Thanks to TV4 for exposing H&M shameful Business partnership with Sheik Al Amodi

We Ethiopians in Sweden, who support the ongoing struggle back home against the Tigray People Liberation Front (TPLF) injustice and for a democratic change, would like to express our gratitude for your excellent Land grabbing coverage that exposes H&M shameful Business partnership with Sheik Al Amodi in Ethiopia.

Thanks for your coverage; the Swedish People are now much more aware about the land grabbing issue in gambela region in particular and the injustice in the whole Ethiopia in general.

As is well known Ethiopia is a melting pot of various culture with thousand years of independent nationhood. In spite of our long independent nationhood and our great culture of coexistence among our mosaic people, our people aspiration and longtime struggle to establish a western like democratic system has been hindered from being realized by undemocratic regime for many years.

The incumbent TPLF regime, which took power from the military junta 23 years ago promised to establish a democratic system and many Ethiopians who dreamed of democratic change gave it the benefit of the doubt, irrespective of its Stalinist background.

Contrary to all its promises of justice, equality and democratization,  TPLF showed it’s true nature by directly getting engaged not only in executing it’s Stalinist ideology but also in laying the foundation of an apartheid divide and rule system to prolong it’s minority rule.

As part and parcel of its divide and rule strategy,  TPLF has among many other evil things even been engaged in with Land grabbing (which also includes water resource grabbing), and have been leasing our ancestral land for the coming 100 years to transnational companies in a business deal that we Ethiopians are not at all aware of.

The most beneficiary of such a land grabbing business deal is obviously Sheik Alamodi and the top leaders of TPLF who have no shame whatsoever to live in limitless luxury on the expense of the Ethiopians who have been forced to be homeless and go to exile to south Sudan.

This shameful act of Land and water resource grabbing which has devastated the livelihood of millions of Ethiopians in the country side has been going on for many years despite continuous protest against it by Ethiopians and International human right activists.

As the Swedish Government and the Swedish People alike are well aware of, we Ethiopians in Sweden have been for many years protesting against the injustice of the land grabbing in Gambela as well as against the overall injustice i.e. the harassing, the jailing, the killing and mass murdering of every Ethiopians in the country.

All our effort in our protest is and has been to create awareness about the ongoing injustice in Ethiopia and thereby to gather the desperately needed diplomatic support from the Swedish Government and the Swedish People to stop the injustice and to bring a democratic change instead.

In spite of such a noble cause we have been engaged with for many years, the support we have been getting from the Swedish government, Swedish non-governmental organizations, and the Swedish Media has been very much under our expectation.

Nevertheless, we believe that we need to give credit where credit is due. So even if we don’t need to mention names, we say thank you to all of you. Our gratitude is in general for those Swedish politicians, Swedish non-governmental organizations and for those Swedish Journalists whom we know have always stood with us in our struggle against the apartheid TPLF regime in Ethiopia and for democratic change.

Interestingly the extent of such support has recently increased both in magnitude and scope, case in point is the recent decision of the Swedish outgoing government to establish a Task Force to seek justice for the martyrs and victims of the TPLF agazi forces random killing during 2005 Election fraud.

Amid such encouraging changes, it’s very discouraging and hard to apprehend seeing a very reputable worldwide Swedish retailer aligning itself with the Sheik Alamodi and the Apartheid Tigray People Liberation Front (TPLF) regime which among many things is also engaged in with Land grabbing in all its disastrous forms.

Had it not been for TV4’s investigating report that expose the devastating consequences of Landgrabbing and H&M’s connection with it, We Ethiopians know taht H&M would not have at all even admitted it’s involvement. Thanks to TV4, now the Swedish People and the world at large know with whom H&M’s have business deal with.

Sheik Alamodi with whom H&M has established a direct business partnership with is a TPLF member, who in spite of his Saudi Citizenship, is openly involved in taking part in the Ethiopian politics, in its destructive aligning itself with the apartheid TPLF regime.

So for us Ethiopians in diaspora and all Ethiopians back home, it’s very controversial how H&M to begin with ended up in such unholy partnership with Sheik Alamodi.

As is clearly stated in H&M’s corporate business Code of Conduct of, it’s suppliers, their subcontractors and other business partners must abide by its code of conduct which among other things encompasses WORKERS’ RIGHTS, Young Workers right, Transparency and Co-operation, ENVIRONMENT Friendliness, etc.

It is public secret that neither Sheik Alamodi nor the apartheid TPLF regime that he belongs to have any respect of the human right aspects that are stated in H&M Code of Conduct. So how come H&M get involved with such partners?

While confronted by TV4 investigative reporter , Per Hermarud, whether a risk analysis was carried out prior to engaging in business with Sheik Alamodi companies, H&M response was yes, and yet  they did not want to show to the reporter the content of the risk analysis they claim to have carried out.

There is for sure skeletons in the closet, otherwise what is H&M afraid of ?

As a matter of fact, Sheik Alamodi is one of the hardliners of the regime who endorsed the assassination of the 200 innocent Ethiopians by TPLF forces during the vote rigging of the 2005 national election.

So the question worth asking here in this context is, what has changed since 2005 national election fraud regarding respecting basic Human right in Ethiopia that made H& M to decide to joining partnership with Sheik Alamodi and the TPLF apartheid regime, contrary to its principle embedded in its corporate code of conduct.

We Ethiopians in Sweden hope to get answer for our justified questions. As far as we know, the repression and injustice in Ethiopia as has been reported by Human rights watch, Amnesty International, Red Cross, etc has only been intensified for every year that goes.

It is against the backdrop of such intensified human right abuse that H&M decided to joining partnership with the Sheik Alamodi and its backer the TPLF apartheid regime.

To make matter worse H&M still claim that it cares about human right even after TV4’s investigating reported the opposite. So, for us Ethiopians hearing the continuation of H&M’s claim while staying in partnership with Sheik Alamodi is painful.

It just does not make sense, the right decision that H&M needs to make from now on is to reverse its unholy and controversial alliance with Sheik Alamodi and the TPLF apartheid regime, rather than trying to buy time with insignificant changes and keep business as usual.

Once again, We Ethiopians in Sweden are very grateful to TV4 media as a whole and to the TV4 investigating reporter, Per Hermarud, in particular.

It’s our hope that TV4 will continue with such professional investigating report in the area of land grabbing as well as in other areas of injustice in favor of nothing but the truth.

If it continues this way, TV4 as a media will set a good example to other Swedish Medias.  The participation of other Swedish Medias in TV’s path will have a meaningful synergy effect. The Synergy effect will undoubtedly provide a positive contribution to the ongoing struggle in Ethiopia against TPLF tyranny and also contribute its share to bring about a democratic change, where the next Ethiopian government will be elected by the Ethiopian people and serve the Ethiopian people.

EthioSweden Taskforce in Sweden

- See more at: http://www.zehabesha.com/thanks-to-tv4-for-exposing-hm-shameful-business-partnership-with-sheik-al-amodi/#sthash.v5uIuQKl.dpuf

TPLF announces elaborating new law aiming at further criminalizing civil society & private sector

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by Keffyalew Gebremedhin – The Ethiopia Observatory (TEO)

Exactly 55 days, after the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC) on September 19, 2014 approved a load of recommendations to facilitate improvements in Ethiopia’s human rights record, the TPLF regime has chosen to further tighten the nooses of repression against the neck of remnants of Ethiopia’s civil society. As a matter of fact, in keeping with past habits and practices of the regime, this sombre development has also come on the eve of the May 2015 election.

That total membership-wide effort on the part of the United Nations is its so-called Universal Periodic Review (UPR). Its recommendations pertaining to Ethiopia are recorded in document A/HRC/27/17s (press E for English), which, among others, is calling for the removal or revision of the country’s anti-civil society and anti-terrorism laws.

Not surprisingly, instead, today Ethiopians have learned that the TPLF regime has sent to parliament, according to Fana Broadcast – TPLF’s news and information outlet – draft legislation for deliberations by parliament on an “anti-corruption bill focusing on civil society organizations and the private sector.” In Ethiopia, the parliament is nothing different from a ‘potted plant’ of the TPLF, whose 99.6 percent of its seats the regime’s members occupy, rather than it being a body for the peoples’ representatives crafting legislation to advance and protect the interests of citizens and the nation’s wellbeing.

The intention of the draft bill is described as being to create “a legal framework whereby private corporations, unions, share companies, civil society organizations, education and health institutions, banks, insurers, etc. will be held accountable in the fight against corruption.”

An already trodden path

Nonetheless, experience has shown Ethiopians that any illegal action to be taken by the TPLF regime after the 2005 election has, without exception, come on the back of legislations. That shows the TPLF’s mockery, sending an ironic message that casts it as always abiding by the rule of law. By so doing, it is aiming to strengthen its hand, thereby enabling it to take charge of all means of state control over citizens under legal cover. Simply put, in a world full of individuals, small and powerful nations willing to be duped the sense and face of the agency of law allows the Addis Abeba regime to extend its continuation in office until the Second Coming.

A look back to the birth in Ethiopia of the charity society and anti-terrorism laws in 2009 shows that this is how the anti-civil society and anti-terrorism laws have been born in Ethiopia and proved effective in becoming the vehicle of state control and its violences that have resulted in subjugation and subordination of Ethiopians. Any nation with capacity to oversee global leadership is lamenting in secret disappointed how it has become collaborative in this endeavor and in summoning the evil it could not dismiss, such as Ethiopia’s explosive situation.

Notwithstanding the discomforts of passivity this has engendered, global power contiues to be passive observer of the evil designs of the minority group in Ethiopia and elsewhere the influence has reached, as Africa Review recently noted in (Taming the civil society. East Africa aping Ethiopia » Taming the civil society. East Africa aping Ethiopia).

All this because of the prioritization of Western security and economic interests. However, they realize that the mafia is in power in Ethiopia, which has been lusting after the privileges and riches power proffers on its holders and are willing to exercise control, repression and oppression whatever its price – just for their own continuity in the palace. Unfortunately, this Ethiopian experience in repression and control of society since 2009 has proved potent, thanks to the collaboration of China, the West and the global corporate interests. This has forced payment dearly of price by ordinary people in all countries; this path has further diminished open and democratic public space, concern for fundamental human rights, respect for human dignity and equity in society. As Africa Review has observed, this has given the TPLF regime many admirers that are borrowing leaves from the dictator’s book, who has endangered Ethiopia’s future, even governing it from under the grave.

In other words, this is not the first time that something like this is happening in Ethiopia under the TPLF and on the eve of election. Just exactly on the eve of the 2005 election, a band of selected TPLF cadres – under the auspices of the then Mayor Arkebe Oqubay, fanned the length and breadth of Addis Abeba to handover charges of tax evasion initially to well to do business owners. Many individuals were sent to prison. At present, State Minister of Finance Abraham Tekeste of the Ministry of Finance was responsible for snatching Addis Abeba’s lands from its legitimate owners.

The past guiding the present?

The objectives of the marauding at that time by Arkebe’s troops, according to former State Minister Ermias Legesse’s book: የመለስ “ትሩፋቶች” ባለቤት አልባ ከተማ ኤርምያስ ለገሰ, were two: to threaten into submission those well to do people into politically and financially supporting the TPLF.

The election result being what it was – source of displeasure to the TPLF – in the post-election days and weeks, the of mobilizing support by threat was transformed into the transfer from non-Tigreans of prime urban lands, kebele houses and several businesses to Tigrean ownership. The beneficiaries were and are still TPLF civilian officials (ministers, ambassadors, company managers, businesspersons, etc) and senior military officials (above rank of colonel), political cadres (the media and severa in the civil service). With its quality of fungibility and generating more resources, the assets so acquired became the source of enrichment of Tigreans, with support and loyalty to the TPLF, and a further basis of ethnic inequality in Ethiopia, the illegality of has no parallel in Ethiopian history.

In other words, what happened is that when the TPLF realized that the people so much wanted to see its back, the illegal acquisition of Addis Abeba’s prime lands, businesses and homes was translated into action.

While this draft bill before parliament (for formality’s sake), Ethiopians understand that in a very typical fashion befitting the TPLF un-statesman behavior, history is repeating itself. This means that the outcome of this latest exercise with a loyal and submissive parliament is likely to be cruel, dangerous and an added source of dissension likely to be destabilizing in an already strained and resentful society.

Although the draft bill states that it would not be applicable to religious and political organizations, the sense is that Mahibere Kidusan, probably the only independent civil society youth organization in the country under the Ethiopian Orthodox is likely not be outside reach of the TPLF attacks.

Already, the regime has been signaling its lustful intents to do so, including through the use of the Tigrean head of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church patriarchate that has accused them of insubordination and “extremism.” Fortunately, the Synod has openly rebelled and rebuffed the endless interference in Church affairs. This might be the reason why the clause for the inapplicability of the law in its draft form has been specifically included. Since when has the TPLF ever been accountable to laws and institutions of the country?

Similarly, the Muslim society of Ethiopia, especially the youth have been facing lots of state violence, with its committee members going into their second year now.

There is possibly some truth in the story by the TPLF sources that the bill would not be applicable to opposition political parties. This is not because of the TPLF accountability. But simply because from Tigrai in the north to Negele and Arba Minch in the south, Jijiga in the east and Gambella and Benishangul-Gumuz in the east, in brief, the whole width and breadth of the country including in Addis Abeba, the TPLF has managed to abduct, imprison and even kill lots of opposition members and supporters in these three months!
Accountability is rude word for the TPLF regime

Stop for a moment and think of the sister of one of the opposition leaders in Armachiho, Gondar, who at 5:00 A.M. woke up when security forces broke her family’s door to take her brother. She believed in the potency of the law and pleaded with the security forces and at the height of emotion she told them that they had no right to do so or take her brother.

Their response to her was quick: the butt of a gun, whose collapse expedited her exit from their way to find herself in a hospital bed! This is the Ethiopia the TPLF has been ruling!

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Ze-Habesha Website may contain advice, opinions, and statements of various information and content providers. The Website neither represents nor endorses the accuracy of information or endorses the contents provided by external sources. All blog posts and comments are the opinion of the authors. - See more at: http://www.zehabesha.com/tplf-announces-elaborating-new-law-aiming-at-further-criminalizing-civil-society-private-sector/#sthash.BD0451kH.dpuf

የአሜሪካ ድምጽ ፒተር ሃይንላይንን ከሃላፊነቱ አነሳ

(አዲስ ቮይስ) የአሜሪካን ድምጽ ዳይሬክተር ዴቪድ አንሶር የአፍሪካ ቀንድ የበላይ ሃላፊ የነበረው ፒተር ሃይንላይን ከሃላፊነቱ መነሳቱን አሳወቁ። ዳይሬክተሩ ባለፈው አርብ የክፍሉን ሰራተኞች በድንገት ሰብስብስበው እንዳስታወቁት ሃይንላይን ከሃላፊነቱ ተነስቶ በምትኩ የርሳቸው ከፍተኛ አማካሪ የሆኑት ዊሊያም ማርሽ በግዚያዊነት መሾማቸውን ገልጸዋል።

በቅርቡ በአሱዛ ፓስፊክ ዩኒቨርሲቲ ለአቶ ሃይለማሪያም ደሳለኝ ተሰጥቶ የነበረ ክብር መሰረዙ ጋር በተያየዘ ከሄኖክ ሰማእግዜር ጋር በመተባበር የተዛባ ዘጋባ አቅርቧል የሚል ክስ ቀርቦበት የነበረው ፒተር ሃይንላይን የአስተዳደር በደል አቤቱታም በተጨማሪ በስሩ ያስተዳድራቸው ከነበሩ ሰራተኞች ቀርቦበት እንደነበር ለማወቅ ተችሏል።

የአሜሪካ ድምጽ የበላይ ሃላፊዎች በሃይንላይን ላይ የቀረቡትን አቤቱታዎች መመርመራቸውንና ከፍተኛ የአሰራር ጉድለቶች እንደነበር ማረጋገጣቸው ታውቋል። በጋዜጠኛና አክቲቪስት አበበ ገላው አቤቱታ የቀረበበትን ዘገባ በተመለከተ የአሜሪካን ድምጽ የበላይ አስተዳደር (Board of Broadcasting Governors) ጉዳዩን በጥልቀት መርምሮ ዘገባው ያለተሟላና ከአሜሪካ ድምጽ ደረጃ በታች የወረደ ነበር ሲል መግለጹ ይታወሳል።

ይሁንና የአሜሪካን ድምጽ የአማርኛ ክፍል ግዜውን በጠበቀ መልኩ አግባብ ያለው እርምትና ማስተካከየ ሳያደርግ መቅረቱና ስህትቱን ከማረም ይልቅ መሸፋፈን በመምረጡ ተጨማሪ አቤቱታ ለቪኦኤ የበላይ ሃላፊዎች ቀርቦ እንደነበር አበበ ገላው ገልጿል።

አበበ በተለይ ፒተር ሃይንላይን እንደ ባለስልጣን ሃላፊነት በተሞላበት መልኩ ማስተካከያ ከማድረግ ይልቅ አደናጋሪና የተዛቡ ዘገባዎችን በተደጋጋሚ እንዲቀርቡ ማድረጉ ለእርምጃው መወሰድ ትልቅ አስተዋጽኦ እንዳለው የውስጥ አዋቂዎችን በመጥቀስ አስረድቷል።

አዲሱ የአፍሪካ ቀንድ ሃላፊ ሆነው የተሾሙት ማርሽ ከዚህ በፊት በተመሳሳይ ሃላፊነት ለሶስት አመታት ማገልገላቸው የታወቀ ሲሆን በሰራተኞች የተከበሩና ለሙያቸው ትልቅ ከበሬታ ያላቸው መሆኑን ለማወቅ ተችላሏል። ፒተር ሃይንላይን ከሃልፊነት ቦታው ወርዶ ያልምንም አስተዳደራዊ ሃላፊንት ወደ አፍሪካ ክፍል መዛወሩ ለመረዳት ተችሏል።