Sunday, June 15, 2014

የኑረዲን ሃሰን ደም በከንቱ አይቀርም


ጉጅሌዎቹ ኢትዮጵያን መግዛት ከጀመሩ ዘመን ጀምሮ በአገራችን የንፁህ ሰው ደም ሳይፈስ የዋለበት ቀን የለም። ኢትዮጵያችን በየቀኑ የንፁህ ሰው ደም የሚፈስባት አገር ሁናለች። ዜጎችም ይሄን የለመዱት ስለሆነ ሰው ሞተ ሲባል ብዙም አይደነቁም። ጉጅሌዎቹ ደግሞ አንድ ያለፈባት ብሂል አለቻቸው እንዲህ የምትል፤
ግደሉ ግደሉ ሰው መግደል ይበጃል፤
ሰው ያልገደለ ሰው ሲሄድ ያንጎላጃል።
ይህች የአንድን ማህበረሰብ የስነ ልቦና ቀውስ ደህና አድርጋ የምታሳይ ቅኔ የህወሃቶች ስንቅና ትጥቅ ነች። ይህችን ቅኔ ታጥቀው በየደረሱበት የንፁህ ደም ሲያፈሱ የሂሊና ወቀሳ የለባቸውም። እዚህም ይገድላሉ፤ እዚያም ይገድላሉ። ለህወሃቶች ሰው መግደል ክፉ ነገር አይደለም። ሰው መግደል ለስልጣን የሚያበቃ፤ ስልጣን ላይም እስከ ፍፃሜው የሚያቆይ የጎበዝ ምግባር ነው የሚል የማይናወፅ እምነት አላቸው። ይህን ዕምነታቸውንም የገለጡበትን መንገድ ትንሽ ወደ ኋላ ሂዶ በሃውዜን ህዝብ ላይ ያስፈፀሙትን ጭፍጨፋ ማስታወስ በቂያችን ይሆናል።
ጉጅሌዎቹ ጥልቅ በሆነ የስነ ልቦና ቀውስ ውስጥ ይገኛሉ። ከግል ህይወታቸው ጀምሮ እስከ ጨበጡት የስልጣን እርከን ድረስ ንፅህና የጎደላቸው፤ በንፁሃን ደም እጃቸው የተጨማለቀ ነው። ይህ ነውራቸውም ሁሉንም እንዲፈሩ፤ በሁሉም እንዲደነግጡ አድርጓቸዋል።ከዚህ ፍርሃትና ድንጋጤም ለመላቀቅ የተዘፈቁበት የወንጀል መዓት የሚያስችላቸው አልሆነም። እነርሱም ከጥፋታቸው ተምረው እንደ ሰው ልጅ ለማሰብ ፍላጎቱ የላቸውም። የጉጅሌዎቹ የልብ ድንደና የመፅሃፍ ቅዱሱ የፈርዖንን ልብ ድንደና ይመስላል። የፈርዖንን የመጨረሻ ታሪክ ያየ ግን ልቡን ከማደንደን ይልቅ የህዝቡን ጩኽት መስማትን ይመርጥ ነበር። ይሄም ቢሆን ብልህነትን ይጠይቃል።አገራችን ከተደቀኑባት ብርቱ ተግዳሮቶች መካከል ዋነኛው ጉጅሌዎቹ ብልህነት ያልፈጠረባቸው ሁሉንም በጠብ-መንጂያ እናሸንፈዋለን ብለው ከልባቸው ማመናቸው ነው። ይሄም እምነታቸው ነው በህግ ጥላ ሥር ያሉትን እንኳ ሳይቀር ቀጥቅጠው እንዲገድሉ የሚያደርጋቸው።
በዓለማያ ዩንቨርስቲ ውስጥ ወለጋ ክለብ ተብሎ በሚጠራው አዳራሽ ውስጥ ቦንብ ፈንድቶ ተማሪዎች መጎዳታቸውን የነገረን ህወሃት ነው። ጉጅሌዎቹ እኛ ከመጣን በኋላ ሠላም ሆነ እያሉ በሚያላዝኑበት አገር ውስጥ ይህን መሰሉ እኩይ ተግባር እንደምን ሁኖ ሊፈፀም እንደቻለ በቂ ማብራሪያ የላቸውም። ብዙ ተማሪዎች ከተጎዱ እና ህይወትም ከጠፋ በኋላ ጥፋተኞቹን ያዝኩ ሲልም ያወጀው አሁንም ጉጅሌው ነው። ከተያዙት መካከልም አንዱ ኑረዲን ሃሰን በእስር ቤት እንዳለ ህይወቱን አጠፋ መባሉንም የሰማነው ከጉጅሌዎቹ ነው። በህግ ጥላ ሥር የሚገኝ አንድ ሰው ፍትህ እሰከሚያገኝ ድረስ በህይወት እንዲቆይ ብርቱ ጥንቃቄ ማድረግ የመንግስቱ ኃላፊነት ነው። ለዚህም ሲባል ቀበቶው ተፈቶ፤ ሌሎች በራስ ላይ ጉዳት ሊያደርሱ የሚችሉ ነገሮች ሁሉ ተፈትሸው በዕስር ቤቱ ኃላፊዎች እጅ እንዲቆዩ ይደረጋል። ራሱን ገደለ የተባለው ኑረዲን ሃሰንም ቢሆን በማረሚያ ቤቱ ህግ መሠረት ተገቢውን ፈፅሟል።
ታዲያ እንደምን ሁኖ ኑረዲን ሃሰን ራሱን ሊያጠፋ ቻለ ለሚለው ጥያቄ የጉጅሌው ቡድን የሠራውን ያውቃልና የሆነውን አይናገርም።ወጣቱ ራሱን አላጠፋም። ኑረዲን ሃሰን ብርቱ የሆነ የመኖር ምኞት እና የራሱ ራዕይ የነበረው ወጣት ነበር። ይህን ወጣት ቀጥቅጠው ገድለው ተስፋውን ያጨለሙት የጉጅሌዎቹ ጀሌዎች መሆናቸውን ደርሰንበታል። የኑረዲን ሃሰንን ህይወት የቀጠፈው ግለሰብም ሆነ ቡድን ህወሃት በስልጣን እስካለ ድረስ ለፍርድ እንደማይቀርብ የታወቀ ነው። እንዲያውም በህወሃት ባህል መሠረት ተመስግኖ ይሾማል ይሸለማል እንጂ ሌላ የሚሆን ነገር አይኖርም። እንግዲህ ህወሃቶች ከሚገለጡበት ነውር ተግባራት መካከል አንዱ የንፁህ ደም ያፈሰሰን ነፈሰ ገዳይ ለሹመት ማብቃታቸው ነው።
እነዚህ ቡድኖች እግራቸው በረገጠበት መንደር ሁሉ የንፁሃንን ደም በከንቱ ያፈሳሉ። ይሄ የታወቀው ልማዳቸው ነው። የንፁህ ሰው ደም አፍስሰው ሲያበቁም ከበሯቸውን እየደለቁ እና ምድሪቷን እያስጨነቁ ማን ይደፍረናል እያሉም ያጓራሉ።
ከዚያም ለሌላ ዙር ግዲያ ያበረታታቸው ዘንድ፡
ግደሉ ግደሉ ሰው መግደል ይበጃል፤
ሰው ያልገደለ ሰው ሲሄድ ያንጎላጃል።
እያሉ የሰው ደም መጠጣት ለለመደው አምላካቸው ቅኔ ይቀኙለታል።
እኛ ግን እንዲህ እንላለን ለሁሉም ግዜ አለው። የፍርድ ቀንም ሩቅ አይደለችም።እንደ ኑረዲን ሃሰን በየቦታው ተገድለው የተጣሉ ኢትዮጵያዊያን ብዙ ናቸው። ብዙ ፍትህ ተነፍጓቸው በየሥፍራው እንባቸውን በመዳፋቸው የሚያፍሱ አሉ። ከነ ቤተሰቦቻቸው ሜዳ ላይ የተጣሉም አሉ። ብዙ ጆሮን ጭው የሚያደርጉ በህወሃት የተፈፀሙ ሰቆቃዎች ሁሉ ተመዝግበው በጃችን አሉ። እነዚህ ሁሉ ቀናቸውን እየጠበቁ ነው። የእነ ኑረዲን ሃሰን፤ የእነ ህፃን ነብዩ፤ የእነ ወ/ሮ እቴነሽ ይማም፤ የእነ ሽብሬ ደሳለኝ፤ የእነ አቶ ደራራ ከፈኒ፤ የእነ አሰፋ ማሩ እና የሌሎች የብዙ ሺዎች ደም ከምድር ወደ ሰማይ እየጮኸ ነው። ይሄ ጩኸት መልስ የሚያገኝበት ቀን ፈጥኖ እንዲመጣ ትግሉ ተጧጥፎ በሁሉም መስክ መቀጠል ይኖርበታል። ሁል ግዜ እየገደልን እሰከ መጨረሻው እንዘልቃለን ማለት ቅዥት መሆኑንም ለጉጅሌዎቹ ማስታወስ ተገቢ ይሆናል።
ጉጅሌዎቹ ብልህነት የሌላቸው ባይሆኑ ኑሮ የህዝብን ድምፅ ማድመጥ ይመርጡ ነበር። ከተዘፈቁበትም የቅዥት ዓለም ውስጥ ለመውጣት ምን እናድርግ ብለው ራሳቸውን ይጠይቁ ነበር። ግን ምን ያደርጋል ጉጅሌዎቹ ቅዥታቸውን እንደ ኃይማኖት አምነው ስለተቀበሉት ለሌላ እልቂትና ደም መፋሰስ ራሳችውን ያዘጋጃሉ እንጂ ከገቡበት ቅዥት ለመውጣት ምን እናድርግ ብለው አይጠይቁም።ይሄ ቅዥታቸው ነው እኛ ከሌለን አገሪቷ ትበተናለች፤ የጎሳ ግጭት ይነሳል፤ እልቂት ይሆናል እያሉ ያለምንም እፍረት ድምፃቸውም ከፍ አድርገው እንዲለፈልፉ የሚያደርጋቸው። እውነቱ ግን በአሁን ሠዓት ከማንም በላይ ለአገራችን ቀንደኛ ጠላት መሆንን የመረጡት ራሳቸው ህወሃቶች ናቸው። የአገሪቷና የህዝቧ ጠላት መሆንን በመምረጣቸውም ነው “እኛ ከሌለን አገሪቷ ትበተናለች” እያሉ የሚያቅራሩት። ይሄንን ግን ባዶ ማቅራራት አድርጎ መገመት ከስህተት ይጥላል።
ህወሃቶች ሆይ ስሙ! በህዝባችን መካከል ያለው ልዩነት እና የጭካኔያችሁ ልክ ማጣት እሰከ ዛሬ አቆይቷችኋል።ጭካኔንም ከጀግና ተግባር እየቀላቀላችሁ ተራራውን አንቀጠቀጥን እያላችሁ ያቅራራችሁትን ሁሉም ሰምቷችኋል። ህዝቡንም ድርና ማግ ሁነው በአንድነት ያቆዩትን ክሮች በጣጥሳችሁ ለመጨረስ ሌት ተቀን እንደምትባዝኑም የተሰወረ አይደለም።”እኛ ከሌለን አገሪቷ ትበተናለች” የሚባል ሟርትም ካልተገራው አንደበታችሁ መውጣቱንም በጥሞና አድምጠናል። ይሄ ቅዥታችሁ በቅዥት እንደሚቀር እኛ እንነግራችኋለን። እኛ ኢትዮጵያዊያን እያለን አገራችን አትበተንም። ምንም እንኳ የምትሰሩት ሁሉ የተራ ወንበዴ ተግባር ቢሆንም፤ ጭካኔያችሁ ወሰን ቢያጣ፤ ቅንጣት ታክል አገራዊ ኃላፊነት የማይሰማችሁ ብትሆኑም፤ በአገሪቷ ዜጎች መካከልም የጎሣ ግጭት ፈጥራችሁ በሚፈሰው ደም እጃችሁን ታጥባችሁ በኢትዮጵያዊያን ጫንቃ ለመቀመጥ ብትመኙም አይሆንላችሁም።
የህወሃት ፖሊሲ የሚቀየረው በመቃብራችን ላይ ነው እያላችሁ እንደምታላዝኑም እናውቃለን።ይሄ የህዝብ ጠላት መሆንን መምረጣችሁን የሚያሳረዳ ሌላው ዓቢይ ነገር መሆኑን እንዳትረዱ ድንቁርናችሁና ትዕቢታችሁ ስለጋረዳችሁ አታስተውሉትም። የአገር እና የህዝብ ጠላት መሆን ማለት “እኔ ከሞትኩ ሰርዶ አይበቀል” ብሎ ግትር ማለትን እንደሚጨምር ልናስታውሳችሁ እንወዳለን። ”እኛ ያልነው ብቻ” ስትሉ ለእውነትና ለህዝብ ፍላጎት ሳይሆን ለራሳችሁ የግል ጥቅም እንደምትሞቱ ያሳየናል። አገርና ህዝብ ደግሞ ከግለሰቦችና እናንተን ከመሰለ እኩይ ቡድን ፍላጎት በላይ ስለሆነ በያዛችሁት መንገድ ብዙ አትዘልቁም። ህዝብ የአገሩ ባለቤት ለመሆን በተገኘው አጋጣሚ እና ባለው አቅም ሁሉ ይታገላችኋል። አሁንም ትግሉ እየተፋፋመባችሁ ነው። ከውስጥና ከውጪ የሚደረገው ትግል ከመቸውም ግዜ በላይ ተደጋግፎ የማይናወፅ መሠረት ጥሏል። ”በመቃብራችን ላይ” ካለሆነ ብላችሁ ድርቅ ማለታችሁን የሰማ ሁሉ የአገሩ ባለቤት ለመሆን ጋሻና ጦሩን እያነሳ ነው። አሁንም ከግትርነታችሁ የማትመለሱ ከሆነ እድል ፈንታችሁ መሰበር ነው። እኛም ለዚያ እየተዘጋጀን ነው። ጀግና የሆነ በሊማሊሞ በኩል ይሞክረኝ ብሎ በገዛ ህዝቡ ላይ ጦርነት ያወጀው የጥፋት መሪያችሁ መለስ ዜናዊ በድንጋጤ ብቻ መሞቱን እናንተም እኛም ህያው ምስክሮች ነን። ከእናነት መንደር ፍርሃት እንጂ ጀግንነት የለም። ጀግና እኔ ብቻ ብሎ ድርቅ አይልም። ጀግና ከራሱ ጥቅምና ፍላጎት በላይ ለህዝብ የሞትለታል እንጂ ህዝብን አይገድልም። እናንተ እንደ ጀግና ለማሰብ የአስተሰሳብ ደረጃችሁ እጅግ በጣም በዝቅተኛ ደረጃ ላይ ይገኛል።
ጀግና እንደምን ያስባል ብትሉ ?
ጀግና እንዲህ ያስባል እንላችኋለን ”በሩቅም በቅርብም ያላችሁ ወዳጅና ጠላቶቻችን ሆይ ስሙ! እኛ ለኢትዮጵያዊያን ነፃነት፤ እኩልነት እና ፍትህ ስንል ማንኛውንም ዋጋ ለመክፈል፤ የህዝባችንን በደል ልንሸከም፤ሁሉንም መከራ ልንቋቋም፤ ለህዝባችን ነፃነት፤ እኩነልት እና ፍትህ የሚታገሉትን ልንደግፉ፤ ነፃነትን የሚከለክሉትን፤ በዜጎች መካከል ቂምና በቀልን የሚተክሉትን፤ ፍትህን የሚያዋርዱትን ለመዋጋት ቆርጠን ተነስተናል”
የጀግና ሃሳብ እንዲህ ነው። እናንተ ግን እንዲህ ታስባላችሁ ብለን አንጠብቅም። ይሄ አስተሳሰብ ተፈጥሯችሁም ባህላችሁም አይደለም።ከግል ጥቅማችሁ ዘላችሁ ለእውነትና ለህዝብ ክብር የመቆም ባህል በእናንተ ውስጥ የለም። በእናንተ ውስጥ ያለው “ተኛ ሲባል የሚተኛ፤ ተነስ ሲባል የሚነሳ “ከንቱ ዜጋ የመፍጠር ምኞት ነው። ይሄን ምኞታችሁን የሚያመክን ወጣት እምቢ ብሎ ተነስቶ በግንቦት ሰባት ለፍትህ፤ ነፃነትና ለዴሞክራሲ በሚደረገው ትግል ውስጥ እየተቀላቀለ ነው። እኛ እያለን አገራችን አትበተንም የሚሉ ተነስተዋል። ከእንግዲህም አታስቆሟቸውም። በመቃብራችን ላይ ብላችሁ እንደተመኛችሁት ሁሉ ምኞታችሁን ለማስፈፀም መሠረት የያዘ ትግል በሁሉም አቅጣጫ ተጧጥፎ ይቀጥላል።
በመጨረሻም ያፈሰሳችሁት ደም ከምድር ወደ ሰማይ እየጮኽ ነው። ብዙ ኢትዮጵያዊያንን እየገደላችሁ በጅምላ በየጉድባው እንደምትቀብሩም ታውቋል። ይሄን ሁሉ ግዲያ እንድትፈፅሙ የሚያደርጋችሁ የስልጣን ሥሥትና የንዋይ አፍቆሮታችሁ የሚርካ አልሆነም። እንግዲህ ለዚህ ሁሉ ወንጀል ተጠያቂው የትግሬ ነፃ አውጪ ነኝ ብሎ ራሱን የሚጠራው ጎጠኛው ቡድን መሪዎች ናቸው። በዚያች አገር የሚፈሰው የኢትዮጵያዊ ደም ሁሉ ካለእነርሱ እውቅናና በጎ ፈቃደኝነት ውጪ አይደለም። ለእያንዳንዷ ላፈሰሳችሁት ደም ዋጋ የምትከፍሉበት ቀን እሩቅ አይደለም። በህይወት እያላችሁ ታያላችሁ ልጆቻችሁም ምስክሮች ይሆናሉ።
ድል ለኢትዮጵያ ህዝብ!!!

Wednesday, June 4, 2014

Light at the end of the tunnel for the “Dark Continent”?

June 4, 2014

(Author’s note: This commentary appeared on  Pambazuka.org  on May 29, 2014 as part of a mid-century outlook on possible scenarios in Africa. I make my “predictions” debating myself as a political scientist and a defense lawyer.)

Is there light at the end of the tunnel for the “Dark Continent”?

“Making predictions is hard. Especially about the future”, said the famous American baseball player, Lawrence “Yogi” Berra facetiously. Likewise, predicting whether there is light at the end of the tunnel in 2050 and beyond is hard. Especially about the Dark Continent. Making predictions about Africa based on the facts of the last half century will surely make one a doomsayer. Not looking in the rear view mirror would make one a soothsayer. I am neither.
As a political scientist, I am grudgingly guided by the reputed “founding father” of “modern” political science, Nicolo Machiavelli, who instructed that “Whoever wishes to foresee the future must consult the past; for human events ever resemble those of preceding times.” Machiavelli took a dim view of the human capacity to learn from mistakes. He must have believed man is doomed to incorrigibility.
As a lawyer, I take cue from Jean Paul Sartre who unabashedly declared, “Man is condemned to be free; because once thrown into the world, he is responsible for everything he does.” Sartre was preempted by his intellectual forbearer Jean Jacques Rousseau who proclaimed, “Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains. Those who think themselves the masters of others are indeed greater slaves than they.” Are Africans condemned to be free and live under the rule of fair and just laws; or are they damned to perpetual slavery in the service of African tyrants who are themselves enslaved by their former colonial and neocolonial masters?Is there light at the end of the tunnel for the “Dark Continent”? (Africa)
In making “predictions” about the future of Africa mid-century, I am guided by two questions: Is Africa’s “future history” determined by its “past history”, or is it yet to be written by free Africans yet unborn? Will the cradle of mankind become the graveyard of freedom and human rights in 2050 and beyond?
I shall use neither a rear view mirror, a crystal ball nor mathematical models to predict Africa’s future. I will leave that to the professional futurists and turbaned seers. I choose to look into Africa’s future as a “political lawyer”, a human rights advocate looking through the opaque prism of justice, freedom, rule of law, equality and other such sublime virtues. The question for me is not whether demographics, economics, sociopolitical change, the environment, and human development factors will shape and determine Africa’s future in 2050 and beyond. These factors are unquestionably decisive. My concern is how the rule of law and good governance in Africa can avert the doomsday scenarios of socioeconomic, political and ecological collapse in Africa.

Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Ethiopia tightens its grip on media ahead of 2015 elections

May 28, 2014

“The current regime follows this pattern: immediately before elections, they start to muzzle every critical voice,” protests Endalk Chala, a co-founder and member of the Ethiopian blogging collective called “Zone 9” – a proverbial reference to Ethiopia’s situation beyond the eight zones that divide the notorious Kaliti prison, where many journalists and political prisoners are kept behind bars.
While pursuing his doctorate in the United States, Endalk recently saw six of his colleagues arrested along with three independent journalists on April 25 and 26. The detainees face charges related to accepting assistance from a foreign human rights group and “inciting violence” through social media, though no formal charges have been filed. The youngest of the collective, 25 year old Atnaf Berahane, was reportedly tortured during police investigations.Ethiopian election 2015
Launching their blogging collective in May 2012, the Zone 9 members had visited fellow journalists in jail and advocated for the respect of the constitution and against censorship through several online campaigns. “Our language was highly polished and polite. We did not want to provoke the government and invite them to arrest us, because we wanted to remain outside the prison and work a little bit so that we could start a discussion,” explains Endalk.
But pressures to silence the bloggers escalated; even after they decided to go offline in September 2013, they claim to have been followed. Their decision to re-engage with the online platform sparked an ultimate backlash: “In April we met and decided that even though we stopped, these people were still targeting us. So we decided to write again and wrote a comeback blog. We gave our reasons for our disappearance to the public. Then exactly three days later, all of them were detained.”

Monday, May 12, 2014

Obama and Kerry Finally May Be Hearing Heartfelt Ethiopian Cries for Human Rights and Civil Liberties

May 12, 2014

San Jose, California, May 12 – Security was high at a Democratic National Committee fund-raising reception at San Jose’s Fairmont Hotel on May 9. And Ethiopian Journalist Abebe Gellaw probably chanced arrest more than the chance of educating the Obama Administration about the abject tyranny to which the people of Ethiopia have been subjected. As the President was wrapping up a speech to Silicon Valley political and business leaders, Mr. Gellaw spoke aloud, “Mr., Obama, we Ethiopians love you. We demand freedom for Ethiopia.”Ethiopian American Council logo
President Obama: “I Agree With You.” “I love you back.”
The President was describing the importance of keeping the House and the Senate from Republican domination in the upcoming midterm elections. Gellaw interrupted the President, “Stand with the people of Ethiopia, don’t support tyranny.” “I agree with you,” replied Mr. Obama. Gellaw continued, “We have tyranny in Ethiopia. We love you!” “I love you back,” replied Mr. Obama. After Gellaw’s interruption, the President said that he would be around to talk with Gellaw after the speech. As promised, Mr. Obama briefly met with Mr. Gellaw, and Gellaw took the opportunity to hand over a letter specifically detailing the plight of the Ethiopian people.
Kerry’s Equivocation May Signal Acknowledgment of Ethiopia’s Plight
More than a week earlier, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry made a visit to the Ethiopian capital city of Addis Ababa on Thursday, May 1. He held high-level talks with Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn and Foreign Minister Tedros Adhanom to discuss peace efforts in the region, especially in the Sudan, and to strengthen ties with Ethiopia, according to State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki. Her statements led Ethiopians to ask: How can a regime that rules with the rifle promote peace in other countries? Who would want to strengthen ties with a despotic regime that treats its people with disdain, intimidation, displacement, and even torture and death?
Important U.S. Ally
For decades the U.S. has considered Ethiopia a supremely important ally in the region, especially regarding the so-called war against terrorism. Kerry’s five-day tour included stops in Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo to encourage democratic development, to promote respect for human rights, and to advance peace and security. Before leaving Ethiopia, Kerry gave a short speech summarizing the results of his session with the Ethiopian Prime Minister.
Kerry Praises Economic Growth
During the initial part of his speech, Secretary Kerry focused on Ethiopia’s economic progress, noting that the nation is among the 10 fastest-growing economies on the globe. He went on to say that America supports this economic growth because it will eventually lead to greater stabilization in the region, as well as providing much needed jobs. He briefly held forth that a free press and democracy were essential to sustained economic growth, noting that free political systems are just as important as free markets.

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Surveillance, Renaissance and Revolutionary Democracy: An Ethiopian Dystopia

May 6, 2014

by Harben Seyoum
Ideas are far more powerful than guns. We don’t let our people have guns. Why should we let them have ideas? Joseph Stalin.
It has finally come to the world’s attention that repression and internet-based surveillance in Ethiopia has grown extensive and routine. The Stalinesque TPLF-EPRDF regime keeps electronic tabs on its citizens, at home and abroad, to better survey and repress any emergent dissidence to the reigning ethnic paradigm. If push comes to shove, it uses its draconian Anti-Terrorist Decree to justify its extra-judicial practices against its subjects. This means, censors monitor citizens around the clock and normalize the unequal politics of bloodlines (ethnic federalism), and blunt criticisms of government policy in general. The entire Killil conception of governance is neither new nor federal. It goes back to the Italian fascist occupation of Ethiopia between1936-41. This unpopular “ethnicization” of the country was specifically designed by Mussolini for the conquest and occupation of Ethiopia. It was used by the TPLF in 1991 to disenfranchise Ethiopians and to empower the minority Tigrai-Tigrign population of Ethiopia and Eritrea. The core of the TPLF-EPRDF regime may be anti-Shabiyan, but it is fervently pro-Eritrean in sentiment. In fact, the ruling ethnic group stretches across the dividing Mereb line.Repression and internet-based surveillance in Ethiopia
In this system, the ethnically forged state has become an occupier and the ethnically divided population becomes the occupied. Some call the arrangement internal colonization. At any rate, the apartheid-based TPLF state disrupts ethnic solidarities, as well as the flow of information and public communications. All this control is to remain in power. Consequently, the aid-dependent TPLF-EPRDF regime has purchased the capacity to scrutinize the communications of its citizens, and by extension, to limit the type of information and ideas that are being infused and accessed among the occupied populace. Minority ethnic groups do not rule by consent, but rather by security police, espionage and intimidation. Steven Biko said it well, when he re-read the Stalinist dictum from the point of view of oppressed Africans. The most dangerous weapon of the oppressor, he wrote, is “the mind of the oppressed.” Indeed, notwithstanding the FDRE’s Constitution Article 29, why should the occupiers let Ethiopians have ideas and opinions that differ from the party line? Anyways, liberating ideas are usually fought for and rarely given.

Monday, May 5, 2014

Ethiopia: UN Review Should Condemn Crackdown


Activists, Journalists Persecuted Under Draconian Laws
MAY 5, 2014
The UN review is taking place just as Ethiopia is renewing its crackdown on free speech. To make this review meaningful, UN member countries should forcefully tell Ethiopia that its attacks on the media and activist groups are a blight on its human rights record.
Leslie Lefkow, deputy Africa director
(Geneva) – United Nations member countries should call on Ethiopia to stop targeting activists and the media under draconian laws. The UN Human Rights Council will review Ethiopia’s human rights record under the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) procedure on May 6, 2014.

A Human Rights Watch submission to the UN on Ethiopia highlights its ongoing suppression of the media and nongovernmental organizations, and the lack of accountability for torture and other serious abuses by its security forces. The arbitrary arrest of nine bloggers and journalists on April 25 and 26, just 10 days before the review, reflects Ethiopia’s blatant disregard for fundamental rights and should be strongly condemned by UN members.

Saturday, May 3, 2014

Semayawi (Blue) Party’s second successful demonstration


Semayawi party's protest April 27, 2014
One of this year plans was to awake the public at large into participating in politics without a fear. Of all the methods we engaged in demonstration was one of it. On April 27, 2014, we decided to have the protest. Our enquiries are very clear: TPLF/EPRDF is incapable of ruling so it has to leave power and religious interference by the ruling party has to stop, forcing citizens to leave their neighborhood because of their ethnic group is a crime and that has to stop and forcing citizen to leave and demolishing their houses without any compensation because of ‘development’ is unlawful and negligent. Those are the issues we mainly raised in the protest.
When the day and place first decided, we wrote a letter for Addis Ababa City administration office to let them know about it. Within few hours they sent us a letter that suggests a change of date for a vague reason which is stated as “because there will be international meetings in the city” which is as well far from the truth. Then we had to send another letter to inform them that their reply was unacceptable for it lacks clarity and that conflict with the 1987’s proclamation of public gatherings. While three of the demonstration organizing committee delegates went to give the letter, the officer at desk snubbed and left them at the office with the letter. “He,” they said, “was scared and unconfident to receive the letter. Finally they counted witnesses and left the letter and returned back.