እነ ኦኬሎ ኦኳይ ጥፋተኛ ተባሉ

የፌደራል ከፍተኛ ፍርድ ቤት ልደታ ምድብ 19ኛ ወንጀል ችሎት ዛሬ መጋቢት 28ቀን 2008 ዓ.ም በዋለው ችሎት የቀድሞው የጋምቤላ ርዕሰ መስተዳድር ኦኬሎ ኦኳይ እና አብረዋቸው የተከሰሱት ስድስት ተከሳሾች ጥፋተኛ ናቸው ብሎ ውሳኔ አስተላለፈ።ፍርድ ቤቱ የቅጣት አስተያየት ለመስማት ሚያዚያ 17 ቀጠሮ ስጥቷል፡፡

በሰኔ ወር 2006ዓ.ም የሽብር ክስ ተመሰርቶባቸው ክሳቸው እየታየላቸው የሚገኙት እነ ኦኬሎ ኦኳይ በየካቲት 28 ቀን 2008 ዓ.ም በዋለው ችሎት ውሳኔ ለማስተላለፍ ለዛሬ ለሶስተኛ ጊዜ ተቀጥረው ነበር፡፡ በዚህም መሰረት ዛሬ በችሎት ከተሰየሙት ሶስት ዳኞች መካካል የቀኝ ዳኛ የሆኑት አቶ ሳሙኤል ታደሰ የፍርድቤቱን ውሳኔ በንባብ አሰምተዋል፡፡

ዳኛ ሣሙኤል ታደሰ ወደ አንድ ስዓት በቆየው የፍርድ ውሳኔ ንባባቸው እንዳመለከቱት አቶ ኦኬሎና ስድስቱ ተከሳሾች የጋምቤላ ህዘቦች ነፃነት ንቅናቄ (ጋህነን) አባል በመሆን እና የጋምቤላ ክልልን ከፌደሬሽኑ ለመገንጠል ተንቀሳቅሰዋል፡፡ ከአሜሪካ ገንዘብ በማሰባሰብ እና የሽብር ቡድን ማስተባበራቸውን በንባባቸው ጠቅሰዋል፡፡

አቃቤ ህግ በነኦኬሎ ላይ ከዘረዘራቸው ክሶች መካከል ከኤርትራ መንግስት ጋር የሽብር ድርድር በማድረግ እና ከኦነግ እና ግንቦት 7 አመራሮች ጋር በተለይ ከሞት ፍርደኛው ዶ/ር ብርሃኑ ነጋ ጋር መገናኘት እንደሚገኙበት ዳኛ ሳሙኤል አስታውሰዋል፡፡ከዚህም በተጨማሪ ወጣቶችን ለሽብር ተግባር መመልመል፣ ወታደራዊ ስልጠና መስጠት በክሳቸው ላይ መጠቀሱን ዳኛው ተናግረዋል፡፡
ከክስ ንባብ መስማት በኃላ ወደ ሁለት አመት ያህል ፍርድቤት የተመላለሱት እነ ኦኬሎ አኳይ የክስ መቃወሚያ ካቀረቡበት ጊዜ አንስቶ ለውሳኔ እስከተቀጠሩበት ጊዜ ያለው ሂደት በዳኛው ተብራርቶ ቀርቧል፡፡

የእነ ኦኬሎ የክስ መቃወሚያ በፍርድ ቤቱ ሙሉ ለሙሉ ውድቅ መደረጉን እና የተከሰሱበትን ክስ ክደው መከራከራቸውን ያስታወሱት ዳኛ ሳሙኤል በመቀጠል አቃቤህግ ምስክሮቹን አቅርቦ ማሰማቱን አስረደተዋል፡፡

ለወራት ከዘለቀው የምስክሮች መሰማት ሂደት በኃላ ፍርድቤቱ ተከሳሾቹን እንዲከላከሉ መወሰኑን ዳኛው ጠቅሰዋል፡፡ ተከሳሾቹ በምርመራ ወቅት በከፍተኛ ጫና እና ድብደባ ውስጥ እንዳለፉ ማስመዝገባቸውን ዳኛው ጠቁመዋል፡፡
የግራና የቀኙን ክርክር ያዳመጠው እና የቀረቡለትን ማስረጃዎች የመረመረው ፍርድ ቤት በሁሉም ተከሳሾች ላይ የጥፋተኛ ውሳኔ አስተላልፏል፡፡

አንደኛ ተከሳሽ ኦኬሎ አኳይ በሰው እና መማስረጃ የጋምቤላን ክልል ከፌደሬሽኑ ለመገንጠል ከተለያዩ ድርጅቶች ጋር በመሆን የአመራር ሰጪ ውሳኔዎችን ሲመራ በመቆየቱ አቃቤህግ በሰው እና በማስረጃ ለፍርድ ቤቱ እንዳስረዳ ዳኛው በውሳኔው አመልክተዋል፡፡ተከሳሹ በበኩሉ የተከሳሽነት ቃል ከማሰማት በስተቀር መከላከያ ምስክሮችም ይሁን ሰነዶችን አቅርቦ በበቂ ሁኔታ እንዳልተከላከለ ዳኛው ገልፀዋል፡፡

ቀሪዎቹም ተከሳሾች በምርመራ ወቅት ለፖሊስ ቃላቸውን ተገደው ስለመስጠታቸው ያሰረዱ እንጂ የቀረበባቸውን ክስ የሰው ምስክር እና የሰነድ ማስረጃ አቅርበው እንዳልተከላከሉ በዳኛው ተገልጿል፡፡

"[ተከሳሾቹ] ምስክሮቻቸው ማዕከላዊ አብረዋቸው የነበሩ፣ በሌላ ወንጀል ተጠርጥረው ያሉ እና ተዓማኒነታቸው ጥርጣሬ ውስጥ የሚገባ ከመሆኑ በተጨማሪ ከዋናው ክስ እና የክስ ማስረጃ ጋር የማይገናኙ በመሆናቸው ክሳቸውን በደንብ አልተከላከሉም" ሲሉ ዳኛው ገልፀዋል፡፡

ክሱ መታየት ያለበት በፀረ ሽብር አዋጁ ነው ወይስ አይደለም የሚለውን ፍርድቤቱ መርምሮ በአንደኛ ተከሳሽ የተመሰረተው ጋህነን፣ የጋምቤላ ህዝብን ከፌደሬሽኑ ለመገንጠል ከተለያዩ የሽብር ቡድኖች ጋር የስልጠና ትብብር መጠየቃቸው በአቃቤ ህግ የተረጋገጠ ነው ብለዋል ዳኛው፡፡ ሆኖም ድርጊቱ የአገሪቷን አንድነት የማፈራረስ ሙከራን የሚያቋቁም እንደሆነ የገለፁት ዳኛው በዚህም መሰረት ተከሳሾቹ በፀረ ሽብር አዋጁ ሳይሆን የወንጀል ህጉን 241 በመተላለፋቸው በወንጀለኛ መቅጫ ስነስርአት ህግ 149(1) የጥፋተኝነት ውሳኔ ማስተላለፉን ተናግረዋል፡፡

መጋቢት 28/2008 ዓ.ም በዋለው ችሎት የጥፋተኝነት የፍርድ ውሳኔ የተላለፈባቸው ሰባት ሰዎች ሲሆኑ፣ እነዚህም ኦኬሎ አኩዋይ፣ ዴቪድ ኦጅሉ፣ ኡቻል አፒዮ፣ ኡማን ኒኮዮ፣ ኡጅሉ ቻም፣ ኡታካ ኡዋር እና ኡባንግ ኡቡንግ ናቸው፡፡

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ተመስገንን በጨረፍታ

በማሕሌት ፋንታሁን (Zone9)

መንግሥት አሸባሪ ብሎ ከፈረጃቸው ተቋማት ጋር ማቆራኘት ሳያስፈልገው የጻፈው ጽሑፍ ብቻ ተጠቅሶበት የተከሰሰ እና የተፈረደበት ብቸኛ ጋዜጠኛ ነው - ተመስገን ደሳለኝ። በጋዜጠኛ ተመስገን ደሳለኝ የተመሠረተችው ፍትህ ጋዜጣ ጥቂቶቹን የግል ሕትመት ሚዲያ ውጤቶች የተቀላለችው በ2000 ነበር። ከምርጫ 97 በኋላ የተከሰተውን የግል ሚዲያ እጥረት አሳስቦት እና የበኩሉን ለመወጣት ብሎ ነው ፍትሕን ለመመሥረት የተነሳሳው። ፍትሕ ጋዜጣ ሕትመት ከጀመረችበት ጊዜ አንስቶ እስከ 2004 ሐምሌ ወር (ላይ እስክትታገድ ድረስ) ድረስ ከዓመት ወደ ዓመት የሕትመት ብዛቷ እየጨመረ መጨረሻ አካባቢ እስከ 35ሺ ኮፒ ትታተም ነበር።

ማንኛውም ዓይነት ቅድመ ሳንሱር እንደሌለ በሚደነግገው ሕገመንግሥት መተዳደር ያለበት ፍትሕ ጋዜጣን የሚያትመው ብርሃንና ሰላም ማተሚያ ቤት፣ የሐምሌ 13/2004 ዓም እትም ላይ ስለ መለስ ዜናዊ የተጻፈ ዜና ካልወጣ እንደማያትሙ አሳወቁ። ይህን የሰማው ተመስገን እያረጉ ያሉት ቅድመ ሳንሱር መሆኑን፣ ይህ ደግሞ በሕገመንግሥቱ የተከለከለ መሆኑን ከገለጸላቸው በኋላ የታዘዙትን 30ሺ ኮፒ ካተሙ በኋላ እንዳይሰራጭ ከፍትሕ ሚኒስቴር በተላለፈ ትዕዛዝ መሠረት ማገዳቸውን እና የታተመው ጋዜጣም መወረሱን በደብዳቤ ገለፁ። ለ30ሺ ኮፒ ሕትመት፣ ለጸሐፊዎች የሚከፈል እና ለተለያዩ አስተዳደራዊ ወጪዎች የወጣው ገንዘብ ወደ100ሺ ብር የሚጠጋ ከስሯል። ነሐሴ 2 ቀን 2004 ክስ እንደተመሠረተበት ፋና ዜና ላይ እንደሰማ የሚናገረው ተመስገን፣ በዜናው እንደሰማውም በቀጣይ ቀጠሮ ነሐሴ 9 ቀን 2004 ፍ/ቤት ቀረበ። በ2003 እና በ2004 በፍትሕ ጋዜጣ ላይ በወጡ 5ት ጽሑፎች ሦስት ክስ እንደቀረበበት ተነግሮት የዋስትና መብቱንም ተነፍጎ የዛኑ ቀን ወደ እስር ቤት ገባ። ለስድስት ቀናት በቃሊቲ ጨለማ ቤት ከቆየ በኋላ ባልተጠበቀ ሰዓት እና ምክንያቱ ሳይነግው ነሐሴ 16/2004 ከእስር ተለቀቀ። በኋላ ሁላችንም እንደሰማነው ከእስር የተለቀቀው ክሱ ተቋርጦለት መሆኑን ነው።

ጋዜጠኛ ተመስገን የቀረቡበት ክሶች 1ኛ) ወጣቶች በአገሪቱ መንግሥትና ሕገ መንግሥታዊ ስርዓቱ ላይ እንዲያምፁ የመገፋፋትና ግዙፍ ያልሆነ የማሰናዳት ተግባር፣ 2ኛ) የሀገሪቱን መንግሥት ሥም ማጥፋት እና የሐሰት ውንጀላ፣ 3ኛ) ክስ የሐሰት ወሬዎችን በማውራት ሕዝብን በማነሳሳት ወይም አስተሳሰባቸውን ማናወጥ ሲሆኑ ይህን ክስ ሊያስመሠርቱበት የቻሉት ጽሑፎች ደግሞ 1) የፈራ ይመለስ (በተመስገን ደሳለኝ) 2) የሁለተኛ ዜግነት ሕይወት በኢትዮጵያ እስከመቼ? (በተመስገን ደሳለኝ) 3) መጅሊሱና ሲኖዶሱ የአብዮታዊ ዲሞክራሲ ማጥመቂያ (በተመስገን ደሳለኝ) 4) ሞት የማይፈሩ ወጣቶች (በተመስገን ደሳለኝ) እና 5) የብሔር ብሔረሰቦች መብት እስከመጨፈር የሚሉት ናቸው።

ፍትሕ በዚ መልኩ ከሕትመት ከታገደች በኋላ ተሜ እጅ እና እግሩን አጣጥፎ አልተቀመጠም ወይም መሰደድን አልመረጠም። በ2005 ፍትሕን በአዲስታይምስ መጽሔት መልክ፣ እሱም እንዲዘጋ ሲደረግ በልዕልና ጋዜጣ እውነትን እንድናነብ ከባልደረቦቹ ጋር በመሆን ለፍቷል። ልዕልናም ቀኗ ደርሶ ከሕትመቱ ዓለም ስትሰናበት ደግሞ በ2007 በግሉ ዘርፍ ይታተሙ ከነበሩ ተመራጭ ጥቂት መጽሔቶች እና ጋዜጦች ጋር ክስ ተመሥርቶባቸው እንዳይሠሩ ከታገዱት የሕትመት ውጤቶች መሐል አንዷ በሆነችው ፋክት መጽሔት ሥራውን ቀጥሎ ነበር።

በነሐሴ 13፣ 2004 ተቋረጠ የተባለው ክስ መቀስቀሱን አሁንም እሱ በሌለበት በታኅሣሥ ወር 2005 የዋለው ችሎት በፋና ሬዲዮ መዘገቡን ሰማ/ን። በቀጣዩ የቀጠሮ ቀን ሲቀርብ የ50ሺህ ብር የዋስትና ብር አስይዞ ክሱን ከውጪ ሆኖ እንዲከታተል ተፈቀደለት። ክሱን እየተከታተለም ነው ልዕልና ጋዜጣን እና ፋክት መጽሔትን ለኛ ላንባቢዎቹ ሲያደርስ የነበረው። ታኅሣሥ 2005 የተንቀሳቀሰበትን ክስ በዋስትና ሲከታተል ቆይቶ፤ በጥቅምት 3፣ 2007 ጥፋተኛ የተባለው እንዲሁም ጥቅምት 17፣ 2007 ላይ ደግሞ የ3 ዓመት ፍርድ የተፈረደበት።

ተመስገን የሥራ ሰዓት እና የእረፍት ሰዓት የለውም። ብዙውን ጊዜውን በመጻፍ ወይም በማንበብ ነው የሚያሳልፈው። የጻፈውን የኖረ እና እየኖረ ያለ ጋዜጠኛ ነው።

ዝዋይ ከመሄዱ በፊት ቃሊቲ በነበረበት ጊዜያትም ሆነ ዝዋይ ከሄደ በኋላ ተመስገን፣ ሌሎች እስረኞች እንዳይቀርቡት ይደረጋል። ቃሊቲ እያለ የአልሻባብ አባል ተብለው በሽብር ተከሰው ከሱ ጋር የሚኖሩ እስረኞች ከሱ ጋር ካወሩ ወይም ወክ ሲያደርጉ ከታዮ "እንዴት ከአሸባሪ ጋር ትሆናላችሁ?" ይባሉ እና የተለያዩ ማስፈራሪያዎች እንደሚደርስባቸው ነግረውታል። የዝዋዩ ደግሞ የባሰ ሆኖ ነው ያገኘው። ከሱ ጋር ያወራ ማታ ማታ እየተወሰደ ይደበደባል። ይህን በመፍራት ብዙ እስረኞች ከሱ ጋር መሆን ይፈራሉ።

መጽሐፍ አይገባለትም። ሕክምና ለማግኘት ሲጠይቅ "ቆይ ያንተን ጉዳይ እየተነጋገርንበት ነው" ከሚል ውጪ ያገኘው ምላሽ ስለሌለ ከጀርባ ሕመሙ ስቃይ ጋር አብሮ ይኖራል። ምንም ዓይነት መጽሐፍት አይገቡለትም። ከሌሎች እስረኞች ተውሶ ማንበብም አይችልም። እሱ ያለበት ዞን ላይብረሪ የለም። ቤተሰቦቹ እና ጓደኞቹ እንዳይጠይቁት ይከለከላሉ። ብዙ ጓደኞቹ እና ወዳጆቹ ብዙ ርቀት ተጉዘው ከእናቱ እና ወንድሞቹ ውጪ እሱን መጠየቅ አይቻልም ተብለው ይመለሳሉ። የዛሬ ዓመት አካባቢ እናቱን እና ወንድሞቹን ጭምር ለሁለት ወር ያክል እንዳይጠይቁት ተከልክለው ነበር። በተለያዩ ጊዜያትም እነዚሁ የቅርብ ቤተሰቦቹ ገብተው እንዳይጠይቁት ተከልክለው ይመለሳሉ። በአንድ ወቅት ታናሽ ወንድሙ የሆነው ታሪኩ ደሳለኝ ሊጠይቀው በሄደ ወቅት መግባት እንደማይችል ከነገሩት በኋላ በማያቀው ምክንያት በዝዋይ እስር ቤት ፓሊሶች ተደብድቧል።

ምክንያቱን ባይገባኝም ከቅርብ ቤተሰቦቹ ውጪ መጎብኘት የሚፈቀድለትን አንዳንድ ወቅቶች ተከታትለው የሚጠይቁት ጓደኞቹ ብዙ አይደሉም። ተመስገንን የምንወደው ጓደኛችን ከሆነ ከቤተሰብ ውጪ መጠየቅ አይቻልም ብሎ ቁጭ ከማለት ዝዋይ መጠየቅ ከሚፈቀድለት ቤተሰብ ጋር ሄዶ መልዕክት መላክ ወይም መጠየቅ የሚፈቀድበትን ወቅት ጠብቆ መሄድ።

ተሜ በዝዋይ ከሌሎች እስረኞች በተለየ ብዙ ማእቀቦች ተጥሎበት እየኖረ የመንፈሱ ጥንካሬ የሚገርም ነው። በዚህ ሁኔታ ውስጥ ሆኖ አራት ፅሁፎችን አስነብቦናል። በእስሩ ወቅት ስላገኛቸው የኢትዮጵያ ሶማሌዎች የሚተርክ በሁለት ክፍል "የኢትዮጵያ መንግሥት ገመና ከዝዋይ እስር ቤት" እንዲሁም አሁን በኦሮሚያ ስለተነሳው ሕዝባዊ አመፅ የጻፈው "ሁለተኛው ምዕራፍ" የሚሉት ጽሑፎች ይገኙበታል።

ከዓመት በፊት በላከው በአንደኛው ጽሑፉ እንዲህ ይላል "...ግና! ይህ መንግሥታዊ የጭካኔ ተግባር፣ ዛሬም በምስኪን ዜጎች ላይ እየተፈፀመና ብዙዎችን ሰለባ እያደረገ በመሆኑ ሕዝቡ ይህን ሊሸሸግ እየተሞከረ ያለውን መከራ ተረድቶ ሥርዓቱን በአደባባይ ዓመፅ “ሃይ!” ይል ዘንድ ትርክቴን ለማጠናቀር ተገድጄያለሁ፡፡ ለእስር ያበቃኝ የጋዜጠኝነት ሙያዬም ተጨማሪ ዕዳ ጭኖብኛል፡፡"

ተሜ እንደቃሉ ጉዞውን እስከቀራኒዮ ያደረገ ጋዜጠኛ ነው። አንድ ዓመት ከአምስት ወር በእስር አሳልፏል። የሚወጣበት ቀን እየቀረበ ነው እንጂ እየራቀ አይደለም የሚሄደው። በቀሪዎቹ ጊዜዎች እና ከወጣ በኋላ በብዕሩ የሚያካፍለንን የኢሕአዴግ መንግሥት ገበናዎች ለማንበብ በጣም ነው የምጓጓው። ተሜ ከዚህ በፊት በብዙ ኮፒ ታትሞ ለገበያ ያበቃው "የመለስ አምልኮ" የተሰኘው መጽሐፍ ተወዳጅነትን አትርፎለታል። በ2007 መጨረሻ አካባቢ ደግሞ ከሙያ ባልደረቦቹ እና ከጋዜጠኛ እስክንድር ጋር (ከቃሊቲ እስር ቤት) በአንድነት በተለያየ ጊዜ የተጻፉ ጽሑፎችን በመጽሐፍ መልክ ታትሟል።

Temesgen Dessalegn with his foster children.

ተመስገን ደሳለኝ ከጋዜጠኝነት ሥራው በተጨማሪ ያለውን በማካፈል ይታወቃል። ለጓደኞቹ እና ለወዳጆቹ በችግራቸው ጊዜ ከጎናቸው ሆኖ ለመርዳት የሚችለውን ያደርጋል። በምስሉ ላይ ከተሜ ጋር የሚታዩት ሕፃናት ቤተሰቦቻቸው አቅመ ደካማ በመሆናቸው ወጪያቸውን በመሸፈን የሚረዳቸው ናቸው። ወጪያቸውን ከመሸፈን ባለፈም ባለው ትርፍ ሰዓት ያዝናናቸው፤ እንዲሁም በቋሚነት የሚማሩበት ት/ቤት በመሄድ የትምህርት ሁኔታቸውን ይከታተል ነበር። አሁን ጊዜው ተገልብጦ እነዚህ ህፃናት በወር አንድ ጊዜ ከእናቱ እና ወንድሙ ጋር በመሆን ዝዋይ ድረስ ሄደው ይጠይቁታል።

በነገራችን ላይ ተሜ እነዚህን ሕፃናት እና ቤተሰቡን እንደሚያስተዳድር ለፍ/ቤት ቢገልፅ የቅጣት ፍርዱ ይቀንስለት ነበር። ሆኖም ተሜ ጥፋት ስላላጠፋሁ አቅልሉልኝ ብዬ አልጠይቅም ብሎ ምንም አይነት ማቅለያ ሳያስገባ ነው 3 ዓመት የተፈረደበት።

ብርታትና ጥንካሬን ለተሜ እና ቤተሰቦቹ እየተመኘሁ ተሜን በጨረፍታዬን በዚሁ ላብቃ።

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Ethiopia opposition say land-protest arrests aimed at deterring future demonstrations

An Ethiopian opposition group said on Friday that police had arrested more than 2,600 people in the last three weeks for taking part in land protests and that the government was thereby aiming to deter future protests.

Plans to requisition farmland in the Oromiya region surrounding the capital for development sparked the country’s worst unrest in over a decade, with rights groups and U.S.-based dissidents saying as many as 200 people may have been killed.

An opposition coalition said the arrests over protests in the four months up to February came despite government assurances of clemency.

Representatives of the government were not immediately available for comment.

Authorities scrapped the land scheme in January and pledged not to prosecute the demonstrators, while Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn issued an apology in parliament last month saying his administration would work to address grievances over governance.

Despite the pledges, the Ethiopian Federal Democratic Unity Forum (MEDREK) said 2,627 people have since been “illegally rounded up” and remain under custody.

“It is an act of reprisal,” MEDREK’s chairman Beyene Petros told Reuters.
“The whole purpose why they are increasing their witchhunt is to simply stop the public from planning or initiating any future public protest,” he added.

The coalition said in a statement that the arrests took place in 12 different areas of Oromiya, Ethiopia’s largest region by size and population.

The second-most populous nation in Africa with 90 million people, Ethiopia has long been one of the poorest countries in the world per capita, but has made strides toward industrialization, recording some of the continent’s strongest economic growth rates for a decade. But reallocating land for new developments is a thorny issue in a country where the vast majority of the population still survives on small farms. The opposition says farmers have often been forced off land and poorly compensated.

Source- Reuters

 

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US, Ethiopia hold talks on human rights and governance, Patriotic Ginbot 7 on the agenda

US Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor Tom Malinowski who traveled to Ethiopia on Tuesday as part of a follow-up on president Obama’s July visit to Addis Ababa had held discussions with Ethiopian government officials on issues of human rights and governance.

The US Assistant Secretary met with State Minister of Foreign Affairs Ambassador Taye Atskeselassie to co-chair the 6th Bilateral Democracy, Governance and Human Rights Working Group, according to a press release issued by the US Embassy in Addis Ababa.

Details are scanty but on the agenda at the table was also Patriotic Ginbot 7, an armed group based in Eritrea, the ongoing protest in the Oromia region and public discontent and uprising in the Amhara region.

A major donor to the Ethiopian government, the US has been under criticism for not using its leverages on the tyrannical regime, one of the world’s leading jailers of journalists. An ally of the US against the fundamentalists in the Horn of Africa, the minority government has gotten away with extrajudicial killings, mass incarceration and attack on the press.

ESAT News (March 31, 2016)

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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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