Thursday, May 31, 2012

Ethiopia: Journalists becoming the news

Ethiopia: Journalists becoming the news

by Hindessa Abdul
Journalist Abebe Gellaw could hardly contain his emotions when he met Ethiopian PM Meles Zenawi at the Ronald
Journalist Abebe Gellaw met Ethiopian PM Meles Zenawi
Journalist Abebe Gellaw
Reagan Building. He just had to say a piece of his mind in the presence of the leaders of Benin, Ghana and Tanzania, all of whom – unlike Meles – came to power through the ballot box. Hours after what transpired in the conference room, Meles’ lecture on food security (rather insecurity) was turned into a footnote, overshadowed by Abebe’s cry for freedom.

Monday, May 28, 2012

የመድረክ አመራሮች የአበበ ገላውን ተቃውሞ ደገፉ

የመድረክ አመራሮች የአበበ ገላውን ተቃውሞ ደገፉ
ባለፈው ሳምንት በአሜሪካ ዋሽንግተን ዲሲ በተካሄደው የቡድን ስምንት አገራት የመሪዎች ስብሰባ ላይ ከአፍሪካ ከተጋበዙ አራት መሪዎች አንዱ የነበሩት ጠ/ሚ መለስ ዜናዊ፤ የምግብ ዋስትናን ማረጋገጥ በሚለው አጀንዳ ዙሪያ የአገራቸውን ተመክሮ ለታዳሚው ከማጋራት ውጭ ሌላ ነገር ይገጥመኛል ብለው አላሰቡም ነበር፡፡ አገር አማን ብለው ለቀረቡላቸው ጥያቄዎች ማብራሪያ ሲሰጡ የነበሩት ጠ/ሚኒስትሩ፤ በ “ኢሳት” ተባባሪ መስራችና ጋዜጠኛ አበበ ገላው ተቃውሞ ነበር ከማብራሪያቸው የተናጠቡት፡፡ ጠ/ሚኒስትሩም ሆኑ ሌሎች የስብሰባው ታዳሚዎች ያልጠበቁት ዱብዕዳ ቢሆንም ለጋዜጠኛው ግን ድንገተኛ አይመስልም – ተቃውሞው፡፡ ተቃውሞውን የአሜሪካው የቀድሞ ፕሬዚዳንት ጆርጅ ቡሽ በኢራቅ ንግግር ሲያደርጉ በአንድ ኢራቃዊ ጋዜጠኛ ከተወረወረባቸው ጫማ ጋር ይመሳሰላል፡፡

Ethiopia: ‘Special Police’ Execute 10

Ethiopia: ‘Special Police’ Execute 10

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(Nairobi, May 28, 2012) – An Ethiopian government-backed paramilitary force summarily executed 10 men during a March 2012 operation in Ethiopia’s eastern Somali region, Human Rights Watch said today. Detailed information on the killings and other abuses by the force known as the “Liyu police” only came to light after a Human Rights Watch fact-finding mission to neighboring Somaliland in April.

Friday, May 25, 2012

Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2011

Ethiopia


EXECUTIVE SUMMARYShare

Ethiopia is a federal republic led by Prime Minister Meles Zenawi and the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF). In national parliamentary elections in May 2010, the EPRDF and affiliated parties won 545 of 547 seats to remain in power for a fourth consecutive five-year term. The EPRDF is made up of four ethnically based political organizations: the Tigrayan People’s Liberation Front, Amhara National Democratic Movement, Oromo People’s Democratic Organization, and Southern Ethiopian People’s Democratic Movement. Although the relatively few international officials allowed to observe the elections concluded that technical aspects of the vote were handled competently, some also noted that an environment conducive to free and fair elections was not in place prior to election day. Several laws,

Meles faces another protest in Johannesburg


Home » News » Meles faces another protest in Johannesburg
Awramba Times (Johannesburg):- Ethiopian prime minister Meles Zenawi faces another protest in South Africa.

Meles Zenawi

Meles has arrived in South Africa yesterday to participate in Global African Diaspora Summit from May 24-25, 2012 in Johannesburg, South Africa. According to Awramba Times’ sources, opposition members and civic leaders have confronted him on the corner of Alice Lane and 5th Street, outside the Sandton Convention Centre. Mulugeta Feleke, chairman of the human rights organisation Better Ethiopian, says “We want the South African government to influence the international community to take action against Meles and to release all political prisoners”

Thursday, May 24, 2012

Amnesty Warns Ethiopia, Rwanda Not to Trade Rights for Growth


News / Africa

Amnesty Warns Ethiopia, Rwanda Not to Trade Rights for Growth

Gabe Joselow
NAIROBI - Amnesty International is concerned that Rwanda and Ethiopia are overlooking their commitments to human rights for the sake of economic growth. A new report from the human rights group says the authoritarian governments of both countries have stifled the opposition and persecuted journalists.

In the past seven years, Ethiopia has sustained an 11 percent economic growth rate and substantially reduced poverty among its 83 million citizens.

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Members of Congress urge Meles to end repression

Members of Congress urge Meles to end repression
By Mohamed Keita, CPJ | May 22, 2012


Police try to restrain Ethiopian demonstrators protesting near the G-8-Summit at Camp David over the weekend. (AP/Timothy Jacobsen)
Two members of the U.S. Congress, a Republican and a Democrat, have publicly voiced indignation at Ethiopia's persecution of journalists under the leadership of Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, with both declaring that stability and security are enhanced by press freedom

Monday, May 21, 2012

NOAS fagseminar 24. mai: Sterke menneskelige hensyn


NOAS fagseminar 24. mai: Sterke menneskelige hensyn

21.05.2012

Utlendingsloven § 38 sier at det kan gis oppholdstillatelse i Norge dersom det forelig­ger sterke menneskelige hensyn eller utlendingen har særlig tilknytning til riket. Likevel nektes alvorlige syke og andre sårbare individer opphold og barn som har bodd hele sitt liv i Norge skal kastes ut. Hva innebærer «sterke menneskelige hensyn» og hvem bestemmer hva som utgjør «særlig tilknytning til riket? Og i hvilke tilfeller lar man hensynet til en «kontrollert og regulert innvandring til Norge» veie tyngre? §38 blir tema for NOAS fagseminar torsdag 24. mai, der vi får høre om utvikling og praksis i Norge og i Europa for øvrig. Etterpå blir det debatt med blant andre Pål Lønseth, statssekretær i Justisdepartementet, Trine Schei Grande fra Venstre og Trond Helleland, Høyre.  Arrangementet starter klokken 11.30 i Kjelleren på Litteraturhuset i Oslo, det er gratis og åpnet for alle. Velkommen!

Dozens killed' as suicide bomb targets Yemen army

Attack: 'Dozens killed' as suicide bomb targets Yemen army
Dozens of people have been killed and many more injured in a suicide bomb attack targeting Yemen’s army. The explosion caused panic among the soldiers who had been rehearsing for events marking the country’s National Unity Day on Tuesday. Some reports say the…

Saturday, May 19, 2012

Home » News » Amnesty urges Obama to confront Zenaw at Camp David
(Washington DC) — Amnesty International today urged President Barack Obama and fellow G8 leaders to speak up about Ethiopia’s appalling human rights record when he and the group meets with Prime Minister Meles Zenawi at Camp David on Saturday, May 19. The human rights organization said Zenawai should not receive a “free pass” on rights abuses during meetings on food security.
Zenawi will join the leaders of Benin, Ghana and Tanzania for a discussion with G8 leaders on food security, and Amnesty International said the meeting presents the Obama administration with an opportunity to urge Zenawi to put a stop to repressive laws in the Horn of African country

Friday, May 18, 2012

Ethiopian Americans “Meles Zenawi belongs at The Hague, Not at Camp David”

For Immediate Release, May 17, 2012
We Condemn President Obama’s Invite of the Brutal Dictator of Ethiopia.
President Obama is now in the business of propping and supporting African dictators. Obama’s victory raised great excitement, hope and pride for the people of Africa. Unfortunately, his invitation of one of Africa’s worst dictators, Meles Zenawi of Ethiopia, to Camp David on May 18, 2012 has dashed hopes for Obama’s redemption as a friend of Africa and declared commitment for freedom and democracy to triumph in the continent. As a Nobel Peace Prize winner, he was supposed to stand with the oppressed not with the oppressors and killers.

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

African Hunger Games at Camp David ( በካምፕ ዴቪድ የአፍሪካ የችጋር ትርኢት) By Alemayeh G.Mariam
White House spokesman Jay Carney announced last week that President Obama has invited the presidents of Ghana, Tanzania, Benin and Meles Zenawi to attend the G8 Summit (the forum for the governments of eight of the world’s largest economies) for a discussion of food security on May 19 at Camp David (Presidential retreat) in Maryland. The U.S. has been handing out food aid to the African continent for decades. Now President Obama says there is another looming “food crises” in Africa. Oxfam says, “All signs point to a drought becoming a catastrophe if nothing is done soon.” The U.N. Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) has issued appeals for an extra $70 million to aid some 800,000 households in the drought-hit Sahel region in West Africa. Ethiopia and Somalia are expected to be ground zero for the anticipated famine. According to the April 25, 2012 report of the USAID-funded Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET), southern Ethiopia will most likely experience famine: “The anticipated below-average rains will have significant negative impact on crop production, pasture regeneration, and the replenishment of water resources throughout the region, with the most severe and immediate impactin belg-dependent areas of southern Ethiopia.” Over the past couple or so years, I have written over one-half dozen commentaries on famine and food shortages in Ethiopia. (See links below.)
የኔቶ ተቃውሞ ተሰላፊዎች ሳይጀመር ዘብጥያ መውረድ ጀመሩ ፣ቺካጎ ከፍተኛ ቁጥጥር እያደረገች ነው ::


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በዚህ ቀጣይ ሳምን የሚከናወን የኔቶ አለማቀፍ ስብሰባን አስመልክቶ ከመላው አለም ጉዞአቸውን ያደረጉት የኔቶ ተቃዋሚ ተወካይ ማህበረሰቦች በዛሬው እለት እና በትላንትናው እለት በተካሄደው አጭር የኔቶ ስብሰባ ፕሮግራም መሰናዶ ላይ ተቃውሞአቸውን ሲያሰሙ የነበሩ 26 ከተለያዩ አለማት የመጡ ተቃዋሚዎች እና 2 ከቺካጎ መታሰራቸውን በቺካጎ የሚገኙ ሚዲያዎች ገለጹ ። በተለይም ኤቢሲ ኒውስ ከኔቶ ስብሰባ ማእከል ከሚገኝበት ቦታ በመገኘት ዘገባውን ያለቀረ ሲሆን አብዛኞቹ ህገወጥ ስራ ከመስራታቸውም በላይ ፍቃድ ያልተሰጣቸውም ናቸው ሲል ክስ በፖሊስ እንደተመሰረተባቸው ጠቁሞአል ። የቺካጎ ከተማ መጭውን የኔቶ ፕሮግራም ለማስተናገድ ከፍተኛ ዝግጅት በማድረግ ላይ የነበረች ሲሆን ባለፉት ወራቶች የፕረዚዳንት ባራክ ኦባማ አማካይነት ወደ ካምፕ ዴቪድ የተለወጠው የጂ8 ስብሰባም በዚሁ ከተማ ይከናወናል ተብሎ ታቅዶ እንደነበር መዘገባችን ይታወሳል ። ይህ በእንዲህ እንዳለም በመጭው ሳምንት የሚከናወነውን የዚህ የኔቶን ስብሰባ አስመልክቶ የቺካጎ ከንቲባ ራህም ኢማኑኤል ረብሻ ከተፈጠረ በማለት ትልልቅ የማረሚያ እስርቤቶችን ማዘጋጀታቸውን እና የፖሊስ ሰራዊቶቻቸው በንቃት ጥበቃቸውን እንዲያካሂዱ ጥሪ ሲያቀርቡ ከነገ ጠዋት ጀምሮ የመንገድ እና ትራንስፖርት አገልግሎት ሰአት ከቀድሞው የሚያገለግሉበት ሰአት በታም በተወሰነ መልኩ የተቀነሰ ከመሆኑም በላይ የባቡር መስመር ከሰሜን ቺካጎ ሃዋርድ ተነስቶ ወደ 95 ደቡብ አቅጣጫ የሚጓዘው ሬድ ላይን ወይንም ቀይ መስመር የተሰመረበት ባቡር አግልግሎቱን እንደሚያቋርጥ ተገልጾአል ፣ማናቸውም የግል መኪኖች በመንገድ ላይ የሚያደርጉትም የመኪና ማቆም ለአንድ ሳምንት እስከ አምስት ብሎክ ርቀት ድረስ የተከለከለ ሲሆን በስራ ሰአት የሚደረጉ ጉዞ መስመሮች ሁሉም በተለያዩ አቅጣቻዎች ሲቀየሩ ማናቸውም ትራንስፖርቶች ከደቡብ ሲርማክ ተነስተው ወደ ሰሜን ሌክ ሹር ይሚጓዙ በሙሉ መንገዱ ዝግ ሊሆን እንደሚችል ገልጸዋል ። በዚህ ሳምንት የሚደረገውን ስብሰባ ከስፍራው በመሄድ በመከታተል የምንዘግብ መሆንኑን እንገልጻለን ።

የህዝብ እና የተቃዋሚ ፓርቲዎች መንታ መንገድ

ተመስገን ደሳለኝ
የመኢአድ ም/ሊቀመንበር ዶ/ር ታዲዮስ ቦጋለ የመኢአድ ሊቀመንበር በሆኑት ኢንጂነር ኃይሉ ሻወል በተከሰሱበት ክስ ሁለት አመት ከስድስት ወር ተፈርዶባቸው ከርቸሌ ገቡ፤ መኢአድ እንደአንባሻ ተከፋፈለ፤ የማይለያዩት ኃይሉ ሻውል እና ማሙሸት አማረ ተለያዩ። አንድነት ፓርቲ ብርቱካን ሚደቅሳ ትፈታ ይል የነበረውን ጥያቄ አንዱአለም አራጌ ይፈታ በሚል ቀየረው፤ ብርቱካንን በማስብ ይበራ የነበረውንም ሻማ አንዷአለምን በማሰብ ይበራ ዘንድ ወሰነ፤ ብርቱካን ሚደቅሳ ስለኢትዮጵያ ፖለቲካ ልታጠና ዋሽንግተን ሄደች፣ ስዬ አብርሃ ለትምህርት ወደአሜሪካ ሄዱ፤ ዶ/ር ነጋሶ ጊዳዳ ጀርመናዊ ህፃናቶችን ስለኢትዮጵያ ፖለቲካ ሊያስተምሩ ጀርመን ገቡ፡፡ ዶ/ር መረራ ጉዲና እና ፕ/ር በየነ ጴጥሮስ ዘንድሮም ሊቀመንበር ናቸው፤ ዘንድሮም ምክትል ሊቀመናብርቶቻቸው አይታወቁም። ሳሳሁልህ ከበደ ስልጣን ያዙ፤ አየለ ጫሚሶ ተባረሩ፡፡ ኢዴፓ በአሁኑ ወቅት የኢትዮጵያ ትልቁ ችግር የአፍሪካ የሌብራል ፓርቲ ስብሰባን ያለማካሄድ ነው በሚል ቁጭት የአፍሪካ ሌበራል ፓርቲ ስብሰባ አዲስ አበባ እንዲካሄድ አደረገ፤ ልደቱ አያሌው ከፓርላማ ሲባረሩ ትምህርት ቤት ገቡ…. ከሞላ ጎደል ይህን ይመስላል ‹‹አጀንዳ አልባው›› የተቃዋሚ ፓርቲ ሠፈር አክራሞት።
እነሆ ዘንድሮም በተቃዋሚ የፖለቲካ ፓርቲዎች የተያዘው የትግል ስልት ‹‹ኢህአዴግ አምባገነን ነው››፣ ‹‹ኢህአዴግ ምርጫ ያጭበረብራል››፣ ‹‹የፀረ-ሽብርተኝነት ህጉ አፋኝ ነው››፣ ‹‹ከኢህአዴግ አመራር በሙስና የተጨማለቀው ይበዛል››፣ ‹‹ሀገሪቱ በአውራ ፓርቲ መዳፍ ስር ወደቀቸ›› …ከሚል ማጋለጥ ያለፈ ሊሆን አለመቻሉንም እያየነው ነው፡፡ ይህ ደግሞ በተቃዋሚዎች ትግል የተገኝ ‹‹መረጃ›› ሳይሆን ማንኛውም ኢትዮጵያዊ ጠንቅቆ የሚያውቀው ተራ ወሬ ነው፡፡
በእርግጥ በግሌ በሀገሬ ያሉ ሁሉም ተቃዋሚዎች ‹‹ከጥቆማ ያለፈ›› ትግል የማድረግ ወይ ወኔው የላቸውም፤ ወይ ብርታቱ የላቸውም ብሎ ለመደምደም ይቸግረኛል። በተለይ ደግም የተሻለ እንቅስቃሴ ሊያደርጉ የሚችሉትን አራቱን ፓርቲዎች እዚህ ውስጥ መደመሩ ለተቀማጭ ሰማይ… ይሆንብኛል፡፡ (አንድነት፣ መኢአድ፣ አረና እና ኦፌደንን ማለቴ ነው) ከዚህ በተቃራኒው ደግሞ እንዳናጨበጭብላቸው የምርጫ ቦርድን የምዝገባ ሰርተፍኬት ታቅፎ ከመቀመጥ የዘለለ ስራ ሲሰሩ አይታዩም፡፡
በነገራችን ላይ ደጋግሜ እንደፃፍኩት ምክንያታቸው ምንም ይሁን ምን የተቃውሞውን ጎራ ለመምራት ወደ አደባባይ የወጡት ፖለቲከኞች በዛጎላቸው ከተሸሸጉት ‹‹ሌሎች ኢትዮጵያውያን›› የበለጠ ‹‹አክብሮት›› ይገባቸዋል። (ይሁንና ግን ሌሎች ኢትዮጵያውያኖች ማለት ምን ማለት ይሆን? እዚህ ውስጥ የሚመደቡትስ እነማን ይሆኑ? ከኢትዮጵያ ሌላ ትርፍ አገር ያላቸው ናቸው ወይስ የስርአቱ ምንደኞች?) ብቻ ከዚህ ባለፈ ክንብንባቸውን ገልጠው ፊታቸውን ያስመቱ ፖለቲከኞቻችን ለእስከአሁኑ አበርክቶታቸው ዋጋ ሊያገኙ ይገባል። በዚህ በኩል ችግር የለም፡፡ ችግር የሚኖረው ያ የአክብሮት ዋጋ በየአመቱ እየተመነዘረ ‹‹መሪ›› በሚል ስም ዛሬም በስልጣናችን እንደተቀመጥን መቀጠል አለብን ሲሉ ነው። ይሄ ወደድናቸውም ጠላናቸውም ትልቅ ችግር ፈጣሪ ነው፡፡ ምክንያቱም አሁን ኢትዮጵያ ያለችበት አጣብቂኝ ከጥቆማና ከአጋላጭ ባለፈ ‹‹አንቂና አደራጅ›› መሪ የሚፈልግበት ወሳኝ ጊዜ ላይ ነውና።

Homage to a great Ethiopian Soul, Mulugeta Hailu



 
by Neamin Zeleke
Click here to listen ESAT Radio coverage
Everyone dies, but not everyone lives. Mulugeta Hailu lived. He lived a life of principle. He lived a life of convictions. He
Ethiopia: Homage to a great Ethiopian Soul, Mulugeta Hailu
Mulugeta Hailu
lived it with moral courage, in accord to his dreams and ideals much higher than himself. A life of principles lived to the fullest, a lifelong journey, with steadfast endurance, with so much gloom and pain in the process. All that for the betterment of Ethiopians through his life long struggle for the past four decades in order for social justice and equality to prevail in our homeland. He lived it to the last gasp of air on that fateful night, around midnight of Tuesday, May 08, 2012.

Sunday, May 13, 2012

Ethiopians protest against Meles presence at G-8 summit
Ethiomedia | May 13, 2012


WASHINGTON, DC - Prominent religious leaders, scholars, human rights activists are calling on all Ethiopians to join hands in the protest against the ethnic-apartheid leader Meles Zenawi. Aba Filipos, Dr. Aklog Birara, Ahmed Ali Nur & Tamagne Beyene, respectively, went on ESAT Radio and made the call for an Ethiopian protest against the regime that has deliberately fragmented the country along ethnic lines, while chocking the economic and political life of the Ethiopian people.Since coming to power in 1991, the government of Prime Minister Meles Zenawi has committed enormous crimes, including crimes against humanity as well as genocide. Inviting a tyrant to a summit of the G-8 stature is regarded by Ethiopians and all other peace-loving peoples as an insult on the conscience of humanity, according to organizers of the pending protests.
Presented here is an audio in Amharic of brief calls for all Ethiopians to voice their protest against the visiting tyrant from Ethiopia: click here.

Geldof urges more tolerance for Ethiopia civil society

Posted by on May 12, 2012 2 Comments
AFP (ADDIS ABABA) — Aid activist and Irish pop star Bob Geldof on Friday urged Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi to be more inclusive and tolerant of civil society groups.
“If they keep saying ‘you can’t write anything critical,’ they’re in trouble,” Geldof told AFP. “Have them participate, allow the pressure valve to come off,” he added.
He said Ethiopia must follow the example of Western nations, which developed only with greater freedom of expression. Unless Ethiopia becomes more tolerant, he cautioned, it could reverse recent economic and social progress.
“It will stumble if they don’t bring their people into the argument,” he warned, adding that Meles is a “very intelligent leader who truly understands government.”
Rights groups have criticized Ethiopia for using its anti-terror legislation to stifle peaceful dissent and restrict freedom of the press. Close to 200 people were arrested under the law in 2011.
Geldof said Ethiopia’s system of federalism had bred dissent throughout the country, but warned that opposition activity could become a political threat if they are not offered a voice in national politics.
“You cannot stifle people’s voices. If it became more inclusive, if argument was allowed if the country — if civil society is allowed to breathe — then you would see a reduction in all this independence activity,” he said.
“One way or another, civil society will win. They will win, there’s more of them, and people will breathe.”
Geldof led a campaign to raise $1 million for Ethiopian famine victims in the 1980s. He was in the Ethiopian capital for the World Economic Forum, which closes Friday.
Alongside fellow pop star Bono, he has advocated for greater aid from the West to help lift African countries out of poverty.
There are currently 24 people, including prominent journalist Eskider Nega and opposition member Andualem Arage, on trial for “terrorism” in Ethiopia.
In December, two Swedish journalists accused of terrorism were sentenced to 11 years in prison.


Friday, May 11, 2012

Breaking News: Thousands of Muslims have protested against the government today

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Breaking News: Thousands of Muslims have protested against the government today www.maledatimes.com
ADDIS ABABA — Security was tightened in the Capital Addis Ababa. Defying government threats, Ethiopian Muslim have vowed to continue their protests against the “Ahbashism Campaign” instigated by the government and “Majlis”.
“Call me a terrorist but I will defend my religion,” a muezzin in a mosque at the outskirts of Addis Ababa said in his sermon, denouncing the Al Ahbash movement, Reuters reported.
Meles Zenawi blames African corruption on foreign investors
By Peter Heinlein, VOA | May 11, 2012

What is the poison that corrupts many African leaders, no matter how honorable their intentions when they take office?  That was the question put to a panel of that included heads of state and government at the World Economic Forum on Africa on Thursday.  The question received a surprisingly candid answer.


It was promoted as a conversation on Africa's leadership.  Among those on stage were the leaders of Africa's two most populous nations - Nigeria's President Goodluck Jonathan and Ethiopia's Prime Minister Meles Zenawi.
Meles Zenawi blames African corruption on foreign investors
By Peter Heinlein, VOA | May 11, 2012

What is the poison that corrupts many African leaders, no matter how honorable their intentions when they take office?  That was the question put to a panel of that included heads of state and government at the World Economic Forum on Africa on Thursday.  The question received a surprisingly candid answer

It was promoted as a conversation on Africa's leadership.  Among those on stage were the leaders of Africa's two most populous nations - Nigeria's President Goodluck Jonathan and Ethiopia's Prime Minister Meles Zenawi.

The conversation was routine until the floor was opened to questions from youth leaders.  A young South African woman stood up to ask the question that many had pondered, but few dared to pose.

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Eskinder Nega faces verdict on Friday
By Naomi Hunt, Press Freedom advisor for Africa & the Middle East | May 8, 2012


Eskinder and Serkalem
Imprisoned writer and journalist Eskinder Nega, pictured here with his wife, journalist Serkalem Fasil (Photo: IPI)
VIENNA, May 7, 2012 – A verdict in the trial of critical journalist Eskinder Nega and opposition figures accused of terrorism-related crimes is expected on Friday, May 11. Ethiopia’s crackdown on the media and freedom of expression has received bad press around the world, with major international media covering the issue and newsmakers from all around the world speaking out against the jailing of journalists (and other government critics) on terrorism charges. 

By way of damage control, the authorities now appear to be tightening their hold on local media. Just days before a verdict is expected in the case against Ethiopian writer Eskinder Nega, another local editor was given a fine or prison sentence for his newspaper’s critical reporting of that trial, journalists told IPI.

አይን ያለው ይመልከት ፤ ጀሮ ያለው ይስማ ፤ እዝነ-ልቦና ያለው ራሱን ይጠይቅ !

 ከስራ የሚፈናቀሉት የኮንትራት ሰራተኞች ቁጥር ከቀን ወደ ቀን እየጨምረ መጥቷል፡፡ በሚደርስባቸው የስራ ጫና ፤ በስራ ሰአት ብዛት ፤ የጤና መታዎክን ተከትሎ ህክምና ስለማያገኙ፤ ለሃገሩ ባዳ በመሆንና ከአካባቢውና ከስራው ጋር ራሳቸውን ባለማዋሃድ የሚያብዱ ፤ በአስገድዶ መድፈር ጉዳት የደረሰባቸውና ያረገዙ ጭምር በሪያድ ኢንባሲ የኮሚኒቲ መጠለያና በጅዳ ቆንስል ግቢ ያለ በቂ መጠለያ ሲንገላቱ ተመልክተናል ፤ እየተመለከትንም ነው ! የሪያድ ተጠላዮች ያበዱትን ከአራት በላይ እህቶች ጨምሮ ከ30 በላይ እህቶች ያሉበት ሁኔታ ከጅዳው የከፋና ብዙ አነጋጋሪ እየሆነ መምጣቱን በተደጋጋሞ በቦታው ተገኝቸ ተመልክቻለሁ ፡፡ የግፉአን እህቶችን ችግር ከጓሯቸው ሄደው በመመልከት መፍትሄ በማፈላለግ እንደመፍታት የተያዘው ምርመራ ደስ አያሰኝም፡፡ ምርመራው እህቶች የፍጥኝ ታስረው ሲጮሁ የሚያሳየውን ይህ አሳዛኝ ተንቀሳቃሽ ምስል (ቪዲዮ) ያነሱት እነማን ናቸው ? ከሚል ጥያቄ ተጀምሮ ጥያቄና መልሱ እስከ ማስፈራራት የዘለቀ እንደሆነ ተረድቻለሁ፡፡ ቪዲዮ አነሱ የተባሉት ሁለት ወጣቶች ሪያድ በሚገኘው ኢንባሲ ቀርበው ተንቀሳቃሽ ካሜራቸውን መቀማታቸን ሰምቻለሁ፡፡ ይገርማል ! የመንግስት ሃላፊዎቻችን መብቱን ሳያስከብሩለትና ሳይጠብቁት ቀርቶ በወገን ላይ የሚደርሰውን ግፍ ሰሚ ይገኝ እንደሁ ያነሱት ወንድሞች  ለማለት እንደተፈለገው "የሃገርን ገጽታ ለማበላሸት" የሚንቀሳቀሱ አይመስሉኝም፡፡ ይልቁንም ለተቸገሩት ውሃና ምግብ ያቀብሉ እንደነበር በቦታው ያገኘኋቸው ገልጸውልኛል፡፡ ያም ሆኖ መብታቸውን ማስከበር ቀርቶ ውሃ ያላቀበሉት ያልሆነ ስም እየለጠፉ ቅን አሳቢዎችን እስከማወገዝ የተንደረደሩበት እርምጃ ይስተዋላል ፡፡ ይህም ደስ አይልም ! እርምጃው " ሌባን ያዙ !" ያለን ጠቋሚ እያሳደዱ ሌባውን ከመልቀቅ ያልተናነሰ ነው ቢባል ማጋነን ይሆን ?

 በጅዳ  ቆንስልም እስከ ትናንትናው እለት ስድስት አዕምሯቸውን የሳቱ (ያበዱ) እህቶችን ጨምሮ ከላይ በጠቀስኳቸው በተለያዩ ችግሩች የተዳረጉ ከ38 በላይ የኮንትራት ሰራተኞች በቆንስሉ ግቢ ታዛና በጠባቧ መጠለያ ተጠልለው ሰንብተዋል፡፡ "ቆንስል መስሪያ ቤቱና ኮሚኒቲው በጥምረት በመስራት ለዘላቂው ችግር መፍትሄ ማፈላለግ ቢሳናቸውም እንዴት መጠለያ እንኳ በአግባቡ አያዘጋጁም ? " በሚል የሰላ ሂስ በነዋሪው እየተሰነዘረ ይገኛል ፡፡ በአንጻሩ ኮሚኒቲና ቆንስል መስሪያ ቤቱ ችግሩን ለመቅረፍ  አማራጭ ፕሮጀክቶችን መንደፋቸውን በጓዳ በር በሚያደርጓቸው ስብሰባዎች በጓዳ በር ይፋ እየሆነ መስማታችን አልቀረም፡፡ ትናንት ምሽት ደግሞ በቆንስል መስሪያ ቤቱ ተጠልለው የነበሩት የኮንትራት ሰራተኞች ወደ ሌላ መጠለያ መላካቸው አነጋጋሪ እርምጃ ሆኗል፡፡ ቆንስሉ ወደ አዘጋጀው አዲሱ መጠለያ ሂዱ ሲባሉ "አሻፈረኝ" ያሉት ግፉአን እህቶች የእንቢታቸውን ምንክያት ሲያስረዱ "ለወራት ከቆስንሉ ግቢ ውስጥ ሆነን ጉዳያችን ያልተፈጸመልን ከአይናቸው ርቀን እንረሳለን ! " የሚል ስጋት እንዳላቸው ገልጸውልኛል፡፡ ያም ሆኖ ከቀናት ውዝግብ በኋላ ትናንት ከምሽቱ ሶስት ሰአት ገደማ አምባሳደር መርዋን በድሪ በቆንስሉ ግቢ በመገኘት ጉዳያቸውን እንደሚከታተሉላቸው ቃል ተገብቶችላቸው ሳይዎዱ በግድ "መዲናተል ሃጃጂ !" ወደ ተባለው የሳውዲ መንግስት ለሃጅ ጸሎተኞች ወዳሰራው መጠለያ ተግዘዋል፡፡ ጉዳዩን በቅርብ የሚከታተሉ ወገኖች ተፈናቃይ የኮንትራት ሰራተኞች ወደ ሌላ መጠለያ መሸጋገራቸው  ምክንያት " እርምጃው ችግረኞችን ለመርዳት ሳይሆን ከባልስልጣናትና ለቪዛና ለተለያዩ ጉዳዮች የሚጎርፈው ሰው እንዳያያቸው ለመድረግ ነው ! " ሲጠቁሙ " ከቆንስል መስሪያ ቤቱ መራቃቸው ድሮም ትኩረት ያልሰጡት ሃላፊዎች ጉዳዩ እንዲዘነጋ ያደርገዋል ፡፡ ትኩረት በመስጠት እንዳይከታተሉት ያደርጋል !" በማለት ስጋታቸውን በመግለጽ ላይ ናቸው፡፡ የኮሚኒቲው ሃላፊዎችና አንዳንድ ወገኖች በበኩላቸው የቆንስል ሃላፊዎች ለወሰዱት እርምጃ ድጋፋቸውን ከመስጠት አልፈው እህቶች የቆንስል መስሪያ ቤቱን እርምጃ በአዎንታ እንዲቀበሉት ያግባቡት ፍሬ አግኝቶላቸዋል፡፡ በማህበረሰቡ ስም የተሰየመው የጅዳ ኮሚኒቲ ዛሬ እየሰራው ያለው ስራ በቅንነት ከሆነ ምስጋና የሚቸረው ቢሆንም ኮሚኒቲው አቅም እያጠረው እያደር መዝቀጡ ትናንትም ሆነ ዛሬ መነጋገሪያ ከመሆን አላለፈም፡፡ ከድክመቱ መነሻና መድረሻው ብዙ ቢሆንም ትምህርት ቤቱና ካፍቴሪያውን ማስተዳደር ተስኖት የሚንከላወሰው የጅዳ ኮሚኒቲ በዜጎች ላይ የሚደርሰው አደጋ እየከፋ ሲሄድ ለችግሩ መፍትሄ ለማፈላለግ ህዝባዊ ስብሰባ ጠርቶ ህዝቡን አለማዎያየቱ ማናችንንም ግራ እንዳጋባ ቀጥሏል፡፡ ይህው ኮሚኒዪ በያዝነው ሳምንት  "የኮሚኒቲው የጡት አባት!" በአሽሟጣጮች የሚሸነቆጠውን የቀድሞውን የኮሚኒቲ ስራ አስፈጻሚ አባላት ጠርቶ ባደረገው ውይይትም ከመንግስት ጋር በመሆን ወደ መጠለያ የሚመጡትን እህቶች ለመርዳትና ለኮሚኒቲው ደጎስ ያለ ጥቅም የሚያስገኝ ትላልቅ ፕሮጀክቶችን መቅረጹን ይፋ ሲያደርግ በ"ኮሚኒቲው የጡት አባት!" የሰላ ሂስ ቀርቦበታል ሲሊ ምንጮቸ ገልጸውልኛል፡፡ በማህበረሰቡ ስም የተደራጀው ኮሚኒቲ በተዘበራረቀ መንገድ እንዲህ ይጓዛል . . . ነዋሪው የሚይዝ የሚጨብጠው አጥቷል፤ የክንትራት ቪዛው ያላሰቡለትን ወረት ያዝገኘላቸው ወገኖች ከበር የሚሰራው ሁሉ ትክክል ነው ሲሉ ይሞግታሉ፤ የመንግስት ሃላፊዎች በሚጸድቀው ቪዛ ልክ ለአባይ ገቢ ማሰባሰቡ ተሳክቶላቸዋል፤ በኮንትራት ስራ የሚመጡት ዜጎች ቁጥር ከቀን ወደ ቀን እያደገ መጥቷል ! የሚገፉ የሚበደሉት ወገኖችም ሮሮ ከቀን ወደ ቀን እያየለ መጥቷል ! ግመሏ ትጓዛለች ፤ ውሾቹም ይጮሃሉ . . . አይን ያለው ይመልከት ፤ ጀሮ ያለው  ይስማ ፤ እዝነ-ልቦና ያለው ራሱን ይጠይቅ !

Published On: Mon, May 7th, 2012

በደብረማርቆስ ዩንቨርስቲ ተማሪዎች እንቅስቃሴ እያካሄዱ ነው ፣ከፍተኛ ነውጥም ተነስቶአል ከ300 ተማሪዎች በላይ በአማራ ክልል ፖሊስ ታስረዋል።



በደብረ ማርቆስ ዩንቨርስቲ ከፍተኛ የተማሪዎች የነውጥ እንቅስቃሴ እየተካሄደ መሆኑን  ከስፍራው የደረሰን ዘገባ ያመለክታል በትላንትናው እለት የተጀመረው የተማሪዎች እረብሻ ዛሬ ረገብ ብሎ ቢዉልም መንግስት የምንፈልገውን እስካላስተካከለልን እንቀጥላለን በማለት ዉሳኔአቸውን ሲገልጹ ውለዋል  ። የዚህ የተማሪዎች ነውጥ ጉዳይ  የተነሳበትን መንስኤ በትምህርት ቤት ዉስጥ የሚገኘው የምግብ ጥራት ከፍተኛ የንጽህና ጉድለት ያለበት ከመሆኑ የተነሳ ብዙ ተማሪዎች ለምግብ ወለድ በሽታ መጋለጣቸውን አንዳድንድ ተማሪዎች ጠቁመዋል ። መንግስት የትምህርት ቤቱችን ጥራት ፋሲሊቲ አሟልቻለሁ እያለ የሚደሰኩረው ውሸት ነው ምንም የተሟላ ነገር የለም በባዶ ነው ትምህርት ቤት ዉስጥ ጊዜአችንን የምናሳልፈው ይህ ደግሞ የእውቀት መገብያ እንጂ እድሜ ማሳለፊያ ወይንም መዝናኛ ክበብ አይደለም ያሉት ተማሪዎቹ መስተካከል የሚገባቸውን ነገሮች ሳይፈታላቸው ሃሳባቸውን መለወጥ እንደማይፈልጉ ጠቁመዋል ። የማለዳታይምስ ዘጋቢ አቡጊዳ ከስፍራው እንደዘገበው ከሆነ በአሁን ሰአት  የተወሰኑ ተማሪዎች ወደ ግቢ በሰላማዊ መንገድ ገብተዋል…..በርካታ በግምት ከ300 ተማሪዎች በላይ ታስረዋል….እጅግ በጣም ብዙ ንብረት ወድሟል…..አንድ አንድ ተማሪዎች አምልጠው ወደ ቤተሰቦቻቸው ሄደዋል…..ለተማሪዎቹ የትራንስፖርተ አገልግሎት ለመስጠት ሲሯሯጡ የነበሩ ደላላዎችም ታስረዋል….በሌላም በኩል ከባህርዳር ወደ ደብረማርቆስ የተላከው ልዩ እዝ የመከላከያ ወታደር እና  የፖሊስ ሰራዊት ወደ ግቢው በመግባት ተማሪዎቹን አፍሶ እንደወሰደ የደረሰን ሪፖርት ያመለከታል ።ይህ የተማሪዎች ነውጥ በዚሁ ከቀጠለው ወደ ሌሎች ትምህርት ቤቶች እንዳይዛመት ተሰግቶአል ሆኖም ግን ከተዛመተ የገዢውን መንግስት አጣብቂኝ ውስጥ ሊከተው እንደሚችል አንዳንድ ግለሰቦች ግልጸዋል ።በተለይም እስላም ክርስቲያን አማራ እየተባለ በተለያዩ ነገሮች ላይ ምንግስት ጸብ የጫረባቸው ነገሮች ሁሉ ከኑሮው ጋር ተደማምሮ ህዝቡን ለአመጽ እየገፋፋው እንደሆነ እና ህዝቡም አማራጭ አጥቶ ዝምታውን እንደመረጠ ስማቸው እንዳይገለጽ የፖለቲካ ተንታኝ ተናግረዋል።

Monday, May 7, 2012

Lønseth subjective self-deception

Although the state has been sued for the return agreement with Ethiopia, leaving Secretary Paul K. Lønseth that still nothing. He has designed a new diagnosis: "subjective fear".

Ulf Ludvigsen
So it is diagnosed they get, the Ethiopians who oppose forced return, "subjective fear". Devoid of any doubt and the ability to question their own stand point, lulled Lønseth of Justice and berdeskapsdepartementet further and further into a sort of false reality. Tilting his security is dangerous for hundreds of Ethiopians in Norway, and it is therefore high time that he was deprived of the luxury of not having to think about individuals. Instead, he is forced to take account of the hiding behind the facade of an Ethiopian dictatorship in the strong economic progress. Do not listen to the experts
Heavy, serious human rights organizations like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, has warned against returning the agreement and referred to the serious and systematic human rights violations, but the government ignores this. They will not listen to Norway's perhaps two leading experts Ethiopia, Kjetil Tronvoll and Siegfried Pause Wang, when they warned the situation in the country. The situation in the Oromo region, where people are subjected to forced deportation and murder by the authorities, says the government does not care. These lands, which the authorities tvangsdeporterer thousands from, sold or rented to, among other Western investors.

Saturday, May 5, 2012

Ethiopia expels 2 Arabs amid tension with Muslim community
Gov’t warns group declared jihad
The Associated Press | May 5, 2012
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia — Ethiopia’s government has expelled two Arabs who flew in from the Middle East after the pair went to a mosque and tried to incite violence, an official said Saturda

The two men visited Addis Ababa’s Grand Anwar Mosque on Friday and disseminated materials and made inflammatory statements, said Shimeles Kemal, state minister of communications. “The Ethiopian government found them to be persona non grata and they were immediately deported,” he said. The men’s nationalities were not made public.
The deportations come one week after security forces arrested a Muslim religious leader in the Oromia region accused of radical statements. A group of Muslims tried to free the imam and clashed with police. Four of the demonstrators were killed and 10 police were wounded, Shimeles said.
“A number of suspects are in police custody. The elders in the community there have helped contain the situation and it remains peaceful since the incident,” Shimeles added.
The country’s Federal Ministry on Thursday issued a statement accusing the unnamed group of trying to declare jihad against the government and incite violence in a number of mosques across the country. The statement said a dozen suspects were recruited by the group from the country’s Oromia, Tigray and Amhara regions to carry out illegal activities are now in police custody.
Prime Minister Meles Zenawi on April 17 told the country’s parliament that a few Salafis formed clandestine al-Qaida cells in the Arsi and Bale zones of the country’s southeastern region and are trying “to erode the age-old tradition of tolerance between traditional Sufi Muslims and Christians in Ethiopia.”
Ethiopia borders Somalia, where al-Shabab militants have pledged allegiance to al-Qaida

Friday, May 4, 2012


Report: Ethiopians could still go hungry despite economic gains

With its population of 91 million expected to double in the next 22 years, and a drier climate, Ethiopia will have trouble feeding its people, a new report says.

By William Davison, Correspondent / April 30, 2012
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
A report forecasting increasing hunger in parts of Ethiopia in the next few decades makes agonizing reading for a proud people eager to see their nation's reputation for human misery banished.
A surging population – the current population of 90.9 million will double over 22 years at the current 3.2 percent growth rate – combined with drier, hotter weather "could dramatically increase the number of at-risk people in Ethiopia during the next 20 years," according to the Famine Early Warning Systems Network study.
The findings follow the Horn of Africa's worst drought in six decades, which left 4.6 million Ethiopians needing emergency assistance last year. Another 7.4 million are classified as "chronically food insecure" by donors. Harvests and pastures are already suffering because rainfall during Ethiopia's two wet seasons has declined 15 to 20 percent over the last 35 years.
In densely-inhabited crop-growing parts of the Rift Valley south of Addis Ababa, rapidly increasing populations will also have to deal with declining rainfall. "It appears likely that the combination of population growth, land degradation, and more frequent droughts will result in more frequent food-related crises," says the study. If temperatures keep rising, conditions in some areas will become too hot for the production of coffee, Ethiopia's primary export.

Meles Zenawi invitation at Camp David is an insult to Ethiopians

by Tedla Asfaw
Meles Zenawi invitation at Camp David is an insult to Ethiopians
Meles Zenawi
Reuters reported today that four African leaders including Meles Zenawi are invited to join the G8 Conference at Camp David session on “Food Security” on May 19 in Maryland. Food Security has been our rallying cry since Meles Zenawi sold or leased more than 2 million hectares for foreign landlords by forcefully removing farmers and indigenous people from their ancestral land. Its target is up to 8 million hectare for sale. It is Cash Security for the regime.

Unlawful Imprisonment In Ethiopia: Intimidated, Tortured And Detained – OpEd

Written by: May 4, 2012


Arrested, jailed and beaten, tortured and imprisoned, this is the recipe for justice that the Ethiopian government serves up to dissenting voices. Men and women peacefully exercising their democratic right, demanding their human rights, crying out for their moral rights. The victimised are not only those living within Ethiopia who attempt to offer an alternative to the current dictatorship, who form and organise political opposition to the Meles regime, but journalists inside Ethiopia and abroad, who dare to speak out in criticism of the governments criminality, human rights violations and policies of indifference.
Amnesty International in its damning report of the Ethiopian government, Dismantling Dissent in Ethiopia (DDE);1 state that from March to November 2011 “at least 108 opposition party members and six journalists have been arrested for alleged involvement with various proscribed terrorist groups.” By November they were all charged with crimes under the internationally criticised Anti Terrorist Proclamation. In addition, Amnesty continues, “six journalists two opposition party members and one human rights defender, all living in exile, were charged in absentia.”
The ‘T’ word as former Secretary General of the UN Kofi Annan, called terrorism, is the umbrella term used by the Ethiopian government (amongst others) to justify the unjust, the dishonest and the criminal. If there is a terrorist organisation flourishing in Ethiopia, committing crimes against humanity and violating the human rights of the people it is State terrorism delivered by the EPRDF government, under the leadership of Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, as this UN definition of terrorism makes clear. “Criminal acts intended or calculated to provoke a state of terror in the general public, a group of persons or particular persons for political purposes are in any circumstance unjustifiable.”2 Fear of the government, fear of reprisal, of violence and [false] imprisonment casts a deep shadow across the people of Ethiopia, whose human rights are being ignored by the Meles regime, that seized power twenty years ago and has brutalised and systematically restricted the peoples freedom and human rights ever since.

Thursday, May 3, 2012

Ethiopia: Serkalem Fasil accepted PEN award for Eskinder Nega



The New York Times
As many of his colleagues fled Ethiopia’s crackdown on the news media, Eskinder Nega stayed to write.
Ethiopia: Serkalem Fasil accepted PEN award for Eskinder Nega
Eskinder Nega
A prominent journalist, Mr. Nega challenged the prosecution of fellow reporters and editors under terrorism laws in reports that ran afoul of those very same laws in the eyes of the government. He went on trial for inciting terrorism and could face the death penalty if found guilty in a hearing scheduled for later this month.
Mr. Nega has stood by his writing and maintained his right to publish. His defiant stance in defense of human rights in Ethiopia earned him a prestigious press freedom award from PEN America in what the literary nonprofit organization said was both recognition of his past work and an attempt to pressure the Ethiopian government into halting its prosecution of journalists.
Ethiopia: Serkalem Fasil accepted PEN award for Eskinder Nega
Serkalem Fasil accepted a press freedom award from PEN America for her husband, Eskinder Nega


ኢትዮጵያዊ ዲያስፖራ ሲፈተሽና ሲጋለጥ

በአለማችን በቀደምት ታሪካቸው ከሚታወቁት አምስት ሃገሮች መካከል አንድዋ ኢትዮጵያ ናት:: ኢትዮጵያ በራስዋ ታሪክ ወግና
ባህል ስትኩራራና ስትመጻደቅ ይሕው ከ 3,000 ዘመን በላይ አስቆጠረች::
ኢትዮጵያኖች በሰፊው ከምንኩርራባቸው ዋና ዋናወቹ የራስ ፊደልና ቋንቋ ፥ ታሪካዊ ሃውልቶች ፥ የክርስትናና እስልምና
እምነቶችን ተቀብለን የባህልችን አካል ያደረግን ፥ ቅኝ ግዛትን አፈርድሜ ያገባን ፥ በውበታችንና በባህላችን ስብጥርነት የምንኮራ
፥ የሃገር አንድነትን ለበዙ ዘመናት የጠበቅን፥ የህግ የበላይነትን ጠንቅቀን የተረዳን ወዘተ ይገኙበታል:: እነኝህ ኩራቶች ግን
ከታሪክነት አልፈው ዳቦ አልባሳትና መጠለያ ሊሆኑን አልቻሉም::
ሊቃውንት እንደሚሉት ከሆነ በጥሩ ታሪክ ላይ የተገነባ ማህበረሰብና ሃገር ለፖለቲካዊ፥ ኢኮኖሚያዊና ሕብረሰባዊ እድገት
የተዘጋጀ ሊሆን ይገባዋል ይሉናል:: በእኛ ሃገር ሁኔታ ግን ይህ መላምትና አስተሳሰብ በተቃራኒው ያለ ይመስላል::
የሀገራችን ስልጣኔና እድገት በአስከፊ ሁኔታ እንደግመል ሽንት ወደ ሗዋላ የሚሂድ፥ ተሻለ ሲባል ደግሞ እንደ ውታደር እርግጫ
ባላበት የሚረግጥ ነው ቢባል ማጋነን አይሆንም:: ለዚህ ሁሉ ችግር ተጠያቂው ማነው ያልን እንደሆነ መልሱ እኛ ይሆናል::
ምክኒያቶችስ ምን ሊሆኑ ይችላሉ ለሚሉት ግን መልሱ እንደዚህ ቀላል አይሆንም:: ይህን ከባድ ጥያቄ ለመመለስ ራሱን የቻለ የስነ
ማህበር፥ የስነ ፖለቲካ ፥ የስነ ኢኮኖሚ ምርምርና ጥናት ያስፈልገዋል:: መጠናትም አለበት:: ለምን ያልን እንደሆነ በሽታው
ካልታወቀ መፍትሔውን ማግኘት ያስቸግራል እና ነው:: ምርምሩና ጥናቱ እስኪደረግ ግን ተጨባጩን ሁኔታ በመዳሰስ መሰረታዊ
የሆኑትን መተንተን ይቻል ይሆናል:: ከሁሉ መቅደም ያለበት ተግባር ግን ራስን መፈተሹ ላይ ማተኮሩ ይጠቅማል:: እራሱን ያላወቀ
ሌላውን አውቆ መለወጥ ያስቸግረዋልና:
Eritrea, North Korea, Syria top list of 10 most censored countries
CPJ | May 2, 2012


New York, May 2, 2012--Dictatorial control over news coverage, achieved through a combination of propaganda, brute force, and sophisticated technology, define the world's top 10 most censored countries the Committee to Protect Journalists found in a new report issued to commemorate World Press Freedom Day. EritreaNorth Korea, and  Syria top the list, underscoring that domestic restrictions on information have broad implications for global geopolitical stability.
“In the name of stability or development, these regimes suppress independent reporting, amplify propaganda, and use technology to control rather than empower their own citizens,” said CPJ Executive Director Joel Simon. “Journalists are seen as a threat and often pay a high price for their reporting. But because the Internet and trade have made information global, domestic censorship affects people everywhere.”
CPJ’s report details how censorship works in each nation and highlights some trends among the censored countries, including disputed legitimacy of leadership and lagging economic development. In Eritrea, only state media is allowed to operate and the international press has been shut out, according to CPJ's report. North Korea’s  official news agency produces all content for local media, while foreign reporters have limited access and are always under surveillance. Syria has imposed a blackout on independent news coverage for more than a year, unleashing a range of physical and electronic attacks while disabling means of communication. The list of top 10 nations is rounded out by IranEquatorial GuineaUzbekistanBurmaSaudi ArabiaCuba and Belarus
The new rankings, which update a  list published in 2006, was determined according to 15 benchmarks assessed by CPJ experts. These include the blocking of websites, restrictions on electronic recording and dissemination, the absence of privately owned or independent media, restrictions on journalist movements, jamming of foreign broadcasts, and blocking of foreign correspondents, among others. All countries on the list met at least 10 benchmarks. CPJ also considered Azerbaijan, Ethiopia, China, Sudan, Turkmenistan, and Vietnam -- all  heavily censored nations that call for scrutiny.
The report is available in ArabicEnglishFrenchRussian, and Spanish.  CPJ also published a video counting down the top 10 most censored countries with a brief outline of their restrictions.
Stop business with TPLF, appeals TaskForce
Press Release | May 2, 2012


ATTENTION: All Ethiopian restaurants and groceries in the Diaspora


Boycott TPLF Task Force (BTF) is formed following a worldwide call by Ethiopian media around the world for the boycott of businesses that generate revenue for the TPLF brutal dictatorship in Ethiopia that is making the country a living hell for most Ethiopians. The revenue these businesses generate is being used by the regime to commit horrible crimes against our people. Our objective is to dry up the regime’s source of income in an effort to lessen its ability to inflict harm on our people.
We therefore appeal to you to stop doing any kind of business with the TPLF regime, and particularly to stop selling injera, teff, beer and other products that are exported from Ethiopia.
The export of injera and teff not only provide hard currency for the TPLF regime, but it is also causing price hike in Ethiopia hurting the people. Imported teff injera is a novelty item, not a necessity. The U.S. grown teff is just as good.
The Task Force would like to thank you in advance for your cooperation

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Eskinder honored with Pen America's "Freedom to Write" Award
By Associated Press | May 2, 2012


Serkalem Fasil receives the award on behalf of her husband, Eskinder Nega (Pen/AP)
Eskinder smiles as he comforts his crying son, Nafkot. The miracle child was born in prison in 2006 when his mom, award-winning journalist Serkalem Fasil was also behind bars for the same reason as her husband.
NEW YORK — An imprisoned Ethiopian journalist and blogger who could face the death penalty for advocating peaceful protests in his Horn of Africa homeland was honored Tuesday with PEN America’s “Freedom to Write” award. Eskinder Nega was arrested in 2011 under Ethiopia’s sweeping anti-terrorism laws, which PEN says criminalize any reporting deemed to “encourage” or “provide moral support” to groups and causes the government deems “terrorists.”
Nega is still in jail after a judge in Addis Ababa found him guilty Jan. 23 on terror charges. He could face the death penalty at sentencing.
Ethiopia has arrested close to 200 people, among them journalists and opposition politicians and members, under last year’s anti-terrorism proclamation.
According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, more journalists have fled Ethiopia than any other country in the world over the past decade.
Nega was honored at PEN/America’s annual gala dinner Tuesday at the American Museum of Natural History, with some 500 PEN members and supporters in attendance.
PEN/America granted him the year’s PEN/Barbara Goldsmith Freedom to Write Award.
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.
Accepting the award was his wife, Serkalem Fasil, a free expression advocate in her own right, who served 17 months in prison for treason starting in 2005 and gave birth to their child behind bars. She won the International Women’s Media Foundation Courage in Journalism Award in 2007.
“The Ethiopian writer Eskinder Nega is that bravest and most admirable of writers, one who picked up his pen to write things that he knew would surely put him at grave risk,” said Peter Godwin, president of 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.”
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.
Nega has also been a columnist for the monthly magazine Change and the U.S.-based news forum EthioMedia, which are also banned in Ethiopia.
He has been detained at least seven times under Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, including in 2005, when he and his wife Serkalem 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 uprisings.
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 Sept. 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 Nov. 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 being held in Maekelawi Prison in Addis Ababa, where detainees are reportedly often tortured