Stop Unlawful Acts of TPLF/EPRDF –Sponsored Terrorism Against Ethiopian Muslims or Face Future Charges

SMNE Warning to the TPLF/EPRDF to Uphold Its Constitution:

Ethiopians of Muslim faith have taken to the streets of Ethiopia to peacefully demand religious freedom in Ethiopia. According to their demonstration organizers, the numbers of protesters will increase to new levels of participation in the coming days and weeks; while at the same time, the TPLF/EPRDF government warns of new cracks down, some of which have already taken lives, injured young and old and resulted in the arrests of thousands of political prisoners.
This is no easy issue to resolve. Freedom of religion is close to the hearts of millions of Ethiopians, not only Muslims but all people who seek to pursue their faith and conscience without restriction. This has created a deadlock where the TPLF/ERPDF’s position is unsustainable without making concessions; however, based on past actions, it is highly doubtful that the TPLF/EPRDF will take the necessary steps to prevent the situation from escalating out of control, especially if the TPLF/EPRDF-sponsored violence against civilians is continued.
The Solidarity Movement for a New Ethiopia (SMNE) strongly urges the TPLF/EPRDF and all its security forces to genuinely uphold the Ethiopian Constitution, first by not interfering with the legal right of Ethiopian citizens to peacefully protest. Any violence at the hands of the TPLF/EPRDF or others, resulting in injury or murder, that is directed at unarmed, peaceful protesters may be considered acts of terrorism against the Ethiopian civilians. Those individuals involved, both those giving the orders and those executing them, may be charged with terrorism in due time. Under international laws, perpetrators may also be charged with crimes against humanity. We caution the TPLF/EPRDF to not harm any peaceful protestors during this legal protest even more so because your government is already becoming increasingly known for its serial human rights violations against innocent Ethiopians.
Secondly, as Ethiopian Muslims protest TPLF/EPRDF interference in their internal religious affairs, we urge the TPLF/EPRDF to relinquish control of religious organizations, a right given to all Ethiopians in the Constitution of our country yet also denied to Ethiopians of other religious traditions, like Ethiopian Orthodox, Evangelicals, Jews and others.
According to organizers, Ethiopian Muslims seek religious freedom within a secular society where all Ethiopians have the same freedom of worship along with other basic rights. They have called on the TPLF/EPRDF to follow the Constitution; however, this struggle for religious rights is not new. The TPLF/EPRDF has waged a decades-long assault on religious organizations and people of faith which now includes government control of Muslims leaders and educators, forcing leaders of their own choosing on Ethiopian Muslims. Those chosen to lead the Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs are leaders who will not challenge TPLF/EPRDF authority and who are also seeking to impose the teachings of a Middle Eastern sect of Islam, strongly opposed by Ethiopian Muslims.

The TPLF/EPRDF has also exerted pressure on the Ethiopian Orthodox Church to accept leaders of their choosing, ensuring cooperation with the regime. As a result, the church is split in two, one in exile and one in Ethiopia. This is against the law. Recently, Gebremedhin Araya, the former TPLF head of finance and a close colleague of former Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, revealed just how calculating, determined and brutally executed was the TPLF plan to destroy both Islam and Christianity in Ethiopia, starting in the Tigray region. Please click at the link to read Gebre Medhin Araya piece, http://ecadforum.com/2013/07/27/who-were-they-then-who-are-they-now/ He also names those allegedly involved, many of whom still maintain positions of power within the TPLF/EPRDF.
The Marxist-Leninist underpinnings of the revolutionary democracy of the TPLF/EPRDF have been hostile to our Ethiopian people of faith from its onset. The assault on religion was carried out with similar brutality from the beginning of the TPLF (TLF) rebel movement—with murder, kidnappings, disappearances, and widespread intimidation. It continues today. This attempt to diminish belief in God and the moral authority of religious organizations was also clearly laid out in the TPLF/EPRDF strategic plan from 1993. Please click at the link to read the TPLF/EPRDF strategic plan http://www.enufforethiopia.net/pdf/Revolutionary_Democracy_EthRev_96.pdf. This plan, which was distributed to TPLF/EPRDF members as a means “to establish hegemony and perpetual rule”, provides documentary evidence backing up Ato Gebremedhin Araya’s allegations.
Part of this plan included the infiltration of religious groups in order to counter their influence and use them to serve the goals of the TPLF/EPRDF.
“In the process of countering these [religious] organizations’ influence, the focus should not be on the leadership but rather on their branches at the village level; the religious leaders at the grassroots level are closer to the people. Without denying them [religious organizations] due respect, we should mold their views, curtail their propaganda against Revolutionary Democracy, and even use them to serve our end. Focus on the lower level does not mean the upper echelon should be forgotten. We should forge a close relationship with this stratum, find out and exploit to our advantage their internal contradictions, and at least disable them from coordinating their propaganda against us. If possible we should use them to disseminate the propaganda of Revolutionary Democracy.”[i]
As many shudder at the evil intent of the TPLF/ERPDF to destroy sincere religious practice, no one can deny the TPLF/ERPDF’s success in intruding into the affairs of Ethiopian religious institutions. Ironically, the hope of a more just, caring, equitable and reconciled Ethiopia may rest on the shoulders of those people of sincere faith who can provide the moral strength, healing and direction necessary for the restoration of Ethiopia. People of diverse faiths may work together for the common good in ways unseen before this time.
For eighteen months, Ethiopian Muslims have been protesting government religious interference without incident. They have shown respect towards others and there has been no violence or destruction of property. However, in the past months, the TPLF has arrested countless Muslim leaders and/or organizers of the protests and desecrated their mosque.
In the last few weeks, the TPLF/ERPDF have increased the use of violence. In the cities of Kofale and Tatolamo, the TPLF/EPRDF used excessive force against unarmed civilians that led to the killing of innocent people, including women, children and elderly persons. The death toll now stands at twenty-five. 
On August 8, the TPLF/ERPDF attacked Muslims in Addis Ababa, Dessie, Welkite and Afar as they celebrated Eid Mubarak. According to reports we received from people on the ground, many were seriously injured after being beaten with bats, the barrels of guns and other objects. Countless others were arrested. Eyewitnesses told the SMNE that the injured were denied treatment at local hospitals due to orders from the TPLF/EPRDF. A pregnant woman died of her injuries.
We are very disturbed by these testimonies; however what is encouraging is how the injured were not only helped by other Muslims, but how Christians who lived nearby came to their rescue to help the injured. This is further evidence that this is not a religious issue between people of differing faiths but about government suppression of religion and other basic rights.
These Christians who came out to help their fellow Ethiopians, even bringing the wounded into their homes, were connected by their shared humanity. When they were hurt, the Christians were there to help them. People of faith must stand together like this even while holding differing beliefs.

As the TPLF/EPRDF commits increasing acts of violence, propaganda is being spread that their violence is necessary in response to Muslim extremists. This has not been part of the history of Muslims in Ethiopia but instead is a deliberate attempt to slander Ethiopian Muslims when it is increasingly apparent that it is the TPFL/EPRDF that has been committing acts of violence. The trademark of this regime, even when in the bush operating as a gorilla rebel movement, was to create false flag operations where members of the TPLF committed acts of terrorism while posing as the enemy. At that time, the U.S. State Department had classified the TPLF as a terrorist group and little has changed.
We have previously spoken of other more recent false flag acts perpetrated for political and economic reasons, including one in Addis Ababa that appeared in Wiki leaks where the TPLF/EPRDF set bombs in Addis Ababa in order to blame, charge and arrest various

Gambella Nilotes United Movement/Army

GNUM/A Press Release     

 “Unity for Peace and Freedom for the People of Gambella”
Second Year Anniversary of GNUM/A
August 10, 2013 is the Second Historical Anniversary day of GNUM/A, wishing peace and freedom for all people of Gambella and the Nilotic Omotic people of the Southwest Ethiopia. This is a special day in the history of the Gambella People for their commitment they showed to come together as one force to fight for their freedom, security, and development through sacrifice, to end the oppression from Ethiopian regimes. This day will be remembered by all unity-loving-people of Gambella, and the people who participated directly or indirectly in all process of building the unity including their exercise of the democratic rights to vote for their leaders for self-determination.
As fully supported by many Gambella communities and their representatives from different part of the world, the unity that formed in this day in East Africa, was very successful and fruitful for the indigenous people of Gambella, and it has further embraced the other Nilotic-Omotic people of Southwest Ethiopia, through the vision of the umbrella organization called SENPIM (Southwestern Ethiopia Nilotic-Omotic Peoples Independent Movement.)
The Gambella Nilotes United Movement/Army has worked very hard and achieved tremendous results toward orienting people for peaceful and unity among the indigenous people of Gambella and the neighboring Nilotic Omotic people. In the last two years of unity for freedom, GNUM/A has come a long way and has gratefully accomplished many political and organizational activities to have the idea of political dialogue and form political alliances with different opposition political movements of Ethiopia with same vision and mission. As it is a day of unity for the freedom of Gambella people, it is also a day of new hope and new beginning for future of Gambella. As the dictator and corrupt leaders of Ethiopian regimes have continued carrying out their cruelty and brutality through military operations against the indigenous populations, the people of Gambella didn’t lose hope for the victory to come. This day will be commemorated as a day of great political event and achievement in our political history of Gambella, in which different political movements have shown tolerance and came together as one body and discussed their future. The commitment showed in creating unity for the people of Gambella living in east African countries should be built upon to unify our resources for common objective. We are calling upon all people of Gambella around the world to remind again that, the best way to freedom and victory to overthrow the repressive TPLF/EPRDF government is only through bringing the resources together than operating in different line of operation both politically and militarily. Gambella Nilotes United Movement/Army would like to urge all people of Gambella to stand together as one force. Our journey of liberation will be concluded with your clear and majority support for the freedom of the oppressed of the Southwest Nilotic-Omotic people including Gambella. The Gambella Nilotes United Movement/Army would like to take this opportunity to bring the attention of all people of Gambella in the diaspora and in the homeland that our freedom is in our hand and requires our commitment and sacrifice to remove the dictator regime of TPLF/EPRDF government in collaboration with other opposition parties outside the country. And we would like to urge all the oppressed Nilotic Omotic indigenous peoples to stand together and fight the TPLF regime. As we struggle together, we should not be divided by the regime along the tribal or ethnic lines or clans. As we discriminated and marginalized against our race, color and cultures we should denounce any tribal rivalries or divisions of any kind, we should unite our peoples around the common enemy. In celebrating this day, we shall solemnly remember our heroes’ brothers and sisters too who sacrificed their lives for justice and freedom of Gambella people and we wish to assure to carry out this vision alive. We should remember our prisoners also who are currently suffering under the TPLF/EPRDF brutality and cruelty in various prisons in Ethiopia. We should be aware that since 1991 the TPLF/EPRDF government took many of our indigenous people into prisons and some are still under detention in different military barracks, some died in the prison, and some their fates are not yet known. We condemn the whole inhuman treatment and the attacks against the civilians in the Gambella region or elsewhere in the country by the TPLF/EPRDF government. Today, while we are celebrating our second year anniversary, we grieve with our evicted farmers and the indigenous populations whose their land has been sold out by the TPLF/EPRDF government and their cronies. Our stand should be known clearly that the indigenous land is community property which generates a source of our pride and identity. As the Ethiopian constitution provides the UN principles and others, in which the Ethiopian government signed by itself and obliged by them, the TPLF/EPRDF government is breaching its own constitution and the international laws which protect the indigenous rights and freedom to extinct our populations and take the land. We hold the TPLF/EPRDF government accountable for robbing our land without informed consent of our peoples. As land is our God given gift to our people we will never allow the TPLF/EPRDF government to lease our land and impoverish our people in their own territories. We also hold the government accountable for the atrocities (whether directly or indirectly) it is carrying out against the indigenous populations in their ancestral land. Currently, we have more than 20,000 refugees in South Sudan and Kenya among which 55% are children and women. The Ethiopian government intelligence service and the embassies in these countries are interfering and harassing the lives of refugees by putting too much pressure on the host governments to mistreat our people in exiles. In extreme case our refugees in Alaari, Pochalla County of South Sudan have been relocated to Gorom, Juba, after some were killed by the South Sudanese soldiers in Pochalla, and they are still under harassment and are being mistreated through the interference of the Ethiopian security forces in Juba. For this abusive mistreatment of our refugees in Juba we urge the UNHCR to observe and enforce its international laws in respect to the protection of our refugees in South Sudan. We would like to call upon the EU, UN, Human Rights Organizations and all Democratic Nations to observe their funding to Ethiopia as the government is misappropriating these funds to help increase the extinction and eviction of the indigenous populations from their lands. We would like to call up the international community to condemn the plans and practices of the TPLF/EPRDF regime against our indigenous populations and urge to stop funding the regime. Finally, we are calling the TPLF/EPRDF to stop harassing the indigenous people, detention, tortures, and killing of the civilians inside the country. The government has to stop treating the indigenous people like animals. Land grabs and forced displacement of the indigenous populations has to stop without conditions. We oppose any indirect settlement of the highlanders especially from the north in our land to assimilate and extinct our people in the land. Our indigenous members and the communities who are suffering in the TPLF/EPRDF prisons should be released without any conditions. Failure or ignorance not to accept these calls the TPLF/EPRDF government will bear the full responsibility for damage in the region, and the struggle for the people of Gambella will continue until full realization of our self-determination in our ancestral land. Our land is our identity, dignity, history, and land is our communal property and meaning of our self-worth in the region. It is politically very emotional to our souls in which we are determined and ready to sacrifice our lives at any cost.

“UNITY FOR PEACE AND FREEDOM FOR THE PEOPLE OF GAMBELLA” ONE PEOPLE, ONE GOAL GNUM/A CENTRAL COMMITTEE

 

The Machakil vaccine and the accompanying cruelty

Recently, I read a paper written in Amarigna concerning an unethical and illegal sterilization practice performed in the name of infection prevention among the native people of Machakil in Gojjam, Ethiopia. This paper has been circulating to individuals in various electronic communication media. According to the writer of the paper, the sterilization procedure involved the administration some kind of unidentified tablets to men and the injection of tetanus vaccine to women aged 18 t0 49 years. Both “medicines” were described to be donated by an American NGO.

The tablets were given to the men under the cover of preventing trachoma. Shortly after taking these tablets, the men were reported to suffer from severe fever, gastrointestinal disturbances, hemorrhoids, and impotency. Some men who could not stand these toxic effects were reported to die. None of the women was given any such medicine for the claimed trachoma prevention.
In the name of tetanus prevention, the women within the age group indicated were injected “tetanus vaccine” every month, whether they were at a risk of contracting the infection or not. Most of these women were reported to experience sicknesses of various types, miscarriages, sterilization and even death. Neither males nor females outside the above age range were given any vaccine for tetanus prevention, although there was no scientific justification for not doing that if the program conducted was truthful as communicated to the local people involved.
From the information provided in the paper, it is not possible to know the nature of the tablets given to the men unless one gets hold of them or makes analysis of specimen obtained from the men who have taken them. However, since” tetanus vaccine” was mentioned to have been given to the women, comments can be made on this aspect of the deceptive scheme carried out in Machakil.
Under normal circumstances, a tetanus toxoid vaccine is given to a person to prevent the effect of tetanus (bacteria) infection, which usually occurs through an open wound. The incidence of infection with tetanus is higher in areas with poor sanitary conditions, particularly in farming communities. Once antibody to the tetanus bacteria is formed in the body in response to the administered vaccine, it stays effective at least for ten years. During this time, a person can be protected from tetanus infection. However, since the times of vaccination, and hence the duration of antibody protection, are not usually recalled correctly by most people, the vaccine is given to suspected victims of infection more often than is needed in order to avoid the risk of infection consequences. To minimize inconsistence and possible risks of adverse consequences, there is a standard care practice in many places for giving tetanus toxoid vaccine. Within a reasonable time limitation and dose, the administration of the right kind of vaccine does not cause any major harmful effects. As such, tetanus vaccines are recommended for infants, children, teens and adults of both sexes to prevent tetanus. Authorities also support that it is okay to receive the tetanus vaccine during pregnancy when the need arises. Normally, in all these situations the side effects produced by the vaccine are mild and quite tolerable by most people.
From the above discussion, it seems that the tetanus vaccine given to the women in Machakil was different from the standard vaccine used for tetanus prevention: (1) it was sex and age selective and (2) it was administered far more frequently, with no regard to the duration of action of the antibody formed and to the possibility of over-dosage toxicity by the vaccine. In addition, the medical history of the female patients described clearly suggests that there is something more to it.
Reviewing published materials on related topics reveals similar incidences in different parts of the world with the use of vaccine preparation given under the cover of preventing tetanus. These places included some regions of Mexico, China, Philippines, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Bangladesh, India, Thailand and Yemen. As with the observed toxic consequences, the vaccine preparations, the selections of persons for “vaccination” and the frequencies of injections were more or less similar in all these places and Machakil. Since the goal of this unusual vaccination was to induce sterilization in women (during their reproductive ages) in the other places identified, this should be the reason for its implementation in Machakil too.
How does a vaccine supposed to work against tetanus infection ends up working as a tool to sterilize women? Here is a possible explanation.
Under proper conditions, following sexual intercourse between a man and a woman, the egg of the woman gets fertilized and the processes of pregnancy kick off. Until the time of delivery, pregnancy is maintained by complex mechanisms, involving the actions of various types of endogenous chemicals known as hormones. One of the crucial hormones involved in maintenance of pregnancy is the human chorionic gonadotrophin (HCG). HCG works indirectly by stimulating the release of other hormones which can, more directly, enable the uterus to maintain pregnancy. If the formation/release or function of HCG is impaired for any reason pregnancy cannot be maintained as it occurs naturally. Previous investigations have shown that the tetanus toxoid preparation that has been implicated in sterilization contains HCG conjugated to the toxoid molecule. After administration of this preparation, anti-HCG antibodies are produced in the body, which are capable of neutralizing the effect of the naturally occurring HCG. HCG then becomes ineffective to maintain pregnancy thus leading to miscarriage or sterility. Therefore, when a woman has sufficient anti-HCG antibodies in her system due to the administration of multiple doses of HCG-coupled tetanus toxoid, she is rendered incapable of maintaining a pregnancy. Along with this, the very high doses of the counterfeited tetanus toxoid administered cause a number of other toxic effects, some of which are describe above as reported by the victims of the Machakil scheme.
To the knowledge of this writer, the Machakil sterilization scheme is the first of its kind in Ethiopia. As noted above, since similar experiences have been encountered by people in other countries, a lesson can be learnt from those experiences. Among the actions taken in favor of the victims of such harmful vaccines were refusal to be injected with suspected preparations, filing of law suits against perpetrators of such crimes, and the provision of support from fellow countrymen, health professionals and human rights groups. Similar avenues should be explored to help the victims of Machakil and possibly those next in line.
Although similar cases are known to have existed in other places, the Ethiopian situation appears to be unique and more serious. A specific ethnic group identified as Amara was targeted for vaccination and mass sterilization. In addition, unlike the situation in other places, it was not only women who were the targets of this grand conspiracy, but men were also made to be part of it, as stated in the paper referred to above. In this regard, it is highly important to follow the cases of the men and identify the toxic tablets given to them. This inhuman and cruel treatment of innocent fellow human beings of selected ethnicity is far beyond the violation of medical ethics, but it is a pure act of genocide. The matter should be dealt with accordingly and the perpetrators of the crime should be brought to justice. For the sake of humanity and for everybody’s interest, every effort should be made to assure this. ---
The writer can be reached at wazeleke@yahoo.com

Ethiopia: Where is Religious Freedom Headed?

by Alemayehu Fentaw Weldemariam – TRANSCEND Media Service

The fear of an Ethiopian Spring has to be factored in the internal security matrix of a dictatorial regime such as Ethiopia’s, since the populist “spring” events in the MENA region have proven to be a potent means of removing dictatorships in North Africa.  The lesson is powerful.  It is evident that the Ethiopian security apparatus has seriously taken this factor into account with the mounting crackdown on journalists, opposition leaders, and Muslim protesters.
The current Ethiopian regime also has a rational fear of Islamist terrorism.  But it is questionable whether that fear arises from a threat posed by the Ethiopian Muslim population.  I would argue that the threat principally emanates from Al-Shabab in Somalia and the Ogaden National liberation Front (ONLF) in the Somali Region of Ethiopia.  Al-Shabab is part of the international terrorist network of Al-Qaeda, while the ONLF is a domestic insurgent group doubling down on Islamism and ethno-nationalism.  Another domestic insurgent group that might possibly leverage both Islamism and ethno-nationalism is the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF), although that would be a challenge given the OLF’s stated secular policy of religious equality.
It seems to me that it is high-time that the Muslim movement for religious freedom has to prove that it is free of what I call the “mencha menace mentality” of some ethnic and religious groups.  If any one ethnic-based political group, say the OLF or the ONLF, uses this to mobilize its constituencies to take violent action against not only the non-Muslim population but also the government of the day, the movement certainly runs the risk of losing not only any broad-based popular support, but also any legality.
The word “mencha” is for the Oromo machete. It was used recently in a public speech by Jawar Mohammed, a high-flying Oromo and Muslim activist based in the U.S., when he said they would cut the necks of non-Muslims in his hometown in Arsi.  Following this speech, Jawar has turned out to be more of a liability than an asset to the cause of peaceful Muslim protesters.  It was very sad to see a brilliant, Western-educated young man turn himself into a Merchant of Mencha Menace. It seems that he’s completely carried away by Oromo ethno-nationalism so much so that he has deliberately fused altogether the Muslim movement with the Oromo nationalism of OLF.
I am not sure what the peaceful resistance rhetoric of Ethiopian Muslims means in practical terms in the face of the Mencha rhetoric of Jawar, and by extension Badr Ethiopia, an Islamic non-profit based in Washington, D.C., which according to some observers, constitutes the core of the Diaspora support of the movement back home.  Dr. Derese Kassa replied to my recent social media post in the following words, “the one horrifying reality that you aptly pointed out here is the regression of a broad-based popular nonviolent movement for basic human rights sizing itself down both in scale, essence and tactics.  Scale-wise to representing Oromo nationalism. Essence-wise from a social movement to an organized party movement of one or more political groupings. And tactic-wise from nonviolence to violence-talk of mencha mindsets and tone. If these attempts consummate, then we shall talk of the movement in general as the ‘market of menace’”.
There is no more telling example of the growing dominance of this mentality and mode of thinking among the young Oromo elites than what Kadiro Elemo recently posted on social media.  Elemo said, commenting on the police brutality in response to the protests that took place at the Eid Al-Fitr prayers on 7 August 2013, that “[t]he singularity of the image [of] Ethiopia as a Christian island explains the logic of the rise of Muslims with machetes against the Ethiopian forces.”  This is tragic in more than one sense.  I’ve been following the Muslim protests from the start and my heart goes out to the victims of the repression.  But whether he meant that by way of explanation or justification, and if his claim that Muslims are rising with machetes against non-Muslims is correct, which I really doubt, then I don’t see what he is accusing the security forces of perpetrating.  The only logical implication is that the security forces are discharging their duties, i.e., keeping the peace and public order.
Another factor influencing public perceptions has to be the rumor circulating that the ongoing Muslim protests are being supported by Egypt.  It is doubtful that an unstable Egypt is likely to destabilize Ethiopia by sponsoring Ethiopian Muslim protests, especially since the recent Egyptian military ousting of the Morsi-led government.  However, since Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood have declared an “open option” to restore its regime through the use of any subversive measures, including the military, this “rumor” could become a “fact” in the security mindset of the current Ethiopian government.
My prognosis of the protests is that they will surely grow to such a degree that the Ethiopian Government becomes too frustrated to effectively manage the situation.  However, I do not expect the protesters to resort to violent means in the course of their protests.  My fear is that the government will eventually resort to more force than is warranted under the circumstances, and recent events indicate that this may be already taking place. Since this past Saturday, news reports out of Ethiopia claim that some 12 people have been killed, 35 wounded, and hundreds arrested in Arsi in connection with the Muslim protests, although the Ethiopian state television reduced the numbers of the fatalities to just three.  This is in addition to the killing of seven protesters in Assassa in April 2013 and Gerba in October 2012, which included a large number of wounded and the imprisonment of a number of protesters on terrorism charges.  It is expected that the Muslim protesters will continue to come out en masse on Fridays and that the security forces will be expected to provoke them in order to use deadly force.
Turning to the issue of how justified are the demands of the protestors, that is, to what extent is the Ethiopian government meddling in religious affairs, it is important to consider the legal regime governing religious freedom in Ethiopia.  The Ethiopian constitution provides for freedom of religion and requires the separation of state and religion.  Article 11 provides for the separation of state and religion, and stipulates that state and religion are separate; that there shall be no state religion; and that the state shall not interfere in religious matters and religion shall not interfere in state affairs.  In addition, Article 27 guarantees freedom of religion, belief and opinion and provides that all Ethiopian citizens have the right to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion.  This right includes the freedom to hold or to adopt a religion or belief of one’s choice, and the freedom, either individually or in community with others, in public or private, to manifest this religion or belief in worship, observance, practice, and teaching.
Without prejudice to the provisions of sub-Article 2 of Article 90, believers may establish institutions of religious education and administration in order to propagate and organize their religion.  These protections and rights continue, in that no one shall be subject to coercion or other means that would restrict or prevent his or her freedom to hold a belief of choice and that parents and legal guardians have the right to bring up their children ensuring their religious and moral education in conformity with their own convictions.  The freedom to express or manifest one’s religion or belief may be subject only to such limitations as are prescribed by law and are necessary to protect public safety, peace, health, or the education, public morality or the fundamental rights and freedoms of others, and to ensure the independence of the state from religion.
Nevertheless, the Muslim community in Ethiopia has for nearly two years now been holding protests at mosques around the country against what it perceives as Ethiopian Government interference in religious affairs.  The protesters are demanding that the current government-selected members of the Islamic Affairs Supreme Council (Majlis) be replaced by elected representatives, and that elections for Majlis representatives be held in mosques rather than in the Kebeles.  Some members of the Muslim community accuse the Ethiopian Government of controlling the Majlis and sponsoring the propagation of Al-Ahbash, a little known sect of Islam.  Given the rich and robust legal framework in place for the protection of religious freedom in Ethiopia, what is it that is holding the Ethiopian Government back from respecting religious freedom?  Why does it resist with unwarranted deadly force under the circumstances? Of course, this points to another important factor, namely, Ethiopia’s regional role as the military powerhouse of the Horn of Africa and its international role as key partner in the war on terror in the Horn and continued enjoyment of the assistance that come with the status from the West.  But it does more than anything else confirm our initial proposition. By engaging in a sheer show of force, the regime hopes to deter any future possible mass protests.
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Alemayehu Fentaw Weldemariam holds a joint appointment at University of Texas’s LBJ School of Public Affairs and Austin Community College. Most recently, he’s been appointed as Visiting Professor of Government at Suffolk University in Boston.

The Political Legacy of Horror Must End!

by T.Goshu

Let me make myself clear before I proceed to the comment I want to make that, as the very dirty/bloody political game is our yesterday’s terrible memory, I do not want to go into detail description here. I am well aware that there may be many fellow Ethiopians who may comment that it is better to focus on the question of what is to be done about the current challenge we are facing than going back and reflect what happened. I agree that this makes a lot of sense in general terms. But I strongly believe and argue that as long as the challenges we continue to face are the accumulation of the legacy of our political horror; our observation, description, analyses, arguments, dialogues and conversations cannot afford to escape the making of necessary or imperative repetition. Yes, I strongly believe that the way we approach should be relevant and politically sound to our present situation and to the way forward. Yes, there is no need to reflect and regret just for the sake of making reflection and regret. Our arguments, conversations, analyses, dialogues and the like should serve our great purposes ahead of us. This said, let me proceed to the comment I am intended to make.
It goes without saying that our political history had been and has been to be deeply and terribly far from the very essence of democratic and human rights values and practices. Yes, the patriotic history made by our forefathers and foremothers in fighting against external invaders, and passing an independent country from generation to generation is so glorious. Needless to say, this side of our national pride is a very phenomenal source of encouragement and pride not only to us but also to people who had suffered under colonial rules.
Unfortunately enough, our glorious history of independence has not been and is not being complemented with modern or civilized political culture. Being victims of an age-old political suppression, economic impoverishment and social degradation, the people of Ethiopia welcomed the “revolution” with a considerable degree of optimism in the first half of the 1970s. The young generation of the time, particularly students had played a very great role, and subsequently paid ultimate sacrifices hoping that the political history of deception and nepotism (the monarchy), and the fascistic military regime (the derg) would come to an end. Sadly enough, the genuine aspiration of the generation to move forward with better political and socio-economic way of life had miserably been crashed by a bunch of military officers who had no any sense of democratic and human rights values.     The people of Ethiopia were forced to praise (better to say worship) “the new” merciless rulers and their self- dehumanized intellectual cronies for almost two decades.
Do not get wrong that I am arguing that those opposition political actors were blameless. What I am trying to reflect is that in any political discourse the biggest and heaviest duties and responsibilities rest on the shoulders of those who were and are in political power. Have we had such a political discourse throughout our political history? Absolutely none! There was no and there is no doubt that those opposition political actors had contributed to the continuation of the legacy of staying in power by any means including the killing state machinery. This of course was because of their miserable failure to rally and stay firm around major national issues and challenges.
Because of the unbelievable degree of sufferings they went thorough under the military regime,    the people of Ethiopia once again hoped for the better when the then rebel group and the current ruling party snatched the political power from the military dictatorship by the use of the same killing machine. The innocent people of Ethiopia once again became victims of another tragic political chapter. Needless to say, as democratic and human rights vales and practices have never been parts and parcels of the very nature and practices of TPLF/EPRDF, certain level of hope that the people expected in the begging of the 1990s turned into desperation and frustration year after year. The political system of sheer military dictatorship was replaced by a very dangerously cynical and hypocritical ruling group.  The TPLF/EPRDF government reinforced its political power with a very dangerous politics of ethnicity and hatred, senseless politics of revenge over the majority of the people who had no and have no anything to do with the political messes or mistakes made by the previous rulers of the country. These and so many other devastating political games manifested themselves in a very tragic manner during the 2005 national elections. Sadly enough, the great inspiration and hope of the innocent people of Ethiopia were turned into total nightmare. The people who suffered more than enough for three decades (1974-2005) were and are being once again forced to go through the legacy of political horror and unprecedented socio-economic quagmire. There was no and there is no any devastating situation than witnessing when the people who simply demanded respect for political freedom and basic civil and human rights being gun down by the Special Forces of the ruling party who were waiting for the order of kill on command from the late Ato Meles Zenawi. Adding salt to severe injury, not only leaders, members and supporters of the opposition but also journalists and human rights activists were accused of treason and thrown into jails.
Once again, considerable number of Ethiopians showed kind of “optimism” that the current ruling party would show some level of reconciliatory steps after the death of Ato Mles Zenawi. This kind of “optimism’ arguably had its own reason. Given the very political personality and political back ground of the late Ato Meles Zenawi, this kind of “optimism” was neither surprising nor unexpected. Yes, there was no and there is no doubt that he was the mastermind and an architect of the political agenda and practice of the ruling circle throughout his political life. The highest stage of his destructive political behavior and action was unleashed right after the 2005 election. He literally put the country and her people under his monstrous political control.
What is deeply worrisome is the declaration by the ruling elites of TPLF/EPRDF right after his death.  They unequivocally told the Ethiopian people that they are determined to carry out his legacy without a slightest form and content of “revision.” This kind of stupidity of politics has continued until the people get extremely sick and tired of watching and hearing all kinds of empty propagandas after his death. Yes, those “surviving” ruling elites including the new prime minister have proved themselves to the extent of being the political clones of the late Ato Meles Zenawi. Let me mention just some of the most disturbing political actions by those ruling elites in the continuation the legacy of political horror of the late “great leader”:

• We witnessed the legacy of political disaster when those elites of the ruling party (the brain-children of the late Ato Meles Zenawi) punished members and supporters of the peaceful opposition political parties, innocent journalists and thousands of innocent citizens with severe intimidation and maximum imprisonment. It is an open secret that all these politically motivated dirty dramas have been ruled by a rubber stamp judiciary (the court system). Needless to say, when one of the most important branches of government (the judiciary) becomes just another department of crazy political drama, all political and civil rights will be unprotected and victims of a bunch of ruling elites. That is exactly the legacy of political madness we continue to witness.
• We have witnessed and continue to witness when a bunch of tyrannical ruling elites of TPLF/EPRDF were busy and continue to be so in deporting and evicting innocent citizens of Ethiopia from their own villages and farms based on the back ground of their ethnicity and the language they used to speak or they speak. Is this not extremely difficult to comprehend how we are experiencing a very nonsensical political crime in this 21^st century?
• We have witnessed how the ruling party got frustrated when Semayawi Party made a breakthrough on June 2, 2013 as far as breaking the incredible silence and fear imposed by the order of the late prime minister eight years ago is concerned. We are witnessing how the inner circle of TPLF/EPRDF is working hard to crackdown this recent popular political reawakening by waging its notorious blackmailing propaganda on the party. It is so disgraceful, if not idiotic to accuse the party (Semayawi) of promoting religious extremism for the simple reason that Ethiopian Muslims have participated in the peaceful and legitimate demonstration. Imagine how the legacy of evil-driven politics is getting dangerously ugly.

“Ginbot-7 our party, our voice and our hope!” The dramatic Durban meeting declares…

The Horn Times Newsletter 12 August 2013
by Getahune Bekele-South Africa

“We have to work in unison to end the brutal repression currently blighting Ethiopia. Join Ginbot-7 now. Embrace Ginbot-7; join the political party of the people.  All peace loving Ethiopians, join us in our struggle to bring about a nascent democracy our country deserves.”- Dr Birhanu Nega.
“I compare the current Ethiopian rulers with the fascist Italian invaders who wanted the fertile land of Ethiopia without her people. When today’s rulers commit genocide in Gambella, Oromyya and Amhara areas they are re-visiting the horrific crimes of Benito Mussolini on our people.”- Aba Haileeyesus.
“The recent mass killing of Ethiopian Muslims and the continued assault on our religion is nothing but a crime against humanity. Where is justice? Where is justice…”- Sheik imam Khalid Omar.
To the genocidal Ethiopian evil junta that violated every norm of how a national government should behave or conduct itself, the message was loud and clear. Hoist the white flag and surrender now before the inevitable institutional collapse takes place. In a country, that has known only autocracy and tyranny, the cry for change is ringing. A time of unprecedented stress for the criminal warlords.
Moreover, if last night’s (August 11) eventful meeting of Ethiopians is anything to go by, the divide and rule classic junta’s 22-year effort of trying to create a major ethnic and sectarian fault lines between the people has dismally failed. In addition, Ethiopia will never become a byword for ethnic hatred and political intrigue as the dead tyrant Meles Zenawi once fervently wished; or a nefarious desire his peers often said he harbored for more than three decades.
The Meeting was simply a massive endorsement for Dr Birhanu Nega personally, the man who was arrested for winning the 2005 elections and casted off to exile by force of arms. Homesick refugees described his party Ginbot-7 as a party of epic patriots and intrepid soldiers of the revolution.
At 9:30 pm, when he appeared on the big screen at the sun coast casino conference room and conveyed greetings, the enthusiastic crowd reciprocated by giving him a four-minute standing ovation.
“Am overwhelmed by emotions to see the future leader of my country whom I voted for in 2005.” A sobbing woman who declined to give her name told the Horn Times reporter.
Dr Birhanu, a distinguished orator who strongly condemned the Eid day slaughter of Ethiopian Muslims by the junta’s Trojan horses, said in his twenty-five minute speech that it is up to the people of Ethiopia to close the bitter chapters of 22 years of history steeped in blood and usher in a new one.
His call on the participants and all other Ethiopian exiles to join G-7 was again well received with thunders applause. The Horn Times watched in astonishment as young men immediately starting to fill up forms and distribute leaflets to newcomers.
“Am tired of turning the other chick. The body count is mounting while we amble about undecided which party to join. For me Ginbot-7 is the way to go.” Deriba Habebe, 41, said with excitement and sheer joy.
Next, to speak was Aba Haileeyesus of the Holy Trinity Orthodox Church in Johannesburg under the Holy Synod in exile.
The venerated monk reminded Ethiopians that how the violent persecution by the Italian invaders (1936-1941) refined and purified the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church known for its unique theology, traditions and customs; with martyrs like his Holiness Abune Petros paying the ultimate price. According to him, the ongoing persecution of the ancient faith by the minority junta is the second and the most brutal one.
“The Italians tried to encourage sectarian violence but failed. Instead of fighting against each other Ethiopian Muslims and Christians formed a united front and defeated the Italians as one people. The Italians, after toiling in barren and parched deserts of Libya and Punt land, said they wanted the fertile land of Ethiopia without the population. What we see today is the direct copy of that criminal practice. In Gambella, the land is needed but not the people. Amharas must be deported because the rulers want the land not the people.”
At the end of his touching and meticulous teaching, the monk urged unity and expressed his deep sadness to the Muslim community of Ethiopia for the loss of lives they suffered during and after the holy month of Ramadan.
Thanking Aba Haileeyesus, the well-known Muslim scholar who is also living in exile, sheik imam Khalid Omar told the refugees that in the nearly two years of bitter but peaceful struggle for religious freedom, Ethiopian Muslims have suffered very heavy causalities but bullets will never brake the vivid spirit of the people.
The peaceful resistance will continue until the regime stops its unconstitutional interference in religious affairs.
Finally, the meeting ended by dissident artist/activist Tamagne Beyene’s wise words that lit up the screen.
“It is becoming increasingly difficult for the opposition to have a dialogue with such arrogant and an implacable regime. Unite and rise up for change.”
infohorntimes@gmail.com
@infohorntimesAugust 12, 2013

The Horn Times Newsletter 12 August 2013
by Getahune Bekele-South Africa
“We have to work in unison to end the brutal repression currently blighting Ethiopia. Join Ginbot-7 now. Embrace Ginbot-7; join the political party of the people.  All peace loving Ethiopians, join us in our struggle to bring about a nascent democracy our country deserves.”- Dr Birhanu Nega.
“I compare the current Ethiopian rulers with the fascist Italian invaders who wanted the fertile land of Ethiopia without her people. When today’s rulers commit genocide in Gambella, Oromyya and Amhara areas they are re-visiting the horrific crimes of Benito Mussolini on our people.”- Aba Haileeyesus.
“The recent mass killing of Ethiopian Muslims and the continued assault on our religion is nothing but a crime against humanity. Where is justice? Where is justice…”- Sheik imam Khalid Omar.