Le président Obama nous étions par vous dans votre offre lors de votre élection de 2008, désormais nous vous demandons de tenir à nos côtés pour arrêter l'invitation du tyran Zenawi Meles qui tue nos gens à la maison et commet des crimes graves contre notre peuple d'être invité à la réunion de Camp David le 19 mai 2012.

Nous plaidons pour vous dans le nom de millions de personnes qui souffrent à la maison!

Inscrivez-vous la pétition avant le 9 mai 2012 afin que nous puissions le remettre à la Maison Blanche et du Département d'Etat

cliquez ici t0 signe

Communiqué de presse 13 mai 2012

Envoyer Meles à Guantanamo n'est pas à Camp David

Condamner invitation du président Obama de Meles dictateur de l'Ethiopie.

Le président Obama doit cesser de soutenir les dictateurs africains. La victoire d'Obama a soulevé beaucoup d'enthousiasme, d'espoir et de fierté pour les peuples d'Afrique. Malheureusement, son invitation de l'un des pire dictateur de l'Afrique, M. Meles Zenawi de l'Ethiopie à Camp David le 18 mai 2012 tout espoir de rachat d'Obama comme un ami de l'Afrique ou pro droits de l'homme se tiennent sur ​​le continent. En tant que gagnant du Prix Nobel de la paix, il était censé se tenir aux côtés des opprimés n'est pas avec l'oppresseur.

Comme les présidents américains précédents, il a décidé de montrer les yeux vers les dictateurs africains dans le prétexte de lutte contre le terrorisme. En réalité, de nombreux dictateurs africains sont terroriser leur propre peuple, en particulier, dictateur éthiopien Meles Zenawi a été connu pour se livrer à l'emprisonnement illégal exécutions extra-judiciaires, le génocide, des journalistes comme Eskinder Nega et d'autres militants politiques.

En confisquant toutes les terres, Internet, et les grandes industries, dictateur Zenawi détient littéralement le pays. Il unilatéralement rejeté toute règle de droit, les droits de propriété, et liberté de la presse. Il a détruit l'économie et le nationalisme éthiopien en injectant le tribalisme pour diviser et de contrôler. Meles a le pouvoir de pardonner, tuer, emprisonner ou faire ce qu'il veut, à 85 millions d'Éthiopiens appauvrie en toute impunité.

Le président Obama a décidé de vin et dîner avec ce dictateur africain, tout en s'opposant à d'autres dictateurs en Iran, Cuba, Venezuela, Corée du Nord et d'autres pays au nom de la démocratie. En plus de donner un soutien moral par cette action, le président Obama est aussi canaliser des milliards de l'argent des contribuables américains pour soutenir le dictateur Meles Zenawi. Nous, les Éthiopiens de condamner sans équivoque cette politique de duplicité, et boire et à manger et fraterniser avec un tel dictateur africain brute.

Nous demandons conscience américaine à soutenir le peuple de l'Ethiopie dans leur quête de liberté et de justice en demandant au Président Obama pour désinviter Meles dictateur. Urge président Obama arrêter d'écouter des mercenaires meles 'tels que Pipers DLA, certains membres du Congrès, et d'autres lobbyistes qui sont partie à cette conspiration, le génocide et le crime se déroule en Ethiopie.

Malgré le fait que Meles a été comparé à Pol Pot, Ivan le terrible et Idi Amin ou dictateurs brutes d'autres, le président Obama a décidé de montrer les yeux. S'il vous plaît ne pas le laisser faire. Opposons-nous à cette duplicité dans l'intérêt de millions d'Ethiopiens souffrent sous Meles dictateur et pour l'amour de la paix en Afrique.

La demande américaine de cesser immédiatement la complicité Zenawi dictateur et exiger la fin de son règne dictatorial. Aidez-nous à rétablir la démocratie, liberté de la presse, et de libérer tous les prisonniers politiques en se tenant debout avec les gens de l'Éthiopie. Soutenir la création d'un gouvernement de transition d'organiser une élection libre et équitable pour rétablir la démocratie.

Meles mérite d'être à Guantanamo n'est pas le camp David et s'il vous plaît demander au président Obama pour désinviter ce dictateur brutal africaine. Appelez le standard de la Maison Blanche à l'adresse: 202-456-1414 pour parler à une personne vivante ou 202-456-1111 pour laisser des commentaires.

Ethiopiens pour la démocratie et la justice (EDJ), http://: www.ethiodemocrat.com BP 53573, Houston, TX 77052, Tél. 713-396-2621

Les deux dernières semaines ont eu des jours glorieux pour les Africains. Eskinder Nega, le journaliste héroïque éthiopienne a été honoré avec le stylo de l'Amérique Barbara Goldsmith Freedom Award pour écrire. Les prix rend hommage aux écrivains du monde entier qui ont lutté courageusement face à l'adversité pour le droit à la liberté d'expression. Charles Taylor, seigneur de la guerre-se-libérienne-président, a été reconnu coupable de 11 chefs d'accusation de crimes de guerre et crimes contre l'humanité par le Tribunal spécial de l'ONU pour la Sierra Leone. Hier Reeyot Alemu, le jeune journaliste éthiopienne, est devenu le vainqueur de l'Internationale des Femmes des Médias de la Fondation 2012 Courage en journalisme.

Reeyot, 31 ans, est un professeur et chroniqueur pour le Feteh Newsweekly éthiopienne indépendante. Quand elle et son co-accusé Woubshet Taye ont été arrêtés en Juin 2011, ils ont été accusés de comploter pour saboter les lignes téléphoniques et d'électricité et de détention au secret. Dans un Juin 17 Colonne en Feteh, Reeyot critiqué Zenawi campagne de collecte de fonds du public farfelu pour le barrage de soi-disant Grande Renaissance Abay projet de la rivière. Cette colonne a semblé avoir obtenu de chèvre Zenawi. Mais Reeyot a été persistant dans ses critiques. Elle a même eu l'audace de la vache peur nick Zenawi, le plan mi-cuit soi-disant de cinq ans de croissance et de transformation. En Septembre, Reeyot et Woubshet ont été accusés de "complot en vue de commettre des actes terroristes et la participation à une organisation terroriste» en vertu de Meles Zenawi coupe-coller anti-terrorisme du droit.

Le soi-disant preuve de la «conspiration» contre Reeyot en kangourou tribunal se composait de courriels et de conversations téléphoniques interceptées sur écoute qu'elle se posait sur les manifestations pacifiques et le changement avec d'autres journalistes. Articles dans des publications de Reeyot Feteh et d'autres sur le site Ethiopian Review sur les activités des groupes d'opposition ont également été introduites à titre de preuve.

Reeyot et Woubshet n'avaient pas accès à un avocat au cours de leurs trois mois en détention provisoire. Les deux se sont vu refuser un avocat pendant les interrogatoires. Le tribunal kangourou refusé d'enquêter sur leurs allégations de torture, mauvais traitements et privation de soins médicaux en détention.

Régime embout Shimeles Kemal noirci dans des interviews au sujet de Reeyot et l'implication certaine Woubshet dans la planification d'actes terroristes alors que l'affaire était pendante devant le tribunal. Il semblait totalement désemparés de l'art. 20 (3) de la Constitution éthiopienne qui garantit: «Au cours de la procédure les personnes accusées ont le droit d'être présumé innocent." Le tribunal a condamné kangourou Reeyot à une peine d'emprisonnement de 14 ans et une amende de 33 000 birr son.

Quant à l'arrêt de la cour de kangourou, Amnesty International a été consternée: «Il n'ya aucune preuve qu'ils sont coupables de tout acte criminel. Il n'existe aucune preuve qu'ils sont coupables de tout acte criminel. Nous croyons que ce sont des prisonniers de conscience, l'objet de poursuites en raison de leur critique légitime du gouvernement. Ils doivent être libérés immédiatement et sans condition "de Human Rights Watch a été confondu par la bêtise des chefs d'accusation:". Selon l'acte d'accusation, la preuve a consisté principalement d'articles en ligne critiquant le gouvernement et les discussions téléphoniques concernant notamment des actions de protestation pacifiques qui ne sont pas montant à des actes de terrorisme. En outre, les descriptions des accusations dans l'acte d'accusation initial ne contenait pas de même des éléments de base des crimes dont les accusés sont accusés .... "

En reconnaissant Reeyot pour son courage en journalisme, l'IWMF a déclaré:

Les femmes sont nettement sous-représentées dans le journalisme et les médias en Ethiopie. Il ya peu de journalistes éthiopiens en Ethiopie (les médias d'Etat), et encore moins dans les médias indépendants. Journalisme en Ethiopie est traditionnellement dominée par les hommes et les attentes sociétales et culturelles découragent les femmes de choisir le domaine du journalisme. Les stéréotypes culturels sont particulièrement décourageant pour les jeunes femmes qui s'intéressent au journalisme. Le fait que le gouvernement éthiopien poursuit et persécute courageux, brave et professionnelle des femmes journalistes n'augure rien de bon en particulier pour les jeunes femmes qui pourraient être intéressés dans le journalisme. En conséquence, les voix des femmes (en tant que journalistes, rédacteurs, journalistes, de prise de décision chambres) sont rarement entendues et les problèmes des femmes sont souvent reléguées au second plan.

Félicitations à Liberté de la presse Héroïne Reeyot Alemu!

Après sa condamnation, le père de Reeyot, Ato Alemu, dans une interview a déclaré que sa fille ne vais pas m'excuser, solliciter la grâce ou une demande de clémence. "? En tant que père, préféreriez-vous pas informé votre fille pour s'excuser" Ato Alemu a répondu:

C'est peut-être l'une des questions les plus difficiles, un parent peut faire face. Comme chacun d'entre nous qui sont des parents seraient prêts à admettre, il existe un accord de biologique innée qui nous attache à nos enfants. Nous souhaitons rien d'autre que le meilleur pour eux. Nous essayons autant qu'il est humainement possible de les garder de tout mal .... Que ce soit ou non pour mendier à la clémence est de son droit et sa décision. Je voudrais honorer et de respecter toute décision qu'elle rend ... Pour répondre à votre question spécifique concernant ma position sur la question par le fait d'être son père, je préfère avoir son pas plaider la clémence, car elle n'a pas commis de crime.

Lorsque Zenawi emprisonnés Birtukan Midekssa en Décembre 2008, il catégoriquement et sadiquement garantie qu '«il ne sera jamais un accord avec quiconque pour libérer Birtukan. Ever. Arrêt complet. C'est une voie sans issue. "Sans doute Zenawi voudrais faire Reeyot, Eskinder, Woubshet, l'Agence suédoise de journalistes Martin Schibbye et Johan Persson, les 193 manifestants non armés ont massacré en 2005 .... une voie sans issue. Mais ils doivent vivre dans nos cœurs, dans nos esprits et même nos âmes, car ils sont la liberté d'expression personnifiée.

Lundi dernier, j'ai soulevé ma plume pour saluer mon héros Nega Eskinder. Aujourd'hui je me lève pour saluer mon héroïne Reeyot Alemu. Dans la face des ennemis méchants de liberté de la presse, ma coupe déborde! Deux courses à la maison en une semaine! Il n'a tout simplement pas faire mieux que ça!

GRATUIT REEYOT ALEMU! FREEYOT ALEMU!

Traductions en amharique de récents commentaires de l'auteur peut être trouvée à l'adresse:

http://www.ecadforum.com/Amharic/archives/category/al-mariam-amharic

http://ethioforum.org/?cat=24

Commentaires précédents de l'auteur sont disponibles à:

http://open.salon.com/blog/almariam/ et

www.huffingtonpost.com/alemayehu-g-mariam/

Eskinder Invictus!

Le 1 er mai 2012, Eskinder Nega, journaliste avant tout de l'Ethiopie et prisonnier politique, se verra décerner le "Liberté d'écrire Award", le plus grand honneur décerné par Pen Amérique, l'un des grands institutions internationales presse libre qui a été en fonctionnement continu depuis 1922. Les prix rend hommage aux écrivains du monde entier qui ont lutté courageusement face à l'adversité pour le droit à la liberté d'expression. Eskinder ne sera pas en mesure d'accepter le prix en personne à New York City, parce qu'il est emprisonné par arc dictateur Meles Zenawi. La sentence arbitrale confirme Eskinder est vraiment un héros international de liberté de la presse. Mais il est aussi le héros de l'Union africaine ordinaire qui s'est vu refuser les droits de l'homme et la démocratie. Pour ses compatriotes et les femmes, Eskinder est le symbole de défi à la tyrannie absolue, la dictature et du despotisme et une bougie de liberté de la presse qui ne sera jamais une flamme.

Eskinder Nega: Hero Le Héros

Eskinder Nega a été emprisonné comme un «terroriste» par les terroristes d'état depuis la dernière Septembre. Mais il est un héros pour tant de héros de la liberté de la presse dans le monde. Récemment, des journalistes de renommée mondiale qui ont eux-mêmes souffert aux mains de dictatures et d'autres intensifié pour exiger la libération de Eskinder. Parmi les pétitionnaires comprennent:

Kenneth Best, fondateur du Daily Observer (Libéria le premier quotidien indépendant), Lydia Cacho, le Mexique, l'un des journalistes les plus célèbres du Mexique et a noté l'auteur, Juan Pablo Cardenas, le Chili, rédacteur en chef de Análisis sous le régime du général Pinochet et professeur de journalisme à l' Université du Chili de journalisme; May Chidiac fondateur et président de la Fondation May Chidiac au Liban, qui a presque perdu sa vie dans un attentat à la voiture piégée en 2005, Sir Harold Evans, l'un des journalistes les plus respectés de Grande-Bretagne et rédacteur en chef de The Sunday Times; Akbar Ganji, Iran tout dissident; Amira Hass l'un des journalistes éminents indépendants en Israël; Daoud Kuttab, fondateur de AmmanNet en Jordanie, en premier lieu le monde arabe station de radio Internet; Gwen Lister, fondateur et ancien rédacteur en chef de The Namibian en Namibie; Raymond Louw vétéran champion de la liberté de la presse et les droits des journalistes en Afrique du Sud et Président du Conseil sud-africain de presse. Veran Matic, co-fondateur de Radio B92 en Serbie, qui a fourni compte rendu exact et impartial des événements en Serbie dans les années 1990, Adam Michnik, rédacteur en chef de la première organisation indépendante (et best-seller) quotidien polonais avant tout dissidents polonais et défenseur des droits humains; Fred M'membe, rédacteur en chef de La Poste en Zambie; Nizar Nayouf, rédacteur en chef de la Syrie Vérité et Sawt Al Democratiyya; Pap Saine, éditeur gambien et Pap Saine rédacteur en chef et un correspondant de Reuters pour l'Ouest et Afrique centrale; Faraj Sarkohi , un long temps écrivain et journaliste iranien persécuté tant par le Shah d'Iran et la République islamique d'Iran; Nedim Sener journaliste d'investigation de la Turquie quotidien Posta; Arun Shourie, l'un des journalistes les plus renommés et controversé de l'Inde et rédacteur en chef de la langue anglaise quotidienne Indian Express, Ricardo Uceda, l'un des plus renommés du Pérou journalistes d'investigation et rédacteur en chef de Newsweekly Sí, Ricardo Uceda; José Ruben Zamora, fondateur et ancien rédacteur en chef de The Independent Veintiuno quotidienne Siglo ....

Ces journalistes dans leur lettre à Zenawi

expresse [é] [leur] La condamnation très forte de la décision du gouvernement éthiopien en prison le journaliste Eskinder Nega sur des accusations de terrorisme le 14 Septembre 2011. Nous croyons que la décision du gouvernement de l'arrêter viole les droits de la liberté d'expression et la liberté de la presse garantie par la Constitution éthiopienne, l'Organisation des Nations Unies Pacte international relatif aux droits civils et politiques et la Déclaration universelle des droits de l'homme. L'emprisonnement de Eskinder Nega et d'autres journalistes représente la criminalisation de l'enquête et de la critique, qui devrait faire partie intégrante de toute société démocratique.

En Septembre 2011, William Easterly, professeur d'économie, Université de New York, Mark Hamrick, président, National Press Club, Washington, DC, Aryeh Neier, président, Open Society Foundations, Kenneth Roth, directeur exécutif, droits de l'homme, Montres et Joël Simon Directeur exécutif, Committee to Protect Journalists ont appelé à l'implication américaine dans obtenir la libération Eskinder et à «répudier publiquement les efforts de l'Éthiopie d'utiliser les lois antiterroristes pour faire taire la dissidence politique» et «veiller à ce que notre plus 600 millions de dollars dans l'aide à l'Ethiopie n'est pas utilisé pour favoriser la répression ".

Ce qui fait Eskinder un héros?

Il ya toutes sortes de héros dans la mythologie et du folklore. Certains deviennent des héros pour montrer l'excellence morale et le courage martiale en face du danger et l'adversité. D'autres deviennent des héros en luttant pour l'honneur et les principes. D'autres encore deviennent des héros en tuant leurs ennemis dans le champ de bataille. Il ya des héros romantiques et tragiques héros. Il ya des héros traditionnels et modernes, et il ya des héros méconnus. Mais tous les héros de partager certaines vertus communes, sous une forme autre: le sacrifice, l'intégrité, le courage, détermination, de conviction, la persévérance, et ainsi de suite.

Eskinder est un héros d'un genre particulier. Il est un héros qui se bat avec rien de plus que les idées et la vérité. Il tue mensonges avec l'épée de vérité. Il chasse les mauvaises idées avec les bons. Armé d'un stylo, Eskinder combat le désespoir par l'espoir, la peur avec courage, la colère à la raison; l'arrogance, avec humilité; ignorance par la connaissance, l'intolérance avec l'abstention, l'oppression avec persévérance, le doute avec la confiance et la cruauté avec compassion. Par-dessus tout, Eskinder dit la vérité au pouvoir et à ceux qui l'abus, la surutilisation et sont corrompus par le pouvoir. Eskinder est le seul homme qui regardait droit dans les yeux vengeurs de la Bête et lui dit: "Vous pouvez arrêter et emprisonner moi pour la huitième fois, vous pouvez battre, torturer et me jeter dans l'isolement; vous pouvez persécuter et me poursuivre; vous peut mourir de faim et de me refuser des soins médicaux dans votre prison puante, vous pouvez scandaliser mon nom et diffamer mon personnage, vous pouvez même persécuter et humilier ma femme et mon enfant à rire comme il pleure ses yeux quand vos hommes de main malmener me, et vous pouvez harceler, intimider et de faire vivre un enfer sur terre pour moi et ma famille. Mais je ne serai jamais, jamais, jamais se prosterner à votre régime tyrannique, votre corruption, la brutalité de votre, votre cruauté sadique et de barbarie épouvantables! Car je suis Eskinder Nega. Je suis le maître de mon destin et le capitaine de mon âme! "

Eskinder Nega: A Hero for All Seasons

Eskinder est un homme de courage, sept mois avant qu'il a été arrêté, a été convoqué par Eskinder Zenawi "commissaire de police» et dit de se taire ou autre.:

Vos écrits sur l'Internet et des entretiens avec les différents médias étaient incendiaires. Vous écrivez à propos Tsadkan général de saper l'armée. Mais soyez assurés que l'EPRDF est capable de défendre la constitution. Si quelque chose arrive, nous allons d'abord venir à vous. "Eskinder demandé," Est-ce que vous me demandez de cesser d'écrire et de donner des interviews? "" Non, "a déclaré le commissaire de police. "Mais être averti que vous avez déjà franchi la frontière. Nous avons assez de vous convaincre déjà. Je veux que vous compreniez que c'est un avertissement sérieux. "Eskinder continué à écrire jusqu'à ce que le jour où il a été arrêté véhicule en ramassant son fils à l'école. (Ses ravisseurs officiels filmé l'arrestation et se mit à rire que l'enfant traumatisé crié pour son papa.) Aujourd'hui Eskinder est confrontée à «procès» dans Zenawi kangourou tribunal, même s'il a été condamné à long avant qu'il ne commette le crime allégué.

Eskinder est un homme d'intégrité. Lorsque Zenawi est venu à l'Université de Columbia en Septembre 2010 pour parler, Eskinder, et sa femme journaliste tout aussi extraordinaire, Serkalem Fasil, a écrit une lettre à Columbia président Lee Bollinger C. pour exposer la capacité fond Zenawi à la cruauté et l'inhumanité :

Nous sommes interdit aux journalistes éthiopiens qui ont été accusés de trahison par le gouvernement de Meles PM à la suite de résultats électoraux contestés Zenawi en 2005, incarcéré dans des circonstances déplorables, pour être acquitté de seize mois plus tard, après Serkalem Fasil a donné naissance prématurément en prison.

Une insuffisance pondérale grave à la naissance parce que les privations physiques et psychologiques Serkalem dans l'une des pires prisons d'Afrique, un incubateur a été jugée vitale pour l'enfant nouveau-né par des médecins de prison, ce qui était, dans un acte de vengeance incompréhensible, niée par les autorités. (L'enfant a néanmoins survécu miraculeusement. Merci à Dieu.) ... Bien que nous reconnaissions son droit d'exprimer son point de vue, c'est un affront aux victimes de nombreux de son gouvernement de répression de lui accorder le privilège de le faire sur les lieux remarquables de la Colombie ... Cette C'est le gouvernement qui mène PM Meles Zenawi.

Eskinder est un homme de compassion et d'empathie. Lorsque Birtukan Midekssa, la première femme chef parti politique dans l'histoire éthiopienne, a été libéré de prison après avoir servi près de deux ans (sans jugement) sur l'accusation ridicule de «nier le pardon", Eskinder parlé avec elle:

«Nous sommes fiers de vous, lui dis-je. «Vous êtes notre héros." Il y avait expression douloureuse sur son visage. Quelque chose est visiblement mis en bouteille en elle, en poussant à exploser. Mais il y avait trop de gens dans son salon pour une conversation intime. Elle hocha la tête quand j'ai fini, la tête légèrement inclinée vers le bas pour éviter le contact des yeux. "Merci," dit-elle enfin faiblement. Je pouvais à peine l'entendre. Et soudain, je me sentais coupable. Bien que je voulais dire ce que j'ai dit, je me suis inquiété de savoir si je faisais qu'empirer les choses en faisant sonner condescendant. Ce n'est pas ce que Birtukan a besoin en ce moment. Assis à côté de moi, c'est une femme à ce qui est l'un de ses pires moments de sa vie. Une femme souffrant profondément à l'intérieur - exactement ce cœur sec les hommes vieillissants, accros au pouvoir rendre des comptes, après deux décennies à la tête d'une nation, ils ont constamment poussé vers la dysfonction (jusqu'ici sans succès), destiné à leur entraînement impitoyable de détruire leurs ennemis ». »(Ironie du sort, aujourd'hui, Eskinder a eu lieu Birtukan en prison Zenawi.)

. Eskinder est un homme d'honneur et la dignité "Lorsque Abune Paulos, le" "patriarche" de l'Église orthodoxe éthiopienne Tewahedo commandé une loi grandiose de lui-même en bronze pour commémorer sa 18e année de la papauté, Eskinder interrogé:

Statuaire a été rejetée par le christianisme orthodoxe, car les représentations tridimensionnelles ont été considérés pour glorifier la chair humaine plutôt que l'esprit divin. L'iconographie orthodoxe, qui a une histoire riche en Ethiopie, a été mis au point à souligner encore la sainteté spirituelle de chiffres plutôt que de leur humanité. Et c'est ainsi, pas de statues ont déjà été construits pour Abune Selema, qui a introduit le christianisme en Éthiopie; Yared, qui a développé sacrée de l'Eglise la musique gospel; Lalibela, qui a construit la plus grande relique de l'Eglise, les Eglises creusées dans le roc dans le Lasta et Abune Tekle- Haymanot, le plus grand de l'Éthiopie natifs Saint. Mais ils ont tous été amplement représentée par iconographie éthiopienne. Pourquoi est-tradition orthodoxe déracinement?

Eskinder est un témoin pour les personnes souffrant de l'Ethiopie.

La répression est impitoyable que jamais comme. L'inflation alimentaire a atteint la marque atroce de 50%. Le taux de chômage ne montre aucun signe de déclin. Les petites entreprises, l'épine dorsale du secteur des services en pleine expansion, souffrent de façon perceptible. Le spectre de la famine domine les manchettes. La corruption s'aggrave. There is growing tension within the ruling party.

Eskinder est une voix de l'espoir.

J'espère ne pas l'oppression ... qui avait fait des révolutions possible. Ni les Egyptiens, ni les Libyens avait plus de raison de se révolter en 2011 qu'ils ne le faisaient depuis des décennies. Trop peu sont plus capables d'imaginer la vie sans l'oppression du statu quo. Un trop grand nombre avait été coopté; beaucoup d'autres n'avaient tout simplement appris à se débrouiller. Mais les événements en Tunisie a tout changé. Le changement a été avéré possible ... L'espoir viendra dictatures autres sub-saharienne, aussi. Le printemps arabe a déjà porté à leur porte. It will not wait forever to get in. No one knows which sub-Saharan dictatorship will relent first. But that is almost irrelevant. Ce qui importe, c'est que sa propagation sera inévitable une fois qu'il commence. Le triomphe de l'espoir dans un seul sub-saharienne dictature engendrera un continent printemps large africaine, nous l'espérons tous pacifique. And as Egypt, the Arab world's biggest dictatorship during Mubarak's reign, was the Arab Spring's golden prize, so will Ethiopia, sub-Sahara's biggest dictatorship, be the golden prize for an African Spring. Il ne pouvait pas avoir été un printemps arabe sans l'Egypte. There will be no African Spring without Ethiopia.

Eskinder est un homme avec un message.

Éthiopie, Meles Zenawi, qui dirige maintenant la plus grande dictature de l'Afrique, et qui est suspect de nombreux calcul que Kadhafi n'a dans un premier temps, devrait prendre note grave. Killings enraged Libyans as it did Tunisians and Egyptians before them. Inexplicablement, et soudain le massacre n'a pas de terroriser la plus jeune. Malgré l'affirmation de Kadhafi que seul un jeune drogué aurait pu refuser de succomber à vivre balles, l'espoir est vraiment ce qui s'était alimenté les protestations ....

Hope is the greatest weapon against tyrants. Keep Hope Alive en Ethiopie!

Je voudrais avoir l'éloquence de la diction d'exprimer mon sentiment profond de fierté et de respect de Eskinder Nega car il représente l'impulsion irrépressible de liberté par excellence qui habite l'âme de chaque être humain. A l'occasion de l'édition 2012 PEN / Barbara liberté Goldsmith pour écrire prix, je prends à saluer Eskinder Nega avec William Ernest Henley (1875) poème «Invictus» («conquête»), un poème qui a soutenu l'esprit de Nelson Mandela au cours des années à l'apartheid Afrique du Sud prisons.

Eskinder Invictus! Eskinder Aybegere!

“Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will.” Mahatma Gandhi

GRATUIT Eskinder Nega!

Traductions en amharique de récents commentaires de l'auteur peut être trouvée à l'adresse:

http://www.ecadforum.com/Amharic/archives/category/al-mariam-amharic et

http://ethioforum.org/?cat=24

Previous commentaries by the author are available at:

http://open.salon.com/blog/almariam/ and

www.huffingtonpost.com/alemayehu-g-mariam/

Un appel pour la fin de la persécution des journalistes en Ethiopie

By: Naomi Hunt, Press Freedom Adviser for Africa & the Middle East

VIENNA, Apr. 23, 2012 – Twenty international journalists who have been recognised as World Press Freedom Heroes by the Vienna-based International Press Institute (IPI) have condemned the Ethiopian government's decision to jail Eskinder Nega and other journalists on terrorism charges, and called for their immediate release.

Eskinder Nega, an online writer and critic of the current Ethiopian government, was arrested in September 2011 and is accused of supporting terrorism, for which he could face the death penalty if convicted. He was jailed shortly after having criticized the government's use of anti-terrorism laws to jail other journalists and opposition figures. This is hardly Eskinder's first brush with the authorites – he and his wife, also a journalist, were jailed for 17 months on treason charges in the aftermath of the disputed 2005 elections. Their son was born in prison. Since then, Eskinder has been banned from journalism but has continued to speak out and write.

L'Éthiopie, qui est prête à accueillir le Forum économique mondial sur l'Afrique en mai 2012, emprisonné Eskinder et quatre autres journalistes sur la lutte contre le terrorisme charges au cours de l'année écoulée. Woubshet Taye, deputy editor of the now-defunct Awramba Times , and Reyot Alemu of Feteh newspaper were convicted and sentenced to 14 years in prison this January. In December, Swedish journalists Martin Schibbye and Johann Persson were sentenced to 11 years in prison for aiding terrorists. They had been arrested last year in the company of rebels in the Ogaden region.

Le mois dernier, l'IPI Directeur exécutif Alison Bethel McKenzie a appelé des Nations Unies Secrétaire général Ban Ki-moon pour dénoncer l'utilisation de l'Éthiopie de lois anti-terroristes pour emprisonner des journalistes, qui IPI a déclaré: "se moque du droit universel à« avoir des opinions sans interférence et celui de chercher, de recevoir et de répandre des informations et les idées par quelque média et indépendamment des frontières. "

IPI a noté que cette pratique nuit également "la lutte contre les terroristes réels, qui utilisent la violence - et non des mots - à parvenir à leurs fins".

Each of the men and women who signed this petition has been honoured for their contributions to freedom of the press in their home countries and around the world. Many have themselves been jailed for their work – indeed Turkish author and investigative reporter Nedim Şener's battle against terrorism charges, believed by observers to be designed to silence him as a journalist, is not over yet. Read their call for Ethiopia's journalists to be freed, below:

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HE Meles Zenawi

POBox 1031

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Via Fax: 2511-55-20-20

Dear Prime Minister,

We are writing to express our extremely strong condemnation of the Ethiopian government's decision to jail journalist Eskinder Nega on terrorism charges on Sep. 14, 2011. Nous croyons que la décision du gouvernement de l'arrêter viole les droits de la liberté d'expression et la liberté de la presse garantie par la Constitution éthiopienne, l'Organisation des Nations Unies Pacte international relatif aux droits civils et politiques et la Déclaration universelle des droits de l'homme.

The imprisonment of Eskinder Nega and other journalists represents the criminalisation of investigation and criticism, which should be part and parcel of any democratic society.

We are particularly concerned by reports from Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International that Eskinder may be subject to torture during his imprisonment.

We call on the Ethiopian government to unconditionally release Eskinder and other journalists unjustly detained; to ensure that he and others are treated humanely; to halt the use of anti-terrorism laws to prosecute journalists; and to fully defend the rights of the press outlined by Ethiopia's constitution and international agreements.

Please note that we are sending this statement to the authorities of the African Union – including the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Dr. Jean Ping, and the Chairperson of the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights, Catherine Dupe Atoki. We wish to draw their attention to the fact that the conduct of the Ethiopian Government is in conflict with the protocols of the African Union, the African Union Charter, and the guarantees of freedom of expression protected under various international human rights instruments including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Moreover, we find that the conduct of the Ethiopian government also brings the African Union into disrepute because its headquarters are in Addis Ababa.

Signed by:

Kenneth Best, Liberia – Kenneth Best founded The Daily Observer , Liberia's first independent daily, in 1981. As a result of its critical reporting of Samuel Doe's dictatorship, Kenneth Best was arrested on multiple occasions and the paper shut down four times, once for a period of two years. In 1990, when The Daily Observer facilities were burnt down, Kenneth Best and his family were exiled to The Gambia, where another newspaper of the same name was established.

Lydia Cacho, Mexico – One of Mexico's most famous journalists, reporting on organised crime, political corruption, domestic violence, and child prostitution, Lydia Cacho has raised awareness of serious issues facing women and children in Mexico. Lydia has written for Novedades de Cancún and Por Esto , as well as books including Los Demonios del Eden: El Poder Que Protege a la Pornografía Infantil (“The Demons of Eden: The Power That Protects Child Pornography”). Lydia Cacho remains committed to her work despite having been imprisoned and tortured.

Juan Pablo Cardenas, Chile – As chief editor of Análisis during General Pinochet's regime, Juan Pablo faced constant harassment and legal prosecution. Despite the murder of one of his journalists, Cardenas remained committed to reporting on government corruption and human rights abuses. He once endured a 541-night prison sentence for offending the armed forces in his editorials. Now, Juan Pablo continues to write for national and international publications and is currently a professor at the University of Chile's School of Journalism.

May Chidiac, Lebanon – Dr. May Chidiac is the founder and president of the May Chidiac Foundation. Connu pour sa critique de la domination de la Syrie sur le Liban, une question qui a été rarement une discussion critique dans le pays, May Chidiac a travaillé comme le principal ancrage de la volonté politique talk-show bi Jor'a Kol. May Chidiac nearly lost her life in a car bomb attack in 2005, which left her severely injured.

Sir Harold Evans, United Kingdom - One of Britain's most respected journalists and the crusading editor of The Sunday Times for 14 years, Sir Harold Evans brought a new style of investigative reporting to his country. Il a écrit et édité des best-sellers et a servi en tant que contributeur à divers médias, y compris les maisons The Guardian et la BBC. In 2011, Sir Evans joined the Reuters news agency as editor-at-large.

Akbar Ganji, Iran – Often called 'Iran's most prominent political dissident', Akbar Ganji spent six years in Evin prison for a 1999 series of articles he wrote for Sobh Emrouz newspaper about Iran's notorious 'chain murders'. Akbar Ganji also wrote a number of articles accusing high level political figures and clerics of being involved in assassinations of dissidents and intellectuals. In 2000, Ganji was arrested for spreading propaganda and endangering national security. He spent six years in prison, much of it in solitary confinement. However he used this time to write his “Republican Manifesto”. After his release in 2006, Akbar Ganji left Iran and has been campaigning for democracy. He published his first book in English in 2008, entitled The Road to Democracy in Iran .

Amira Hass , Israel – As a journalist for Ha'aretz , Amira Hass has covered the Gaza strip and Palestinian affairs for years, becoming the first Israeli journalist to live in the Palestinian territories. Amira Hass was convinced that the Israelis needed to know the truth about the plight of the Palestinian people. Despite arrests and confrontations with the Israeli authorities and the Palestinian National Authority, she continues to report with independence.

Daoud Kuttab , Jordan – Daoud Kuttab is General Manager at the Community Media Network, Amman and Founder of AmmanNet, Amman, Jordan, the Arab world's first Internet radio station. One of the best known Palestinian journalists, Kuttab fought for a free media in the Palestinian Territories under both the Israelis and the Palestinian Authorit. He has worked for a number of publications including Al Fajr and Al Quds, but went on to help establish both the Arabic Media Internet Network in 1995 and the Institute of Modern Media at Al Quds University in 1996.

Gwen Lister, Namibia – As founder and former editor of The Namibian , Gwen Lister remained committed to reporting injustice and corruption both before and after Namibia's independence from apartheid South Africa, despite prosecutions, raids and violent attacks. She previously co-founded the Windhoek Observer and worked as a political editor. She is a founder of the Media Institute of Southern Africa.

Raymond Louw, South Africa – Raymond Louw is a veteran champion of press freedom and journalists' rights. Chairman of the South African Press Council and one of the founding members of the South African National Editors' Forum, until 2011 Louw also worked as the editor and publisher of Southern Africa Report , a private current affairs weekly. Raymond Louw previously worked for the Sunday Times and the Rand Daily Mail , which was renowned for its investigative journalism with regards to apartheid and other issues.

Veran Matić, Serbia – As co-founder of Radio B92, Veran Matic provided an accurate and impartial account of events in Serbia, whilst standing up to pressure from the authorities and withstanding multiple threats, physical attacks and arrests. B92 was banned in 1991 and again in 1996. The radio station was repeatedly jammed and then closed down, but it continued to operate via the Internet. Mass rallies and protests forced the authorities to open the station again. Matic established the Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM), a network of independent radio stations in Serbia and Montenegro, in an attempt to provide listeners with objective news. ANEM is still going strong today with more than 50 independent radio and television stations.

Adam Michnik, Pologne - Comme un dissident, ancien écrivain, historien, conférencier et journaliste, Adam Michnik est connu pour sa défense des droits de l'homme. Il a passé un total de six ans en prison entre 1965 et 1986 pour son opposition au régime communiste en Pologne. En tant que rédacteur en chef du premier quotidien polonais indépendant, Gazeta Wyborcza, Adam Michnik a maintenu son engagement à l'indépendance du journal. Aujourd'hui, le journal reste le quotidien le plus vendu en Pologne, et l'un des plus respectés en Europe.

Fred M'membe, Zambie - Connu pour son franc-parler de la défense de la liberté de la presse et expose son papier sur la corruption gouvernementale et les abus de pouvoir, Frank M'membe est le fondateur et rédacteur en chef de La Poste, de la Zambie principal quotidien indépendant. Malgré le harcèlement, les raids, les poursuites judiciaires multiples, y compris des accusations de diffamation et à la confiscation de trahison et de la censure, Frank M'membe continue à défendre le principe de liberté de la presse. Frank M'membe est également le fondateur de l'Institut des médias d'Afrique australe, qui favorise des médias libres et indépendants.

Nizar Nayouf , Syria – Nizar Nayouf repeatedly paid the price for his work. While working as editor in chief for Sawt Al Democratiyya , and because of his affiliation with the Committee for the Defence of Democratic Freedom, Nayouf was sentenced in 1992 to ten years in prison. He spent most of this time in solitary confinement and was tortured, but still managed to write four books. Since his release from prison, Nizar Nayouf has left Syria and is chief editor of Syria Truth .

Pap Saine, The Gambia – Gambian publisher and editor Pap Saine is the publisher and editor of The Point and a Reuters correspondent for West and Central Africa. Pap Saine has faced imprisonment and harassment for his work, particularly for his commitment to press freedom and revealing the truth about Deyda Hydara, his co-founder who was murdered by unknown men in 2004.

Faraj Sarkohi, l'Iran   – A writer and journalist, Faraj Sarkohi was persecuted by both the Shah of Iran and the Islamic Republic of Iran. As a result of his work for Adineh , a literary monthly he founded and edited, Faraj Sarkohi faced imprisonment and torture before he was forced into exile. He continues to campaign for greater press freedom in Iran.

Nedim Sener, Turquie - Après avoir passé un an derrière les barreaux, Nedim Sener a été récemment libéré de prison en attendant d'essai. He faces allegations that his criticism of government investigations into alleged coup plots demonstrated support for those plots. Şener est un auteur et journaliste d'investigation de Posta quotidien turc. Son travail comprend la publication d'un livre sur l'assassiner 2007 de son ami, journaliste turco-arménien Hrant Dink, qui a accusé les agences de sécurité turques d'avoir omis de prévenir les assassiner Hrant Dink.

Arun Shourie, Inde - Un des journalistes les plus renommés et controversé de l'Inde, Arun Shourie était le rédacteur en chef intransigeant de l'Express quotidien de langue anglaise sur les Indiens, et a introduit un nouveau style de journalisme d'investigation indépendant à l'Inde. At one stage, there were 300 cases filed against the Indian Express by the government but Shourie remained committed to press freedom, ensuring him a vast following, and many enemies, across India. Arun Shourie travaille maintenant dans la politique et était auparavant un ministre du Parti Bharatiya Janata.

Ricardo Uceda, Peru – Famous for his fearless reporting on government corruption and the military's abuse of human rights, Ricardo Uceda is one of Peru's most renowned investigative journalists. As editor of newsweekly Sí , Ricardo Uceda revealed military abuses and faced physical threats and censorship. Ricardo Uceda also founded the Investigative Unit of El Comercio , Peru's oldest daily, and previously he also worked for El Mundo , Expreso , El Diario , El Nacional , Canal 2 and La Razón , and is a founding member of Instituto Prensa y Sociedad (Press and Society Institute).

Jose Ruben Zamora, Guatemala – Founder and former editor-in-chief of the independent daily Siglo Veintiuno (21st Century), Jose Ruben Zamora has built up a reputation for reporting on taboo subjects and exposés covering corruption, drug trafficking and human rights violations. Zamora resigned as editor in chief of Siglo Veintiuno in 1996 and launched a new daily, El Periódico , which continues its critical coverage. Zamora a été confronté à la censure, le harcèlement, des menaces de mort, les enlèvements et les attaques de son travail.

An Open Letter to Ethiopian Muslims, Christians, Jews and all believers in freedom

Read:- SMNE Press Release

April 12, 2012:

Leading Free Expression Advocate on Trial for Terrorism

For more information contact:
Larry Siems , (212) 334-1660 ext. 105
Sarah Hoffman , (212) 334-1660 ext. 111

New York City, April 12, 2012—PEN American Center today named Eskinder Nega , a journalist and dissident blogger in Ethiopia, as the recipient of its 2012 PEN/Barbara Goldsmith Freedom to Write Award . Nega, a leading advocate for press freedom and freedom of expression in Ethiopia, was arrested on September 14, 2011, and is currently being tried under the country's sweeping anti-terror legislation, which criminalizes any reporting deemed to “encourage” or “provide moral support” to groups and causes which the government considers to be “terrorist.” He could face the death penalty if convicted.

The award, which honors international writers who have been persecuted or imprisoned for exercising or defending the right to freedom of expression, will be presented at PEN's Annual Gala on May 1, 2012, at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City.

"L'Ethiopien écrivain Eskinder Nega, c'est que les plus braves et les plus admirables des écrivains, celui qui a pris sa plume pour écrire des choses qu'il connaissait sûrement le mettre en grave danger", a déclaré Peter Godwin, président du PEN American Center. “Yet he did so nonetheless. And indeed he fell victim to exactly the measures he was highlighting, Ethiopia's draconian ''anti terrorism' laws that criminalize critical commentary. This is at least the seventh time that the government of Meles Zenawi has detained Eskinder Nega in an effort to muzzle him. Yet Nega has continued his spirited pursuit of freedom of expression. Such humbling courage makes Nega a hugely deserving recipient of the PEN/Barbara Goldsmith Freedom to Write Award .”

Eskinder Nega has been publishing articles critical of the government since 1993, when he opened his first newspaper, Ethiopis , which was soon shut down by authorities. He was the general manager of Serkalem Publishing House, which published the newspapers Asqual , Satenaw , and Menelik , all of which are now banned in Ethiopia. He has also been a columnist for the monthly magazine Change and for the US-based news forum EthioMedia, which are also banned. He has been detained at least seven times under Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, including in 2005, when he and his journalist wife Serkalem Fasil were imprisoned for 17 months on treason charges for their critical reporting on the government's violent crackdown of protests following disputed elections, and briefly in February 2011 for “attempts to incite Egyptian and Tunisian-like protests in Ethiopia” after he published articles on the Arab Spring. Their newspapers have been shut down and Nega has been denied a license to practice journalism since 2005, yet he has continued to publish columns critical of the government's human rights record and calling for an end to political repression and corruption.

Nega was again arrested on September 14, 2011, after he published a column questioning the government's claim that a number of journalists it had detained were suspected terrorists, and for criticizing the arrest of well-known Ethiopian actor and government critic Debebe Eshetu on terror charges earlier that week. Shortly after his arrest, Nega was charged with affiliation with the banned political party Ginbot 7, which the Ethiopian government considers a terrorist organization. On November 10, Nega was charged and further accused of plotting with and receiving weapons and explosives from neighboring Eritrea to carry out terrorist attacks in Ethiopia. State television portrayed Nega and other political prisoners as “spies for foreign forces.” He is currently being held in Maekelawi Prison in Addis Ababa, where detainees are reportedly often ill-treated and tortured.

PEN, Human Rights Watch, the Committee to Protect Journalists, and many other international organizations have long been concerned about Ethiopia's use of anti-terrorism legislation to justify the jailing of journalists and members of the political opposition. Eskinder Nega's trial on charges under the 2009 Anti-Terrorism Proclamation, which covers the “planning preparation, conspiracy, incitement, and attempt” of terrorist acts, illustrates this trend. During his trial, which opened on March 6, 2012, the prosecution has presented evidence that consisted of nearly inaudible recordings of telephone conversations and other comments and a video of a town hall meeting in which Nega discusses the differences between Arab countries and Ethiopia. Nega took the stand on March 28 and denied all charges against him, saying he has never conspired to overthrow the government through violence and admitting only to reporting on the Arab Spring and speculating on whether a similar movement could take place in Ethiopia. Serkalem Fasil, who was the recipient of the 2007 Courage in Journalism Award from the International Women's Media Foundation, maintained that her husband is “a journalist, not a member of a political party.”

In announcing the award today in New York, Freedom to Write Program Director Larry Siems praised Eskinder Nega's “courageous use of the written word to advocate on behalf of his fellow journalists and citizens.”

“Nega's critiques of the Zenawi government go back two decades, and in recent years he has written fearlessly about the need for peaceful democratic transition and about the fate of other journalists unjustly silenced under the pretense of fighting terrorism,” Siems said. “Now as he faces the same fate, in no small part because he spoke out on their behalf, he continues to press for freedom of expression from behind bars. He is truly an extraordinary individual and we are proud to be able to award him this honor.”

Siems joined Godwin in urging the Obama administration to press Ethiopian authorities to halt the use of anti-terror legislation to target journalists for their legitimate work and release Eskinder Nega, one of the most visible symbols of the Ethiopian government's persistent press freedom violations, and all other journalists jailed under national security laws in violation of their right to freedom of expression.

Writer, historian and PEN Member Barbara Goldsmith underwrites the PEN/Barbara Goldsmith Freedom to Write Award. This is the 26th year the award has honored an international literary figure who has been persecuted or imprisoned for exercising or defending the right to freedom of expression. Candidates are nominated by PEN International and any of its 145 constituent PEN centers around the world, and screened by PEN American Center and an Advisory Board comprising some of the most distinguished experts in the field. The Advisory Board for the PEN/Barbara Goldsmith Freedom to Write Award includes Carroll Bogert, Deputy Executive Director for External Relations at Human Rights Watch; Vartan Gregorian, President of the Carnegie Corporation; Joanne Leedom-Ackerman, International Vice President of PEN International and PEN American Center Trustee; Aryeh Neier, former president of the Open Society Foundation; and Joel Simon, Executive Director of the Committee to Protect Journalists.

The Freedom to Write Award is an extension of PEN's year-round advocacy on behalf of the more than 900 writers and journalists who are currently threatened or in prison. Forty-six women and men have received the award since 1987; 33 of the 37 honorees who were in prison at the time they were honored were subsequently released.

PEN American Center is the largest of the 145 centers of PEN International, the world's oldest human rights organization and the oldest international literary organization. The Freedom to Write Program of PEN American Center works to protect the freedom of the written word wherever it is imperiled. It defends writers and journalists from all over the world who are imprisoned, threatened, persecuted, or attacked in the course of carrying out their profession. For more information on PEN's work, please visit www.pen.org

Articles liés

• Eskinder Nega's Case Page

• TAKE ACTION: Write a letter on behalf of Eskinder Nega

Source: http://www.pen.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/6494/prmID/172

BBC News

The UN special rapporteur on slavery has urged the Lebanese government to carry out a full investigation into the death of an Ethiopian domestic worker.

Alem Dechasa, 33, killed herself on 14 March, a few days after she was filmed being beaten by men and dragged into a car in the Lebanese capital, Beirut.

Gulnara Shahinian said the “cruel” images reminded her of the many migrant workers she met in Lebanon last year.

She urged the country to uncover the truth about such rights violations.

Last month, eight civil society groups called on the Lebanese authorities to reform restrictive visa regulations and adopt a labour law on domestic work to address high levels of abuse and deaths among migrant workers.

'End impunity'
On 8 March, the Lebanese television network LBCI released a video filmed on 24 February by an anonymous bystander in which a man physically abuses Ms Alem outside the Ethiopian consulate in Beirut.

As she tries to resist, he and another man drag her into a car.

LBCI later identified the man beating her as the brother of the head of the recruiting agency that brought her to Lebanon.

He alleged that his brother's agency had been trying to return her to Ethiopia because she had mental health problems.

Police later found Ms Alem and took her to a detention centre.

Following a request by the Caritas Lebanon Migrant Center, they transferred her to the Deir al-Saleeb psychiatric hospital two days later, but did not arrest those alleged to have carried out the beatings.

Ms Alem killed herself at the hospital on the morning of 14 March.

After the beating video was circulated, the labour and justice ministries began investigations, but their outcomes have not been made public.

On Tuesday, Ms Shahinian issued a statement strongly urging the Lebanese authorities to investigate the circumstances leading to Ms Alem's death and make public their findings.

“There are a number of reports circulating about the human rights violations Alem Dechasa experienced as a migrant domestic worker in Lebanon and the facts surrounding her death,” she said.

“States are under an obligation to ensure the realisation of the right to truth about violations in order to end impunity and promote and protect human rights and provide redress to victims and their families.”

Ethiopian migrant suicide: 'I can't tell my daughter that her mother is dead' – videoAlem Dechasa, an Ethiopian migrant, was beaten in the streets of Beirut by men who allegedly worked for the company that recruited her in Lebanon. Later she was found dead in hospital, having apparently killed herself. Alem's partner, Lemesa Ejeta, explains why he cannot bring himself to tell their two children that she is dead

Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/video/2012/apr/09/ethiopia-migrant-suicide-video

ከአዲስ አበባ

ይድረስ በውጪ ሀገራት ለምትኖሩ የሃይማኖት አባቶችና የማንኛውም ሃይማኖት ምዕመናን፣

ይህን የጭንቀት ደብዳቤ የምንጽፍላችሁ ወገኖቻችሁን በጥሞና አዳምጣችሁ የምንለውን በተግባር እንደምታውሉልን ተስፋ እናደርጋለን፡፡

በዛሬዋ ዕለት በተነበቡና በተደመጡ የሚዲያ ውጤቶች እንደተረዳነው የኢትጵያ ሕዝብ ከመቼውም ጊዜ በበለጠ ዛፍ ያጣ ጉሬዛ መሆኑን ልንረዳ ችለናል፡፡ በኢንተርኔት ከሚወጡ ዜናዎች እንደተረዳነው በሀገር ውስጥ በገዢው መደብ ድጋፍና ማበረታቻ የተነሳሱ ኃይሎች በተወሰኑ የሕዝብ ወገኖች ላይ እያደረሱት ያለው ከመኖሪያ ቦታ የማፈናቀልና ሀብት ንብረትን እየቀሙ በገዛ የጋራ ሀገራቸው እንደባዕድ ዜጋ ጓዜን ጨርቄን ሳይሉ እግር አውጪኛቸውን እንዲባረሩ እየተደረገ መሆኑን አውቀናል፡፡ ይህ ጉዳይ እንዲቆምና ችግሩ ዕልባት እንዲያገኝ ለገዢው መደብ አቤቱታ ቢቀርብም አቤቱታ ማቅረብ እንደኃጢያትና ወንጀል እየተቆጠረ ለአቤቱታ የተላኩ ወኪሎች ሳይቀሩ ደብዛቸው እየጠፋ እንደሆነ ሰምተናል፡፡ ይህ ዓይነት ፍርደ ገምድልነት ባለባት ሀገራችን ውስጥ እያንዳንዱ ዜጋ ቀኑ መሽቶ እሚነጋለት በተዓምር እንጂ በሕግና ሥርዓት የሚያስተዳድር መንግሥት ኖሮን እንዳልሆነ አረጋግጠናል፡፡ በዚህ ረገድ በሀገር ውስጥ ያሉት የማንኛውም ሃይማኖት አባቶች ይህን ሁሉ ግፍና በደል እያወቁ ለዓለማዊ የሰዎች ሥርዓት በማገብደድ ፈጣሪን ረስተውና ለምድራዊ ኑሯቸው ሳስተው የቆሙለትን የነፍስ መንገድ በመሳታቸው ሕዝቡ ከነሱ ምንም እንዳይጠብቅ ተስፋውን አመንምነውታል፡፡ ብዙ ጊዜም ታይተው በፈተና ወድቀዋል፡፡

በምሽቱ የአሜሪካ ድምፅ ደግሞ በየመን ሀገር 1500 የሚሆኑ ስደተኛ ኢትዮጵያውያን እየደረሰባቸው ያለውን ተደራራቢ ስቃይና እንግልት ያዳመጥነው በከፍተኛ ጭንቀት ውስጥ ገብተን በሃሳብ ነሁልለን ነው፡፡ እንዲህ ዓይነት በውስጥም በውጪም በዜጎች ላይ የተነጣጠረ ዋይታና ልቅሶ በተለይ በአሁኑ ወቅት እየደረሰ ያለው በኛ በኢትዮጵያውያን ላይ እንጂ በሌላ በማንም እንዳልሆነ ከነባራዊው የዓለም ሁኔታ መረዳት እንችላለን፡፡ አንድ ዜጋ በሀገሩም በተሰደደበትም ሥፍራ እንዲህ መፈጠሩን እስኪራገም መጨነቁና መጠበቡ በእጅጉ ያሳዝናል፤ ያስለቅሳልም፡፡

ይህን መሰሉን ተደራራቢ ችግር የምንጋፈጥ ኢትዮጵያውያን በሀገራችን ባሉ የአምልኮት ቤቶች ፈጣሪን በጸሎት እግዚኦ ብለን እንዳንጠይቅ በዬሃይማኖታችን የተሰገሰጉ የገዢው መደብ የሃይማኖት አባት ተብዬዎች አይፈቅዱልንም፡፤ ሕዝቡን ለምህላ የሚጠሩ በሕዝብ ችግር የሚያዝኑ የሃይማኖት አባቶች ይታሰራሉ፤ ከሥራ ቦታቸው ይባረራሉ በቀላሉ ከተማሩም ከፍተኛ ማስጠንቀቂያ ይሰጣቸውና ተራ የሠርክ ጸሎት ብቻ እንዲያደርሱ ይገደዳሉ፡፡ እንደሚታወቀው በችግር ጊዜ የሚደረግ የእግዚኦታ የምህላ ጸሎትና የዘወትር ቅዳሴና ጸሎት ይለያያሉ፡፡ እናም በሀገራችን በተለይ በኦርቶዶክሱ በኩል በፓትርያርኩ ልዩ ትዕዛዝ መሠረት እግዚኦ የሚባልበት ቤተ ክርስቲያን ወይም ደብር አለቃው ይቀጣል፤ ከሥራም ይታገዳል ወይም እንደግል ማኅደሩ ይዞታ ከዚያ ከፍ ያለ ቅጣትም ሊደርስበት ይችላል፡፡ በጭራሽ አይፈቀድም፡፡ ‹በሀገራችን ሰላምና ጥጋብ ሞልቶ የምን እግዚኦታ ነው› በሚል አመክንዮ፣ የተለዬ የምህላ ጸሎት እንዲደረግ የሚፈቅድ የሰበካ ጉባኤ ቆሞስ ይቀጣል፡፡

ስለዚህ በውጪ ሀገር ያላችሁ የሃይማኖት አባቶችና ምዕመናን – እስላሙም ክርስቲያኑም- በቅርቡ ተመካክራችሁ ከፍ ሲል የገለጽነውን በመሰለ የሰቆቃ ሕይወት ውስጥ ለሚገኙ የሀገራችን ዜጎችና በጠቅላላው ለሀገራችን ሰላም የአንድ ቀን ጸሎት በየአብያተ አምልኮዎቻችሁ እንዲደረግ ታሳስቡልን ዘንድ በእግዚአብሔር ስም እንማጸናለን፡፡ ጸላዮቹ በቋንቋ፣ በእምነት፣ በክልል፣ በወርድና በቁመት፣ በፆታና በመሳሰለው ሰውኛ ልዩነት ላንመሳሰል ብንችልም የጸሎታችን ሰሚ ግን አንድ ፈጣሪ በመሆኑ በአንድ ልብ ሆነን ለአንድ ፈጣሪ ከጸለይን ይሰማናልና አንድ ቀነ ቀጠሮ ይዘን ብንችል ጎን ለጎን ቆመን ወይ ተቀምጠን በየሃይማኖታችን እንጸልይ፡፡ ይህን የጸሎት ፕሮግራም ለማስተባበርም ከሁሉም ወገን የተውጣጣ አንድ ኮሚቴ ቢጤ እንዲኖር ቢደረግ አመቺ ይሆናል፡፡ የድረ ገጾችና የሌሎች ሚዲያ አካላት ሚናም በእጅጉ ወሳኝ ነውና ለዚህ ፕሮግራም ሁሉም ተረባርቦ የበኩሉን እንዲያደርግ በድጋሚ እንማጸናለን፡፡ ለስኬቱ እኛ በሀገር ውስጥ ያለነው በእሥር ላይ እንዳለን ስለምንቆጠር በውጪ ያላችሁት ተነሳሽነቱን ወስዳችሁ ብታስተባብሩ የተሻለ ነው፡፡ ጊዜው ኩዳዴ ሳያልቅ ቢሆን ጥሩ ሳይሆን አይቀርም፡፡ እኛም በድረ ገፆች እንከታተላለን፡፡

እግዚአብሔር ኢትዮጵያን ይባርክ፡፡ መልካሙን ሁሉ ያሰማን፡፡

Rule of Law, Rule by Law, Rule by Unjust Law, Rule by Man

All of the weekly commentaries I have written over the years have been structured on a single fundamental principle: the rule of law. Qu'est-ce que c'est? How does it configure in Ethiopia's transition from dictatorship to democracy?

The phrase “rule of law” is somewhat vague and much overused by scholars and advocates, and casually thrown around in general political conversation. The phrase is so popular that even dictators swear by it. In October 2011, Meles Zenawi told Aftenposten (Norway's largest paper): “We have reached a very advanced stage of rule of law and respect for human rights. Fundamentally, this is a country where democratic rights of people are respected.” (Ahem!!!)

For lawyers, “rule of law” is a term of art which generally signifies constitutional supremacy and adherence to principles of due process. Political scientists use the phrase to describe institutional mechanisms for policing the state and preventing abuse of power through established accountability procedures and guarantees of basic civil, human and substantive rights. The phrase is gaining popularity among economists who have come to realize that the rule of law is necessary to create a secure environment for business, investments, contracts and market transactions. Where there the rule of law prevails, good governance (accountability, transparency, free and fair elections, etc.) follows and economies grow. Since the 1990s, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, among others, have insisted on implementation of the “rule of law” as a condition of loans and assistance in Africa (largely without much success).

Dictators often jabber about the “rule of law” to shroud their “rule by law” of one man, one party. In a society under the “rule of men”, absolute power is exercised by the privileged few who are above the law. One man, one party, one select group decides for the whole society. That was what Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, and Mao Zedong and others did; and that is what Africa's dictators do today.

Rule of Law and Rule by Diktat

African dictators rule by diktat (arbitrary decrees issued by command of the dictator) which they try to palm off as “laws” (legislation enacted by a legitimately elected body engaged in deliberative process). They scribble down their diktats, have it approved by their rubberstamp parliaments and pronounce it “law” or “proclamation”. They use the diktat to play policeman, prosecutor, judge, jury and executioner. Under rule by diktat, dictators use the “law” as a bludgeon — a sledgehammer — to vanquish their opposition. On March 28, 2006, Congressman Christopher Smith, Chairman of House Subcommittee on Africa, Global Human Rights and International Operations recounted a revealing conversation he had with Zenawi which demonstrates rule by diktat:

During my visit to Addis last August [2005], I met with Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, and I asked him why he had not investigated the June shootings of demonstrators by agents of his government. His response was that the investigation might require the arrest of opposition leaders, and he didn't want to do that while by-elections were still scheduled. He went on to tell me that he had dossiers on all the opposition leaders and could arrest them for treason whenever he wanted. Thus, their arrests were all but certain even before the events that ostensibly led to their being incarcerated.

In a more recent example of rule by dictat, Zenawi visiting Norway in October 2011 proclaimed two freelance Swedish journalists Johan Persson and Martin Schibbye awaiting trial were guilty of terrorism. He said the two journalists “are, at the very least, messenger boys of a terrorist organization. They are not journalists. Why would a journalist be involved with a terrorist organization and enter a country with that terrorist organization, escorted by armed terrorists, and participate in a fighting in which this terrorist organization was involved? If that is journalism, I don't know what terrorism is.” Zenawi seemed to be unfamiliar with Art. 20 (3) of the Ethiopian Constitution which guarantees: “During proceedings accused persons have the right to be presumed innocent.” In late February 2012, Zenawi made the following incredibly mindboggling statement about the same Swedish journalists:

The government gave a small statement that such people have been put [in] prison… The next day the campaign was launched, 'Free press, innocent people with no issue at all!' They just give pronouncements before the case has gone to court, before evidence has been heard. The pronouncement was there; the government is the criminal and the people are innocent. (Well, if the shoe fits, wear it!)

After declaring the two journlaists “terrorists” in October 2011, in February 2012, Zenawi has the audacity to criticize others for commenting on the journalsits' innocence “before the case has gone to court, before evidence has been heard.” Incredible!

A Practical Understanding of the Rule of Law

As the scholars and lawyers debate the finer points of the rule of law, it is possible to fashion a practical understanding of the principle which could be useful in the dialogue and debate over Ethiopia's transition from dictatorship to democracy. A practical lesson in the application of the rule of law principle could be learned by examining “anti-terrorism” laws in the US and Ethiopia.

In 2001, President Bush signed an executive order authorizing the creation of military tribunals for the detention, treatment and trial of certain non-citizens (“enemy combatants”) in the war against terrorism. In 2006 the US Supreme Court struck down the executive order and commissions as unconstitutional (Hamdan v. Rumsfeld) holding that the President lacks constitutional or statutory authority. Much to the great disappointment of the Bush Administration, the Court held that these terror suspects were entitled to the protection of the ordinary laws of the United States and the laws of war including the Geneva Convention, and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. In language that pays homage to deep-rooted American civil liberties, the Court wrote: “Assuming that Hamdan [terror suspect] is a dangerous individual who would cause great harm or death to innocent civilians given the opportunity, the Executive nevertheless must comply with the prevailing rule of law in undertaking to try him and subject him to criminal punishment.”

In 2004, in a similar case of a terror suspect (Rasul v. Bush), the US Supreme Court upheld the rule of law by requiring the President to honor the writ of habeas corpus (one of the greatest rights Americans have to challenge the government in court unlawful restraint on their liberties). The Court held that a terror suspect detainee may not be denied access to lawyers and civilians courts in violation of the due process guarantees of the Fifth Amendment to the US Constitution. Simply stated, even wicked villains and evil-doers are shielded by the rule of law in the American Constitution.

In contrast, rule by law (rule by diktat) has made Zenawi's so-called anti-terrorism law (“Anti-Terrorism Proclamation No. 652/2009”) a sledgehammer to crush dissidents, journalists, opposition political leaders and anyone considered an enemy. In early February 2012, a group of independent United Nations human rights experts (UN Special Rapporteurs) made public statements condemning the ongoing use of anti-terrorism laws to curb a broad range of freedoms in Ethiopia. Ben Emmerson, the UN Special Rapporteur on counter-terrorism and human rights, said that “the anti-terrorism provisions should not be abused and need to be clearly defined in Ethiopian criminal law to ensure that they do not go counter to internationally guaranteed human rights.” Frank La Rue, the UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of expression, said that “Journalists play a crucial role in promoting accountability of public officials by investigating and informing the public about human rights violations. They should not face criminal proceedings for carrying out their legitimate work, let alone be severely punished.” Margaret Sekaggya, the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights defenders, stated that “journalists, bloggers and others advocating for increased respect for human rights should not be subject to pressure for the mere fact that their views are not in alignment with those of the Government [of Ethiopia].” Maina Kiai, the UN Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association, said “The resort to anti-terrorism legislation is one of the many obstacles faced by associations today in Ethiopia. The Government must ensure protection across all areas involving the work of associations, especially in relation to human rights issues.” Gabriela Knaul, the UN Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers, said: “Defendants in a criminal process should be considered as innocent until proven guilty as enshrined in the Constitution of Ethiopia… And it is crucial that defendants have access to a lawyer during the pre-trial stage to safeguard their right to prepare their legal defence.”

The Essence of the Rule of Law

The essence of the rule of law can be summarized in the following simple proposition: Because power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely, the rule of law is essential to prevent power from corrupting and absolute power from corrupting absolutely. The UN Secretary-General in a report to the Security Council in 2004 prescribed implementation of the rule of law as “a principle of governance in which all persons, institutions and entities, public and private, including the State itself, are accountable to laws that are publicly promulgated, equally enforced and independently adjudicated, and which are consistent with international human rights norms and standards.” In practice, it is necessary to have “measures to ensure adherence to the principles of supremacy of law, equality before the law, accountability to the law, fairness in the application of the law, separation of powers, participation in decision-making, legal certainty, avoidance of arbitrariness and procedural and legal transparency.” The World Bank says where the rule of law prevails government exercises self-restraint, treats its citizens justly and equally under the law and protects the dignity of each individual in society. Numerous other organizations and institutions involved in the rule of law movement have come to the same conclusion.

Rule of Law Cannot Be “Copycatted”

There are some who believe that blindly “copycatting” laws and regulations from other countries and incorporating them verbatim into their own laws somehow guarantees the existence and prevalence of the rule of law. In justifying his “anti-terrorism law” in February 2012, Zenawi offered the following mindboggling explanation to his rubberstamp parliament:

In drafting our anti-terrorism law, we copied word-for-word the very best anti-terrorism laws in the world. We took from America, England and the European model anti-terrorism laws. It is from these three sources that we have drafted our anti-terrorism law. From these, we have choses the better ones. For instance, in all of these laws, an organization is deemed to be terrorist by the executive branch. We improved it by saying it is not good for the executive to make that determination. We took the definition of terrorism word-by-word. Not one word was changed. Not even a comma. It is taken word-by-word. There is a reason why we took it word-by-word. First, these people have experience in democratic governance. Because they have experience, there is no shame if we learn or take from them. Learning from a good teacher is useful not harmful. Nothing embarrassing about it. The [antiterrorism] proclamation in every respect is flawless. It is better than the best anti-terrorism laws [in the world] but not less than any one of them in any way…

One cringes in total embarrassment at such a stunningly shallow understanding of jurisprudence, glib talk about the law and inattention to a glaring logical fallacy in one's argument. In seeking to establish that his anti-terrorism law is based on the rule of law, Zenawi commits a logical fallacy known as “argument from authority” (argumentum ad verecundiam). The logic of his argument is that America and Britain are democratic countries with a high degree of adherence to the rule of law principle; and they have anti-terrorism laws that are the “best” in the world. We have “copied word-for-word” the best elements of their anti-terrorism laws and put them to use. Therefore, our terrorism laws are “flawless” and singularly the very best in the world!

By invoking a fallacious authority and creating a manifestly false analogy, Zenawi aims to clothe his anti-terrorism diktat with moral legitimacy and legal respectability. One cannot create a lion by piecing together the sturdy long neck of the giraffe with the the strong jaws of a hyena, the fast limbs of the cheetah and the massive trunk of the elephant. The king of the jungle is an altogether different beast. In the same vein, one cannot clone pieces of anti-terrorism laws from everywhere onto a diktat and sanctify it as “flawless in every respect”.

Imitation may best the highest form of flattery, but to boldly claim that a mindlessly cloned diktat is “flawless” is just mindless. Beyond logical fallacy, Zenawi seems to be totally clueless about elementary principles of jurisprudence in the Anglo-American tradition. The American antiterrorism law (Zenawi does not specifically identify the American antiterrorism law he copied word-for-word, but one may reasonably assume he is referring to the “USA Patriot Act”), is not merely a collection of words, legal phrases, clauses, terms and paragraphs. The Patriot Act was drafted with intense debate and deliberation in the Congress (not scribbled down and sent for rubberstamping), contentious disputes in the media (in the US it not a crime to criticize a law in the media) and amidst outraged public dialogue and debate (not shoved down the public's throat). Above all, it was crafted within the known boundaries of the Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Amendments and Article I, section 9 of the US Constitution. The legislative language in the Patriot Act derives its vitality not from glib semantic analysis of words and phrases, but from long and storied legal traditions that date back to the Magna Carta (Great Charter) in 1215, the Declaration of Independence in 1776 and the vast body of Anglo-American common law. Most importantly, the Patriot Act is subject to the supreme law of the land– the US Constitution. Thomas Paine, one of the revolutionary “Founding Fathers of the United States” and the “voice of the common man” explained it best in Common Sense: “In America, the law is king. For as in absolute governments the King is law, so in free countries the law ought to be king; and there ought to be no other.”

If Zenawi wants to copycat American and British anti-terrorism laws, he cannot cherry pick words, phrases, sentences and clauses. He has to take the whole package because those words, phrases and clauses he copied so proudly have complex histories, meanings, nuances and implications. Those blindly borrowed words and phrases have special meaning and application when they are considered, contextualized, synthesized and analyzed within the broader framework of Anglo-American common law, judicial precedents, legal principles and doctrines, rules of statutory construction, legal scholarship, legislative intent and numerous other factors. If Zenawi chooses to imitate and clone American law “word-for-word”, he is practically, logically and hermeneutically obliged to give meaning to those laws within the framework of the American Constitution and the body of constitutional law.

But Zenawi simply has no clue. The US “antiterrorism law” is not as perfect as he the thinks it is and may not be worthy of ultimate imitation. In fact, it is quite flawed. For instance, in 2004, a federal judge in New York ruled that a key component of the USA Patriot Act is unconstitutional because it allows the FBI to demand information from Internet service providers without judicial oversight or public review. Another federal judge in Oregon in 2007 ruled that crucial parts of the USA Patriot Act were unconstitutional because they allowed federal surveillance and searches of Americans without demonstrating probable cause required by the Fourth Amendment. The judge wrote, “For over 200 years, this Nation has adhered to the rule of law — with unparalleled success. A shift to a Nation based on extra-constitutional authority is prohibited, as well as ill-advised.”

Unlike Zenawi's “anti-terrorism” diktat, the Patriot Act had significant limitations in itself, including sunset provisions (expiration dates) of December 31, 2005 on a number of issues including wiretapping, sharing foreign intelligence information, seizure of voice-mail emergency disclosure of electronic surveillance. When it was reauthorized, a new sunset of December 31, 2009 was established and significant amendments added to provide for greater congressional and judicial oversight of orders for roving wiretaps and enhanced procedural protections for “sneak and peek” search warrants, among many others.

Zenawi also fails to understand the power of judicial review and the resolute ferocity of American lawyers dedicated to civil liberties in challenging the government and stopping it from encroaching on the civil liberties of the people. In other words, in America, there are lawyers and judges who are willing, able and ready to hold the Congress' or the President's feet to the fire of the supreme law of the land. In Ethiopia, there are only dictators who hold the peoples' feet, hands and bodies to the fire.

But Zenawi is absolutely right in saying that “there is no shame if we learn or take from them [America, Britain, European model]”. Learning from a good teacher is useful not harmful.” But it is not enough to have good teachers, one must also be a good student and learn all of the substantive lessons, not just a word here, a phrase there and a clause somewhere else.

Do Ethiopians Want a Government of Laws and Not of Men?

The rule of law operates differently in different societies and there is no single “flawless” conception of the principle. I do believe there are some commonalities and universal elements of the rule of law principle that are applicable in all societies. To extract the most universal elements, it is necessary to learn from alternative conceptions and experiences in the application of the rule of law. But the learning process should not be robotic or involve the mindless aggregation of bits and fragments of information and analysis. It should be syncretic, synthesizing divergent and conflicting ideas and practices in the practical application of the rule of law.

The rule of law in Ethiopia, I believe, is an ancient ideal. Ordinary Ethiopians used to invoke the “divine power of the law” (ye heg amlak) against wrong-doers and abusers of power. That was when they could see the faint and distant image of justice painted on a canvas of autocratic rule. But it must also be pointed out that the Ethiopian civic culture has tolerated an insidious exception to the rule of law which persists to the present day. An old Ethiopia adage says, “One cannot plough (farm) the sky nor hold a king to account in court” (semai aye-tares, negus aye-keses). “Negus” Zenawi is the personification of that adage today. In the transition from dictatorship to democracy, Ethiopians will have an opportunity to choose between alternative conceptions of the rule of law.

My view is that rule of law is a quintessential principle of good democratic governance. It is a vital part of statecraft (the art of leading a country). It is a fundamental element in nation-building, state-building, peace-building, democracy-building, justice-building and truth and reconciliation. I do not equate the rule of law with democracy, but I believe it makes genuine multiparty democracy possible through institutional arrangements for conducting clean, free and fair elections. I do not think the rule of law by itself guarantees justice, but it will serve to facilitate the delivery of justice to citizens through an independent and transparent judicial process. It will not guarantee equality, human rights and the rest of it, but without the rule of law there can be no equality or human dignity. I believe respect for human rights is the single important manifestation of the prevalence of the rule of law in any society and the most persuasive evidence of good governance.

Rule of Unjust Laws?

I am persuaded by the works of the great philosophers, thinkers, theologians, theorists, revolutionaries and human and civil rights rights advocates — Cicero, Augustine, Aquinas, Gandhi, King and even the framers of the US Constitution in their Declaration of Independence — who argued that an unjust law (diktat) is not really a law at all. Dr. Martin Luther King said, “Any law that uplifts human personality is just. Any law that degrades human personality is unjust. One has not only a legal but a moral responsibility to obey just laws. Conversely, one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws… for an unjust law is no law at all.” So Ethiopia's transition from dictatorship to democracy will be a transition from rule by unjust laws to the rule of just laws, and an uprising from degradation to collective elevation. I believe the rule of law will take deep root in Ethiopia when government learns always to fear its citizens and citizens acquire the courage never to fear their government!

Traductions en amharique de récents commentaires de l'auteur peut être trouvée à l'adresse:

http://www.ecadforum.com/Amharic/archives/category/al-mariam-amharic et

http://ethioforum.org/?cat=24

Commentaires précédents de l'auteur sont disponibles à:

http://open.salon.com/blog/almariam/ et

www.huffingtonpost.com/alemayehu-g-mariam/

BEIRUT (Daily Star): A crowd of Ethiopians gathered outside the Ethiopian Consulate in Badaro Sunday afternoon toprotest its neglect of their community in Lebanon.

Following a Sunday church service nearby, a few dozen women and one man walked to the consulate and demonstrated outside.
The assembled expressed their frustration with consular officials' perceived callousness, saying that when Ethiopians contact their consulate in Lebanon via telephone they are often ignored or hung up on.

“We are living here,” said a woman named Berti, adding that “the [consulate] should help us, but they only want money.”
Another woman, named Sarah, told The Daily Star that many Ethiopians travel to Lebanon illegally through Sudan. She said that if such an Ethiopian encounters trouble in Lebanon, the consulate will absolve itself of responsibility and refuse assistance, but if the same person should want to renew her passport, the consulate would help in the interest of making a profit.
The Ethiopian Consulate was unavailable for comment.

Another driving point of the protest was the consulate's recent mishandling of the situation involving Alem Dechasa-Desisa, an Ethiopian domestic worker who was videotaped outside the building being physically abused by a man later identified as Ali Mahfouz. Dechasa-Desisa was later taken to Deir al-Salib where doctors said she hanged herself on March 14, using strips of her bed sheets.
“Nobody helped her,” said another woman named Sarah, who wore a blue keffiyeh: “How did she die? She didn't kill herself. She's not crazy.”

She added that the group was angry that officials at the consulate saw Dechasa-Desisa being beaten, thrown on the ground and forced into Mahfouz's care, but failed to take action, instead remaining inside the consulate walls and watching the abuse.
Several protesters told The Daily Star that their group would have been larger had it not been for the consulate trying to prevent the demonstration.

“At church, the [consulate's] workers told us not to come here and said they called the police,” said Sarah with the blue keffiyeh, “but the police are here and they are keeping the peace. They aren't harming us.”
“We have no problem with the Lebanese government,” added another protestor named Lina. “We like them, but we have a problem with the consulate.”

“We don't have an embassy here,” said Sarah in the blue keffiyeh, “we only have our community.”
The group chanted slogans expressing their disdain for the consulate and their suspicion that it wanted Ethiopians out of the country.
The chants were followed by a short prayer before the group dispersed. A few people from the group expressed dismay that even though Sunday is their day off, their employers only give them a few hours in the morning before they must return to work.
A woman named Makdees said, “I come [to protest], I pray, now back to work.”
Before leaving the scene she added, “Please, from every country to Lebanon, help us.”

Source:

I am sure we are all familiar with what is known as the 'melting pot' concept when it comes to describing how America functions. The term is a metaphor 'for a heterogeneous society becoming more homogeneous , the different elements “melting together” into a harmonious whole with one common culture.

Le concept a été popularisé dans les années 1900 avec l'afflux d'immigrants de partout. It was challenged in 1970's with some questioning the idea of total meld and wanted to preserve cultural differences as valuable part of a civil society and proposed an alternative metaphor the 'mosaic or salad bowl' concept. This term has come to dominate the Canadian experience. It proposes the mix of ethnic groups, languages and cultures that can harmoniously co-exist. Il préconise le multiculturalisme.

Les deux approches ont réussi à bâtir une société solide et prospère. Over the weekend I had a medical issue and went to the hospital. I, the patient is an immigrant from Ethiopia. My admitting nurse was another Ethiopian. L'infirmière qui a eu mes entrailles était en provenance du Nigeria. The person who took my x-ray was from Eritrea. Mon médecin urgentiste était d'un blanc américain. La personne qui m'a pris travers le processus de décharge est une immigrante d'origine hispanique. L'hôpital a fonctionné comme une machine bien huilée.

J'ai été impressionné. It made me see how the US has managed to become such a big powerhouse. There is plenty that needs to change but it is obvious the system is based on a solid ground of willingness to accommodate change while not losing a common vision of one country one people.

It did not take me long to come back to ground. My homeland came to jar me back to reality. Le «nettoyage ethnique» dans la partie sud de mon pays était un rappel que tout n'est pas bien sur le front intérieur. The term 'ethnic cleansing' is a loaded term. I am not invoking it lightly. Mais il a si bien décrit à la situation de nos citoyens qui se trouvent être «d'Amhara et de leurs tribulations actuelles. The Benji Maji Zone Administration has seen it fit to expropriate their land and property and drive them out of their homes. Go back to your Kilil they said. Today they are refugees in their own country. Le terme réel est «déplacée à l'intérieur."

"Déplacées à l'intérieur» est un concept étrange à saisir. How could you be a refugee in your own land? Dans une démocratie émergente comme l'Ethiopie, tout est possible. The government led by TPLF (Tigrai Peoples Liberation Movement) is the Party in charge. When they took power they were not into the concept a 'melting pot' nor did they appreciate the idea of a 'salad bowl.' Notre ḥizbāwī weyānē ḥārinet tigray ሕዝባዊ ወያኔ ሓርነት ትግራይ dirigeants ont été séduits par le concept de «l'apartheid». Enclaves de construction était leur solution brillante. Le sort de l'apartheid est d'Amhara, dans la pratique. C'est ce que M. Meles Zenawi est la construction en Éthiopie. Separate disjointed entities at war with each other while his single ethnic based party fans the hate flame.

Do you think I am being an alarmist? Pensez-vous que je suis tomber dans le piège de l'identification ethnique? Je ne le pense pas. Si les gens sont contraints de fuir en raison de leur origine ethnique que ce soit dans Benji Maji, Gambella, Sarajevo ou à Kigali, vous devez l'appeler ce que c'est un «nettoyage ethnique». La tentative de l'armée serbe à conduire les musulmans de Sarajevo a été définie comme la pratique de «purification ethnique». Hutus targeted Tutsis and the blood bath was judged as an ugly attempt at 'ethnic cleansing.' During the border war between Ethiopia and Eritrea both countries carried out limited form of 'ethnic cleansing'. Puis-je vous rappeler certains d'entre nous a montré l'indifférence totale, tandis que quelques-uns ont applaudi. Ethnic cleansing is an International crime. It is crime against humanity. What has happened to the Amhara's of Benji Maji Zone is 'ethnic cleansing.' Their only crime is being an Amhara and finding them selves in the wrong Apartheid designated 'Home Land”.

This abhorrent crime is committed by the TPLF party, which is led by Prime Minister Meles Zenawi. Ils ont mis un tel système en place. They designed it. Certains revendiquent le parti TPLF a disparu rouge et devenir le parti d'une famille. I beg to differ. The TPLF was born a monster, grew up to be a monster and will die as a monster. It has never ever done anything that could be seen as a positive contribution to the people of Tigrai in particular and the people of Ethiopia in general.

Kilil is not a new idea. It was copied from the book of the Nationalist Party of South Africa. Partie des Blancs. Their creation of the 'Apartheid' system set up ten Bantustans or homeland for Black people. It kept the Blacks apart. Il a fait d'eux des étrangers les uns aux autres. Il n'y avait pas noir d'Afrique du Sud, mais un citoyen patrie ethnique basée. Des dirigeants comme chef Buthelezi de la grande nation du Kwa Zulu ont été réduits à servir les maîtres blancs, au détriment de leur peuple. Exil certains, corrompre quelques-uns et intimider le reste était la marque de l'apartheid. Kilil est le fils de l'apartheid. En Ethiopie aujourd'hui Kilil définit qui vous êtes et ce que d'être un Ethiopien est secondaire. Benji Maji est le résultat d'Kilil au travail. You area a citizen of your Kilil not your Country.

Système TPLF est de travailler comme un charme. Les gens déplacés de Benji Maji sont la preuve vivante. The cultivation of hate has made us mistrust each other. L'insistance sur séparée Kilil a causé beaucoup de nous la guerre civile. Aucun endroit n'est à l'abri de cette maladie. Even places of higher learning such as the University and Kilil based Colleges are the hot bed of 'ethnic' clashes. Je vous écris à ce sujet. It has become our everyday experience. Nous sommes en train de devenir étrangers les uns aux autres. Le sens de l'être un Ethiopien est dégonflé, réduit, étant donné une connotation négative et fait quelque chose à cacher de honte.

Pourquoi certaines personnes en matière de leadership faire qui doit être laissée à des psychologues, chercheurs en sciences sociales et les historiens pour expliquer. Our problem is here and now. Nous sommes tous touchés par cette dévaluation d'un beau pays fiers. Nous ne sommes pas le premier à être sous ce type de calamité. Consulter l'Irak était une fois une nation fière. Aujourd'hui les Irakiens d'éviter l'Irak. Syria is entering that zone of madness on a national scale. Ethnic strife is the common thread between the two. Kilil is the breeding ground for 'ethnic strife'. The TPLF party is the fertilizer.

Are you inoculated against this virus? What do you think when you hear of Benji Maji? Upset? Depressed? Confused? Hope less? Vous voyez les dirigeants actuels de l'Ethiopie sont libres de faire ce qu'ils veulent. La seule façon de les arrêter est en leur montrant qu'il ya des conséquences à leur action. Il ya un prix à payer pour les mauvaises actions. The people organized around Timret are building an all-inclusive Front as a solid foundation for our future Ethiopia. ESAT a réussi à être notre voix. Andenet is still operating under dire circumstances. Tous ces groupes et les organisations sont d'aider les gens de Benji Maji en faisant leur part il y aura donc pas plus de Benji Maji. Aucun changement ne pourra se produire avec la participation des. We can work together as one to create a “melting Pot' or a 'Salad Bowl' or continue on building Apartheid. It is up to you. Montrez-moi plutôt que de me le dire.

Appuyez sur les civils de publication Under Attack comme violations des droits humains dans Soar Gambella.pdf

The NY tri State Ethiopians mostly of Christian Orthodox came out in huge number yesterday afternoon on what we call ” Lunch Rally ” and answered for a call of our monks to defend the Waldiba Monastery that includes 18 churches and sacred burial ground from the Sugar Lords destruction. Waldiba a été un lieu d'éducation et de culte depuis 1200 par le éthiopienne orthodoxe Église et ceux qui ont été formés ont partagé leur expérience personnelle à Waldiba sur notre rassemblement en face de la «éthiopienne» Mission à Manhattan. Some called Waldiba the first University of Ethiopia. Many agree that there is hardly to find any of our religious holy fathers who has never been at Waldiba one time or the other.