vigil in memory of the political prisoners languishing in prisons in Ethiopia. On this occasion, Ethiomedia pays tribute to the brave compatriots who took part in the candle light vigil in the spirit of Gandhi, who said: “A few determined people who have a strong faith in their mission can change the course of history.”