Vision Ethiopia and ESAT 2nd conference successfully completed

A highly successful two days long conference focusing on conflict resolution, transition, democracy and national unity for Ethiopia was completed on March 27, 2016. The conference was organized by Vision Ethiopia, a non-partisan organization whose objective is seeing Ethiopia transitioning to peaceful, stable, united, democratic, prosperous and livable place for all its citizens. The conference was organized in collaboration with ESAT. It was held at the Georgetown Marriot Hotel in Washington, D.C. With the exception of the designated keynote speaker, Dr. Merera Gudina, Chairman of Oromo Federalist Congress (OFC) and Vice-Chairman & Head of Foreign Relations, Ethiopian Federal Democratic Unity Forum (MEDREK), and Mr. Abiye Yassin Ibrahim of Addis Mieraf in Belgium, all of the 28 speakers arrived at the venue.  Speakers, moderators and participants came from various parts of the United States and Europe (Germany and Norway).

Professor George Ayittey of the American University, Dr. Anuradha Mittal of Oakland Institute and Ambassador J. Carson, Former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs sent their apologies because of scheduling conflict, health condition and an emergency. Dr. Merera Gudina was unable to travel to Washington, D.C. from Ethiopia because of travel restriction imposed on him by the Government of Ethiopia. Mr. Abiye Yassin could not fly out of Brussels, Belgium, because of the horrific terrorist bombing at the Brussels International Airport and the subsequent closure of the airport.

The conference was divided into six sessions. Representatives of Vision Ethiopia moderated five of the six panels.  Professor Getachew Begashaw, Dr. Ashenafi Gossaye, Mr. Gizaw Legesse, and Professor Minga Negash moderated the five panels while the sixth session (women’s forum) was moderated by Ms. Lulit Mesfin. Speakers were senior academics, representatives of rights based civic organizations, individuals, religious leaders and three political organizations pursuing different political positions, programs and strategies of their own. The political organizations were Arbegnoch Ginbot 7, Ethiopian People’s Congress for United Struggle (Shengo) and Oromo Democratic Front (ODF). The list of speakers included Mr. Obang Metho, Dr. Erku Yimer, Dr. Assegid Habte-Wolde, Mr. Gashaw Gebre, Professor John Harbeson, Professor Achamyeleh Debela, Mr.  Aklilu Wondaferew, Mr.  Lencho Bati, Mr.  Neamin Zeleke, Miss. Elizabeth Lakew, Mrs. Sewasew S. Johannessen, Mrs. Assayesh Tamiru, Ms. Wossen Debela, Mr.  Ermias Legesse, Dr. Mesfin Abdi, Professor Seid Hassan, Professor Ezkiel Gebissa, Professor Teshome Abebe, Dr. Beyan Asoba, Professor Alemayehu Gebremariam and Professor Messay Kebede. The Master of Ceremonies was Ms. Birtawit Girmaye of ESAT.

The participants of the conference held a one-minute remembrance silence for the most recent victims of the protests in Oromia, Konso, Humera, Afar, Somali, Gambella and Wolkayit regions, the 18 million of Ethiopians who are suffering from the effects of drought and famine, those who are in prisons and the internally displaced.

Speaker after speaker underscored that the TPLF/EPRDF narrative of Ethiopia and the crisis in the country is utterly irresponsible and misleading.  Speakers underscored the severity of the drought and famine, internal displacement, outmigration, the incomprehensible election statistics, the mounting domestic and foreign debt, rising inflation and cost of living, rampant corruption and the alarmingly skewed income distribution, and the recent increase in state and non-state led violence in various parts of the country. There was unanimous agreement among speakers and panelists that the current protests are bursts of prolonged grievances and the results of the political and economic machinations of the ruling party over the past 25 years.

Using past and current practices of the TPLF/EPRDF as their guides, most analysts agreed that the ruling party would allow neither free elections nor the establishment of a governing system accountable to the people it purports to represent. Speakers urged that the ruling party’s killings in Oromia, Wolkait, Ogaden, Afar, Gambella, Konso, and other parts the country must stop without delay. Conference participants demand the ruling party compensate victims’ families and the ruling party takes confidence building measures so that conflict resolution negotiations could begin in earnest. Legal scholars and political scientists agreed that the killers cannot “investigate” themselves, and urged for the appointment of an investigative body composed of renowned citizens known for their integrity and impartiality. 

Speakers, panelists and guest conference participants have observed the contradictory and confusing use of expressions regarding the atrocities being committed against the people in Oromia, Gonder, Konso, Gambella, Afar, Ogaden and other regions. One good example of such conflicting and confusing signals is Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalign’s harsh and deceitful rhetoric which blamed the protests on ‘terrorist elements abroad and anti-peace elements backed by the Eritrean government’ and indicating he would take ‘merciless action’ against them. He followed his threats with a half-hearted “apology” for the death of hundreds of peaceful protesters who were killed by the special force called Agazie, federal police and the army that he purports to be the commander-in-chief. There was a consensus among all conference participants that leaders of the ruling party are sending such conflicting messages thinking that they would get away with murder.

There was also unanimous agreement, both from the speakers and the audience that Ethiopia needs a transition strategy that moves the country from the state of conflict to the state of peace and democracy and national unity. Speakers underscored that this is an opportunity for both the ruling party and the opposition groups. The instrument for the change is a new transitional government which may or may not include the TPLF/EPRDF depending on how it responds to the just demand of the Ethiopian people.

Furthermore, despite the diversity of the speakers, what made this conference unique was the fact that neither a single speaker nor a member of the audience advocated for secession of a region.  There was a strong consensus that Ethiopia’s unity will not be guaranteed neither by force nor by the imposition of ideologies favored by some. Rather, Ethiopia’s unity could only be kept through true democracy and federal system, the recognition, preservation and fair treatments of historical and cultural heritages of all ethnic groups, the recognition of past and current injustices committed against some communities and all Ethiopians at large.  This is not to say that there were no disagreements among speakers and the audience. We are just reporting that the areas of agreements by far outweighed the areas of disagreements. Full coverage of the conference through ESAT television and radio can be consulted to get full understanding of all the ideas and positions argued on the conference.

There was support for a new dispensation of “constitutional patriotism”, respect for the duality and multiplicity of identities. Some speakers and panelists suggested a restructuring of the country which could be done by taking a “multinational state” perspective. There was a spirited debate on how to achieve this. There was also agreement that indigenous cultures and values be the basis for crafting the new “constitutional patriotism”, but as expected, there was less agreement on specifics. Legal scholars, political scientists, historians and philosophers agreed that work in certain areas is lacking.
The sticky point was whether the ruling party has the incentive to partner in the transition, and whether the top brass of the military and security organ permits the orderly and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy. Speakers and audience noted that inclusiveness is necessary in that there are about 24 national and 51 regional parties, while the number of armed and exiled groups amounting close to a dozen or so.  With the exception of one of speakers, most analysts and participants doubted the TPLF, the core of the ruling party, would be willing to negotiate without facing sufficient pressure from all corners.

Despite elevated excitements on certain sticky points, the conversations were informative, respectful and cordial. We were happily surprised to see many speakers and even members of the audience willingly and purposefully intermingling and socializing inside and outside the conference hall. Moreover, more than 30 participants of the conference, at times with long queues at the microphone, had the opportunity to ask questions and make their own comments. The two days long conference ended on Sunday at 7:45 PM. In addition to being fully engaged at the conference, presenters, panelists and representatives of political organizations participated at reception on Saturday evening and dinner at Ethiopian restaurant in Virginia on both Saturday and Sunday evenings.

It was very heart warming to observe that there was a strong desire and willingness among speakers and conference participants for continued dialogue through similar conferences that clearly exhibited a highly dignified, elevated, and graduated level of discourse among diverse participants espousing diverse outlooks and preferences. Going forward, many of the audience have expressed their delight by what they saw on the conference and have promised to help in the future endeavors of Vision Ethiopia to produce a conference of this quality. The six conference sessions will be transmitted unedited by ESAT, and Vision Ethiopia invites all Ethiopians to take their time and watch the videos. Vision Ethiopia and ESAT convened this highly successful conference so that all Ethiopians, whether those back home or in the diaspora, would be able to contribute to the national dialogue for conflict resolution, transition, democracy and national unity.

Long live Ethiopia!
Vision Ethiopia

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Moral Bankruptcy: World Bank Reinvents Tainted Aid Program for Ethiopia

A new report released on March 21st 2016 by the Oakland Institute, exposes the shameful reinvention of one of the Bank’s most problematic programs in Ethiopia. The report also reveals that the US Treasury violated congressional law when voting in favor of this program.

Moral Bankruptcy scrutinizes the World Bank’s new Enhancing Shared Prosperity through Equitable Services (ESPES) program in Ethiopia. ESPES, meant to bring basic services to Ethiopians nationwide, replaces the Bank’s Promoting Basic Services (PBS) program.

For years, the PBS program has been associated with human rights abuses and the forced relocation of indigenous communities while paving the road for large-scale land grabs. These issues were highlighted in a report by the World Bank’s own independent Inspection Panel in 2015. Rather than addressing the grave concerns raised about the program, the Bank, instead, chose to launch an almost identical initiative under a new name.

“The World Bank has turned a blind eye to the findings of the Inspection Panel and well-being of indigenous communities in Ethiopia by conveniently re-launching PBS under a new name,” said Anuradha Mittal, Executive Director of the Oakland Institute. “This incredibly irresponsible behaviour of the Bank shows that it would rather uphold the status quo than protect vulnerable communities.”

The report provides an in-depth analysis of the ESPES program, revealing its many shocking flaws and weaknesses. For instance, overlooking the climate of fear and government repression prevailing in Ethiopia, it relies on marginalized communities to self-report the abuses they are victims of and on the Government’s internal institutions to lead monitoring and evaluation efforts. Furthermore, the new program uses the same financial systems that the Inspection Panel lambasted in its report.
The report also examines the US Appropriations Bills from 2012 to 2016 to reveal that the US Treasury violated several congressional laws by voting in favor of this program.

“Congressional laws exist to ensure that US tax payers’ dollars don’t contribute to social harm,” said Mittal. “The fact that the US Treasury so blatantly ignored Congress’ orders is appalling. The US must rectify the situation, and have the Treasury explain how it could ignore Congress and disregard the protection of indigenous groups.”

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Press Freedom for Ethiopian Bloggers Tested Again

(VOA) Abel Wabela, 29, and eight other bloggers and freelance journalists spent more than a year and a half in prison. They were acquitted five months ago, but life has not been easy since.



“We cannot go abroad,” Wabela said, “getting a job is very difficult. We are not allowed to work, not allowed to move.”

Wabela previously worked at Ethiopian Airlines as an engineer, but it will not take him back. His left ear is no longer functional, he says, due to mistreatment in prison.
In addition, the bloggers’ passports have been confiscated.

Back in court

Wabela was one of six bloggers and three affiliated freelance journalists who were arrested in April 2014. They were accused under the anti-terrorism law of using social media to incite violence in Ethiopia.

Although all the bloggers and journalists were acquitted, the prosecutor appealed their release. For that reason, they have to appear Tuesday in Ethiopia’s Supreme Court.

Atnaf Berahane says that even though he has been out of prison for five months, he lives in a state of fear.
“After my release I basically do nothing, because I know that every move I make will be traced,” Berahane said. “I am afraid that I may go to prison. The appeal is going on, so the appeal is like a chain to me right now. I am preparing myself for prison.”

Imprisonment called unacceptable

Ethiopia is frequently criticized by human rights organizations on its press freedom record. The government states that those imprisoned are criminals using journalism as a cover.
Zone 9 is a reference to an Ethiopian state prison with eight zones; the bloggers use Zone 9 to indicate the larger “prison” they feel makes up the rest of the country.

Africa researcher Kerry Paterson of the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists says the possible return of the bloggers to jail is unacceptable and a huge blow to press freedom in Ethiopia.
“The Zone 9 bloggers, their tagline has always been that they blog because they care,” Paterson said. “These are young people who are deeply committed to seeing a safer, freer, better, more democratic Ethiopia, and who have faced repression and crackdowns on every turn.”

Despite the belief by the bloggers that their future in Ethiopia is bleak and uncertain, Wabela, Berahane and the others are still blogging. The decision by Ethiopia’s Supreme Court on the appeal will mean they either must go back to prison, or can continue writing.

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በኢትዮጵያ የወደፊት አቅጣጫ ላይ የመከረው ስብሰባ ተጠናቀቀ

(ኢሳት ዜና) — በቪዥን ኢትዮጵያና ኢሳት በዋሽንግተን ዲሲ ጆርጅ ታውን መሪየት ሆቴል ከማርች 26-27 2016 የተዘጋጀውና በኢትዮጵያ የወደፊት ሁኔታ በለውጥ፥ ዲሞክራሲና፣ የብሄራዊ አንድነት ላይ የሚመክር ስብሰባ በስኬት መጠናቀቁን የስብሰባው አዘጋጆች ገለጹ። በስብሰባው የኢትዮጵያ የወደፊት አቅጣጫ የሚመለከቱ ጉዳዮች የተዳሰሱበት ሲሆን በርካታ የአገር ውስጥና የውጭ አገር ምሁራን፣ የሲቢክ ድርጅቶች እና የፖለቲካ ፓርቲ ተወካዮች ጥናታዊ ጽሁፎቻቸውን ያቀረቡበትና የተሳተፉበት እንደነበር ለማወቅ ተችሏል።

ፕሮፌሰር ጌታቸው በጋሻው የመግቢያ ንግግር ያደረጉ ሲሆን፣ በኮንፈረንሱ አንኳር አንኳር አገራዊ ጉዳዮች እንደሚነሱ ሃሳባቸውን አንስተዋል። በኢሳትና በቪዥን ኢትዮጵያ ትብብር ተዘጋጅቶ በነበረው በዚሁ ኮንፈረንስ ከተለያዩ አለም አቀፍ ተቋማት የተወከሉ ምሁራን በኢትዮጵያ ወቅታዊና የወደፊት አቅጣጫ ዙሪያም ሰፊ ውይይትን አካሄደዋል።

ከተለያዩ የሲቪክና የሰብዓዊ መብቶች እንዲሁም የእምነት ተቋማት የተወከሉ ተጋባዥ እንግዶች በኢትዮጵያ ዴሞክራሲና የተረጋጋ ሰላምን ማምጣት በሚቻልበት ዙሪያ የመከሩ ሲሆን፣ ዴሞክራሲያዊ ኢትዮጵያን ለመፍጠርም ብሄራዊ እርቅና ብሄራዊ ትብብር እንደሚያስፈልግ ገልጸዋል።

የአፍሪካ ሃገራትን ተሞክሮ በዋቢነት በማንሳት ለታዳሚ ገለጻን ያደረጉት ፕሮፌሰር አቻምየለህ ደበላ፣ በአህጉሪቱ በኢትዮጵያ በስልጣን ላይ ያለው የኢህአዴግ መንግስት አይነት ምርጫ አድርጎ መቶ በመቶ አሸንፌያለሁ ብሎ ያወጀ መንግስት እንደሌለ አውስተዋል።

በጋና በናይጀሪያና በሌሎች ሃገራት በትምህርት ቆይታቸው የታዘቧቸውን ፖለቲካዊ ጉዳዮች ለኮንፈርነሱ ያካፈሉት ፕሮፌሰር አቻምየለህ፣ በሌሎች የአህጉሪቱ ሃገራት ፖለቲካዊ ለውጦች መታየት ቢጀምሩም በኢትዮጵያ ያለውን አካሄድ ግን ገና ብዙ የሚቀረው እንደሆነም አስረድተዋል።

በኒው ዮርክ ሲቲ ዩኒቨርስቲ የፖለቲካ ሳይንስ ምሁር የሆኑት ፕሮፌሰር ጆን ሀርብሰን በበኩላቸው, በኢትዮጵያ ከ1960 የአብዮት ፍንዳታ ጀምሮ ሃገሪቱን ዴሞክራሲያዊ ሊያደርጉ የሚችሉ አራት እድሎች ሳይሳኩ መቅረታቸውን ገልጸዋል።
በግንቦት 1977 የተካሄደው ብሄራዊ ምርጫ ጨምሮ ሌሎች የፖለቲካ ትግሎችን ያወሱት ፕሮፌሰር ሀርብሰን፣ ከኢትዮጵያ ጋር በሽብርተኛ ዙሪያ ትብብር ያላት አሜሪካ በሃገሪቱ ዴሞክራሲ እንዲያብብ ትብብር ማድረግ እንዳለባት ባቀረቡት ገለጻ አመልክተዋል።
የኦሮሞ ዴሞክራቲክ ግንባት የስራ አስፈጻሚ አባል የሆኑት ሌንጮ ባቲ፣ በመንግስት የሚፈጸሙ የኢሰብዓዊ ድርጊቶች በዝርዝር ካስረዱ በኋላ ሁሉም ኢትዮጵያዊ በአንድነት በመሆን በስልጣን ላይ ያለውን ኢህአዴግ መስወገድ እንዳለበት ተናግረዋል።
በሃገሪቱ እየተፈጸሙ ስላሉ ኢሰብዓዊ ድርጊቶች ሰፊ ሪፖርትን ያቀረቡት አቶ ነዓምን የኢህአዴግ መንግስት ፌዴራላዊ፣ ዴሞራሲያዊ ወይም ሪፐብሊክ ተብሎ ሊፈረጅ እንደማይችል አክለው ገልጸዋል።

በኢትዮጵያ የወደፊት ጉዳይ የሚመክረው ስብሰባ እሁድ እለትም በዚሁ በማሪየት ሆቴል ቀጥሎ የዋለ ሲሆን፣ በትግሉና በግጭት አፈታት እና ለዲሞክራሲ፣ አንድነት ዙሪያ ሴቶች የሚጫወቱት ሚና በሚል መድረክ ውይይት ተካሄዶበታል።
በሃዋርድ ዩንቨርስቲ የፖለቲካ ሳይንስ ተማሪ የሆነችው ወ/ሪት ኤልሳቤጥ ላቀው ወደአሜርካ የፈለሱ አፍሪካውያን ሴቶችን ጉዳይ ከኢትዮጵያውያን ትግል አንጻር ትንተና ሰጥታለች። በመቀጠልም በኖርዌይ ሃገር የሚኖሩት ወ/ሮ ሰዋሰስ ጆሃንሰን ሁሉም ኢትዮጵያውያን ዲሞክራሲንና ነጻነትን በኢትዮጵያ ለማምጣት በአንድነት መታገል እንዳለባቸውና ካወሱ በኋላ፣ አዲሲቷን ኢትዮጵያ እውን ለማድረግ በመጀመሪያ እርቅ ማድረግ አስፈላጊ መሆኑን አስምረውበታል። በመቀጠል የተናገሩት በፍራንክፈርት የሚኖሩት የሰብዓዊ መብት አቀንቃኝ ወ/ሮ አሳየሽ ታምሩ ሲሆኑ፣ በውጭ አገር የሚኖሩ ኢትዮጵያውያን በአገር ውስጥ ለሚሰቃዩ ኢትዮጵያውያን ሴቶች አጋርነታቸውን ማሳየት እንዳለባቸው ተናግረዋል። ወ/ሮ አሳየሽ፣ “ለልጆቻችን ማውረስ ያለብን ነጻነትን ነው” ሲሉ ተደምጠዋል። በዚህ ፓነል መጨረሻ ላይ የተናገሩት በዋሽንግተን ዲሲ የኢትዮጵያ ሴቶች የሰብዓዊ መብት አቀንቃኝ ወ/ሮ ወሰን ደበላ ሲሆኑ፣ 51% የሚሆነውን የኢትዮጵያን የሚሸፍኑት ሴቶች ቢሆኑም፣ በአገራዊ ጉዳይ ተሳትፏቸው ግን እጅግ ዝቅተኛ ነው ብለዋል። ወ/ሮ ወሰን የኢትዮጵያ ሴቶች በአገራዊ ጉዳዮች ላይ እንዲሳተፉም ጥሪ አቅርበዋል። ፓነሊስቶቹ የኢትዮጵያ ሴቶች ድምጽ እንዲሰማ ቪዥን ኢትዮጵያና መድረኩን በማመቻቸታቸው አመስግነዋቸዋል።

እሁድ ከሰዓት በኋላ የወደፊቷን ኢትዮጵያ ፖለቲካዊ፣ ማህበራዊና ኢኮኖሚያዊ ሁኔታ ለመዳሰስ ስብሰባ ተካሄዷል። ስብሰባውን የመሩት አቶ ግዛው ለገሰ ናቸው። በመጀመሪያ ጥናታዊ ጽሁፋቸውን ያቀረቡት አቶ ኤርሚያስ ለገሰ ሲሆኑ፣ በፓርቲዎችና በማህበረሰብ (ኮሚኒቲ) አባላት መካከል መተባበር አለመኖር ለለውጥ ከፍተኛ እንቅፋት እንደሆነ ተናግረዋል። ለአጭር ይሁንም ለረጅም ጊዜ የጋራ ግብ በእነዚህ የማህበረሰብ አባላትና ፓርቲዎች መካከል በመተማመን ላይ የተመሰረተ ትብብር እንደሚያስፈልጋቸው ተናግረዋል። ዶ/ር መስፍን አብዲ በመሬት ጉዳይ ዙሪያ ትንተና ሰጥተዋል። በህወሃት አገዛዝ መሬት የገበሬዎች ሆኖ እንደማያውቅና ከመሬት ይዞታ ጋር የተያያዙ አያሌ ያልተመለሱ ጥያቄዎች እንዳሉ ተናግረዋል።

አሁን ያለችዋን ኢትዮጵያ በማስመልከትም ያለፈው ታሪክ ሆኖ ያለፈ በመሆኑ የወደፊቷን ኢትዮጵያ ሁሉም በእኩል አይን የሚታይባት አገር መሆን ይኖርባታል ብለዋል። ከዚህ ጋር በማያያዝም ኦሮምኛ የኢትዮጵያ የስራ ቋንቋ እንዲሆን ጥሪ አቅርበዋል። የኦሮሞና የአማራ ልሂቃንም በሁለቱ ህዝቦች መካከል መተማመን እንዲኖር እንዲሰሩ እንዲሰሩ ጠይቀዋል።

በመሬይ ስቴት ዩንቨርስቲ የኢኮኖሚክስ መምህር የሆኑት ፕሮፌሰር ሰይድ ሃሰን በመሬት ነጠቃና ሙስና ላይ ጥናታዊ ጽሁፍ አቅርበዋል። ፕ/ር ሰይድ በኢትዮጵያ ውስጥ ያለው ሙስና በአለም ላይ ከታዩት ሙስናዎች ለየት ያለ ነው ብለዋል። መሬት የስልጣን ምንጭ በመሆኑ የህወሃት/ኢህአዴግ መንግስት መሬት ነጠቃውን አጠናክሮ እንደሚቀጥል ተንብየዋል። ሁሉም የኢትዮጵያ ተደራሽ አካላት ይህ ዘርፈ-ብዙ ውስብስብ ችግር ለመፍታት ተቀራርበው መነጋገር እንዳለባቸው ተናግረዋል።

በኬተሪንግ ዩኒቨርስቲ የታሪክ ምሁር የሆኑት ፕሮፌሰር እዝቅኤል ገቢሳ፣ የዲሞክራሲ፣ የእድገት፣ የሰብዓዊ መብት፣ የሰላም ማስፈን እሴቶችን ከውስጣችን መመልከት እንዳለብን የሚተነትን ጥናታዊ ጽሁፍ አቅርበዋል። ኢትዮጵያ ወደ ዲሞክራሲ የምትሻገርበትን ብዙ እድሎችን ያጣችበትን አጋጣሚ የተነተኑት ፕሮፌሰር እዝቅኤል፣ ኢትዮጵያውያን ህወሃት ኢህአዴግን ከማስወገድ ባለፈ የወደፊት እቅድ ሊኖራቸው እንደሚገባ አስረድተዋል። ፕሮፌሰር እዝቅኤል በገዳ ስርዓትና በኦሮሞ እሴቶች ላይ ትንተና ሰጥተዋል።
“ከዚህ በኋላ ወዴት? ያልተመለሱ ጥያቄዎች!” የሚለው የመጨረሻው ስብሰባ የተመራው በኮሎራዶ ሜትሮፖሊታን ስቴት ዩንቨርስቲ መምህር በሆኑት በፕሮፌሰር ሚንጋ ነጋሽ ነው። ለዲሞክራሲ፣ ለለውጥና ለአንድነት ምን መደረገ እንዳለበት የመከረው ይኸው ስብሰባ፣ ኢትዮጵያ በአስቸኳይ ለውጥ የሚያስፈልጋት አገር እንደሆነች ተናግረዋል። የኢትዮጵያውያንን ህይወት የዳሰሰ በምስል ያሳዩት ፕሮፌሰር ሚንጋ፣ ኢትዮጵያ የሰላም፣ የዲሞራሲና የብልጽግና አቅጣጫ (Roadmap) ያስፈልጋታል ብለዋል። በመሆኑንም ከኤርትራ ጋር ያንዣበባት የጦርነት አደጋ፣ በኦሮሚያ፣ ኮንሶ፣ አማራ፣ ሶማሌ እና ጋምቤላ አካባቢዎች የሚታየው ግጭት ኢትዮጵያን ከፍተኛ አደጋ ውስጥ እንደከተታት ተናግረዋል። ከህወሃት/ ኢህአዴግ መወገድ በኋላ ኢትዮጵያ ውስጥ የሚተገበር አቅጣጫ መቀመጥም እንዳለበት ፕሮፌሰር ሚንጋ ተናግረዋል።

ፕሮፌሰር ተሾመ ከበደ በኢትዮጵያ እየተከሰተ ያለው ብጥብጥ የመንግስት የስልጣን ምንጭ እንደሆነ ለተሰብሳቢው ተናግረዋል። ፕሮፌሰር ተሾመ ኢትዮጵያ የዲሞክራሲ እሴቶችን የምታከብር፣ በሉዓላዊነቷ የማትደራደር አገር እንድትሆን ማድረግ ሃላፊነት እንዳለብን ለታዳሚው ተናግረዋል። ሕወሃት/ኢህአዴግን በተመለከተ ሙሉ በሙሉ እንዲደመሰስ ማድረግ ሳይሆን ዲሞራሲያዊ እሴቶችን እንዲቀበል ማስገደድ እንዳለብን ተናግረዋል። “አገራችን ችግር ላይ ናት፣ የእኛን እርዳታ ትሻለች” ሲሉ ለተሰብሳቢው ተናግረዋል።

ከዚህ ቀጥሎ የተናግሩት  የህግ ባለሙያና የኦሮሞ ዲሞክራሲያዊ ግንባት አባል የሆኑት ዶ/ር በያን አሶባ ሲሆኑ፣ ያለፉትና የአሁኑ አምባገነን መንግስታት በህዝቦቻችን ላይ ከፍተኛ የሰብዓዊ መብት ጥሰት መፈጸማቸውን ተናግረዋል። ሌሎች ኢትዮጵያውያን በኦሮምያ እየተከሰተ ያለውን ህዝባዊ እንቅስቃሴ በጥርጣሬ መመከታቸውን ትተው እንዲደግፉት ጥሪ አቅርበዋል።

በካሊፎርኒያ ግዛት ዩኒቨርስቲ የፖለቲካ ሳይንስ መምህር የሆኑት ፕሮፌሰር አለማየሁ ገብረማሪያም የአምባገነን መንግስታት ባህሪ ነገሮችን መደበቅ ነው ብለዋል። በመሆኑም ህወሃት ኢህአዴግ የሰብዓዊ መብት ጥሰት እንዳይታወቅበት ኢሳትን በብዙ ሚሊዮን ብር በመክፈል በተደጋጋሚ በሞገድ ለማገድ መሞከሩን ለተሰብሳቢው ተናግረዋል። ሆኖም ህወሃቶች ለሰሩት ጥፋት ሁሉ ተጠያቂ የሚሆኑበት ጊዜ ሩቅ እንዳልሆነ ለተሰብሳቢው ገልጸዋል። ለዲሞክራሲና ለእኩልነት የሚደረገው ትግልም ህወሃት/ወያኔ ኖረም አልኖርም መቀጠሉ አይቀሬ መሆኑን አስረድተዋል። አዲስ አቅጣጫ የሚያመላክት ህገ-መንገስትም መዘጋጀት እንዳለበት ተሰብሳቢውን መክረዋል።

በመጨረሻ የቀረቡት በዳይተን ዩኒቨርስቲ የፍልስፍና መምህር የሆኑት ፕሮፌሰር መሳይ ከበደ ናቸው። የተሻለው አቅጣጫ አሁን ያለውን በዘውግ የተከለለውን አስተዳደር መከተል መሆኑን አስመረው፣ ኢህአዴግ ቢወገድም የዘውግ ጥያቄ በቀላሉ የሚጠፋ አለመሆኑን ገምተዋል።

ከቀረቡት ጥናታዊ ጽሁፎች በሁላ በርካታ ጥያቄዎች ለተሰብሳቢዎች የቀረቡ ሲሆን፣ አብዛኞቹ ከመድረክ መልስ ተሰጥቶባቸዋል። አንዳንድ ያልተመለሱ ጥያቄዎች ወደ ፊት በሚካሄዱ ስብሰባዎች እንደሚነሱ ለማወቅ ተችሏል።

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TV4’s investigation of H&M’s connection to landgrabs in Ethiopia

A Swedish TV4 documentary exposed that H&M is using cotton from areas in Ethiopia that are vulnerable to land grabbing.

Is H&M turning a blind eye to land grabs in Ethiopia? TV4 does an investigation into H&M’s cotton sourcing from Ethiopia and discovers the disturbing truth. The corrupt businessman Sheik Mohammed Al Amoudi the second richest man in the Arab world also badly exposed in this investigation. watch the following video for the full documentation.

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Merara Gudina prevented from leaving Ethiopia at the airport

Merara Gundina, chairman of the opposition Oromo Federal Congress

A prominent opposition politician and chairman of the Oromo Federalist Congress, Dr. Merara Gudina was prevented from leaving for the US for an Ethiopian high profile political conference that is due to be held in the weekend in Washington, DC.

Dr. Merara told ESAT on the phone that he went to the airport on Wednesday to board his plane to the US only to be told by immigration officials that the electronic passport scanner would not read his passport.

He said it was safe to assume that the regime was deliberately stopping him from attending the political conference organized by Vision Ethiopia where a number of scholars and politicians were scheduled to speak.

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This is the Ethiopia that is killing us, No more!

Obang Metho

The ethnic apartheid regime of the TPLF/EPRDF has become like a mafia-style gang of thugs. Instead of feeding hungry Ethiopians, educating Ethiopians and protecting the people, they are killing the country while draining its resources. Ethiopian people, one by one, are being hurt. When one Ethiopian is wounded, let us all feel the pain and stand up in their defense.

"We need to change from an Ethiopia, when someone is imprisoned, killed or persecuted from outside our own political group, ethnic group, region or religion, we turned away because they were not considered to be “part of us” or “part of our group.” This is the Ethiopia that is killing us. No more!"

Mr. Obang Metho

It is also time for Ethiopians in the Diaspora to stop complaining, accusing and attacking regarding the division of our political leaders. It is time to put aside the old and come forward believing in the principles of humanity before ethnicity and that no one is free until we all are free. Despite TPLF’ intimidation and arrests, he will not stop us if we come together to uphold truth, morality and the value of each member of our society.

All of us must stand up against the arrest of those who took a brave stand for truth, the arrest of musicians whose strong and soothing songs have brought tears of joy in a land where most tears are tears of pain and misery, the arrests of our Oromo brothers and sisters who were unjustly rounded up only a few months ago, the attacks against the Ogadeni who are severely suffering in our southeastern region and the continued imprisonment of many thousands of Ethiopian prisoners of conscience from the east to the west from the north to the south. Until all of these people are free, we will not be free!
We know that TPLF is bringing death to Ethiopia, but we should know that the killers are few and that we, the revivers, are many. May our God help us to rise up and to stand, side by side, as humans first, and as Ethiopians second. Let us trust in God for his help as we come together in action.

Let us also pray for the protection and strengthening of those who have defied the darkness with the light of truth. As we Ethiopians stand up together in solidarity with one voice we can show that we are ready to free our country and to create a true government of the people. May God bless Ethiopia!

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ESAT interview with Ato Lencho Leta former OLF leader

ESAT yesamintu engida program host Sisay Agena interview with Lencho leta, former OLF(Oromo liberation front) leader and currently the head of ODF(Oromo democratic forum)- March 2016

Part1

Part 2

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TPLF members own 98.9 percent of the investment land in South Omo

A report compiled by a group of professionals in south Omo Zone in south Ethiopia and sent to ESAT indicate 98.9% of the investment land in south Omo zone has been allocated to members of the Tigray Peoples’ Liberation Front (TPLF), the minority ruling clique in Ethiopia.

Gross violations of human rights are taking place in the Omo Valley, Ethiopia

Of the 106,997.7 hectares of land allocated for investment 105,914.6 or 98.9% has been taken by members of the TPLF and their close ties. Only 1% of the land was given to the locals, according to the report. Of the 20 investors who took land, 16 were either members of the TPLF or Tigrayan supporters of the Front.

The report also revealed the TPLF businessmen could easily obtain 32 million dollars in loans from the Bank using the land as a collateral. Of the estimated amount, only about 250,000 dollars has been invested on the land. The over 31 million dollars has either been used for other types of businesses or been taken off shore by the TPLF businessmen. The report said the TPLF businessmen repeatedly harass the local officials in a bid to obtain more bank loans.

The report said heavy machineries, vehicles, chemicals and other inputs that were imported duty free under the name of the investment have not been seen in Omo. Of the total land allocated, only 800 hectares of land has been used for sugar plantations and the rest of the land was sitting idle.
An international uproar ensued last week after a picture that surfaced on the social media show men from the Omo valley in a chain gang, loaded on a police pickup. They were held by the regime’s forces for protesting the seizure of their land by the government for sugar plantations.

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የእንግሊዙ ጠ/ሚ/ር ዴቪድ ካሜሩን አቶ አንዳርጋቸው ጽጌ ባስቸኳይ እንዲፈቱ ለአቶ ሃለማሪያም ደሳለኝ በድጋሜ የተማጽኖ ጥሪ አቀረቡ

ላለፉት ሁለት አመታት ያህል በእስር ላይ እየማቀቁ እንደሚገኙ የሚታመነው ከግንቦት 7 መሰራቾች አንዱ እና ዋና ጸሃፊ የሆኑት አቶ አንዳርጋቸው ጽጌ ሁኔታ ያሰጋቸው የታላቋ ብሪታኒያ ጠ/ሚ/ር ዲቪድ ካሜሮን ለኢትዮጵያው አቻቸው ለአቶ ሃይለማሪያም ደሳለኝ ለሁለተኛ ጊዘ ደብዳቤ መጻፋቸውን ( ቡዝ ፌድ ነውስ) የተባለው ድህረገጽ ከእንግሊዝ የውጪ ጉዳይ መ/ቤት ያገኘውን መረጃ ትነተርሰሶ በተላንተናው እለት ዘግቧል።አንደ ዜና ዘገባው እምነት ከሆነ ምንም እንኳን የደብዳቤው ይዘት እና መቺ እንደተጻፈ ባይጠቀስም “ከሎንዶን ደጎስ ያለ የእርዳታ ገንዘብ (በአመት 350 ሚሊዮን የእንግሊዝ ፓውንድ) የሚፈሰላት አዲስ አበባ ከወዳጅ አገር ለቀረበላት (አንዳርጋቸው ባስቸኳይ ይፈቱ ጥያቄ) ብዙም ፈቀቅ ያለ እንቅሰቃሴ (አውንታዊ ምላሽ)አላሳየችም” ተብሏል። ከዚህ አኳያ የእንግሊዝ ዜግነት ያላቸው፡ የሰሜናዊ ሎንዶን ነዋሪ የነበሩት፡ የሶስት ልጆች አባት እና ባለትዳሩ አቶ አንዳርጋቸው ጽጌ የመን ሰነእ ላይ ታግተው ወደ አትዮጵያው ማጎርያ ቤት ከተወረውሩ ጀምሮ ለተደጋጋሚ ጊዜያት ደብዳቤዎችን ቢላላኩም ባለው ሁኔታ ላይ ለውጥ በለመገኘቱ የአንግሊዝ ባለሰላጣናት በእጅጉ መበሳጨታቸውን ዘገባው የወጪ ጉዳይ ባለሰልጣናትን ጠቅሶ አሰፍሯል።

በመቀጠልም አቶ አንዳርጋቸው ከዱባይ ወደ ኤርትራ ሲጓዙ የመን ሰነኣ ላይ ባለፈው የፈረንጆቹ ሰኔ 2014 የታሰሩት “ በኢትዮጵያ መንግስት የታገደ ድርጀት በመራራታቸው እና የአገዛዙን የነቀዘ ሙስና በማጋለጣቸው ነው “ የሚሉ ተቆርቋሪ ወገኖች መኖራቸውን የጠቀሰው ዜና ዘገባው የአዲስ አበባ ገዚዎች በአቶ አንዳርጋቸው ላይ ያቀረቧቸው ውንጀላዎች በእንግሊዝ የወጪ ጉ/ሚ/ር ባለሰልጣናት ዘንድ ጥርጣሪዎችን ማሳደሩን በውስጥ ዶሴያቸው (ሚሞስ) ገልጸዋል ብሏል። “አቶ አንዳርጋቸው ለጌዜው በጠበቆቻቸው፡ በካውንስለሮች ፣በቤተሰቦቻቸው ፣ በሃይማኖት አባቶች እና በመሳሰሉት እንዲጎበኙ የኢትዮጵያ መንግስት ሁኔታዎችን እንደሚያመቻች በተደጋጋሚ ጊዜያት ቢገልጽም አገዛዙ ቃሉን ባለመጠበቁ በአጅጉ እዝነናል “ይላል ባለፈው ሃምሌ የ እንግሊዝ የው/ጪ/ጉ/ሚ/ር መስሪያ ቤት የወጣው ማስታወሻ። የእንግሊዝ መንግስት በአቶ አንዳርጋቸው ዙሪያ ከ 20 ጊዜያት በላይ ደብዳቤዎችን ቢልክም ለወዳጅ አገር ለ ኢትዮጵያ የቀረበው ተማጽኖው ምንም ውጤት ባለ ማሰገኘቱ ሁኔታውን የመብት ተሟጋቾች “ ጉንጭ አልፋ ጥረት” ሲሉ ተሳልቀውበታል። ዲቪድ ካመሮን ከዚህ ቀደም ከአቶ አንዳርጋቸው ልጆች የተላከላቸውን የተማጸኖ ደብዳቤ ተመርኩዘው የኢሃዲግ መንግስት አባታቸውን (አቶ አንዳርጋቸውን) እንዲፈታላቸው የሚያሳዘን ደብዳቤ “እንደ አባትነታቸው “ መላካቸው አይዘነጋም።

የኣንግሊዙ ጠ/ሚ/ር ደኢቪድ ካሜሮን በቅርቡ በኢትዮጵያ ለመጀመሪያ ጊዜ ኦፊሴላዊ ጉብኝት ያደርጋሉ ተብሎ የሚጠበቅ ሲሆን በዚህ ጉብኝታቸው ላይ በጸጥታ፡ በጸር ሽብር ዘመቻ በመሳሰሉት ጉዳዮች ዙሪያ ከመወያየታቸው ለጥቆ በሰበዊ መብት አያያዝ በዲሞክራሲ ስር አት ግንባታዎች ላይ በሚነሱት አጀንዳዎች ላይ የአቶ አንዳርጋቸው ጉዳይም ሊነሳ እንደሚችል በርካት የመብት ተሟጋቾች ግምታቸውን ከወዲሁ በመሰንዘር ላይ ይገኛሉ።

 

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የሰማያዊ ሊቀመንበር መቀመጫቸውን አ.አ ላደረጉ 21 የአውሮፓ ህብረት ሀገራት ተወካዮች ገለጻ አደረጉ

የሰማያዊ ፓርቲ ሊቀመንበር ኢ/ር ይልቃል ጌትነት መቀመጫቸውን በአዲስ አበባ ላደረጉ 21 የአውሮፓ ህብረት አባል ሀገራት ተወካዮች በኢትዮጵያ ወቅታዊ ጉዳዮች ላይ ገለጻ ማድረጋቸውን ገለጹ፡፡



ሊቀመንበሩ ዛሬ መጋቢት 6/2008 ዓ.ም በአዲስ አበባ የአውሮፓ ህብረት ጋባዥነት በተለያዩ የሀገሪቱ ወቅታዊ ጉዳዮች ላይ ማብራሪያ የሰጡ ሲሆን፣ በተለይ በኦሮሚያ፣ ጋንቤላ፣ ደቡብ ኦሞ፣ ኮንሶ እና ወልቃይት አካባቢዎች ስለተከሰቱ ህዝባዊ የተቃውሞ እንቅስቃሴዎች ለተወካዮቹ ገለጻ ማድረጋቸውን ለነገረ ኢትዮጵያ ተናግረዋል፡፡

በኢትዮጵያ የአውሮፓ ህብረት ምክትል ኃላፊ ተርሂ ሌተነን በመሩት ገለጻ ላይ ሊቀመንበሩ ኢ/ር ይልቃል በኢትዮጵያ ስላለው የፖለቲካ፣ ኢኮኖሚና ማህበራዊ ቀውሶች ላይ ማብራሪያ መስጠታቸውን ገልጸዋል፡፡ በዚህም በሀገሪቱ በአሁኑ ወቅት 18 ሚሊዮን ዜጎች ለርሃብ መዳረጋቸውን፣ የኑሮ ውድነት መጨመሩን፣ ሙስና መንሰራፋቱን፣ የገቢ አለመመጣጠን መጉላቱን እና የስራ አጥነት ችግር እየከፋ መሄዱን ለተወካዮች መግለጻቸውን ተናግረዋል፡፡

በፖለቲካው መስክም ኢትዮጵያ ውስጥ መድብለ ፓርቲ ፖለቲካ ጨርሶ መዘጋቱን፣ ፓርቲዎች በጸረ-ሰላምነት ተፈርጀው በመንግስት እየተሰለሉ መሆናቸውን በፍርድ ቤት የቀረበ ማስራጃ ማረጋገጡን፣ የሰማያዊ እና መድረክ ፓርቲዎች አባላት በግፍ እስር ላይ መሆናቸውን እንዳብራሩ ለነገረ ኢትዮጵያ አስረድተዋል፡፡

በኦሮሚያ ክልል ህዝቡ መብቱን ለመጠየቅ ለተቃውሞ መውጣቱን ተከትሎ በአራት ወራት ጊዜ ብቻ በመንግስት ከ260 ሰዎች በላይ መገደላቸውን በዝርዝር እንዳስረዱ ሊቀመንበሩ ገልጸዋል፡፡ በወልቃይት የማንነት ጥያቄ አለን በሚል ለትግራይ ክልል እና ለፌደሬሽን ም/ቤት ህጉን ተከትለው ጥያቄ ያነሱ ዜጎች መታሰራቸውንና በመንግስት ሚዲያዎች ግጭት ቀስቃሽ ዘገባ እየቀረበ እንደሆነ መታዘባቸውን፣ ይሄም እንደሚያሳስባቸው ለተወካዮች ማብራራታውን ተናግረዋል፡፡

በመሆኑም ኢትዮጵያ ውስጥ ያሉ ችግሮች ከኢህአዴግ በላይ በመሆናቸው መንግስት ሁሉም ፓርቲዎች፣ የማህበራት ተወካዮች፣ የሀገር ሽማግሌዎችና ሌሎች የሚሳተፉበት አካታች ውይይት እንዲደረግ እንዲፈቅድ ጥሪ ማቅረባቸውንና የህብረቱ ሀገራትም ይህ እንዲሆን አስፈላጊውን ግፊት እንዲያደርጉ ማሳሰባቸውን አስረድተዋል፡፡

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Ethiopia: UN Human Rights Council – General Debate under Item 4

(HRW) — A human rights crisis is taking place in Ethiopia. It has received little attention internationally but is the biggest political crisis to hit Ethiopia since the 2005 elections.



Since November 12, 2015, protesters across Ethiopia’s Oromia region have been risking their lives and liberty in the face of a brutal—and sometimes lethal–response from security forces. Soldiers and police have used deadly force and killed several hundred peaceful protesters. We understand that thousands of people have been detained in official and secret detention facilities. While there have been some incidents of violent clashes and some members of the security forces have also been killed, the vast majority of the protests have been peaceful.

The protests were triggered by the so-called Addis Ababa Master Plan, which envisioned expansion of Addis Ababa’s municipal boundary 20-fold. Protesters raised concerns that ethnic Oromos living in the area of that boundary expansion would be displaced from their farms. Ethnic Oromos, who make up approximately 35 percent of Ethiopia’s population, have long felt politically marginalized and culturally discriminated against by successive governments.

The government’s cancellation of the master plan in January came weeks too late for many protesters, who have seen too many killed and arbitrarily arrested. Over the four months of the protests, Human Rights Watch has documented security forces firing into crowds of protesters with little or no warning, the arrests of students as young as 8, and the torture of protesters in detention. Security forces have also arrested teachers, artists, political opposition leaders, and other influential Oromos who they believe are mobilizing protesters.

Since 2009, the Ethiopian government has systematically restricted independent media and civil society groups, both domestic and international. As a result, there has been limited reporting on the crackdown and inadequate international attention to this ongoing crisis. These restrictions make it difficult to verify the death toll and scale of the crackdown. It is clear, however, that the crackdown is putting Ethiopia on a very dangerous trajectory that could endanger its long term stability and progress.

Human Rights Watch urges the Council to raise concerns over the serious abuses taking place in Oromia. The Council should call on the Ethiopian government to cease using excessive force against protesters and release everyone arbitrarily detained. The Council should also support an independent investigation into the killings and other abuses. Any investigation should include sufficient levels of international involvement to ensure it is independent, credible, and impartial. Thank you.

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Ethiopia: TPLF Forces Kill, Rape in Clashes With Protesters

(AP) A rights group is accusing Ethiopia’s security forces of carrying out serious rights abuses during recent protests in the country’s Oromia region.



The Ethiopia-based Human Rights Council said Monday that it found evidence of extrajudicial killings, tortures, beatings, illegal detentions, forced disappearances and arson attacks during and after the protests.

In November, protests erupted in the Oromia region over a proposed plan to expand the municipal boundary of the capital, Addis Ababa, which some believed would lead to the displacement of farmers.

Authorities have since abandoned the plan but clashes continue. The Human Right Council said at least 103 people have been killed.

Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn recently told lawmakers he is “apologetic for the death and destruction” that happened during the protests.

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Journalist Detained Since 2013 Handed Jail Sentence In Ethiopia

Solomon Kebede, the managing editor of the now-defunct Ethiopian paper Ye Muslimoch Guday (Muslim Affairs), was sentenced to prison Thursday, more than three years after being jailed on anti-terrorism charges. CPJ was not immediately able to reconcile conflicting reports on the exact length of the prison sentence.

"Since his arrest in January 2013, Solomon Kebede has been put through a terrible ordeal, punished for nothing more than carrying out his work as a journalist," said CPJ Deputy Executive Director Robert Mahoney. "Ethiopia must put a stop to this abuse of power and stop using anti-terror laws as a guise for cracking down on critical voices."

The Ethiopia Human Rights Project, a non-governmental organization, reported on its Twitter feed  that Solomon was sentenced to three years and 11 months. However, two journalists familiar with the case, who asked not to be identified for fear of reprisal, told CPJ the sentence was four years and 10 months and that time already served would count toward the jail term. CPJ was unable to determine the exact charge. Ethiopia is the second worst jailer of journalists in Africa, with 10 imprisoned for their work at the time of CPJ's annual prison census on December 1.

Authorities have cracked down on reporters and news outlets that covered  demonstrations by Muslims, seen here

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ይድረስ በኢትዮጵያና በኢትዮጵያ ሕዝብ ላይ ጉልበት ላላችሁ ሁሉ [ፕሮፌሰር መስፍን ወልደማሪያም]

ልጆች ሆነን ታላላቆቻችን ጉልበት አለን ብለው በደል ሲፈጽሙ ‹እግዚአብሔር በቀዳዳ ይየው!› እንል ነበር፤ ለመርገምም እየፈራን አንዲያው ድርጊቱ እንዲመዘገብልን ማሳሰባችን ይመስለኛል፤ አሁንም እንደዚያ ለማለት ይቃጣኛል፤ ግን አግዚአብሔር በሰማይ ላይ መኖሩን፣ በእያንዳንዳችን ውስጥ መኖሩን የቤተ ሃይማኖት ሰዎች እንኳን ማመናቸው በሚያጠራጥርበት ዘመን ለዓለማዊ ባለሥልጣኖች የእግዚአብሔርን ስም ማንሣት ፋይዳ ይኖረዋል ብዬ አልገምትም፤ ሆኖም እኔ ስለማምንበት የራሴን አሳውቃለሁ፤ ኢትዮጵያ የእግዚአብሔር አገር ነች፤ ኢትዮጵያን ጎድቶ የተጎዳ እንጂ የተጠቀመ የለም፤ ኢትዮጵያን አዳክሞ የደከመ እንጂ የበረታ የለም፤ ኢትዮጵያን አደህይቶ የደኸየ እንጂ የበለጸገ የለም፤ ኢትዮጵያን አዋርዶ የተዋረደ እንጂ የተከበረ የለም፤ ይህ የታሪክ ሐቅ ነው፡፡

የኢትዮጵያ ባለሥልጣኖች ዓላማችሁ ምንድን ነው? እስከዛሬ ድረስ በየትም አገር በሰማይ ጠቀስ መቃብር ውስጥ የተጋደመ ባለሥልጣን የለም፤ ደግሞስ ሰማይ ጠቀስ መቃብር ካስፈለገ ለአንድ ባለሥልጣን ከነቤተሰቡ ስንት ሰማይ ጠቀስ ፎቆች፣ ስንት ሺህ ካሬ ሜትር መሬት ያስፈልጉታል? ከዚህ በፊት ምጽዓት በሚል ግጥም የሚከተለውን አመልክቼ ነበር፡

ከራስ በላይ ነፋስ ትልቁ ሃይማኖት፤
ዘረፋን ሲያውጀው ቂም ሲያስረግዝ ጥቃት፤
ዓይን አያይም አሉ፤ ጆሮም አያዳምጥ፤
ተለጉሞ አንደበት ሁሉም ይዞታል ምጥ!
በቁንጣን፣ በስካር ጥቂቶች ሲንሩ፣
ብዙዎቹ ደግሞ በረሀብ መንምነው በቁንጫ ሲያርሩ፣
የደሀ እንባ ሲጎርፍ መሬቱ ሲሸበር፣
ዝብርቅርቁ ወጣ፤
ሕይወት ትርጉም አጣ፤
ኧረ የት ነው ጉዞው ዓላማው ምንድን ነው?
ቀድመው የሄዱትን ምነው አናያቸው?
የት ገቡ? የት ጠፉ? ፋና እንኳን አይታይ፤
ብልጭ የሚል የለ ከመሬት ከሰማይ!
መንገዱ ጠበበ፤ ትርምስምሱ በዛ፤
እሪታው ኡኡታው ቀለጠ እንደዋዛ!
መሬቱም ዓየሩም በክፋት ጠነዛ!
ጥላቻና ቂሙ በሰፊው ተነዛ፡፡
እምቢልታው ሲጣራ ነጋሪት ሲያገሳ፣
የአለው ሁሉ ሞቶ የሞተው ሲነሣ፣
ምጽዓት መድረሱ ነው ሊስተካከል ነው ፍርድ፤
በግና ፍየሉ ሊለዩ በገሃድ!

እንደሚመስለኝ በአሁኑ ጊዜ ይህንን አቅጣጫ ማየት የሚያዳግተው ሰው በራሱ ላይ ብቻ ሳይሆን፣ በቤተሰቡና በአገሩ ሕዝብ ላይ መቅሠፍትን የሚጠራ ነው፤ እየተማረርን ነው፤ የርኅራኄ ወዛችን እየደረቀብን ነው፤ መጨካከን እንደጀግንነት እየተቆጠረ ነው፡፡
በሌላ ሞት ማለት በሚል ግጥም፡–

     ሞት ማለት፡-
           አለመናገር ነው፤ ጭው ያለ ዝምታ፣
           የመቃብር ሰላም የሬሳ ጸጥታ፤
           ደሀ በሰሌኑ ሣጥን ገብቶ ጌታ፤
           የውሸት ልዩነት ተጋድሞ በተርታ!

እኔ እንደምገምተው ጉልበተኞች የሆናችሁ ሁሉ ዓላማችሁ ከኢትዮጵያ ሕዝብ ዓላማ የተለየና በቅራኔ ላይ ያለ አይመስለኝም፤ የኢትዮጵያ ሕዝብ ብልጽግና፣ እድገትና ክብር የናንተም ነው፤ በየትም አገር ስትሄዱ የሚነጠፍላችሁና የሚጨበጨብላችሁ የኢትዮጵያን ሕዝብ በመወከላችሁ ነው፤ ዛሬ በአውሮፓና በአሜሪካ የኢትዮጵያ ሕዝብ ያለው ክብርና በአጼ ኃይለ ሥላሴ ዘመን የኢትዮጵያ ሕዝብ የነበረው ክብር በጣም የተለየ ነው፤ አጼ ኃይለ ሥላሴ ያገኙትን ክብር ከሳቸው በኋላ የመጡት አላገኙትም፤ ኢትዮጵያንና የኢትዮጵያን ሕዝብ አዋርዶ ከየትም ክብርን ማግኘት አይቻልም፤ የራስን ሕዝብ ንቆ መከበር አይቻልም፤ የራስን ሕዝብ አንገቱን አስደፍቶ ቀና ብሎ መሄድ አይቻልም፡፡

እስር ቤቶችን ሁሉ ዝጉ፤ የዘጋችሁትን አንደበት ሁሉ ልቀቁ፤ ያፈናችሁትን አእምሮ ሁሉ ለነጻነት አብቁት፤ ጭካኔን በርኅራኄ፣ ጉልበትን በእውቀት፣ ዱላን በክርክር፣ ቁጣን በፍትሐዊነት እየለወጣችሁና እያበረዳችሁ ከኢትዮጵያ ሕዝብ ጋር ታረቁ፤ በተለይ ከኢትዮጵያ ወጣት ጋር ልብ ለልብ ተገናኙ፤ ነገ የወጣቱ ነው፡፡

አይተናል፤ አንበሶች ነን የሚሉ ቀሚስ ለብሰው ሲሸሹ! አይተናል፤ አለኛ ማን? እያሉ ሲወጠሩ የነበሩ እንዳይጥ በጓሮ ተደብቀው የሙጢኝ ሲሉ! አይተናል፤ ጀግኖች ነን ብለው ሲያቅራሩ የነበሩ በየፈረንጅ አገሩ አንገታቸውን አቀርቅረው ትሕትና ሲማሩ! አይተናል፤ የዘረፉትን ሁሉ ሳይበሉ፣ ሳያጌጡበት ሲቸገሩ! አይተናል! ሰምተናል አይደለም አይተናል!

ሌላ ዙር ግፍ ቂምን እየወለደ፣ ቂም በቀልን እየወለደ፣ በቀል አዲስ ግፍን የሚወልድበት ሁኔታ ሲፈጠር ለማየት አንፈልግም፤ በቃን ግፍ! በቃን ቂምና በቀል! በቃን እየተዋረደ የሚያዋርደንን ማየት! በቃን መንፈሳዊ ወኔ በሌላቸው ጉልበተኞች መነዳት! በቃን ጠመንጃቸውን ሲነጠቁ አይጥ የሚሆኑ አሻንጉሊቶች! በቃን በደሀ ጉልበት ጉልበተኞች፣ በደሀ ሀብት ሀብታሞች መስለው የሚታዩ ኅሊና-ቢሶችን መሸከም! እስቲ እኛ ደካማዎቹ ሰዎች እንሁን! አስቲ እናንተም ጉልበተኞች ሰዎች ሁኑልን! እንደሰዎች በሰላም እንድንነጋገር ድፍረቱን፣ መንፈሳዊ ወኔውን ከቅን መንፈስ ጋር እንዲሰጠን እግዚአብሔርን እንለምነው! ክፋትን እንሻረው! ነቢዩ ኢሳይያስ እንዳለው ‹‹ለክፉዎች ሰላም የላቸውም፤ ይላል እግዚአብሔር፤›› እንዳይሆንብን!

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Members of US Congress Urge Obama to Secure the release of Mr. Okello

President Barack Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC, 20500

Dear President Obama,

We write to ask you to help secure the release of Mr. Okello Akway Ochalla from captivity in Ethiopia. Mr. Okello is an indigenous Anuak leader and the former Governor of the Gambella region in Ethiopia. His children and sister-in-law reside lawfully in the U.S. He has been a political prisoner in Ethiopia for nearly two years.

Mr. Okello Akway Ochalla

The United States is home to a large Ethiopian diaspora. Many Ethiopian Americans are alarmed by the ongoing human rights abuses in their country of origin. There is particular concern regarding the silencing of political opposition members. Mr. Okello is one of these political opponents who has been unjustly silenced and imprisoned.

Mr. Okello’s charge is based on his vocal opposition to the Ethiopian government, particularly for its role in the massacre ofAnuak people in the Gambella region in December 2003. An ethnic Anuak himself, Mr. Okello, fled the country and was eventually granted asylum in Norway. Because of his political leadership and open criticism of the Ethiopian government, Mr. Okello is being branded a terrorist and tried on false charges.

In March 2014, Mr. Okello was visiting friends and family in South Sudan when he was kidnapped by the Ethiopian Intelligence Service, unlawfully renditioned to Ethiopia, and imprisoned and charged under Ethiopia’s notorious anti-terrorism law. This law has been condemned by numerous governments including our own, agencies of the United Nations agencies, and most recently in a detailed report written by leading international lawyers, which we are attaching for your information. We believe that Mr. Okello has been subject to torture while in prison.

Prior to your visit to Ethiopia in July 2015, the Ethiopian government released a number of political prisoners and journalists, including Mr. Bekele Gerba, the leader of a political opposition party representing the Oromo people in Ethiopia. There is clear precedent for the U.S. to use its diplomatic relationship to ensure the release of political prisoners in Ethiopia, and we request you to do the same for Mr. Okello.

It has been nearly two years since Mr. Okello was unlawfully renditioned to Ethiopia. Mr. President, as the leader of one of Ethiopia’s most significant allies, we urge you to intervene to ensure the swift release of Mr. Okello Akway Ochalla.

Thank you for your commitment and attention to this important human rights matter.

Sincerely,

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Inhumane treatment of indigenous people by Ethiopian police

Indignation and condemnation against inhumane treatment of indigenous people by Ethiopian police

A photo that surfaced on the social media on Sunday showing the Surma people of South Ethiopia in a chain gang has triggered an uproar and condemnation against the brutality of the forces of the tyrannical regime in the country.

The pictures show a group of men, loaded on a police pickup truck, one’s neck tied to the upper arm of another while also tied at their knees. The story that circulates with the picture in the social media say the people were arrested while protesting the encroachment of their natural habitat by the regime for sugar plantation. The exact location of the pictures is not clear but the insignia on the pickup truck is of the police in South Ethiopia.

Previous reports by media and rights groups show thousands of indigenous people in Ethiopia’s lower Omo valley were uprooted due to land grab by officials of the government and their cronies, commercial plantation as well as the building of hydroelectric dams.

Statistics show there are about eight tribes with a total of 200,000 indigenous people in South Omo whose way of life has not been tampered by modernization.

Survival International say it has been a documented fact that those indigenous people were being uprooted from their land without their consent and were exposed to health problems in their new settlement. SI also recalled the recent brutal action by the police against the people of Omo.
The people of the lower Omo valley in Ethiopia have been one of the top tourist attractions in country due to their unique way of life, culture and their interaction with the natural environment.

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Journalists detained covering Oromo Protests

Press freedom in Ethiopia is dwindling in light of recent anti-government protests and the severe drought in the Horn of Africa state, according to a journalists’ association.

William Davison

Two journalists and a translator were arbitrarily detained for 24 hours on Thursday when reporting on the protests in Oromia, according to a statement issued by the Foreign Correspondents’ Association of East Africa (FCAEA) on Monday. Bloomberg correspondent William Davison and freelance journalist Jacey Fortin, along with their translator, were not given any reason for their detention. Their phones and identification cards were taken during the arrest.

Protests among the Oromos, who constitute Ethiopia’s largest ethnic group, have been ongoing since November 2015 and were originally directed against plans by the federal government to expand the capital Addis Ababa. At least 140 protesters were killed between November 2015 and January, according to Human Rights Watch (HRW). The Addis expansion plans were dropped in January but the protests—which have morphed into a general expression of dissatisfaction with the government among Oromos—have continued and demonstrators are still being subjected to “lethal force,” HRW said on February 22. The Ethiopian government has said that “destructive forces” —including some from neighboring Eritrea—have hijacked the protests and would be dealt with decisively.

Davison told Newsweek that the risks of reporting on certain topics in Ethiopia is too high because of the threat of detainment. “It was a shock to be held overnight in a prison cell and not be given any explanation of what we were being held for,” says Davison. The “very heavy and militarized response” to the Oromo protests “raises the chance that reporters are going to be obstructed from doing their work,” he says.

The FCAEA said that the detentions marked “a worrying escalation” in Ethiopia, which already has a poor record for allowing journalists to operate freely. Ethiopia was ranked 142nd out of 180 countries in terms of press freedom in 2015 by non-profit organization Reporters Without Borders, which recorded six newspapers closing and more than 30 cases of journalists fleeing abroad in 2014. “Ethiopia is well-known for its tough stance on journalists but this is a worrying spike of arbitrary detention of media workers at a time of increased interest in Ethiopia,” says Ilya Gridneff, chairman of FCAEA. “Journalism is not a crime and those in Ethiopia should not be treated as criminals.”
Newsweek contacted the Ethiopian Embassy in London but was yet to receive a reply at the time of publication.

Coupled with the Oromo protests, Ethiopia is currently experiencing its worst drought in around 50 years, partly due to the El Nino weather pattern. Up to 15 million people in the country require emergency humanitarian food assistance and the United Nations is appealing for $50 million to help the government cope with the crisis.

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Freedom & Justice for Mr. Okello Akway Ochalla

Action on Behalf of Indigenous Land Right Leader in Ethiopia
 

Mr. Okello Akway Ochalla is a Norwegian citizen who was kidnapped in South Sudan and renditioned to Ethiopia in March 2014. Charged as a terrorist—his crime is defending indigenous land rights—he has languished in jail for nearly two years. Mr. Okello is an Anuak leader from Gambella, which has been a key target for forced relocations and land grabbing by the Ethiopian Government.

Since 2009, the Ethiopian Government has systematically silenced its critics, ruthlessly arresting journalists, bloggers, students, opposition party members, land rights activists, and more via its notorious Anti-Terrorism Proclamation. Mr. Okello, like thousands of others, languishes in jail because of this law.

"...at the time I was giving the statement to the police, I was under the environment where the police investigator had put the pistol on the table in front of me and I was being tortured."

Okello Akway Ochalla, court closing statement

For two years, Mr. Okello’s case was largely ignored by the international community, including Norway. But this week, his story is finally being heard.

On March 1^st, a profile of Mr. Okello was included in an in-depth report produced by the Financial Times. On March 4^th, President Barack Obama will receive a letter, sent by a group of congressional representatives, led by Congressman Keith Ellison (D-MN). The letter will be accompanied by a petition with nearly 6,000 signatures, calling on President Obama to secure Mr. Okello’s release.

On March 7^th, nearly two years after his kidnapping, we expect a verdict in Mr. Okello’s case. You can read Mr. Okello’s personal closing statement made before the Ethiopian court.

Let us be clear: Ethiopia’s kangaroo courts have repeatedly handed harsh sentences to innocent people, simply for raising their voices against injustice. There is little reason to believe that Mr. Okello’s case will be any different.

The hope for Mr. Okello lies in the international community. Wealthy donor countries like the United States, UK, and Norway and multilateral institutions like the World Bank hand over billions of dollars in aid to Ethiopia’s repressive government annually. In the absence of rule of law and democracy in Ethiopia, these donor governments and institutions must intervene to ensure justice for the innocent, and to pave the way for freedom of expression and true democracy in Ethiopia.

At the Oakland Institute we have worked with Mr. Okello’s family and lawyers over the last two years to help secure his release. The fight for justice and land rights in Ethiopia continues.

Oakland institute

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Increasing human rights violations and deaths from careless state-owned sugar plantation in the Omo Valley!

We in the Solidarity Movement for a New Ethiopia (SMNE) sounds an urgent emergency alert regarding the present endangerment of the people of the Omo Valley.

These fellow-Ethiopians are being threatened with human rights violations and atrocities by the TPLF/EPRDF’s troops in the region as the regime moves ahead to remove the people from their land in another crony development scheme for a state-owned sugar plantation on245,000 hectares of land with an additional 100,000 or more hectares of some of the most fertile land committed for other agricultural projects. Those who resist, face state-sponsored human rights crimes.

In all of Ethiopia, the 500,000 people of the Omo Valley may be among the most neglected of Ethiopians by the current TPLF/EPRDF regime.

These dark-skinned and marginalized tribes—the Bodi, the Mursi, the Kwego, the Suri, the Hamer, the Karo as well as others—have only been valued in Ethiopia for the tourism business they attracted due to their unique and primitive customs that have remained unchanged for centuries. Now, the TPLF/EPRDF has found a better use for their land and it does not include them.

The previous and present government of Ethiopia never did value them and even now, they do not see them as their own people. In the entire Diaspora of about a million Ethiopians, some experts suggest that only one person from Omo Valley is among them. This is an example of how marginalized these people are.

Not only have they been intentionally denied access to entering the 21st century—it would negatively impact tourism—they have also been denied access to clean water, education, health care and other opportunities to a much greater degree than most other marginalized groups.
Now, as their land is being taken away from them, they are also being denied their most prized asset, their indigenous land and water.

Just wait, the TPLF/EPRDF regime will suddenly pretend to be forcing the people from their land and into resettlement camps—where they have no means for independent sustenance—in order to “help” bring these people into the 21st century. Do not believe it! It is just an excuse to cover up for illegally stealing their ancestral land and they are ill-prepared to defend themselves!

The people of the Omo Valley are living in a nation set up under the flawed government policy of ethnic federalism. Each ethnic group is supposed to look after people of their own ethnicity, without the expectation that others will care about the rights, interests and well being of those outside their own groups. Because of this, the people of the Omo Valley are more deprived of their rights than many others. Who speaks for them?

Their land is being taken over by their own government without any consultation. The authorities did not care about them and now the people of the Omo Valley have taken matters into their own hands.
Some limited fighting has broken out and as the TPLF/EPRDF sends troops to silence them through intimidation, human rights crimes and secretive extra-judicial killings, they seem to think they can eliminate these people without the world knowing.

The people of the Omo Valley are depending on the world not caring about them, but the SMNE has already received information from the people and we want to warn the ethnic apartheid regime in Ethiopia to stop the human rights abuses against these people and if they do not, they will be found accountable.

We also call on other peace and justice loving Ethiopians to stand up with the people of the Omo Valley. They are us. The people of the Omo Valley may be deprived and they may have been used as commodities for tourism in the past, but to God and to us, they are precious, just like everyone else.
The establishment of the SMNE was to educate Ethiopians about the value of those outside our villages, tribes and regions. One of the SMNE goal was to eradicate this primitive thinking where some devalue the humanity of others and turn away in apathy to their pain and suffering.

This SMNE principle of putting “humanity before ethnicity” and caring about the freedom, justice and well being of others—neighbors near and far—is the basis for healthy societies and cooperative global partnerships.

We in the SMNE will continue investigate and gather evidence to be used for future prosecution so perpetrators of these crimes will face justice and not get away with these crimes.

The people of Ethiopia will hold them accountable under the rule of law that is not simply rhetoric.
If any think that they can commit crimes without being found out, you are wrong as we already have our sources from this remote region of the country. We will continue to monitor what is going on there.

As we stand up for the people of the Omo Valley, let it bring us together as one people of Ethiopia who stand up for the freedom, rights and wellbeing of all of us.

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ትውልደ ኢትዮጵያዊው ኖርዌጅያን ኦከሎ አክዋይ ኦቻላ ከደቡብ ሱዳን በወያኔ ታፍኖ ከተወሰደ ሁለተኛ ዓመቱ

ትውልደ ኢትዮጵያዊው ኖርዌጅያን ኦከሎ አክዋይ ኦቻላ ከደቡብ ሱዳን በወያኔ ታፍኖ ከተወሰደ ሁለተኛ ዓመቱ። Norge, hvor er statsborger Okello Akway Ochalla?

Norge hvor er statsborger Okello Akway Ochalla? 

Det er nøyaktig to år siden Okello Akway Ochalla har blitt kapret fra Sør-Sudan av Etiopiske sikkerhetsstyrket.

ትውልደ ኢትዮጵያዊው የኖርዌይ ዜግነት ያለው  ኦከሎ አክዋይ ኦቻላ ከደቡብ ሱዳን በወያኔ ታፍኖ  ከተወሰደ  መጋቢት/2008 ዓም  ሁለተኛ ዓመቱ።

Det blir en protest og markering Tirsdag 15. mars 2016 (There is a protest and rally, Tuesday March 15. 2016)

Trondheim - foran Torget 15.30-16.30
Stavanger- Domkirke 16.30-17.30
Bergen - Blue stein 15.00-16.30

Ochalla i Norge ኦቻላ

Ochalla with his childrens
 ኦቻላ ከልጆቹ ጋር ኖርዌይ

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ለመከላከያ ምስክርነት የተጠሩት አቶ አንዳርጋቸው ፅጌ ‹ሊቀርቡ ባለመቻላቸው› ምስክርነታቸው ውድቅ ተደረገ

*አብርሃ ደስታ 4 ወራት፣ የሺዋስና ዳንኤል 2 ወራት እስር ይቀራቸዋል
በነገረ ኢትዮጵያ ሪፖርተር

በእነ ዘላለም ወርቃገኘሁ የክስ መዝገብ አንደኛ ተከሳሽ አቶ ዘላለም ወርቃገኘሁ በቀረበበት የሽብር ክስ ላይ ከግንቦት ሰባት ዋና ጸሐፊ አቶ አንዳርጋቸው ፅጌ ጋር ተጻጽፈሃል የሚል ማስረጃ በአቃቤ ህግ እንደቀረበበት በመግለጽ ይህን እንዲከላከሉለት አቶ አንዳርጋቸውን ለምስክርነት ቢጠራቸውም በተደጋጋሚ ቀጠሮ ሊቀርቡ ባለመቻላቸው ከፍተኛው ፍርድ ቤት ምስክሩ በተከሳሽ በኩል እንደተተው ይቆጠራል በሚል በይኗል፡፡

ፍርድ ቤቱ ዛሬ የካቲት 25/2008 ዓ.ም ብይኑን ሲያሰማ እንደገለጸው ተከሳሽ አቶ ዘላለም ወርቃገኘሁ ምስክሩን በተመለከተ በተደጋጋሚ እንዲቀርቡለት ጠይቆ እንዳልቀረቡለት በመግለጽ ‹‹ምስክሩ የማይቀርቡልኝ ከሆነ ከምስክሩ ጋር በተያያዘ የቀረበብኝ ክስ ፍሬ ነገር ከክሱ ወጥቶ ብይን ይሰጠኝ›› የሚል አቤቱታ አቅርቧል፡፡

አቃቤ ህግ በበኩሉ ተከሳሹ ምስክሩን አቅርቦ የማሰማት ግዴታ እንዳለበት በመጥቀስ ተከሳሹ የጠየቀው የፍሬ ነገር ይውጣልኝ አቤቱታ የህግ አግባብን የተከተለ ስላልሆነ ምስክሩን እንደተዋቸው ተቆጥሮ ብይን እንዲሰጠው ጠይቋል፡፡

ችሎቱ በበኩሉ ለምስክሩ የተጻፈው የመጥሪያ ትዕዛዝ ደርሷቸው እንደቀሩ ማረጋገጫ ስለሌለ በተከሳሽ የቀረበው አቤቱታ ተቀባይነት እንደሌለው በማስረዳት ምስክሩ እንደተተው ቆጥሮ ውሳኔ ሰጥቷል፡፡ በመሆኑም ፍርድ ቤቱ በመዝገቡ ላይ በተካተቱት አምስት ተከሳሾች ላይ የፍርድ ብይን ለመስጠት ለመጋቢት 29/2008 ዓ.ም ቀጠሮ ሰጥቷል፡፡ ከዚህ ቀጠሮ በፊት የክርክር ማቆሚያ ካላቸው ግራቀኙም በጽ/ቤት በኩል በጽሁፍ ማቅረብ እንደሚችሉ ፍርድ ቤቱ ገልጹዋል፡፡

በሌላ በኩል ነሀሴ 14/2007 ዓ.ም በዚሁ በከፍተኛው ፍርድ ቤት ከተከሰሱበት የሽብር ወንጀል ነጻ ናቸው በሚል የተበየነላቸው እነ አብርሃ ደስታ በዚሁ ችሎት፣ ‹‹ችሎት ደፍራችኋል›› በሚል የተላለፈባቸው ቅጣት ከመቼ ጀምሮ እንደሚታሰብ ግልጽ አድርጓል፡፡
በዚህም አመት ከአራት ወር የተፈረደበት አቶ አብርሃ ደስታ እና እያንዳንዳቸው አንድ አመት ከሁለት ወር የተፈረደባቸው አቶ የሺዋስ አሰፋ እና አቶ ዳንኤል ሺበሺ ከመጋቢት 1/2007 ዓ.ም ጀምሮ በሚታሰብ እስር መቀጣታቸውን ገልጹዋል፡፡ በመሆኑም አብርሃ አራት ወራት፣ እና እነ የሺዋስ ሁለት ወራት እስር ይቀራቸዋል ማለት ነው፡፡

እነ አብርሃ ደስታ አቃቤ ህግ በጠየቀባቸው ይግባኝ ላይ ብይን ለማግኘት ለመጋቢት 30/2008 ዓ.ም ጠቅላይ ፍርድ ቤት ቀጠሮ እንዳላቸው ይታወሳል፡፡

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ጠቅላይ ሚኒስትር ዴቪድ ካሜሮን በጉብኝታቸው ወቅት የአቶ አንዳርጋቸው ፅጌን ጉዳይ የመወያያ አጀንዳ እንደሚያደርጉት ተገለጠ

በቀጣዩ ወር በኢትዮጵያ ጉብኝት የሚያደርጉት የእንግሊዙ ጠቅላይ ሚኒስትር ዴቪድ ካሜሮን በጉብኝታቸው ወቅት የአቶ አንዳርጋቸው ፅጌን ጉዳይ የመወያያ አጀንዳ እንደሚያደርጉት ተገለጠ። የብሪታኒያ የሰብዓዊ መብት ተሟጋች ተቋማት ጠቅላይ ሚኒስትሩ ከተለያዩ አካላት የቀረበባቸውን ግፊት ግምት ውስጥ በማስገባት በኢትዮጵያ መንግስት ላይ ጫናን እንዲያደርጉ በማሳሰብ ላይ መሆናቸውም ታውቋል። በቀጣዩ ወር መጨረሻ ላይ በኢትዮጵያ ጉብኝታቸው የሚያደጉት ጠቅላይ ሚኒስትሩ ከአቶ አንዳርጋቸው ፅጌ ጉዳይ በተጨማሪም በሁለቱ ሃገራት መካከል ስላለው የደህንነት እና የፀጥታ ትብብር ዙሪያ እንደሚመክሩም በሃገር ውስጥ ያሉ መገናኛ ብዙሃን ረቡዕ ዘግቧል።

ስማቸውን መግለጽ ያልፈለጉት የውጭ ጉዳይ ሚኒስቴር ባለስልጣናት በዴቪድ ካሜሮን ጉብኝቶች ወቅት የአቶ አንዳርጋቸው ፅጌ ጉዳይ ለውይይት እንደሚቀርብ አስረድቷል። ከሳምንት በፊት በኢትዮጵያ ጉብኝት ያደረጉ የእግሊዝ የደህንነትና የኢሚግሬሽን ባለስልጣናት ዴቪድ ካሜሮን በኢትዮጵያ በሚኖራቸው ቆይታ የተለያዩ አበይት አጀንዳዎችን አንስተው እንደሚወያዩ ይፋ ማድረጋቸውን መዘገባችን ይታወሳል። 

የጠቅላ ሚኒስትሩ ጉብኝትም በቅርቡ ከተለያየ አካላት አቶ አንዳርጋቸው ፅጌ እንዲፈቱ ግፊትን እንደሚያደርጉ የቀረበላቸውን ከ130ሺ በላይ ፊርማ ተከትሎ መሆኑም ታውቋል። ሪፕሪቭ የተሰኘውን የብሪታኒያ የሰብዓዊ መብት ተሟጋች ድርጅት ጨምሮ በርካታ አካላት ሀገሪቱ ለኢትዮጵያ የምትሰጠውን የደህንነትና የጸጥታ ድጋፍ እንድትቋረጥ ሲያሳስቡ መቆየታቸውም የሚታወቅ ነው። ይኸው የሁለቱ ሃገራት የደህንነት ትብብር በዴቪድ ካሜሮን ጉብኝት ወቅት ሰፊ ውይይት ይካሄድበታል ተብሎም ይጠበቃል። የታሰሩበት ቦታ የማይታወቀው አቶ አንዳርጋቸው ፅጌ በቤተሰቦቻቸውም ሆነ በህግ አካላት ዘንድ እንዳይጎበኙ ተደርጎ የሚገኝ ሲሆን፣ የተለያዩ አካላት የአቶ አንዳርጋቸው የጤንነት ሁኔታም አሳሳቢ እየሆነ መምጣቱን በመግለጽ ላይ ናቸው።

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