Mass arrest continues in Oromia region, regime detains three thousand more

Ethiopian regime forces continue to mass arrest in the Oromia region of the country where people have been protesting against political and economic marginalization for the last four months.

Chairman of the Oromo Federalist Congress, Dr. Merara Gudina told ESAT on Wednesday that the regime has recently arrested about three thousand more people. This is on top of the estimated five thousand arrested in the first three months of the protest. He said although officials of the regime have publicly apologized for the killing of protesters in the region, mass arrest has continued unabated.

Dr. Merara was himself banned from travelling abroad last week. He was at the Addis Ababa airport to catch his plane to Washington, DC for an Ethiopian political conference when immigration officials told him the electronic passport scanner couldn’t read his passport. He said the regime was deliberately stopping him from attending the high profile political meeting where opposition groups had deliberated on post TPLF Ethiopia.

Dr. Merara said regime’s forces have continued mass arrests in Wellega, Ambo, Arsi, East Hararghe and other places in the Oromia region. He said the whereabouts of those arrested is not known. He said special forces of the regime still remain deployed allover Oromia.

Source: ESAT News

የነጻነት ዋጋ - አቤል ዋልባ (ከዞን ዘጠኝ አንዱ)

ይህ የአእምሮ ጨዋታ አርነት የወጣች ነፍስ ላላቸው ወይም ነፍሳቸው አርነት እንድትወጣ በመፈለግ በታላቅ ፍርሃት እና መራድ ውስጥ ለሚገኙ እና በህይወታቸው ምክንያታዊ ውሳኔን ማሳለፍ ጥረት ለሚያደርጉ ነው፡፡ ብዙ ጊዜ ይህንን ትግል የሚያደርጉ ሰዎች በራሳቸው ተነሳሽነት አሊያም በማኀበረሰባዊ ተጽዕኖ ምክንያት ሂሳባዊ ስሌት ይሰራሉ፡፡ ይህ የማደርገው ነገር የሚያመጣብኝ ችግር መከራውን ተቀብዬ ከማገኘው ጥቅም አንጻር ሲመዘን ያዋጣኛል? ብዙዎች እንደሚያደርጉት ራሴን በተፈቀደለኝ መጠን ማኖር፣ ማዝናናት አይሻለኝምን? ይህን የነጻነት ድርጊት/ዐሳብ፣ ብፈጽም/ ባስብ በዚህ ምክንያት የምቀበለው እንክርት እና እንግልት ተገቢ ነውን? ትንሽ ራስን ከማሰቃየት የሚገኝ ደስታን ፈላጊ(ሳዲስት) አልሆንኩም? የመሳሰሉት ጥያቄዎች በሰልፍ ወደ አእምሮ ይመጣሉ፡፡ Selfless እንዳልሆንን ስለምናውቀው የእነዚህ ጥያቄዎች አግባብነት ጮክ ብሎ ይሰማናል፡፡ ወላጆቻችን ያወረሱን “የሚያልፍ ዝናብ አይመታህ” የሚለው ምርቃት ያቃጭልብናል፡፡ ይሄ ነጻነት የሚሉት ነገር አዋጭ ነው ወይ?

ይህ መልሱ ቀላል እና አጭር ነው፡፡ ብዙዎችን በሩቅም በቅርብም ሆነው ይህንን ስሌት በማደረግ እንደነጋዴ ሲመትሩ የሚደረስባቸውን ችግር ለማሳነስ ነጻነትን በማድረግ እና ባለማደረግ መሀል ሲዋልሉ ተመልክቻለው፡፡ ይህ ፍርሃታቸውን አሸንፈው የከፈሉትን መስዋዕትነት እንኳን በዜሮ የሚያባዛ ነው፡፡ ‘ሞኝ አትሁን’ የሚል የወዳጅ የዘመድ ምክር የሚጠይቅም አይደለም፡፡ነጻነትን ማከናወን ብዙ ጊዜ የሚጠናቀቀው በኪሳራ ነው ፡፡ ነገር ግን ነጻነትን መከወን ምርጫ ነው፡፡ ነጻነትን ማድረግ ገቢ የሌለው ክፍያ ነው፡፡ ለቀጣይ ትውልዶች እየተባሉ ነገሮች በኃላፊነት መደረጋቸውን ብድግፍም የእኔ ትውልድ ፍትሓዊ ጥቅም የማያገኝበት ነገ ስሜት ስለማይሰጠኝ ስምን ከመቃብር በላይ የማኖር አስፈላጊነትን መረዳት ይከብደኛል፡፡

ስለዚህ ነጻነትን የምናደርገው እና የምንኖረው ስለሚያዋጣን ሳይሆን ልክ ስለሆነ ነው፡፡ ነጻነት ትክክለኛ ነው ስለዚህ እንኖረዋለን፤ እናደርገዋለን፡፡ የሰው ልጆች ታሪክም የሚነገረን ይህነን ነው፡፡ ልክ የሆነውን ነጻነት በማድረጋቸው ብቻ ተነግሮ የማያልቅ ግፍን የተቀበሉ ሰዎች ብዙ ናቸው፡፡ የነጻነት ዋጋው ለሚያምኑበት ነገር መከራን መቀበል ነው፡፡ ይህ የምድሪቱ በረከት ነው፡፡ የሀገሬ ሰው ‘ሰው የዘራውን ያንኑ ያጭዳል’ እንደሚለው ሳይሆን ሰው ለሚያምንበት ልክ ነገር ዋጋ ይከፍላል፡፡

Source: Millions of voices for freedom - UDJ

Ethiopia’s Zone9 Bloggers Go Back to Court

Zone 9 bloggers Abel Wabela, Atnaf Berahane, Natnael Feleke and Befeqadu Hailu. Photo by Mahlet Fantahun, shared on Twitter.

Global Voices Advocacy's Netizen Report offers an international snapshot of challenges, victories, and emerging trends in Internet rights around the world.

Four members of the Zone9 blogging collective — Abel Wabela, Atnaf Berahane, Natnael Feleke and Befeqadu Hailu — appeared before the Supreme Court of Ethiopia on March 29, 2016 in the second instance of a case brought against them by the state. The bloggers, also Global Voices members, were originally arrested in April 2014, charged under the country’s Anti-Terrorism Act, and imprisoned for 18 months, until their October 2015 acquittal. State authorities have now succeeded in appealing the case, and the bloggers, though no longer in prison, are now once again facing the possibility of a long-term prison sentence. This week’s court date was brief and ended with a postponement to May 25, 2016.

Before they were jailed, the Zone9ers worked to foster political debate and discussion in a country where most media outlets fall under heavy control by government authorities. They wanted to help fellow citizens better understand their rights, as guaranteed by the constitution. This was plain to see from the contents of their writings and the nature of their research. They were charged under the Anti-Terrorism Act on the basis of accusations of “inciting public disorder via social media” and “receiving support from a foreign government.”

Between July 2014 and October 2015, the bloggers appeared before the court 39 times, only to be adjourned each time at the behest of the prosecution, which sought more time to investigate their case. They were never formally invited to testify before a jury.

Since their acquittal and release from prison, the bloggers have reunited with their families, but have been largely unable to reintegrate themselves back into society. Their passports have been confiscated by authorities, making it impossible for them to leave the country, and their controversial political status has made it difficult for them to find work.

In an interview with Voice of America, blogger Atnaf Berahane said:

After my release I basically do nothing, because I know that every move I make will be traced. I am afraid that I may go to prison….the appeal is like a chain to me right now. I am preparing myself for prison.

Chinese dissidents’ families torn apart over mysterious open letter

Twenty people have been arrested and a Communist Party news site shuttered following the publication of a letter calling for the resignation of Chinese President Xi Jinping. New York-based activist Wen Yunchao tweeted out fears that authorities were holding his family captive over the publication of the letter on the news site Watching. Wen denies his involvement in the publication, noting he was pressured by authorities to make a confession. The dissident Chang Ping said his brothers were abducted by the authorities as well and that he has received similar pressure from the government. The letter criticizes Xi’s policies, arguing they have led to an “excessive” concentration of power in the stock and property markets. It appeared on the site for only a few hours. Watching has not published any original news since March 15, and staff members of the site have been asked to hand in their resignations.

Russian start-up will monitor ‘information attacks’

A new center intended to monitor and prevent “information attacks” will soon launch in Russia. In an interview with Vedemosti news outlet, co-founder and media mogul Igor Ashmanov defined information attacks as “propaganda campaigns, disinformation, fakes, and viral content.” Natalia Kasperskaya, co-founder of anti-virus giant Kaspersky Labs is the center’s other co-founder. Local media coverage of their plans suggests that a prime target for the center will be Russian social networks and blogosphere, where political debates and metaphorical “mud flinging” are the most active. It remains unclear how the center will interact with state cybercrime legislation and prevention efforts.

Moroccan court postpones advocates’ trial for third time

The trial of seven Moroccan journalists and human rights defenders was postponedonce again by a Rabat court. Five of those charged have been accused of “threatening the internal security of the State”, while two others face charges of “receiving foreign funding without notifying the General Secretariat of the government”. All had worked to hold the Moroccan government account for its human rights obligations. Among those charged is Hisham Almiraat, a medical doctor and leading voice in Morocco’s blogosphere, who is a long-time member of the Global Voices community. The trial, expected to begin this week, was postponed to June 29th. Supporters may follow the #Justice4Morocco hashtag on Twitter for updates.

US government secrecy is bad for Apple, and bad for public security

The US Federal Bureau of Investigation successfully unlocked an iPhone belonging to the prime suspect in a mass shooting in San Bernardino, California, with the help of an unnamed technologist. The FBI had asked Apple to disable certain security protections on the phone, but Apple refused, reasoning that this would jeopardize the security of its technologies. Although a  court had ruled in Apple’s favor, this decision now feels somewhat unstable, as the FBI could now theoretically use this method to unlock iPhones in future investigations, without needing Apple’s assistance.

In an op-ed for the The Washington Post, technologist and encryption expert Bruce Schneier explains how the FBI’s actions cut against strongly-observed norms in the technical security community, under which experts share knowledge of technical security vulnerabilities so that they may be fixed as quickly and efficiently as possible. The FBI, he says, is doing exactly the opposite:

[The FBI] has been given whatever vulnerability it used to get into the San Bernardino phone in secret, and it is keeping it secret. All of our iPhones remain vulnerable to this exploit. This includes the iPhones used by elected officials and federal workers and the phones used by people who protect our nation’s critical infrastructure and carry out other law enforcement duties, including lots of FBI agents.

This is the trade-off we have to consider: Do we prioritize security over surveillance, or do we sacrifice security for surveillance?

Schneier urges the FBI to immediately disclose the vulnerability to Apple, so that it may be fixed. He argues that in the long run, leaving such problems unsolved will do more damage to public security.

Internet Archive pushes for change in world’s strictest copyright regime

The Internet Archive proposed a change to US copyright law that would render content accessible until it was proven to be protected under copyright, and striking a parallel with the principle in US law that a defendant is innocent until proven guilty. The change would allow content to remain online while disputes over who owns the rights to the content are settled. The US Copyright Office launched a public consultation late last year to assess the burdens of the current takedown process on copyright owners, online service providers, and the general public. The Archive also expressed concerns about proposals for a “notice and staydown” system that would prevent content taken down once from ever appearing again.

Is the ‘Google tax’ making a coming back in EU?

European Union lawmakers may revive the possibility of charging news aggregators like Google News under an ancillary copyright regime, also known as the “Google tax”. Publishers successfully passed similar laws in Germany and Spain, and German head of digital economy policy at the European Commission Gunther Oettinger is considering introducing the policy at the EU level. His department began a consultation that will run through June 15 asking whether earlier attempts at ancillary copyright had “any impact” on consumers, authors, publishers and web firms, according to Fortune.

Source: Global Voices Advox

Ethiopia protesters: No, we don't have self-rule in Oromia state

Oromo people protesting against planned expansion of capital Addis Ababa in Oromia, Ethiopia's largest stateEtana Habte

By Ludovica Iaccino

Protesters and activists in Oromia, Ethiopia's largest state, have denied they have self-rule in the region, contrary to a governement' statement given to IBTimes UK. Abiy Berhane, minister counsellor at the Ethiopian Embassy in London said earlier in March people already rule themselvesin Oromia, they use Oromo as the official language, they have their own budget and a regional parliament that rules on all political, economic and social aspects.

Who are the Oromo people?

The Oromo people are Ethiopia's largest ethnic group and their population amounts to more than 25 million (around 35% of Ethiopia's total population).

Oromo people speak Afaan Oromoo, as well as Amharic, Tigrinya, Gurange and Omotic languages. They are mainly Christian and Muslim, while only 3% still follow the traditional religion based on the worshipping of the god, Waaq.

In 1973, Ethiopian Oromo created the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF), which stemmed from the discontent over a perceived marginalisation by the government and to fight the hegemony of the Amhara people, another large ethnic group in Ethiopia.

OLF – still active today – also calls for the self-determination of the Oromo people. It has been deemed as a terror organisation that carried out violent acts against people in Ethiopia, Somalia and Kenya. The group has always denied such allegations, claiming its mission is to terminate "a century of oppression" against the Oromos.

Read more about Oromo people

However, some Oromo people denied the claims made by the official. Activist, author and PhD candidate at London's Soas University, Etana Habte, told IBTimes UK there is no self-rule in Oromia, where people do not trust the region's ruling party coalition, Oromo Peoples' Democratic Organization (Opdo).

"Opdo is an organisation of ex-war captives established by the Tigrayan People's Liberation Front (TPLF) in Tigray in 1990, when the latter failed to co-opt the OromoLiberation Front (OLF)," he alleged.

"Oromia's regional council, Caffee Oromiyaa,has never had any history of independent decisions, it has been approving what is put on the table by TPLF. If Oromia has no self-rule, no regional council of itself, talking about budget and independent decisions is only a mere waste of time."

Opdo has not responded to a request for comments on the allegations.

Climate of fear

Oromia has been rocked by the deadly protests that erupted in November 2015 against a government draft plan − later scrapped − that aimed to expand the boundaries of the capital Addis Ababa.

Activists claimed some 400 people, at least 200 according to a report by Human Rights Watch (HRW), have been allegedly killed by security forces. The government denied the allegations of violence and claimed legitimate protests have been infiltrated by people who aim to destabilise the country.

Although the government scrapped the plan, demonstrations are continuing, with people calling for self-rule, the liberation of political prisoners, the end of what they perceive as "military regime" in the region and the cessation of an alleged crackdown by security forces on "peaceful and unarmed" demonstrators, mainly students and farmers.

"The regime is using new strategies to punish Oromia. Amenities have been cut in most urban centres, the regime has brought down all independent TVs and radio broadcasts from overseas, closed selected websites and social media websites. It is doing this in an attempt to breakdown the nerve centre of the protests," Habte alleged.

"There is a serious climate of fear in the public and there is no guarantee that any person would come back home safely once they leave. This situation has convinced people that the state targets you simply because you are Oromo. Amnesty International's report published in October 2014 titled, Because I am Oromo: Sweeping Repression In The Oromia Region Of Ethiopia, is an absolute representation of unfolding realities."

Habte also denied protesters are seeking secession, although it is a right guaranteed by the constitution. He denied that the government started public consultations, contrary to what Berhane told IBTimes UK.

"People are heard time and again saying: 'We don't want to be ruled by a government who has killed our loved and respected ones'. It seems too late, but if the regime wants to solve the current crisis, it has to address it at a national level and with national representation."

Source: International Business Times

ዞን ዘጠኞች ዳግሞ ወደ ፍርድ ቤት

ሚያዚያ 17/2006 በድንገት ከያሉበት ተይዘው የታሰሩት የዞን ዘጠኝ ጦማርያንና ጋዜጠኞች በሐምሌ 08/2006 የተፃፈ ክስ ሐምሌ 11/2006 ‹ስለ ፀረ-ሽብርተኝነት የወጣውን አዋጅ ቁጥር 652/2001 አንቀፅ 3/2/ እና 4 ተላልፋችኋል› በሚል ክስ ቀርቦባቸው የነበረ መሆኑ አይዘነጋም፡፡ ክስ ከቀረበባቸው አስር ግለሰቦች መካከል አምስቱ ሐምሌ 01/2007 በድንገት ከሳሽ ክሱን አንስቻለሁ በማለቱ ከእስር የወጡ ሲሆን፤ ቀሪዎቹ አምስት ግለሰቦች ላይ ግን ከሳሽ የመሰረተውን ክስ ቀጥሎበት ያቀረባቸው የሰውና የሰነድ ማስረጃዎች ጉዳዩን የያዘው የፌደራል ከፍተኛ ፍርድ ቤት ልደታ ምድብ 19ኛ ወንጀል ችሎት መርምሮ በጥቅምት 05/2008 በዋለው ችሎት 1ኛ ተከሳሽ ሶልያና ሽመልስ፣ 3ኛ ተከሳሽ ናትናኤል ፈለቀ፣ 5ኛ ተከሳሽ አጥናፉ ብርሃኔ እንዲሁም 7ኛ ተከሳሽ አቤል ዋበላ ‹የቀረበባቸውን ክስ መከላከል ሳይገባቸው በነፃ ይሰናበቱ› በማለት ብይን የሰጠ ሲሆን፤ 2ኛ ተከሳሽ በፍቃዱ ኃይሉ በፀረ-ሽብርተኝነት አዋጁ መሰረት የቀረበበትን ክስ ወደ መደበኛው የወንጀል ሕግ አንቀፅ 256/ሀ/ በመቀየር ክሱን እንዲከላከል ብይን ሰጥቶ ነበር፡፡

በተሰጠው ውሳኔ መሰረትም ነፃ የተባሉት የዞን ዘጠኝ አባላት ከእስር የተለቀቁ ሲሆን በመደበኛው ወንጀል ሕጉ መሰረት ክሱን እንዲከላከል የተወሰነበት በፍቃዱ ኃይሉ በሃያ ሽህ በር ዋስትና ከእስር ተለቋል፡፡ ነገር ግን ‹በከፍተኛው ፍርድ ቤት ውሳኔ ቅር ተሰኝቻለሁ› በማለት ከሳሽ ዓቃቤ ሕግ በታህሳስ 04/2008 የተፃፈ ይግባኝ ለፌደራል ጠቅላይ ፍርድ ቤት የወንጀል ችሎት ይግባኝ አቅርቧል፡፡ ይግባኝ ሰሚው ፍርድ ቤትም ከሳሽ በፅሁፍ አለኝ ያለውን ቅሬታ በቃል ሰምቶና የተከሳሾቹን ምላሽ በማዳመጥ ለነገ መጋቢት 20/2008 ብይን ለመስጠት ቀጠሮ ሰጥቷል፡፡

ምን ሊከሰት ይችላል?

በነገው የፍርድ ቤት ውሎ ችሎቱ መዝገቡን መርምሮ የጨረሰ ከሆነና ‹ተጨማሪ ማስረጃ አያስፈልገኝም› የሚል ከሆነ ሶስት የተለያዩ ነገሮች ሊከሰቱ ይችላሉ፡፡

የመጀመሪያው ነገር ‹የስር ፍርድ ቤቱ የሰጠው ውሳኔ ተገቢ ነው› በማለት የስር ፍርድ ቤቱን ውሳኔ በማፅናት የተከሳሾቹን ነፃነት ማስጠበቅ ነው፡፡

ሁለተኛው ሊከሰት የሚችለው ጉዳይ ደግሞ ከመጀመሪያው በተቃራኒ የከሳሽ ቅሬታን ተቀብሎ የስር ፍርድ ቤትን ውሳኔ በመሻር ‹ተከሳሾቹ ክሳቸውን እንዲከላከሉ› የሚል ውሳኔ በመስጠት ተከሳሾቹን ዳግም ወደ እስር ቤት መመለስ ነው፡፡

ሶስተኛው የሚጠበቀው ጉዳይ የስር ፍርድ ቤት 2ኛ ተከሳሽን በፍቃዱ ኃይሉን የሚመለከት ሲሆን፤ በወንጀለኛ መቅጫ ሥነ ሥርዓት ሕጉ መሰረት አንድ ሰው በተመሳሳይ ጉዳይ በተመሳሳይ ጊዜ በሁለት የተለያዩ ፍርድ ቤቶች ክሱን ሊከታተል ስለማይገባ ከሕግ አግባብ ውጭ በፍቃዱ ላይ የቀረበውን ይግባይ ውድቅ ያደርገዋል ተብሎ ይጠበቃል፡፡

እኛም ይግባኝ ሰሚው ፍርድ ቤት የስር ፍርድ ቤትን ውሳኔ በማፅናት ይህ በመናገር ነፃነት ላይ የተሰነዘረን ጥቃት ላንዴና ለመጨረሻ ጊዜ እልባት ይሰጠዋል የሚል ተስፋ አለን፡፡

Source: Zone9

Press Freedom for Ethiopian Bloggers Tested Again

FILE - Ethiopian journalists hold placards as they shout slogans during a demonstration at the Ethiopian Embassy in Nairobi, May 2, 2006.

Abel Wabela, 29, and eight other bloggers and freelance journalists spent more than a year and a half in prison. They were acquitted five months ago, but life has not been easy since.

"We cannot go abroad,” Wabela said, “getting a job is very difficult. We are not allowed to work, not allowed to move."

Wabela previously worked at Ethiopian Airlines as an engineer, but it will not take him back. His left ear is no longer functional, he says, due to mistreatment in prison. 

In addition, the bloggers' passports have been confiscated.

Back in court

Wabela was one of six bloggers and three affiliated freelance journalists who were arrested in April 2014. They were accused under the anti-terrorism law of using social media to incite violence in Ethiopia.

Although all the bloggers and journalists were acquitted, the prosecutor appealed their release. For that reason, they have to appear Tuesday in Ethiopia's Supreme Court.

Atnaf Berahane says that even though he has been out of prison for five months, he lives in a state of fear.

"After my release I basically do nothing, because I know that every move I make will be traced,” Berahane said. “I am afraid that I may go to prison. The appeal is going on, so the appeal is like a chain to me right now. I am preparing myself for prison."

Imprisonment called unacceptable

Ethiopia is frequently criticized by human rights organizations on its press freedom record. The government states that those imprisoned are criminals using journalism as a cover.

Zone 9 is a reference to an Ethiopian state prison with eight zones; the bloggers use Zone 9 to indicate the larger "prison" they feel makes up the rest of the country.

Africa researcher Kerry Paterson of the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists says the possible return of the bloggers to jail is unacceptable and a huge blow to press freedom in Ethiopia.

"The Zone 9 bloggers, their tagline has always been that they blog because they care,” Paterson said. “These are young people who are deeply committed to seeing a safer, freer, better, more democratic Ethiopia, and who have faced repression and crackdowns on every turn."

Despite the belief by the bloggers that their future in Ethiopia is bleak and uncertain, Wabela, Berahane and the others are still blogging. The decision by Ethiopia's Supreme Court on the appeal will mean they either must go back to prison, or can continue writing.

Source: VOA

የኖርዌይ መንግሥት 800 ኢትዮጵያውያን እና 60 ሕፃናትን ወደ ኢትዮጵያ ሊመልስ ነው

የኖርዌይ ከለላ ጠያቂዎች ድርጅት ከፍተኛ አማካሪና የሕግ ባለሞያ በፖለቲካ ውስጥ ተሳትፎ ያላቸው ስደተኞች ስጋታቸው ተገቢ ነው ይላሉ።



ጽዮን ግርማ

ዋሽንግተን ዲሲ —

ያቀረቡት የጥገኝነት ጥያቄ ተቀባይነት ያላገኘላቸው 800 ኢትዮጵያውያን እና 60 ሕፃናትን የኖርዌይ መንግሥት በግዳጅ  ወደ ኢትዮጵያ እመልሳለሁ ማለቱ ከፍተኛ ስጋት ውስጥ እንደከተታቸው ተናገሩ። 

የኖርዌይ ከለላ ጠያቂዎች ድርጅት ከፍተኛ አማካሪና የሕግ ባለሞያ በፖለቲካ ውስጥ ተሳትፎ ያላቸው ስደተኞች ስጋታቸው ተገቢ ነው ይላሉ። 

ጽዮን ግርማ ስደተኞችንና የሕግ ባለሞያውን አነጋግራ ተከታዩን ዘገባ አጠናቅራለች።

የኖርዌይ መንግሥት 800 ኢትዮጵያውያን እና 60 ሕፃናትን ወደ ኢትዮጵያ ሊመልስ ነው

http://amharic.voanews.com/content/norway-to-deport-ethiopian-refugees/3258380.html

Source: VOA

Ethiopia: Government says Oromia has self-rule but activists vow to continue protests

By Ludovica Iaccino

Oromo protesters in Karsa town, West Arsi Zone, Oromia state, on 16 February 2016Oromo activists

People in Ethiopia's Oromia state already have self-rule and protesters' demands are already in place, an Ethiopian official told IBTimes UK. Abiy Berhane, minister counsellor at the Ethiopian embassy in London, made the comment as activists said they are still on the streets of Oromia calling for self-rule, the release of political prisoners and the end of military presence in the region.

Protests in Oromia began in November 2015 against a government draft plan to expand the boundaries of the capital Addis Ababa. Demonstrators, mainly from the Oromo ethnic group, argued the so-called "Addis Ababa master plan" would lead to forced evictions of Oromo farmers from their lands and would undermine the survival of the Oromo culture and language.

Who are the Oromo people?

The Oromo people are Ethiopia's largest ethnic group and their population amounts to more than 25 million (around 35% of Ethiopia's total population).

Oromo people speak Afaan Oromoo, as well as Amharic, Tigrinya, Gurange and Omotic languages. They are mainly Christian and Muslim, while only 3% still follow the traditional religion based on the worshipping of the god, Waaq.

In 1973, Ethiopian Oromo created the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF), which stemmed from the discontent over a perceived marginalisation by the government and to fight the hegemony of the Amhara people, another large ethnic group in Ethiopia.

OLF – still active today – also calls for the self-determination of the Oromo people. It has been deemed as a terror organisation that carried out violent acts against people in Ethiopia, Somalia and Kenya. The group has always denied such allegations, claiming its mission is to terminate "a century of oppression" against the Oromos.

Read more about Oromo people

The government scrapped the master planfollowing increasing agitation which activists claimed led to the death of some 400 people, at least 200 according to a report by Human Rights Watch (HRW), released on 21 February.

The government denied the allegations of violence and claimed the death toll was much lower, but did not give a specific figure.

Berhane explained Ethiopian authorities conducted an assessment on the unrest and admitted they took slow steps in addressing people's legitimate grievances. "Had these demands been addressed quickly and effectively, dissident groups would not have been able to infiltrate peaceful protesters and instigate violence," he said.

"The government does not want to see any of its people die, even the death of one person is one is one too many. What the country needs first and foremost is peace. Inciting violence, creating division, coming up with horrific stories and posting those stories on social media does not help in any way."

Earlier in March, Prime Minster Hailemariam Desalegn apologised for the deaths and destructionfor which he blamed "anti-peace forces" that infiltrated demonstrations.

Self-rule already in place

Berhane claimed that people are ruling themselves in Oromia, where the official language is Oromo, people have their own regional parliament and run their own budget. "Political problems in Oromia and indeed in any other part of Ethiopia have been for the most part resolved. If there are any that are not resolved, the Constitution provides the mechanism for resolving them so there is no need for violent conflicts," he said.

However, Oromo activists who spoke to IBTimes UK denied Oromo people have self-rule in the region, claiming that Oromia's ruling party, Oromo Peoples' Democratic Organization (OPDO), is an organisation of "ex-war captives" created by the Tigrayan People's Liberation Front (TPLF), a political party in Ethiopia's Tigray region.

Activists also denied violent people infiltrated protests, and alleged the government is cracking down on peaceful and unarmed demonstrators, including pregnant women and children. They also claimed the government declared martial law in Oromia, which they say is now divided into eight military divisions controlled by "ethnic Tigrean generals".

"It is because of the absence of self-rule that you see millions of farmers evicted and their land given to ruling party officials or foreign companies. The regime downplays the scale of questions raised as well as the scale of the lethal forces used," Habtamu Dugo, an exiled Oromo journalist and US-based professor, said.

"Oromo are not able to elect their leaders in a free and fair election and the ruling party serves the interests of few ruling elites from the Tigray region. Although Afan Oromo is recognized on paper as a regional official language, people are demanding it to be made into one of the federal languages, since it is the most widely spoken language in Ethiopia."

Dugo, also a member of the Board of Directors of the Oromo Studies Association, added that should alleged killings by security forces continue, Oromo people might start calling for secession, a right guaranteed by the Ethiopian constitution.

An Oromia-based activist who spoke to IBTimes UK on conditions of anoymity, denied the government of Oromia rules on its own budget. The source said: "While Oromia contributes 60% of Ethiopia's GDP, OPDO has to accept 70% of its recurrent and capital budget from the TPLF-dominated federal governement."

The source also alleged at least 40,000 Oromo people are currently imprisoned and many of them"had to suffer severe torture".

Source: IB Times

Unrest in Ethiopia Grumbling and rumbling

Months of protests are rattling a fragile federation

AN OUTBREAK of public protest unprecedented in its duration and spread since the ruling party took power in Ethiopia in 1991 is stirring a rare cocktail of discontent. Demonstrations started in November mainly by members of the Oromo ethnic group, which accounts for about a third of Ethiopia’s 97m-plus people, have refused to die down. Indeed, they have spread. The government has dropped its plan, the original cause of the hubbub, to expand the city limits of Addis Ababa, the capital, into Oromia, the largest of the federal republic’s subdivisions of nine regional states and two city-states. But the protests have billowed into a much wider expression of outrage. People are complaining about land ownership, corruption, political repression and poverty. Such feelings go beyond just one ethnic group.

Human-rights advocates and independent monitors reckon that at least 80 people and perhaps as many as 250, mostly demonstrators, have been killed since the protests began. The government says the true figure is much lower and instead lays stress, as it always does, on terrorist and secessionist threats to the country’s stability. It points out that foreign-owned factories have been attacked, churches burnt down and property looted by organised gangs during the protests. Last month seven federal policemen in the south were killed by local militiamen during a particularly violent wave of disturbances.

All the same, most of the protests have been peaceful. The Oromo particularly resent the sale or lease of land (almost all of which is state-owned) by the government to foreign investors. The government’s decision to shelve its master plan to expand Addis Ababa is regarded by the assorted opposition as a rare step in the right direction. But the protesters say the government must now allow Ethiopians to exercise their constitutional right to express dissent, or discontent could escalate.

The army was deployed to bolster the federal police in the south. Both are regularly accused of brutality and are generally deemed able to operate with impunity. Shooting at protesters and arbitrarily arresting them, especially if they are students, has a long tradition in Ethiopia, going back to the military dictatorship that ran the country from 1974 until its downfall in 1991.

The government is particularly suspicious of the Ethiopian diaspora, especially its representation in America, which fled abroad during that period. The foreign-based opposition, bolstered by social-media campaigners in America, is stirring things up for its own malign purposes, says the government. That, argues the opposition at home and abroad, is what it always says when seeking to discredit peaceful dissent.

In any event, tension is bound to persist because the ruling Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front, which takes China’s top-down style of authoritarian government as a model, is loth to loosen controls at the centre, despite the federal constitution. For their part, critics of the government cannot escape from the fact that it has until now succeeded in holding together a diverse collection of ethnic groups. Moreover, under the current government the economy has boomed and poverty has fallen sharply, though a severe recent drought is causing new problems. Neither the government nor the federal system, however imperfect, is under immediate threat.

Meanwhile Western governments, with America and Britain to the fore as large donors of aid to Ethiopia, have been notably silent about the turmoil. In a region battered by terrorism and violence in such nearby places as Yemen, South Sudan and Somalia, Ethiopia is still regarded as an anti-terrorist bulwark.

Source: The Economist

ፍርድ ቤት ሊቀርብ የሄደው ዮናታን ተስፋዬ በሕዝብ ፊት በፖሊስ ተደ

(ዘ-ሐበሻ) ላለፉት 3 ወራት በ እስር ቤት የሚገኘውና በየጊዜውም ፍርድ ቤት እየተመላለስ በፖሊስ የምርመራ አለማለቅ ሰንካላ ምክንያት ቀጠሮ ብቻ እየተለዋወጠበት የሚገኘው የቀድሞው የሰማያዊ ፓርቲ ሕዝብ ግንኙነት ዮናታን ተስፋዬ ዛሬ ፍርድ ቤት ቀርቦ ተጨማሪ ቀጠሮ ተጠይቆበት ወደማረሚያ ቤት ተመለሰ::

ዛሬ ፍርድ ቤት የቀረበው ዮናታን ፖሊስ ምርመራዬን አጠናቅቄ አልጨረስኩም በሚል የጠየቀው የ28 ቀናት ጭማሪ የጊዜ ቀጠሮ ጥያቄ ተቀባይነት በማግኘቱ ለሚያዝያ 11 ተቀጥሯል:: የአይን እማኞች ለዘ-ሐበሻ እንደገለጹት ዛሬ ዮናታን ከአራዳ ፍርድ ቤት ሲወጣ የተፈጸመበት ግፍ በጣም አሳዛኝ ነው::

እንደ አይን እማኞች ገለጻ እነዮናታንን የጫነው መኪና ከአራዳ ፍ/ቤት ግቢ ሊወጣ ሲል አንዱ ፖሊስ ከሰው ሁሉ ለይቶ የዮናታንን መስኮት መጋረጃ ሊዘጋ ይሞክራል:: ዮናታንም ለምን መጋረጃውን ትዘጋብኛለህ በሚል እምቢታውን ሲገልጽ ከፍተኛ ግጭት ውስጥ ገባ:: በዚህ መሃል ፖሊሱ ዮናታንን በህዝብ ፊት የደበደው ቢሆንም ዮናታን መስኮቱን ባለማዘጋት ጸንቷል:: ዮናታን ቢደበደብም ራሱን ባለማስደፈሩ መኪናው ወደ ውጭ ሲወጣ በአካባቢው የነበረው ሕዝብ በጭብጨባ ለዮናታን አድናቆቱን ገልጿል::

Source: Zehabesha

Regime forces continue to harass, detain in Konso

At least 170 people have been detained at the premise of a technical school in Konso, south Ethiopia while 80 others have left their villages to escape persecution by Ethiopian regime forces who have been crushing protests by the people who demanded for the Konso to be upgraded to a zonal administration status.

Some of the people who are now in hiding told ESAT that the federal and regional forces have been deployed in four directions of the town and harassment, torture and killings have continued in Konso. The sources said those who campaign for zonal administration status have been imprisoned.

The people of Konso have been protesting for several weeks now and the tyrannical government has ignored their demand for a zonal self-administration and responded with brute force.

Regime’s forces shot and killed two people last week. Konso’s traditional king, Kala Gezahegn, still remain in detention.

Source: ESAT News

British cash aided Ethiopias illegal grab of critic Tsege

THE British government is funding and training Ethiopian forces suspected of kidnapping a British citizen, rights group Reprieve said yesterday. 

A freedom of information request made by the group has revealed that £1 million of public funds were given to the east African country’s military in the form of “security management” postgraduate programmes and military training. 

British support for the Ethiopian government has been severely criticised by the charity, which believes the money helps missions such as the kidnap and rendition of Andargachew “Andy” Tsege.

#Mr Tsege, a father-of-three from London and a prominent political figure in Ethiopia, was seized by security forces when crossing the border between Eritrea and Yemen.

The leader of democracy movement Ginbot 7 is currently on death row in Addis Ababa.Reprieve spokeswoman Maya Foa said: “This funding raises potentially serious questions over the UK’s approach to Ethiopia’s security forces — forces who were responsible for the kidnap and rendition to Ethiopia of British national Andy Tsege in June 2014. 

“Whilst there is, of course, a place for legitimate security co-operation between Ethiopia and the UK, the government should ensure that the support it provides does not in any way contribute to the abuses that Andy Tsege currently faces. “Ministers must use the relationship to request Andy’s release and his return home to his family in Britain.”

According to Ethiopian media reports, British Prime Minister David Cameron is expected to visit the country at the end of this month for talks on “security issues.”

The case of Mr Tsege is also expected to be discussed during the visit. 

Source: Morning Star Online

UK funding Ethiopian spies who snatched Londoner & put him on death row

The British Government is funding the training of Ethiopia’s intelligence services, responsible for the incarceration and rendition of a father-of-three from London who now faces the death penalty.

The funding has sparked concerns that the UK could be inadvertently supporting the covert Ethiopian intelligence operatives who kidnapped Andargachew ‘Andy’ Tsege in 2014.

Tsege, who has been branded Ethiopia’s ‘Nelson Mandela’ by his supporters, fled the country in the 1970s after becoming a target over his political beliefs, eventually gaining asylum in the UK.

An Ethiopian court sentenced him to death in absentia in 2009, and in 2014 Ethiopia’s government admitted it had kidnapped him while he was waiting to catch a flight in Yemen.

After being forcibly transferred to Ethiopia, Tsege has remained in illegal detention ever since.

UK Prime Minister David Cameron will soon pay a visit to Ethiopia to discuss “security issues,” according to Ethiopian media. He’s expected to take Britain’s minister for international development and the UK’s homeland security chief with him.

The Ethiopian Reporter also said senior security officials in Ethiopia had taken master’s degree courses on security studies. Reprieve, which is assisting Tsege’s family, says the courses were fully funded by the British government.

Head of the death penalty team at Reprieve Maya Foa expressed serious concern about where money is being sent.

“This funding raises potentially serious questions over the UK’s approach to Ethiopia’s security forces – forces who were responsible for the kidnap and rendition to Ethiopia of British national Andy Tsege in June 2014,” she said.

“Whilst there is of course a place for legitimate security cooperation between Ethiopia and the UK, the government should ensure that the support it provides does not in any way contribute to the abuses that Andy Tsege currently faces.”

Foa called on ministers to use Britain’s special relationship with Ethiopia to request that Andargachew be released, and returned to his family in the UK.

RT asked the Foreign Office whether it plans to push for Tsege’s release, and whether it had funded Masters programs targeted at Ethiopian students who are later recruited in Ethiopian security services.

“The foreign secretary again raised Mr Tsege’s case with the Ethiopian foreign minister, in person on 13 February, making it clear the way he has been treated is unacceptable. We welcome the improvement in access to Mr Tsege, following the British Government’s intervention, but it must be more regular and it must include access to a lawyer,” a British government spokeswoman told RT on Monday.

“Separately, we support training courses that are designed to give members of the Ethiopian military an improved range of skills in non-combat areas while they serve on regional peace missions that are vital to UK interests. The Masters programme is targeted at key students from around the region who play a crucial role in improving the management of security in their countries.”

Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn, who is Tsege’s local MP, said he has written to Cameron to demand Tsege’s release.

“It is completely unacceptable that a British citizen should be treated in this way by a state that purports to be a respected member of the international family of nations,” he added.

Following careful analysis of a transcript taken during a visit by UK officials to Tsege at Ethiopia’s Kaliti prison last December, UK psychiatrist Ben Robinson concluded that detention is taking a serious toll on the 60-year-old.

Robinson, who works as a psychiatrist at South London and Maudslet NHS Trust, told the Independent Tsege’s mental health “has declined precipitously since being detained in Ethiopia.”

Tsege’s partner, Yemi Hailemariam, said her boyfriend’s disappearance has caused her and their three children immense pain.

“Since Andy’s disappearance, our family has been in agony – all we want is for him to come home,” she told the Independent.

“It’s deeply worrying to think that, throughout all this, the UK is supporting the same Ethiopian security apparatus that has detained Andy.

Source: RT

UK ‘training Ethiopian forces’ linked to Brit’s kidnap

The UK government is providing funding to help train Ethiopian security forces, despite evidence of their involvement in the kidnap and rendition of a British man who is now held under sentence of death.

A Freedom of Information request by human rights organization Reprieve hasrevealed that over £1m in public funds are being used to train Ethiopian forces. The funds are divided between a Masters programme in ‘Security Sector Management’ for Ethiopian forces, which appears to be overseen by Cranfield University and the Ministry of Defence, and a military training centre in Addis Ababa, run by the Ethiopian army.

The funding has raised concerns that the UK could inadvertently be supporting the forces responsible for the kidnap and rendition of a British man, Andargachew ‘Andy’ Tsege. Mr Tsege, a British father of three, was forcibly taken into Ethiopia by the country’s security forces in June 2014, and remains in illegal detention. Mr Tsege is a prominent activist who has called for reform in Ethiopia, and he is held under a sentence of death that was imposed in absentia in 2009, in relation to his political activities.

In September 2014, Justine Greening MP, Secretary of State at the Department for International Development (DfID) told Reprieve that DfID had suspended a similar Masters programme for Ethiopian security-sector officials, due to “concerns about risk and value for money.” She said the decision “was unrelated to Andargachew’s case.” It is not clear whether the current training programmes are designed to replace the suspended DfID project.

News of the latest UK support comes amid Ethiopian media reports that David Cameron is soon to visit Ethiopia to discuss ‘security issues’. A recent article in the Ethiopian Reporter claimed that the Prime Minister would visit “alongside the minister for international development, and the head of the British homeland security”, and that “senior security officials of Ethiopia attend Masters’ degree courses on security. The courses are fully financed by the UK government.”

Human rights organization Reprieve – which is assisting the family of Mr Tsege – has urged Mr Cameron to use the visit to secure Mr Tsege’s release.

Commenting, Maya Foa – head of the death penalty team at Reprieve – said:

“This funding raises potentially serious questions over the UK’s approach to Ethiopia’s security forces – forces who were responsible for the kidnap and rendition to Ethiopia of British national Andy Tsege in June 2014. Whilst there is of course a place for legitimate security cooperation between Ethiopia and the UK, the government should ensure that the support it provides does not in any way contribute to the abuses that Andy Tsege currently faces. Ministers must use the relationship to request Andy’s release, and his return home to his family in Britain.”

Source: Reprieve