Ethiopian Opposition Leader, Andargachew Tsege, Faces Torture and Death by Ruling Regime

San Jose, California, July 11 – Ethiopian opposition leader, Andargachew Tsege, was kidnapped during a stopover at Sana’a airport in Yemen on June 23 as he was traveling from the United Arab Emirates to Eritrea. He had broken no Yemeni laws and presented no harm or threat whatsoever to Yemen or Yemeni authorities.

After being jailed in Yemen, the Yemeni authorities then extradited Mr. Tsege to Ethiopia in complete abrogation of the doctrine of non-refoulement, a recognized rule of international law. The rule prohibits handing over a person to an authority which may cause him or her harm or death.

Upon learning of Mr. Tsege’s kidnapping, the Ethiopian-American Council (EAC) wrote letters of concern to the United Kingdom Foreign Office and to the U.K. embassy in Washington D.C. Mr. Tsege, a U.K. national carrying a U.K. passport, is secretary general of an exiled Ethiopian opposition movement, Ginbot 7.

A response from Mr. Clive McGill of the U.K. Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) to EAC indicated that Mr. Tsege’s detention in Ethiopia is of great concern and that they have requested consular access to Mr. Tsege. He also said that Mr. Tsege’s detention is most worrisome to FCO because of the ruling regime’s complete disregard for the Vienna Convention articles against torture and execution.

Mr. Tsege was recently paraded across Ethiopia’s government-controlled television. Wearing blue sports attire, he complained of being tired and in need of rest. He has not been heard from since, nor has there been any report on his status or whereabouts from any source; just as there was very little information regarding his status since June 23.

In 2005, national elections were held in Ethiopia. The current regime was not happy with the results and nullified them. Rioting followed and hundreds of citizens were killed. The founding of the Ginbot 7 Party followed. Ginbot 7 Party, or May 15 Party, is named for the date of the 2005 elections.

In 2009, Ginbot 7 was outlawed and its leaders sentenced to death in absentia for treason, Mr. Tsege among them. The judgment was handed down from judges of the TPLF/EPRDFTigrayan , the corrupt and murderous minority party now ruling in Ethiopia. The regime considers Mr. Tsege its most wanted man. He had been in exile until his recent kidnapping by the Yemenis.

EAC has called for international service organizations – International Red Cross and Red Crescent, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch – to have access to the imprisoned Ethiopian patriot in order to monitor his legal situation and his physical wellbeing. Last week, Amnesty International warned that Mr. Tsege was at great risk of being tortured while in Ethiopian custody.

The the recent EAC letter to U.K. authorities read: “EAC implores you to do all in your power to free Mr. Andargachew Tsege as soon as possible, before he succumbs to vile mistreatment or a heinous death at the hands of the tyrannical and blood-soaked EPRDF/TPLF regime. We earnestly pray for your assistance. If Mr. Tsege is not freed, another true Ethiopian patriot will be tortured and then murdered.”

EAC will follow up with more informative press releases as the situation unfolds.

The Ethiopian American Council

Hailemariam Desalegn: Prime Minster or Prime Disaster?

Death most resembles a prophet who is without honor in his own land or a poet who is a stranger among his people. Khalil Gibran
by Teshome Debalke

My people, I don’t know about you but, everything the Woyane regime does makes me throw up or laugh hysterically depending the issue. IfHailemariam Desalegn with the BBC journalist Emmanuel Igunza listening to the recent interview of Hailemariam Desalegn with the BBC journalist Emmanuel Igunza didn’t flipped you over to say My Country is in a major crises in modern history ruled by the man in question, I can only say you need to see a mental doctor immediately…

This is the lowest the man came down yet by his own mediocre standard understanding governance since he was appointed by TPLF to do its dirty job. No wonder the clueless Prime Minster avoid real journalist all together.

I was surprised how Halimariam was allowed by his TPLF handlers to appear from all Medias on the BBC. It defiantly has something to do with to cover up Andargachew Tsege’s illegal abduction out of Yemen that brought unexpected reactions worldwide and the Media coverage the Gang worked so hard to avoid. The TPLF led regime’s kidnapping of a British Citizen from third country in partnership with the atrociously corrupt Yemeni security force exposed the capability of the rogue regime to violate every conceivable international law and diplomacy written to the world. The calculated risk the frighten Gangs took came right back to bit them.

But, what is not clear is why his TPLF handlers put an incoherent man on BBC that can’t put a good sentence together to respond to simple questions asked by real Media. What is even more tragedy is why the PM would make a jackass out of himself with his rambling response to the questions on the top on to self-incriminate himself for TPLF’s leaders that are responsible for so many atrocities, kidnapping, torture and corruption hiding behind him.

The higgledy-piggledy response to the interview speaks volume to the public suspicion that the country is run on autopilot for the lack of coherent regime to run her. The Prime Minster doesn’t appear to know the difference between the branches of government — wondering all over the place admitting; every branches of government and the Media are all under his TPLF’s handers hand — visibly amusing the BBC reporter afraid to ask hard follow up questions you expect from a typical BBC reporters known for hitting home. In fact, he showed he is the ‘elected’ head of state, a prosecutor, the judge and jailer on the top of Media regulator and election monitor in one interview — showing the out of control regime he preside terrorizing the population.

On the issue of his governments stifling the oppositions; he accuse them all working with terrorists groups to destabilize the country.

On the issue of terrorism laws and its misuse by his government; He said, it is copied from the British law but the interpretation is different depending on the judges.

On the issue of the abduction of Andagachew, a British citizen from Yemen, he said he is ‘a Trojan horse for the Eritrean government to destabilize the country and was convicted in absentia some years ago convicted of terrorism charge and he need no trial because he was not there when he was convicted.

On the issue of the high number of journalist in jail and the case of Zone 9 bloggers that were arrested without a formal charge for over 60 days. He turned around threatened to arrest him as well if he work or associate with the ‘terrorist groups’ without answering the question. The report appears amused of the out of control Prime Minster dancing around the question and threatening him to charge him with terrorism if he talk to the Zone 9 bloggers.

Not long ago the same PM was asked by a local government approved reporter;’ who is in charge of the government?’ After he marbled for a few minutes his response was some kind of ‘collective leadership’ that shocked many Ethiopians of the new form of government invented by TPLF to stick around. With unknown numbers of Deputy Prime Ministers never heard in the history of government the man doesn’t appear to know what his job description maybe beside entertain foreign leaders’ visiting the country.

At the meantime, TPLF’s apologist posed as journalist is parading him as Prime Minster for the sole purpose of showing the Gangs of Adwa are not in charge. Recently the lone ranger and the ambulance journalist Binyam Kebde of EthiopiaFirst that usually get dispatch for emergency to rehabilitate TPLF sat down with the PM in an attempt to reinvent his image with not much success..

What is wrong with the blind apologist of TPLF regime?

Ethiopians are in a dilemma what to make of TPLF’s apologist no see, hear, speak of evil attitude when it comes to the regime that arrest teenage bloggers for expressing their feeling about visibly corrupt and atrocious regime. Are they in some kind of suicide mission or clueless to understand the rogue regime behavior is not acceptable for 19th century let alone for 21st? Could it be their economic benefits blinded everything else?

Whatever motivates them to stick around the regime knowing its crimes multiplying every day, Ethiopians should wait until they wake up from their sleepwalking.

Like I said over and over again Woyane will surrender one way or another. But it appear it choose to talk, jail and kill the unavoidable surrender.

For Halimariam that claim to be educator, family man, and a man of faith on the top of many other things, unless he lies to himself as he does to the rest of Ethiopians it doesn’t show. Whatever legacy he leaves behind, it wouldn’t be honor and honesty. Who ever said ‘a mind is a terrible thing to waste’ said it to the young men women who would forgo knowledge because no one is willing to invest on them. In contrast, our people wasted their investment on grown-ups wasting their mind babysitting and sustaining dictatorship. Where is the honor in that?

‘Death most resembles a prophet who is without honor in his own land or a poet who is a stranger among his people’. Khalil Gibran