ሚኒስትሮችንና አፈ-ጉባኤዎችን ጨምሮ የኢህአዴግ ከፍተኛ አመራሮች በቤተ መንግስት የተገመገሙበት ሰነድ ኢሳት እጅ ገብቷል።

የካቲት ፲፩ (አስራ አንድ) ቀን ፳፻፯ ዓ/ም ኢሳት ዜና :-ግምገማው የተካሄደው እንደተለመደው ባለስልጧናቱ በየተራ አስቀድመው ችግራቸውን እንዲናገሩ በማድረግና የራሱን ችግር በተናገረው አመራር ላይ ሌሎቹ ያላቸውን ተጨማሪ ትችት እንዲያቀርቡ

በማድረግ ነው።

በአቶ ሀይለማርያም ደሳለኝ መሪነት በተካሄደው በዚህ ግምገማ  ከ አዲስ አበባ ማስተር ፕላን ጋር በተያያዘ  የተገመገሙት አፈ-ጉባኤ አባዱላ ገመዳ፣”የሀሰት የስራ አፈጻጽመ ታቀርቢያለሽ” የተባሉት የሴቶችና የወጣቶች ሚኒስትር ዘነቡ ታደሰ፣”ሳሞራን ትፈራዋለህ”ተብለው የተገመገሙት የመከላከያ ሚኒስትሩ ሲራጅ ፈርጌሳ፣”ኮምፒዩተርና ሞባይል ላይ ጥብቅ ትላለህ” የተባሉት አቶ ሬድዋን ሁሴን፣”ከባልደረቦችሽ ጋር ትጋጫለሽ”የተባሉት ወይዘሮ አስቴር ማሞ ፣”ፈሪ ነህ” የተባሉት ዶፐክተር ካሱ ይላላ፣ “ከደባል ሱስ የጸዳህ አይደለህም”የተባሉት  የገንዘብ ሚኒስትሩ ሶፊያን አህመድ  እና ሌሎች በርካታ ባለስልጣናት ” ሲ” አግኝተዋል።

የትግራይ ክልል ፕሬዚዳንት አቶ አባይ ወልዱ፣ የትምህርት ሚኒስትር ሽፈራው ሽጉጤ፣የጠቅላይ ሚኒስትሩ የደህንነት አማካሪ ጸጋይ በርሄ፣ የ አማራ ክልል ምክትል ፕሬዚዳንት ዓለምነው መኮንን፣አቶ ስዩም መስፍን፣አቶ አርከበ እቁባይ  እና ሌሎች በርካታ ሹመኞች “ቢ” ውጤት ተሰጥቷቸዋል።

እስካሁን ለ ኢሳት በደረሰው ሰነድ በግምገማው “ኤ”ውጤት የተሰጣቸው የ ኢህአዴግ አመራር የህወሀቱ ዶክተር ቴዎድሮስ አድሀኖም ብቻ ናቸው። ዶክተር ቴዎድሮስ አድሀኖም “በሶሻል ሚዲያ የግለሰቦችን ታሪክ ለራስህ ገፅታ ግንባታ አውለሀል፣ ስራ ታዘገያለህ” የሚሉና ሌሎችም ደከማ ነጥቦች የተነሱባቸው ቢሆንም፤ ከሌሎቹ አመራሮች በተለየ ሁኔታ “የቀረበብኝን ድክመት”አልቀበልም በማለት ነው ውድቅ ያደረጉት። ሌሎቹ  አመራሮች በሙሉ፤ ከግምገማቸው በሁዋላ፦ “ድክመታችንን ተቀብለናል፤እናሻሽላለን”

ማለታቸውን ተከትሎ ነው “ቢ” እና “ሲ” የተሰጣቸው።  “ሲ”ከተሰጣቸው የኢህአዴግ አመራሮች መካከል ” ኢህአዴግ ገለልተኛ ነው” እያለ የሚናገርለትን ምርጫ ቦርድን በሰብሳቢነት የሚመሩት ፕሮፌሰር መርጋ  በቃና ይገኙበታል። በኢህአዴግ ውስጥ ቀደም ሲል አንድን ነገር “ድርጅቱ ነው ያለው” ሲባል፤ “መለስ ነው ያለው”ማለት እንደሆነ የቀድሞው የኮሙኒኬሽን ሚኒስቴር ዴኤታ አቶ ኤርሚያስ ገሠሰ “የመለስ ትሩፋቶች” በተሰኘው መጽሐፋቸው መግለጻቸው ይታወቃል። ኢሳት እጅ የገባው የግምገማ ሰነድ እንደሚያመለክተው፤  የመለስን ቦታ-አቶ በረከት ስምኦን መያዛቸውን ነው።

አቶ ሬድዋን፤”የሀገሪቱን ገጽታ ለውጪ ሚዲያ ዝግ አድርገኸዋል” ተብለው ሲገመገሙ <<ዝግ ያደረኩት  እኔ ሳልሆን ድርጅቱ ነው” ብለው መልስ የሰጡ ሲሆን ፤ <<ድርጅቱ ማን ነው?>>ተብለው  በአቶ ሀይለማርያም ሲጠየቅ፦<<በረከት>> በማለት መልሰዋል።

አፈ ጉባኤ አባ ዱላ ገመዳ- ከኦሮሚያ ክልል ፕሬዚዳንት ጋር እንደማይግባቡ ተናገሩ

የካቲት ፲፩ (አስራ አንድ) ቀን ፳፻፯ ዓ/ም ኢሳት ዜና :-አባ ዱላ-ገመዳ ከኦሮሚያ ክልል  ፕሬዚዳንት- ከአቶ ሙክታር ከድር ጋር እንደማይግባቡ የተናገሩት፤ የኢህአዴግ ምክር ቤት ከፍተኛ አመራር አባላት በቃኘው ጥልቅ ግምገማ ላይ ነው

አፈ-ጉባኤው በግምገማው”የኦሮምያ አባላትን በተለየ ትህትና ታሰተናግዳለህ፣የአፈ ጉባኤነቱን ቦታ በደስታ አልተቀበልከውም፣ በአዲስ አበባ አዲስ ማሰተር ፕላን ጋር ተያይዞ ተል እኮ የማስፈጸም ችግር አለብህ፣ ከማስተር ፕላኑ ጋር ተያይዞ ለተነሳው አመጽ መባባስ መንስኤ ነህ፡፡>> ተብለው  ነው የተወቀሱት።

አባ ዱላ  ለቀረበባቸው   ሂስ ምላሽ ሲሰጡ ፦”አመፅ የተባለውን አልቀበለውም፡፡ ዘረኝነት የተባለው ከሙክታር ጋር ስለማንግባባ ነው፤ እንዳውም አሁን አሁን ስልክ እየደወልኩ  በክልሉ ዙሪያ አሰተያየት መስጠት አቁሚያለሁ፡፡>> ብለዋል።

<<በእርግጥ እንደተባለው በአፈ ጉባኤነቱ ሹመት ቀደም ሲል ደስ አላለኝም ብዬ ነበር>> ያሉት አፈ-ጉባኤው፤<< አሁን ግን ደስተኛ ነኝ፡፡ ተሰማምቶኛል፡፡>>በማለት ምላሽ ሰጥተዋል።

ከአሁኑ የኦሮሚያ ክልል ፕሬዚዳንት ጋር አንግባባም ያሉት አፈ-ጉባኤ አባዱላ ገመዳ ፤ቀደም ሲል የኦሮሚያ ክልል ፕሬዚዳንት  ነበሩ።

አፈ-ጉባኤው በተመሳሳይ፤ከአቶ ሙክታር ከድር በፊት የክልሉ ፕሬዚዳንት ከነበሩትና በ ኦህዴድ ጓደኞቻቸው ተመርዘው ከተገደሉት  ከአቶ ዓለማየሁ አቶምሳም ጋርም ጠበኞች እንደነበሩ በተደጋጋሚ መዘገቡ ይታወሳል።

በሙስሊሞች ላይ በከፍተኛ የደህንነት ሃይሎች የሚመራ የእስር ዘመቻ መከፈቱ ተነገረ

የካቲት ፲፩ (አስራ አንድ) ቀን ፳፻፯ ዓ/ም ኢሳት ዜና :-ፍትሕ ራዲዮ እንደዘገበው፤በአዲስ አበባ ብቻ ከ800 -1000 የሚደርሱ ሰዎችን ለማሰር ታቅዷል፡፡

የሙስሊሙን ማህበረሰብ አካላት  በምክንያት ለማሰር በከፍተኛ የኢትዬጲያ መንግስት የደህንነት ሃይሎች የሚመራ ዘመቻ  መከፈቱን ፍትህ ራዲዬ ዘግቧል።

ራዲዮው ምንጮቹን በመጥቀስ እንደዘገበው፤ዘመቻው ያነጣጠረው፤ ከመጪው  ሃገራዊ ምርጫ ጋር በተያያዘ በህዝበ-ሙስሊሙ መካከል ትልቅ ንቅናቄ ይፈጥሩ ይሆናል የሚል ስጋት ባሳደሩ ሙስሊሞች ላይ ነው።

መንግስት ምርጫው ከመድረሱ አስቀድሞ በሃገሪቱ እየተንቀሳቀሱ ያሉ የፖለቲካ ፓርቲዎችን በተለያዩ ምክንያቶች ሲያዳክምና ሲያግድ ከመቆየቱም በላይ የግል ፕሬስ ጋዜጠኞችን ለእስርና ለስደት መዳረጉ ይታወቃል።

በአሁኑ ወቅት ሳይታገዱ  የቀሩት የፖለቲካ ፓርቲዎች ለኢህአዴግ ስጋት ሊሆኑ የሚችሉት በሙስሊሙ ማህበረሰብ ላይ ብቻ መንጠላጠል ከቻሉ ነው የሚል ግምገማ የወሰደው ኢህአዴግ፤ በዚህም መሰረት በሙስሊሙ ማህበረሰብ ዘንድ የመጨረሻ የማዳከም ዘመቻ መከፈት አለበት የሚል ድምዳሜ ላይ  መድረሱ ተመልክቷል።

በአሁኑ ወቅት በተለያዩ የኦሮሚያ ክልሎች የአሰሳ እና ስምሪት ተግባር እየተካሄደ ሲሆን፤በተለይ በአዲስ አበባና በጅማ በርካታ ሙስሊሞችን በጅምላ  የማሰሩ ዘመቻ ተጀምሯል።

እንደ ምንጮቹ መረጃ፤በከፍተኛ የደህንነት ሀይሎች በሚመራው በዚህ ዘመቻ፤ ሃገር አቀፍ ምርጫው ከመካሄዱ በፊት  በአዲስ አበባ ብቻ ቁጥራቸው ከ 800 እስከ 1000 የሚደርሱ  ሰዎችን ለማሰር እቅድ ተይዟል።

በዛሬው ዕለትም የራዲዬ ቢላል ጋዜጠኛ የነበረው ካሊድ መሐመድን ጨምሮ ቁጥራቸው እስካሁን በውል ያልታወቀ በርካታ ሙስሊሞች ከያሉበት በደህንነት ሃይሎች እየታፈኑ ወደ እስር ቤት እየተወሰዱ መሆናቸው ተመልክቷል፡፡

ሙስሊሞቹ በተያዙበት አካባቢዎች በወደሚገኙ የፖሊሰ ጣብያዎች እየታጎሩ ሲሆን፤ የመኖሪያ ቤታቸውም በፖሊሶች እና በደህንነቶች እየተፈተሸ እንደሚገኝ ለማወቅ ተችሏል፡፡

ቤታቸው የሚገኙ የተለያዩ ላፕቶፕ እና የግል ንብረቶቻቸውም  “ለምርመራ ያስፈልጋሉ” እየተባሉ በደህንነቶች   መወሰዳቸው ታውቋል፡፡

ጋዜጠኞቹና ጦማርያኑ ጥፋተኛ አይደለንም ሲሉ የዕምነት ክህደት ቃላቸውን ሰጡ

የካቲት ፲፩ (አስራ አንድ) ቀን ፳፻፯ ዓ/ም ኢሳት ዜና :-ሦስቱ ጋዜጠኞችና ስድስቱ ጦማሪያን ዛሬ በልደታ ፍርድ ቤት 19ኛ ምድብ ችሎት ቀርበው የእምነት ክህደት ቃላቸውን የሰጡ ሲሆን፤ ሁሉም በተከሰሱባቸው ክሶች <<ጥፋተኞች አይደለንም>> ብለዋል።

የተከሳሾችን የእምነት ክህደት ቃል ያደመጠው ፍርድ ቤትም፤ ለፊታችን መጋቢት 21 ቀጠሮ በመስጠት የእለቱን ችሎት  አጠናቋል፡፡

ተከሳሾቹ እጃቸው ከተያዘበት ከሚያዚያ ወር 2006 ዓመተ ምህረት ጀምሮ በፖሊስ ቁጥጥር ስር ከቆዩ በኋላ ለመጀመሪያ ጊዜ ክስ የተመሰረተባቸው ጥር 28 ቀን 2007 ሲሆን፤  ለመጀመሪያ ጊዜ የእምነት ክህደት ቃላቸውን ለመስጠት እድል ያገኙት ግን በዛሬው ዕለት ነው፡፡

ይህ በእንዲህ እንዳለ፤  የጦማርያኑን ችሎት በመሀል ዳኝነት ሲያስችሉ የነበሩት አቶ ሸለመ በቀለ ተከሳሾቹ <<ይቀየሩልን>> ባሉት መሰረት ሐሙስ ጥር 28 ቀን 2007 ዓ.ም ራሳቸውን በፈቃደኝነት እንዳገለሉ የተገለጸ ቢሆንም፤ በዛሬው ችሎት ላይ ግን ቀርበው እንደነበር -ፍርድ ቤት ተገኝተው ችሎቱን የተከታተሉት የተከሳሽ ጓደኞችና ቤተሰቦች ተናግረዋል፡፡

በህወሃት ውስጥ ፖለቲካዊ ጠባብነትና ትምክህት መኖሩን አቶ ስብሃት ተናገሩ

የካቲት ፲፩ (አስራ አንድ) ቀን ፳፻፯ ዓ/ም ኢሳት ዜና :-በህዝባዊ ወያነ ሓርነት ትግራይ (ህወሐት) ውስጥ ፖለቲካዊ ጠባብነትና ትምክህት የሚያራምዱ ወገኖች መኖራቸውንና ሕገመንግስቱም በተሟላ ሁኔታ እየተተገበረ አለመሆኑን አቶ ስብሃት ነጋ የቀድሞ የህወሃት ሊቀመንበር እማኝነታቸውን ሰጡ፡፡

አቶ ስብሃት ነጋ የካቲት 9 እና 10/2007 ዓ.ም ከወጣው አዲስዘመን ጋዜጣ ጋር ባደረጉት ቃለምልልስ በህወሃት ውስጥ ፖለቲካዊ ጠባብነትና ትምክህት መኖሩን አምነዋል፡፡ «ፖለቲካዊ ጠባብነትና ትምክህት በመንደራችን አለ፡፡ ቢሮክራሲው የጸዳ አይደለም፡፡ እንግዲህ ፓርቲውን የሚመራው መንግስት ነው፡፡ ተወዳዳሪና ቀና የሆነ ቢሮክራሲ ገና አልተገነባም፡፡ ከላይ እስከታች ሕገመንግስቱ በትክክል እየተተገበረ ነው ወይ የሚለው ጎዶሎ አለበት» ብለዋል፡፡

«የትግራይ ሕዝብ ጥያቄዎች ተመልሰዋል ወይ» በሚል ለቀረበላቸው ጥያቄ መልስ የሰጡት አቶ ስብሃት የመልካም አስተዳደር ችግር መኖሩን አረጋግጠው ችግሩን የምንፈታው ሕዝቡን ይዘን ነው ብለዋል፡፡ አይይዘውም «በአስተማማኙ ጎዳና እየተደረገ ያለው ሩጫ ዘገምተኛና እንከን ያለበት ነው፡፡ እንከን ስል ቢሮክራሲው የተሳለጠ ባለመሆኑና የቀናነት ጉድለት ስላለ ሕዝቡ በሚገባ ደረጃ እየተጠቀመ አይደለም፡፡ የተዛባ አመለካከትና የተንዛዛ አሠራር ይስተዋላል፡፡ ይህ ክፍተት መቀረፍ አለበት፡፡ ህወሃት/ኢህአዴግ ስህተቱን ይፋ የሚያደርግና የሚያርም ድርጅት ነው፡፡ ስለዚህ ከሕዝቡ ጋር በመተባበር ችግሮቹ ይፈታሉ የሚል እምነት አለኝ» ሲሉ ተናግረዋል፡፡

በ1993 ዓ.ም በልዩነት ህወሓትን ጥለው የወጡ የድርጅቱ ነባር ታጋዮች ጉዳይንም በተመለከተ ሟቹ የቀድሞ ጠ/ሚኒስትር አቶ መለስን በመደገፍና የእነስዬ አብርሃን ቡድንን በመንቀፍ  በሰጡት አስተያየት መነሻቸው የኤርትራ ጉዳይ ይሁን እንጂ ዋና ዓላማቸው የሥልጣን ጥማት ነው ብለዋል፡፡ «የሥልጣን ጥማቱ ታምቆ የቆየ ነው፡፡ ሻዕቢያ ኢትዮጵያን የመውረሩን ጉዳይ ያለመከታተላችን የሁላችንም ድክመት ነው፡፡ ቀደም ብለን ማወቅ ነበረብን የሚል እምነት አለኝ፡፡ ችግሩን ሰላማዊ በሆነ መልኩ ለመፍታት የዲፕሎማሲ ጥረት ማድረግ ያስፈልግ ነበር፡፡ ለሰላም አሟጠን ዕድል እንስጥ፣ ዕድሉ ካላዋጣን መዋጋት ማን ይከለክለናል የሚሉ የአመራር አባላት ነበሩ፡፡ እኛ ከኢሳያስ ተሸለን መገኘት አለብን፤  የእኛ ሰዎች ግን እንደ ኢሳያስ ሆኑ፡፡ ነፋስ በኤርትራ መጣ ከተባለ እንዋጋ ነው የሚሉት፡፡ ከወላጆቻቸው በምንም አይለዩም፡፡ ስንወረር ዝም ብላችሁ አያችሁ የሚለውን እንደምክንያት ወስደው ቡድን ፈጠሩ»ብለዋል፡፡

ተወልደ የህወሃት ምክትል ሊቀመንበር እያለ፣ ስዬም የመከላከያ ሚኒስትር እያለ ኤርትራ ነጻነትዋን ስታገኝ የአሰብ ወደብ ጉዳይ አብሮ ያለቀለት ነበር ያሉት አቶ ስብሃት፣ አሁን የአሰብ ጉዳይ እንደልዩነት የሚነሳው ሰበብ እንጂ ጉዳዩ ወንበር ፍለጋ ነው ሲሉ የእነስዬን ቡድን በሥልጣን ጥመኝነት ፈርጀዋል፡፡

ጡረተኛው አቶ ስብሃት በአሁኑ ወቅት እምብዛም እንቅስቃሴ የሌለውና በውጭ ጉዳይ ሚኒስቴር ስር የሚገኘው የሠላምና የልማት ዓለም አቀፍ ኢንስቲትዩት ዋና ዳይሬክተር ናቸው፡፡

የ9ኝ ፓርቲዎች ትብብር በ15 ከተሞች የተቃውሞ ሰልፍ ጠራ

የካቲት ፲ (አስር) ቀን፳፻፯ዓ/ምኢሳትዜና :-‹‹ነጻነትለፍትሃዊምርጫ›› በሚልመርህ የሚካሄደው የተቃውሞ ሰልፍ የካቲት 22 ቀን 2007 ዓም በ15 ከተሞች እንደሚካሄድ ትብብሩ አስታውቋል።

የሙስሊም ማህበረሰቡ ታህሳስ 10፣ 2007 ዓም  በኑር መስጂድ ፣ የካቲት 6፣ 2007 ዓም ደግሞ በአንዋር መስኪድ ያደረገው ተቃውሞ  እንዲሁም የባህርዳር ከተማ ህዝብ ታህሳስ 10፣ 2007 ዓም ያሳየው ህዝባዊ እምቢተኝነት ትግል በሃይል ሊዳፈን ቢችልም እንደማይጠፋ ትምህርት ሰጥቷል የሚለው የትብብሩ መግለጫ፣ ገዢው ፓርቲ እያደረሰ ያለው የመብት ረገጣ፣ የሙስና መስፋፋትና የመልካም አስተዳደር እጦት የህዝቡን የለውጥ ፍላጎትና የትግል ተነሳሽነት እንዳሳደገው ገልጿል።

ትብብሩ ገዢው ፓርቲ ለመድብለ ፓርቲ ስርአት ግንባታ ከቃላት ያለፈ እምነትም ሆነ ቁርጠኝነት እንደሌለው በመግለጽ፣ ምርጫ ቦርድን በቁጥጥር ስር በማዋል ጠንካራ ፓርቲዎችን ከመጪው ምርጫ ለማግለል እየሰራ መሆኑን የአንድነትና መኢአድን ጉዳይ በመግለጽ አብራርታል።

ከሰሞኑ ኢቢሲ ያቀረበው የተቃዋሚ ፓርቲዎችን የመኖር ትርጉም ዋጋ የሚያሳጣው ‹‹መንግስትንና የመንግስት አስፈጻሚዎችን ከተቻችሁ፣ ካላከበራችሁ ወይም ጸጥ ለጥ ብላችሁ የምርጫ አጃቢ ካልሆናችሁ እስከ 15 ዓመት ትታሰራላችሁ›› የሚል አንድምታ ያለው በ ‹‹ባለሙያዎች ትንታኔ ›› ሥም የተላከው የማስፈራሪያ መልዕክትና የሌሉ የፈጠራ ክሶችን ለመፈብረክ በአባል ፓርቲዎቻችን ላይ ‹‹የሞተ ጉዳይን ከመቃብር በመቀስቀስ›› እና በአዲስ መልክ የተጀመረው የሚዲያ የፕሮፖጋንዳ ዘመቻ በግልጽ  ያስተላለፈው ገዢው ፓርቲ የመድብለ ፓርቲ ስርአት እንዳይኖር መፈለጉን ነው ሲል አክሏል።

የእኛ፣ የአገራችንና ዜጓቿ ቀጣይ ዕጣ ፈንታ በሁለት አማራጮች ላይ የተንጠለጠለ ነው የሚለው ትብብሩ  አንድም ያለውን አምባገነናዊ ሥርዓት ተቀብለን፣የአገራችን ሉዓላዊነት በጥያቄ ውስጥ ባለበት፣ የጭቆና ቀንበር ተሸክመን በከፋ ውርደት ሥር ሰጥ- ለጥ ብሎ መገዛት፤ አሊያም– አምባገነንነትና ጭቆናን ‹‹በቃ›› በማለት በሕዝባዊ የተቀናጀ ሰላማዊ ትግል ለአገራችን ሉዓላዊነትና የዜግነት ክብራችንን ለማስመለስ በህገ መንግስታዊ መብታችን ተጠቅመን  ትግላችንን እስከማይቀረው ለውጥ/ ድል ደጃፍ ድረስ በቆራጥነት መቀጠል፣ ናቸው ብሎአል፡፡

ሁሉን አቀፍ የነጻነትና ክብርን የማስመለስ ሰላማዊ ትግል ለ9ኙ ፓርቲዎች ብቸኛ አማራጭ መሆኑንም ጠቅሰዋል።

ፓርቲዎቹ በመጨረሻም በሚደረገው አገራዊ፣ ሰላማዊና ሕዝባዊ ትግል በማይቀረው የሥርዓት ለውጥ ለሰላማዊ የሥልጣን ሽግግር በአንድነትና በቆራጥነት ህዝቡ እንዲነሳና በየካቲት 22 የተቃውሞ ሰልፍ ላይ እንዲገኝ በመግለጫቸው ጥሪ አቅርበዋል።

የህወሃት ታጋዮች ቅሬታቸውን ገለጹ ።

የካቲት ፲ (አስር) ቀን፳፻፯ዓ/ምኢሳትዜና :-የህዝባዊ ወያኔ ሃርነት ትግራይ  (ህወሃት) የትጥቅ ትግል የጀመረበት 40ኛ ኣመት በዓል በስኬት ላይ ብቻ የተመሠረተና ከበሮ ድለቃ የበዛበት የህወሃትን ጉድፎች የተደበቁበት ሆኖ እየተከበረ መሆኑ አሳዛኝ ነው ሲሉ የቀድሞ የድርጅቱታጋይገለጹ፡፡

ስማቸውእንዲገለጽያልፈለጉትየድርጅሩ የቀድሞታጋዮች ለኢሳት በላኩት መልእክትህወሃትየደርግአገዛዝበትጥቅትግል ለማሸነፍከሌሎችየትግልሃይሎችጋርበጣምራናበተናጠልሲታገልመቆየቱናአስከፊውንስርኣትመገርሰሱመልካም ነገር መሆኑ ባይካድም፣  ድርጅቱበሺየሚቆጠሩታጋዮቹን ለሞት ዳርጎ መንግስታዊስልጣን ከተቆናጠጠበሃላየታገለለትዓላማበመርሳትጥቂትሹማምንትራሳቸውንናቤተሰቦቻቸውንየሚያበለጽጉበት፣ቡድናዊ ወገንተኝነትበመመስረትብዙሃኑንያገለለስርዓትእንዲፈጠርአስተዋጽኦአድርጎአልብለዋል፡፡

ህወሃትመንግስታዊስልጣንላይበቆየባቸውባለፉት 23 ኣመታትዴሞክራሲ፣የህግየበላይነትእናየሰብዓዊመብት ጥበቃለማክበርናለማስከበርመታገሉንበመርሳትደጋግሞከሚረግመውየደርግስርዓትባልተናነሰአፋኝስርዓት እየገነባመምጣቱየፓርቲውንመክሸፍቁልጭአድርጎያሳያልሲሉ እነዚሁ ታጋዮች በመልክታቸው አስፍረዋል።

በትግልወቅትስንትናስንትጉዋዶቻችንንከአጠገባችንአጥተናልያሉትእኚሁየቀድሞታጋዮች፣ይህሁሉመስዋዕትነት የተከፈለውግንጥቂትየህወሃትሹማምንትንለማበልጸግሳይሆንበመላሀገሪቱሠላም፣ዴሞክራሲናእኩልነት እንዲሰፍንነበርብለዋል፡፡

በአሁኑወቅትኢትዮጽያውስጥሃሳብንበነጻመግለጽ፣ተደራጅቶየተቃውሞጠንካራእንቅስቃሴማድረግ፣የተቃውሞ ሰልፍማካሄድ፣ነጻየሲቪክማህበርማቋቋምበሸብርተኝነትጭምርእያስከሰሰ፣ዜጎችንምለእስርናለሞትናለስደት እየዳረገያለውበህወሃትጥቂትከፍተኛካድሬዎችአመራርሰጪነትመሆኑማንምአይዘነጋውምሲሉ አትተዋል።

በአሁኑወቅትየትግራይሕዝብየታገለለትንኣላማበራሱልጆችመነጠቁንያስታወሱትእኚሁታጋይየትግራይሕዝብና አመራሩበመለያየቱከፍተኛባለስለጣናትበመቀሌከተማየሰሩዋቸውንመኖሪያቤቶችሳይቀር «ሙስናሰፈር» ብሎ እስከመሰየምመድረሱሕዝቡለህወሃትያለውንትክክለኛአቋምያንጸባርቃልሲሉአክለዋል፡፡

የህወሃት 40ኛዓመትበዓልየካቲት 11 ቀን 2007 ዓ.ምበትግራይለማክበርሽርጉድእየተባለሲሆን በተከታታይሰሞኑንየራያዩኒቨርሲቲየመሰረትድንጋይ፣የመቀሌታጁራወደብየባቡርግንባታየመሰረትድንጋይ መጣሉ፣የሞሃለስላሳመጠጥፋብሪካግንባታምረቃ፣የራያቢራፋብሪካግንባታምረቃናየመሳሰሉትበማከታተል የህዝብንድጋፍለመሳብህወሃትተግቶእየሰራሲሆንበዚህበምርጫወቅት፣በመንግስትመገናኛብዙሃንየሚደረገው የአንድፓርቲየተጋድሎፕሮፖጋንዳ፣በመንግስትወጪየሚደረገውጉሮወሸባዩሕገወጥመሆኑንእንኩዋንአልተረዱትም ሲሉአስተያየታቸውን አስፍረዋል፡፡

ህወሃት ለበአሉ ዝግጅት በመቶ ሚሊዮኖች የሚቆጠር ገንዘብ የሚያወጣ ሲሆን፣ ባላሃብቶች በግዳጅና በማስፈራሪያ እስካሁን ከ50 ሚሊዮን ያላነሰ ገንዘብ አዋጥተዋል።

የተመላሽ ሰራዊት አባላት የቀረበላቸውን የድጋፍ ጥሪ ወድቅ አደረጉት

የካቲት ፲ (አስር) ቀን፳፻፯ዓ/ምኢሳትዜና :-በኮምቦልቻ ከተማ በቡራሮ አዳራሽ ጥሪ የተደረገላቸው የተመላሽ የመከላከያ ሰራዊት አባላት ለመንግስት ደግፋቸውንና ታማኝነታቸውን እንዲገለጹ በተጠየቁበት ወቅት እስካዘሬ የት እንደወደቅን ሳትጠይቁን፣ አሁን ምን ስለተገኘ ነው በማለት ውድቅ አድርገዋል።

ያለፈው አልፏል ለወደፊቱ እንደጋገፍ በሚል ካድሬዎች የማግባባት ስራ ቢሰሩም ፣ የተመላሽ ሰራዊት አባላት ሳይቀበሉት ቀርተዋል።

አቶ መለስ ጽፈውታል የተባለውን ማንዋል  ለማስተማር በሚዘጋጁበት ወቅት ፣ የ ቀድሞ የመከላከያ አባሎቹ በመቃወማቸው ሳይካሄድ ቀርቷል።

መንግስት በተለያዩ ወረዳዎች የሚገኙ ተመላሽ የሰራዊት አባላትን እየጠራ በማነጋገር ላይ ነው።

Ethiopianism TV Producer has got it Wrong !!! -Tedla Asfaw

I watched the “Ethiopianism TV” posted here.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFpc6UM5kQc

Professor Mussie the ” Ethiopianism TV ” producer was very angry and agitated of the ESAT interview of Isayas Afewrokiof Eritrea. The professor should have dissected the interview with facts. He should have rather compared and contrasted the “Eritrean Constitution” with “Woyane Constitution” the core of the interview.The “Eritrean Constitution” does not divide Eritreans into  “Kilil” like the Woyane Constitution. There is no Article 39 in the “Eritrean Constitution”. The professor failed to do that.

I found the professor in the same camp with the diaspora Oromo groups, OLF/OPDO, who  claimed being colonized by Ethiopia/Habeshas who lashed out also against Isayas following the clip of the interview few weeks ago. OLF/OPDOendorsed the “Woyane Constitution” and their problem with Woyane is on controlling/liberating their Kilil. The diaspora Oromo Media Network recent partying in Minnesota is a good indicator of  the relationship of the so calledOromo opposition with the OPDO/Woyane Boss Aba Dula.

ESAT Ignoring of the human rights violations in Eritrea which the whole world knows and the professor also raised  was wrong. However, the core of the interview was Article 39 and Kililization of Ethiopia. Isayas Afeworki publicly said for the Ethiopian people on the record that he never endorsed the Ethiopian Constitution of divide and rule. No wonder theOLF/OPDO are crying foul on social medias and Professor Mussie joined this camp by default.

The interview has not yet been concluded. ESAT might raise the issue of human rights violation both in Eritrea and Ethiopia in the next part of the interview. Ethiopians and Eritreans are reacting to the first part of the interview thanks to the Interview. For that ESAT journalists should be thanked for starting this conversation. That is the job of a journalist.

Advocates Petition UN to Intervene on Jailed Ethiopian Bloggers’ Behalf

February 16, 2015

Last April, nine writers were arrested and imprisoned in association with Ethiopia’s Zone 9 blogging collective. Eleven weeks later, they were charged under the nation’s Anti-Terrorism Proclamation. Since their arrest, Soleyana Gebremicheal and Endalk Chala, two members of the collective who now live in the United States, have advocated tirelessly for their colleagues’ release. Global Voices is honored to publish this original contribution by Soleyana and her colleague, Patrick Griffith, who are now petitioning the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention to intervene on the bloggers’ behalf.

by Soleyana S. Gebremicheal and Patrick Griffith | Global Voices ADVOCACY

Despite early, high-level condemnation of the arrests of independent journalists and bloggers in Ethiopia nine months ago, international attention has waned as the pre-trial proceedings have dragged-on. The government’s continued detention of three independent journalists and six members of the Zone 9 blogging collective is not only an outrageous attack on the press – it is also illegal and unconscionable.

After its founding in May 2012, the Zone 9 blog received widespread attention from Ethiopian activists and academics who used the site to promote political rights enshrined under both international and Ethiopian law. For a time, they managed to operate in anincreasingly restrictive media environment. When access to the site was blocked inside the country, members circulated articles through social media. When authorities summoned the contributors for questioning and accused them of threatening national security in 2013, the group temporarily stopped writing about political issues. But when the activists announced that they would revive the site and focus on Ethiopia’s upcoming national elections scheduled for May 2015, the government response was swift – within days, six members of Zone 9 and three independent journalists who knew them socially were behind bars.

Eventually, the government charged all nine detainees with terrorism and treason.

The use of overly broad national security laws to silence peaceful activists may seem like a surprising overreaction to online activism, but in Ethiopia, politicized prosecutions have become commonplace. Since the government passed the widely-criticized 2009 Anti-Terrorism Proclamation, prosecutors have cast an ever-widening net in an attempt to silence any kind of dissent. The government has applied the Proclamation to detain critical journalists, opposition activists, and religious protesters – apparently unconcerned that misusing such laws threatens to seriously undermine its credibility with security allies in a region with very real terror threats.

The condemnation of such tactics has been nearly universal. The former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, and political leaders – including US Secretary of State John Kerry – have all called for an end to the imprisonment of peaceful writers and activists on terrorism charges. In the case of the imprisoned Ethiopian publisher Eskinder Nega, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention specifically found that the government violated international law when it sentenced him to 18 years in prison under the 2009 Anti-Terror Proclamation. Despite such calls, however, the prosecutions have continued.

It has now been nine months since Ethiopian authorities arrested the Zone 9 bloggers and their journalist friends. During the first three months, they were held at the notorious Maekelawi police station in Addis Ababa, where reports indicate that torture is rampant. In fact, a complaint prepared by the group for the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission indicates that authorities severely mistreated some detainees while interrogating them about their criticism of the government and their contacts with international human rights organizations. Some were beaten, gagged, deprived of food and sleep, subjected to cold temperatures, and threatened not to report the mistreatment. The women were insulted during questioning and faced harassment and intimidation based on their gender. All of them were forced to sign false confessions.

Although the government has held 16 preliminary hearings, the trial has yet to begin. If past cases are any indication, however, the outcome has already been determined. That is why the Ethiopian Human Rights Project and Freedom Now have filed a petition with the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, which shows that the continued imprisonment of these peaceful activists violates international law. The work of these activists and journalists advocating for basic rights is clearly protected under international law and the treaties that the Ethiopian government has ratified, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights. As such, the government’s imprisonment of these individuals on spurious terror charges is arbitrary and illegal.

Soleyana S. Gebremicheal heads the Ethiopian Human Rights Project and is a member of the Zone9 collective. Patrick Griffith is an attorney with the legal advocacy organization Freedom Now.

Ethiopia: A land grab twice the size of France

February 16, 2015

Stealing the Omo Valley, destroying its ancient Peoples

Megan Perry / Sustainable Food Trust | ECOLOGIST

A land grab twice the size of France is under way in Ethiopia, as the government pursues the wholesale seizure if indigenous lands to turn them over to dams and plantations for sugar, palm oil, cotton and biofuels run by foreign corporations, destroying ancient cultures and turning Lake Turkana, the world’s largest desert lake, into a new Aral Sea.

Ethiopia’s Omo River in 2008. Photo: Marc Veraart via Flickr.com.

There is growing international concern for the future of the lower Omo Valley in Ethiopia. A beautiful, biologically diverse land with volcanic outcrops and a pristine riverine forest; it is also a UNESCO world heritage site, yielding significant archaeological finds, including human remains dating back 2.4 million years.

The Valley is one of the most culturally diverse places in the world, with around200,000 indigenous people living there. Yet, in blind attempts to modernise and develop what the government sees as an area of ‘backward’ farmers in need of modernisation, some of Ethiopia’s most valuable landscapes, resources and communities are being destroyed.

A new dam, called Gibe III, on the Omo River is nearing completion and will begin operation in June, 2015, potentially devastating the lives of half a million people. Along with the dam, extensive land grabbing is forcing thousands from their ancestral homes and destroying ecosystems.

Ethiopia’s ‘villagisation’ programme is aiding the land-grab by pushing tribes into purpose built villages where they can no longer access their lands, becoming unable to sustain themselves, and making these previously self-sufficient tribes dependent on government food aid.

A total disregard for the rights of Ethiopia’s Indigenous Peoples

What is happening in the lower Omo Valley, and elsewhere, shows a complete disregard for human rights and a total failure to understand the value these tribes offer Ethiopia in terms of their cultural heritage and their contribution to food security.

There are eight tribes living in the Valley, including the Mursi, famous for wearing large plates in their lower lips. Their agricultural practices have been developed over generations to cope with Ethiopia’s famously dry climate.

Many are herders who keep cattle, sheep and goats and live nomadically. Others practice small-scale shifting cultivation, whilst many depend on the fertile crop and pasture land created by seasonal flooding.

The vital life source of the Omo River is being cut off by Gibe III. An Italian construction company began work in 2006, violating Ethiopian law as there was no competitive bidding for the contract and no meaningful consultation with indigenous people.

The dam has received investment from the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China and the World Bank, and the hydropower is primarily going for export rather than domestic use – despite the fact that 77% of Ethiopia’s population lacks access to electricity.

People in the Omo Valley are politically vulnerable and geographically remote. Many do not speak Amharic, the national language, and have no access to resources or information. Foreign journalists have been denied contact with the tribes, as BBC reporter Matthew Newsome recently discovered when he was prevented from speaking to the Mursi people.

There has been little consideration of potential impacts, including those which may affect other countries, particularly Kenya, as Lake Turkana relies heavily on the Omo River.

At risk: Lake Turkana, ‘Cradle of Mankind’

Lake Turkana, known as the ‘Cradle of Mankind’, is the world’s largest desert lake dating back more than 4 million years. 90% of its inflow comes from the Omo. Filling of the lake behind the dam will take three years and use up to a years’ worth of inflow that would otherwise go into Lake Turkana.

Irrigation projects linked with the dam will then reduce the inflow by 50% and lead to a drop of up to 20 metres in the lake’s depth. These projects may also pollute the water with chemicals and nitrogen run-off. Dr Sean Avery’s report explains how this could devastate the lake’s ancient ecosystems and affect the 300,000 people who depend on it for their livelihoods.

Tribal communities living around the lake rely on it for fish, as well as an emergency source of water. It also attracts other wildlife which some tribes hunt for food, such as the El Molo, who hunt hippo and crocodile. Turkana is home to at least 60 fish species, which have evolved to be perfectly adapted to the lake’s environment.

Breeding activity is highest when the Omo floods, and this seasonal flood also stimulates the migration of spawning fish. Flooding is vital for diluting the salinity of the lake, making it habitable. Livestock around the lake add nutrients to the soil encouraging shoreline vegetation, and this is important for protecting young fish during the floods.

Lake Turkana is a fragile ecosystem, highly dependent on regular seasonal activity, particularly from the Omo. To alter this ancient ebb and flow will throw the environment out of balance and impact all life which relies on the lake.

Severely restricted resources around the lake may also lead to violence amongst those competing for what’s left. Low water levels could see the lake split in two, similar to the Aral Sea. Having acted as a natural boundary between people, there is concern that conflict will be inevitable.

Fear is already spreading amongst the tribes who say they are afraid of those who live on the other side of the lake. One woman said, “They will come and kill us and that will bring about enmity among us as we turn on each other due to hunger.”

Conflict may also come from Ethiopians moving into Kenyan territory in attempts to find new land and resources.

A land grab twice the size of France

The dam is part of a wider attempt to develop the Omo Valley resulting in land grabs and plantations depending on large-scale irrigation. Since 2008 an area the size of France has been given to foreign companies, and there are plans to hand over twice this area of land over the next few years.

Investors can grow what they want and sell where they want. The main crops being brought into cultivation include, sugar, cotton, maize, palm oil and biofuels. These have no benefit to local economies, and rather than using Ethiopia’s fragile fertile lands to support its own people, the crops grown here are exported for foreign markets.

Despite claims that plantations will bring jobs, most of the workers are migrants. Where local people (including children) are employed, they are paid extremely poorly. 750km of internal roads are also being constructed to serve the plantations, and are carving up the landscape, causing further evictions.

In order to prepare the land for plantations, all trees and grassland are cleared, destroying valuable ecosystems and natural resources.

Reports claim the military have been regularly intimidating villages, stealing and killing cattle and destroying grain stores. There have also been reports of beatings, rape and even deaths, whilst those who oppose the developments are put in jail. The Bodi, Kwegi and Mursi people were evicted to make way for the Kuraz Sugar Project which covers 245,000 acres.

The Suri have also been forcibly removed to make way for the Koka palm oil plantation, run by a Malaysian company and covering 76,600 acres. This is also happening elsewhere in Ethiopia, particularly the Gambela region where 73% of the indigenous population are destined for resettlement.

Al-Moudi, a Saudi tycoon, has 10,000 acres in this region to grow rice, which is exported to the Middle East. A recent report from the World Bank’s internal watchdog has accused a UK and World Bank funded development programme of contributing to this violent resettlement.

For many tribes in the Omo Valley, the loss of their land means the loss of their culture. Cattle herding is not just a source of income, it defines people’s lives. There is great cultural value placed on the animals. The Bodi are known to sing poems to their favourite cattle; and there are many rituals involving the livestock, such as the Hamer tribe’s coming of age ceremony whereby young men must jump across a line of 10 to 30 bulls.

Losing their land also means losing the ability to sustain themselves. As Ulijarholi, a member of the Mursi tribe, said, “If our land is taken, it is like taking our lives.”

They will no longer be independent but must rely on government food aid or try to grow food from tiny areas of land with severely reduced resources.

Ethiopia’s food security

Ethiopia is currently experiencing economic growth, yet 30 million people still face chronic food shortages. Some 90% of Ethiopia’s national budget is foreign aid, but instead of taking a grass-roots approach to securing a self-sufficient food supply for its people, it is being pushed aggressively towards industrial development and intensive production for foreign markets.

There is a failure to recognise what these indigenous small-scale farmers and pastoralists offer to Ethiopia’s food security. Survival of the Fittest, a report by Oxfam, argued that pastoralism is one of the best ways to combat climate change because of its flexibility.

During droughts animals can be slaughtered and resources focused on a core breeding stock in order to survive. This provides insurance against crop failure as livestock can be exchanged for grain or sold, but when crops fail there can be nothing left. Tribal people can also live off the meat and milk of their animals.

Those who have long cultivated the land in the Omo Valley are essential to the region’s food security, producing sorghum, maize and beans on the flood plains. This requires long experience of the local climate and the river’s seasonal behaviour, as well as knowledge of which crops grow well under diverse and challenging conditions.

Support for smallholders and pastoralists could improve their efficiency and access to local markets. This would be a sustainable system which preserved soil fertility and the local ecosystem through small-scale mixed rotation cropping, appropriate use of scarce resources (by growing crops which don’t need lots of water, for example) and use of livestock for fertility-building, as well as for producing food on less productive lands.

Instead, over a billion dollars is being spent on hydro-electric power and irrigation projects. This will ultimately prove unsustainable, since large-scale crop irrigation in dry regions causes water depletion and salinisation of the soil, turning the land unproductive within a couple of generations.

Short of an international outcry however, the traditional agricultural practices of the indigenous people will be long gone by the time the disastrous consequences becomes apparent.

EHSNA Marks the 119th Victory Anniversary of the Battle of Adwa

February 13, 2015

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The Ethiopian Heritage Society in North America (EHSNA) will be marking the 119th monumental victory anniversary of the Battle of Adwa in which the Ethiopian army led by Emperor Minilik II defeated the invading Italian army on March 1, 1896.

EHSNA will celebrate the Victory of Adwa in honor and recognition of the Ethiopian masses who, under the leadership of Emperor Minilik II fought and defeated the Italian invaders who had provoked this war and came with intent to colonize Ethiopia. It will be remembered that in March 1896 Ethiopians had fought and died in unity regardless of ethnicity to keep Ethiopia a free and independent country. This was the period when colonialism, under European powers had flourished throughout Africa and Ethiopia was one of the independent countries which had never been colonized.

The victory of the Battle of Adwa has been a noteworthy factor in the history of Ethiopia. EHSNA celebrates the fact that Ethiopia, under the leadership of Emperor Minilik II totally decimated the invading Italian army in the Battle of Adwa, made her a symbol of independence and a pride for black people around the world. It is no wonder that the colors of the Ethiopia’s flag [Green, Yellow and Red] have been adopted by many African countries after they gained independence. Its influence on the concepts of racial and gender equality can’t be minimized either.

As in the past, the Ethiopian Heritage Society in North America (EHSNA) is again ready organizing an event for the fourth time to be held on Sunday March 1st, 2015 at the Civic Building, One Veteran Place in Silver Spring, MD (Heart downtown of Silver Spring) to commemorate the 119th Anniversary Battle of Adwa and its influence on the concepts of racial and gender equality.

Historians and scholars have been invited to speak about the battle and its significance as a turning point in the histories and heritages of Ethiopia, Africa, Europe and America. In addition, various entertaining programs including a showcase of Live cultural music by young Ethio-American Students Traditional Eskista (Dance) Group led by Thomas Young, an African American artist who mastered the unique art of the body movement of Ethiopian traditional dancer. In addition, a short drama and others will be included in the event to magnificence the commemoration of the 119th victory anniversary of Adwa.

EHSNA will also, at this event memorialize the historic and pioneer Etege Tayitu Hotel in Addis Ababa, which was part of Ethiopian heritage but was recently destroyed by arson. A similar memorization will be held for the legendary public library “Wemezeker” which had served many scholars since its opening in 1944. As you may already be aware, valuable and ancient historical books and other chronological manuscripts, documents and related collections of this national library were recently sold out to foreigners.

EHSNA strongly encourages all Ethiopians, Ethio-Americans and friends of Ethiopia to join us in celebrating the 119th Anniversary of the Victory of the Battle of Adwa.

For your convenience the event will be FREE ADMISSION & FREE PARKING. For more information please visit our main website (www.ehsna.org) or call us @ 202-596-1964.

Ban Ki-moon’s silence on Ethiopian Bloggers Case

February 13, 2015

Amid UN Free Press Talk, Ban Still Silent on Zone 9 Bloggers, Kaye at IPI

by Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, February 12 — Amid news that Egypt has released two Al Jazeera journalists Mohammed Fahmy and Baher Mohammed on bail, statements are churning out from all corners. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon may have one — but he should still explain his silence while in Ethiopia for the recent African Union summit about the terrorism trial of that country’s Zone 9 Bloggers.

The Free UN Coalition for Access has been asking Ban’s UN, and those who pass through it, about #FreeZone9Bloggers, as it asked about Peter Greste and his colleagues, for example here.

But the UN in New York, and the UN in Addis Ababa, have been silent.

On February 12 across First Avenue from the UN there was a panel discussion on protection of journalists at the International Peace Institute. Al Jazeera’s Gabriel Elizondo spoke.

Inner City Press ran across First Avenue and posed a question: does the UN system do for independent journalists and bloggers what it does for corporate or state media?

The panelist who answered was David Kaye, UN Special Rapporteur on the Promotion and Protection of the Right to Freedom of Opinion and Expression. Kaye said, “As an independent journalist, it’s good to see you here. From different perspectives, I think that’s right. Sometimes the UN can do so loudly and publicly. Some situation might call for a little bit more of a quieter engagement.”

Rapporteur Kaye said that “from the OHCHR perspective, we have different tools. Our first tool is to communicate with governments on the quiet side, send them allegation letters or urgent appeals, Zone 9 Bloggers being a good example of that.

If we don’t get a response, to issue press releases, to call out bad behavior. I agree with the tenor or your comment — we should be out there calling out the bad behavior at the moment that it happens, quietly or more publicly. Article 19 is not written to protect only journalists, it protects everyone’s right to seek, receive and impart information.”

The other panelists were Bård Glad Pedersen, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Norway, Agnes Callamard, Director of the Global Freedom of Expression and Information Project at Columbia University and former Executive Director of Article 19, Matthew Rosenberg, Foreign Correspondent of the New York Times (with interesting stories of Afghanistan but who declined to discuss the NYT’s coverage of Iraq before the US invasion) and Judith Matloff of Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. There will be video.

Back on January 30 when the UN held a “Social Media Summit,” it concluded with a panel about trends, from mobile to analytics to video and Facebook’s acquisition of Snapchat.

But what about the UN defending or at least speaking up for freedom of expression on the Internet?

Earlier on January 30, Inner City Press for the Free UN Coalition for Access asked Secretary General Ban Ki-moon’s spokesman Stephane Dujarric why Ban while in Ethiopia for the African Union summit had not raised the terrorism charges brought against the Zone 9 Bloggers. Video here.

Dujarric said Ban has spoken elsewhere about freedom of expression in Africa, and that the (other) contents of his AU speech were interesting.

So Inner City Press went to the #SocialUN final panel and asked, does the UN do enough to speak up for freedom in social media? One of the panelists had just finished praising high tech in Qatar. What about arrests for insulting the leader? What about Nabeel Rajab in Bahrain? Video here.

Panelist Hayes Brown of BuzzFeed, who advised and practices Be a Person on Twitter, including baking and (good) jokes, said it is hard for the UN, since it has member states that pay its bills. He said he agreed about bloggers in Ethiopia but wasn’t sure what the UN could do, beyond speaking up.

Well, as to the Zone 9 Bloggers, the UN has yet to speak up. That would be a start.

Panelist Liz Borod Wight, who moderator Sree Sreenivasan marveled is paid to do Instagram for the BBC, cites those who tweeted #JeSuisCharlie and said those who have freedom of expression should use it.

Panelist Adam Glenn from CUNY Journalism School said, hoping not to offend the hosts the UN, that the UN should ensure that all of its staff have training and can tweet.

Inner City Press and FUNCA note, for example, that a UN staffer in South Sudan abruptly stopped tweeting after she tweeted this: “#breaking Lou Nuer youth are mobilising in big numbers leaving #Akobo town empty heading towards Dengjok #Southsudan.”

As Inner City Press reported at the time, after Mathilde Kaalund-Jørgensen raised this alarm, the tweet and her Twitter account profile both disappeared. So much for Rights Up Front.

At the end of the panel a UN staffer took the floor to acknowledge that UN staff cannot tweet what they think. But can’t Ban Ki-moon say what he thinks? Or doesn’t he think it? We’ll have more on this.

Gagging the Media in Ethiopia: Suffocating Dissent

February 13, 2015

by GRAHAM PEEBLES | CounterPunch

Nobody trusts politicians, but some governments are more despicable than others. The brutal gang ruling Ethiopia are especially nasty. They claim to govern in a democratic pluralistic manner, they say they observe human rights and the rule of law, that the judiciary is independent, the media open and free and public assembly permitted as laid out in the constitution. But the ruling Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) systematically violates fundamental human rights, silence all dissenting voices and rules the country in a suppressive violent fashion, that is causing untold suffering to millions of people throughout the country.

There is no freedom of the press, journalists are persecuted, intimidated and arrested on false charges, so too their families. All significant media outlets and print companies are state owned or controlled, as is the sole telecommunications company – allowing for unfettered Government monitoring and control of the Internet. Radio is almost exclusively state owned and, with adult literacy at around 48%, remains the major source of information. Where private media has survived they are forced to self-censor their coverage of political issues, if they deviate from “approved content”, they face harassment and closure.

In many cases journalists are forced to leave the country, some are illegally tried in absentia and given long prison sentences or the death penalty. Human Rights Watch (HRW) states in its detailed report ‘Journalism is Not a Crime,’ that Ethiopia has more journalists in exile than “any country in the world other than Iran,” and estimates, “60 journalists have fled their country since 2010 while at least another 19 languish in prison.” More than 30 left in 2014, twice the number escaping in 2013 and 2012 combined, and numerous publications were closed down, revealing that the media situation and freedom of expression more widely is becoming more and more restrictive. “If they cannot indoctrinate you into their thinking, they fire you,” said a dismissed journalist from state-run Oromia Radio, summing up the approach of the ruling party to press freedom and indeed democracy as a whole.

With upcoming elections in May the media should be allowed to perform its democratic responsibility – revealing policies and the incumbent regime’s abuses, providing a platform for opposition groups and encouraging debate. However, the guilt ridden EPRDF government, desperate to keep a lid on the human rights violations it is committing, sees the independent media as the enemy, and denies it the freedom, guaranteed under the constitution, to operate freely.

Tools of control

Soon after the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Centre in New York, President George W. Bush made his now notorious speech in which he reaffirmed Ronald Reagan’s 1981 declaration to initiate a worldwide ‘war on terror’, against terrorism and nations that “provide aid or safe haven to terrorism.” Bush’s understandable if hypocritical political statement of intent allowed regimes perpetrating terror like the EPRDF to impose ever more repressive laws under the guise of ‘fighting terrorism’ and ‘containing extremism’.

A year before the 2010 Ethiopian general election the government introduced a raft of unconstitutional legislation to control the media, stifle opposition parties and inhibit civil society: The Charities and Societies Proclamation introduced in 2009 decimated independent civil society, and created, Amnesty International (AI) says, “a serious obstacle to the promotion and protection of human rights in Ethiopia.” It sits alongside the equally unjust Anti –Terrorism Proclamation (ATP) of the same year, which is the sledgehammer commonly used to suppress dissent and silence critical media voices both inside the country, abroad and on the Internet. Overly broad and awash with ambiguity, the ATP allows for long-term imprisonment and the death penalty for so-called crimes that meet the government’s vague definition of terrorism, and allows evidence gained through torture to be admissible in court, which contravenes the United Nations Convention Against Torture, ratified by Ethiopia in 1994. In 2012 the government added the Telecom Fraud Offences Proclamation to its arsenal of repression, criminalizing “the use of popular voice over IP (VoIP) communications software such as Skype for commercial purposes or to bypass the monopoly of state-owned Ethio-Telecom.” Eight years imprisonment and large fines are imposed if anyone is convicted of “using the telecommunications network to disseminate a “terrorizing message” – whatever that may be.

The anti-terror legislation violates international law and has been repeatedly condemned by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. As well a group of United Nations (UN) human rights experts, who in September 2014 urged the ruling party “to stop misusing anti-terrorism legislation to curb freedoms of expression and association in the country.” The eminent group went on call upon the Government “to free all persons detained arbitrarily under the pretext of countering terrorism,” saying: “let journalists, human rights defenders, political opponents and religious leaders carry out their legitimate work without fear of intimidation and incarceration.” Their visit followed one made by members of the European Parliament’s Sub-committee on Human Right who visited Ethiopia in July 2013 when they pressurized the government to release journalists and opposition activists imprisoned under the ATP.

Wrapped in arrogance and paranoia the EPRDF disregarded these righteous demands as well as requests to allow a visit by the “Special Rapporteurs on freedom of peaceful assembly and association, on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment” to visit the country and report “on the situation of human rights defenders.” No doubt the people of Ethiopia would welcome such a visit; one questions the protocol that allows regimes like the EPRDF the right to deny such a request.

Keep quiet

The ATP has been widely used to punish troublesome journalists who criticize the government or publish articles featuring opposition members and regional groups calling for self-determination. Anyone who challenges the EPRDF’s policies or draws attention to the human rights violations taking place throughout the country are branded with the T word, intimidated and silenced.

The two most prominent journalists to be imprisoned are award-winning Eskinder Nega and Reeyot Alemu Gobebo. Arrested at least seven times Nega is currently serving an 18 year sentence for doing nothing more than calling on the government to respect freedom of expression laws enshrined in the constitution (that the EPRDF themselves penned), and end torture in the country’s prisons. Reeyot Gobebo, winner of the 2013 UNESCO-Guilermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize, is currently serving a five-year jail term (commuted from 14 years after two of the charges were dropped on appeal), after being charged with a variety of unfounded, unsubstantiated terrorist related charges. These two courageous professionals, HRW relates, have “come to symbolize the plight of dozens more media professionals, both known and unidentified, in Addis Ababa and in rural regions, who have suffered threats, intimidation, sometimes physical abuse, and politically motivated prosecutions under criminal or terrorism charges.” When an article critical of the government is published, writers or editors receive threatening phone calls and text messages (e-mails in my case) from government stooges. If publications and broadcasters persist in publishing such pieces they suffer persecution, arrest and closure.

The ERPDF’s paranoid desire to control everything and everybody inside Ethiopia is not restricted to the national media alone. Voice of America (VoA) and Deutsche Welle (DW), who both have a presence in Addis Ababa, are routinely targeted by the government, as is ESAT TV, a shining light of independence broadcasting in Amharic from America and Europe. Their satellite transmissions are regularly jammed, their staff and family members threatened and harassed; on 11th January 2015 the wife of Wondimagegne Gashu, a British Citizen, long time human rights activist and ESAT worker, was violently detained with her three young children for two days inside Addis Ababa airport. Before being deported security personnel threatened to kill her husband if he continues his associations.

The government also restricts access to numerous websites including independent news, opposition parties and groups defined by the government as terrorist organisations and political blogs. The required technology and expertise to carry out such criminal acts is supplied by unscrupulous companies from China and Europe; companies that should “assess [the] human rights risks raised by potential business activity, including risk posed to the rights of freedom of expression, access to information, association, and privacy.” In other words: behave in a responsible ethical manner.

State Terrorism

Freedom of the media and freedom of expression, sit alongside other democratic principles, like an independent judiciary, consensual governance, participation and freedom of assembly. Where these basic tenets are absent so too is democracy. If the state systematically crushes independent media and commits widespread human rights violations, as in Ethiopia, we see not a democratic government but a brutal dictatorship committing acts of state terrorism.

In HRW’s damning report on media freedoms within the country a series of commonsense recommendations are made that should be immediately enforced. Chief among these are that all journalists currently imprisoned be released; that the government immediately cease jamming radio and television stations and unblock all websites of political parties, media, and bloggers; that all harassment of individuals exercising their right to freedom of expression stops and that the regime repeal or amend all laws that infringe upon privacy rights.

By essentially banning independent media and making freedom of expression a criminal offense, the Ethiopian government is in gross violation of its own legally binding constitution as well as a raft of international covenants. All of which is of no concern to the ruling party who treat international law with the same indifference they apply to their own people. Pressure then needs to be applied by those nations with longstanding relationships with Ethiopia: America and Britain come to mind as the two nations who have the biggest investment in the country and whose gross negligence borders on complicity. As major donor nations they have a moral responsibility to act on behalf of the people, to insist on the observation of human rights and the rule of law and to hold the EPRDF regime accountable for its repressive criminal actions.

በትጥቅ ትግል የሚያምኑ ሶስት የአፋር ድርጅቶች ግንባር ፈጠሩ

የካቲት ፱ (ዘጠኝ) ቀን፳፻፯ዓ/ምኢሳትዜና :-በስልጣን ላይ ያለውን የህወሃት /ኢህአዴግ መንግስት በሃይል ለመጣል የሚንቀሳቀሱት ሶስቱ የአፋር ድርጅቶች ማለትም አርዱፍ፣ ጋድሌና የአፍዴራ ታጋዮች የካቲት 8 ቀን 2007 ዓም የጋራ ግንባር ፈጥረዋል።

የአርዱፍ ሊቀመንበር አቶ  ኢብራሂም ሙሳ ለኢሳት እንደገለጹት ሶስቱም የአፋር ድርጅቶች በተናጠል ሆነው መዋጋታቸው ለስርአቱ እድሜ መርዘም አስተዋጽኦ በማድረጉ በቅድሚያ ድርጅቶቹ የጋራ ግንባር ፈጥረው በጋራ ለመዋጋት አስፈላጊ መሆኑን ስምምነት ላይ በመድረሳቸው፣ በአንድ ወታደራዊ እዝ ስር ሆነው ለመታገል ወስነዋል።

አዲሱ ግንባር ከሌሎች የኢትዮጵያ ሃይሎች ጋር ጥምረት በመፍጠር ለመታገል ፍላጎት  እንዳለውም አቶ ኢብራሂም ተናግረዋል።

ድርድሩ የተካሄደው በአፋር ህዝብ ፓርቲ በኩል መሆኑንም ለማወቅ ተችሎአል።

ከአቶ ኢብራሂም ሙሳ ጋር የተደረገው ቃለምልልስ ከዜናው በሁዋላ ይቀርባል።

የኢህአዴግካድሬዎች የመድረክ አባላትና ደጋፊዎች በ2007 ሀገር አቀፍ ምርጫ ለመሳተፍ የሚያደርጉትን እንቅስቃሴ ለማደናቀፍ የሚፈጽሙትን አፍራሽ ተግባራት መቀጠላቸውን መድረክ አስታወቀ።

የካቲት ፱ (ዘጠኝ) ቀን፳፻፯ዓ/ምኢሳትዜና :-ካድሬዎቹ በደቡብክልል በሲዳማ ዞን በቡርሳ ወረዳ  ስለዕጩዎች ምዝገባና ቀጣይ ድርጅታዊ ሥራዎች ላይ ለመወያየት በወረዳው በሚገኘው የሲአንጽ/ቤት ተሰበስበው በነበሩ የሲአን/መድረክ የሥራ አስፈጻሚ ኮሚቴ አባላት ፣በወረዳው የመድረክ ዕጩ ተወዳዳሪዎችና ሌሎች አባላት ላይ የወረዳው የፖሊሰ ኃይልን በመጠቀም ድብደባ ፈጽመውባቸው እንዲበተኑ ማድረጋቸውን መድረክ ገልጿል፡፡

የቡርሳ ከተማከንቲባበሆኑትበአቶአለማየሁፉንአቴትዕዛዝበተፈጸመውበዚሁድብደባበጽ/ቤቱተሰብስበውበነበሩት 20የሲአንመድረክአባላትላይአካላዊጉዳትእንደደረሰባቸውአስታውቋል፡፡

በዚሁዞን  *በወንሾወረዳበዱባምርጫክልል* የመድረክየክልልምክርቤትዕጩተወዳዳሪየሆኑት አቶበሾላገቢሶበመድረክዕጩነትመቅረባቸውእንደታወቀለብዙጊዜያትሲያርሱየኖሩትንናበአሁኑወቅትምየቡናና የእንሰትተክሎችበብዛትየሚገኙበትንየእርሻመሬትለደንእንፈልገዋለንብለውበመከለልናምልክትበማድረግከዕጩነታቸው እንዲለቁማስፈራሪያእየተደረገባቸውእንደሆነመድረክ ገልጿል።

የአቶ አንዳርጋቸው ጽጌ 60ኛ አመት የልደት በአል በተለያዩ አገሮች ተከበረ

የካቲት ፱ (ዘጠኝ) ቀን፳፻፯ዓ/ምኢሳትዜና :-በኖርዌ የነበረውን ስነስርአት በተመለከተ ከአቶአበበ ደመቀ ጋር አጭር ቆይታ አድርገናል።

በአውስትራሊያሜልበርንከተማ  እሁድ  ፈብራሪ 15፣ 2015 ዓ .ምበደማቅሁኔታተከብሯል።

ፕሮግራሙ በህሊና ጸሎት ከተጀመረ በኋላ አቶ አንዳርጋቸውን የሚያስታውሱ በቪዲዮ የተቀነባበሩ ስነ ግጥሞች ፣መዝሙሮች እና  ዘጋቢ ፊልሞች ቀርበዋል።

የፕሮግራሙአስተባባሪዎች፦  <<የአቶ አንዳርጋቸውን 60ኛ አመት የልደት በአልየምና ከብረው፤  አቶ አንዳርጋቸው የከፈሉትን ዋጋ በመዘከር ፣እርሳቸው እየተሰዉለት ያለውን አላማ ለማስቀጠል እና ህዝቡም በከፍተኛ ሁኔታ ትግሉን እንዲቀላቀል ለማድረግ  በማሰብነው>> ብለዋል።

እንግሊዝ አቶአንዳርጋቸው  ስላሉበት ሁኔታ በቂ ትኩረት አለመስጠቷን የሚያሳስብ ደብዳቤ እና የአቶ አንዳርጋቸውን የጨለማ ቤት እስር የሚያሳይ የልደት ፖስትካርድ አንድ ላይ በማድረግ ለእንግሊዙ ጠቅላይ ሚኒስትር ዴቪድ ካሜሩን “በሪጂስተርድ” ፖስታ መላኩን እና ደብዳቤው በግልባጭ በአውስትራሊያ የንግስት ኤልሳቤጥ ተወካይ ለሆኑት ለአገረገዥው ጴጥሮስ ዮሐንስ ኮስግሮቭ  እንዲደርስ መደረጉን  ገልጸዋል።

ፕሮግራሙ 60 ቁጥር ሻማን በመለኮስና ለልደቱ የተዘጋጀውን ዳቦ በመቁረስ  በውይይት እንዲቀጥል  የተደረገሲሆን ፤በስተመጨረሻ  “አቶ አንዳርጋቸው የጀመሩትን አላማ ለመፈጸም ትግሉን መቀላቀል አለብን”ብለው  የወሰኑ ኢትዮጵያውያን የድርጅት አባልነት ፎርም መሙላታቸውን ከአስተባባሪዎች መካከል አንዷ የሆኑት ወ/ሮ ሃና ለገሰ ለኢሳት ገልጸዋል።

በስዊዘርላንድም እንዲሁ የአቶ አንዳርጋቸው 60ኛ አመት የልደት በአል ታከብሯል። አቶ አንዳርጋቸው እህት ወ/ሮ ብዙአየሁ ጽጌ በስካይፕ ለተሰብሳቢው ንግግር አድርገዋል።

በእለቱ 10 አባላት ያሉት የኢሳት የድጋፍ ኮሚቴ መዋቀሩን የደረሰን ዜና ያመለክታል።

አቶ አባይ ጸሃየ አዲስ አበባ ማስተር ፕላን ተግባራዊ እንደሚሆን ተናገሩ

የካቲት ፱ (ዘጠኝ) ቀን፳፻፯ዓ/ምኢሳትዜና :-የጠ/ሚኒስትሩ አማካሪና የህወሃት ነባር ታጋይ አባይ ጸሃየ አወዛጋቢው የአዲስ አበባ ማስተር ፕላን በሃይል ተግባራዊ እንደሚደረግ አዋሳ ውስጥ በተደረገ ስብሰባ ላይ መናገራቸውን የኦሮሚያ ሚዲያ ኔትወርክ ገልጿል።

አቶ አባይ ጸሃየ የኦሮምያ ልዩ ዞን ሃላፊዎችን በቅድሚያ የወቀሱ ሲሆን፣ ክልሉም እነዚህን ልክ ባለማስገባቱ ሌላው ተጠያቂ መሆኑን ገልጸዋል።

የአዲስ አበባ ማስተር ፕላን እንደወጣ በርካታ የኦሮሞ ተወላጆች  እቅዱን ተቃውመው ወደ አደባባይ በመውጣታቸው በገዢው መንግስት ታጣቂዎች ተገድለዋል። በሺ የሚቆጠሩ ወጣቶችም ታስረዋል።