Call from Ethiopians and Ethio-Norwegians living in Norway

Call from Ethiopians and Ethio-Norwegians living in 

Norway

After the shameful 2010 election (99.6% in favour of Zenawi’s party), political, economical and social situations in Ethiopia are worsening. Domestic free press and media are restricted and independent international media are frequently jammed.

Aid money and the meager resource of the country is invested to crackdown the opposition. Corruption is widespread in the country and members of the regime and their associates deposit billions of Dollars in foreign banks and are becoming owners of big investments.

Fertile farming land is taken away from farmers and sold to foreign investors like, from China and India. Farmers are systematically punished, accused for supporting and voting for opposition parties. Fertilizer, seed and different social service supply to farmers is based on the sympathy to the ruling party.

University graduates are deprived of job opportunities if they fail to be member of the ruling party. Civil servants lose their jobs for the same reasons. The government enacted different restrictive laws including anti-terrorism law to crack down dissents and silence activists.

Journalists, members, and supporters of opposition parties are thrown into notorious prisons without credible charges. This is deliberate act and systematically muzzling critical voice in fear of the inevitable uprising that may spread from Northern Africa. Prime Minister Meles Zenawi has repeatedly accused the Ethiopian opposition and prominent journalists for ‘engaging in terrorist activities’ as a pretext.

In March this year, 370 oppositionists have been arrested, among them 217 members of the ‘Oromo Federal Democratic Movement’ (OFDM) which is known for being critical of the government. Journalist Wobshet Taye of Awramba times and Reeyot Alemu of Feteh newspaper were detained in June 2011. In August 2011, opposition members Bekele Gerba and Olbana Lelisa were arrested, following a meeting with representatives from Amnesty International. The delegation was expelled from the country by the government shortly after the meeting.

In September the same year, journalist Sleshi Haggos, contributor to the Addis Ababa-based radio station was arrested and five days later Eskindir Nega, well Known journalist and dissent blogger.  Andualem Arage, UDJ’s Vice president and head of public relation, Nathenael Mekonnen and Asaminew Berhanu, council members of UDJ, and Zemenu Molla, general secretary of the Ethiopian National Democratic party were arrested. Debebe Eshetu, a well-known artist and spokesperson of the UDJ, has also been detained 10th of September. As torture is a routine practice in the current Ethiopian prisons, it is inevitable that these detainees may be exposed to maltreatment.

The imprisonment continues targeting young prominent political leaders and independent journalists, critical to the regime.

According to sources like CPJ, HRW and AI, in the past four months, the prime Minister Zenawi’s regime has used the ‘anti-terrorism law’ to detain independent journalists and opposition members accusing for involvement with Ginbot 7 and Oromo Liberation Front, lately considered as ‘terrorist organizations’ by his parliament.

Ethiopians are currently suffering from an unacceptable inflation and food shortage. The political repression and fear of imprisonment and intimidation is widespread. The regime terrorizes its own people and labels others as terrorist. Such a deteriorating political, economical and social situation in Ethiopia is worrying billions of Ethiopians, including us living abroad.

We members of Democratic Change in Ethiopia Support Organization-Norway therefore:

• Request donors and all members of the international community (including Norway) to re-evaluate the relationship with Ethiopian regime and put pressure on the regime to respect human rights, rule of law, and release all political prisoners.
•  Strongly condemn collaboration of e.g., Chinese and Indian governments and investors in the massive fertile land grab and deforestation programme, evicting poor farmers.
• Condemn China’s collaboration with the Ethiopian regime in jamming and blocking independent media, like Voice of America (VOA), and the Ethiopian Satellite Television (ESAT) and denying Ethiopian people access to alternative media.
• Call up on all Ethiopians and political and civic organizations working for democratic change in Ethiopia to come together and work I unison to realize democracy and rule of law in the country.

Democratic Change in Ethiopia Support Organization-Norway