Breaking News: UK diplomats clash over Briton on death row in Ethiopia

January 24, 2015

UK diplomats clash over Briton on death row in Ethiopia: Officials’ fury after Foreign Secretary claims he couldn’t ‘find time’ to help father-of-three facing execution

• Andargachew Tsege was snatched by officials at Yemen airport last June
• The 59-year-old was transferred to Ethiopia where he is thought to remain
• Father-of-three moved to London in 1979 from native African country
• He was dubbed ‘Ethiopian Mandela’ after exposing government corruption
• Leaked emails revealed British officials’ frustration at political inaction
• Philip Hammond said he could not ‘find time’ for phone call on issue

From left Andargachew Tsige’s wife Yemi Hailemariam, Andargachew Tsige and UK Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond.

(Mail Online) An explosive row has erupted between diplomats and Ministers over their reluctance to help a British man on death row in Ethiopia.

A series of extraordinary emails, obtained by The Mail on Sunday, reveal officials’ increasing frustration at political inaction over Andargachew Tsege.

Tsege, 59, a father-of-three from London, was snatched at an airport in Yemen last June and illegally rendered to Ethiopia. There are concerns he may have been tortured.

Journalist Reeyot: Prisoner of conscience continues in defiance to TPLF/EPDRF prison

January 21, 2015

by Ewnetu Sime

The recent article posted on several websites entitled ” metaram yemgebaw manew” (መታረም የሚገባው ማነው) by Journalist Reeyot Alemu caught my eyehttp://www.abugidainfo.com/amharic/index.php/16788.

Reeyot is a winner of the 2013 UNESCO-Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize. She is one of the many political conscience prisoners in Ethiopia. Based the regime so called anti-Terrorist Law which is designed to suppress free speech and fundamental democracy rights of the Ethiopian people, she has been thrown to jail. She was regarded as a “terrorist” and jailed in the infamous prison of Kaliti, initially sentenced to twelve years later reduced to five years. Her detention is the result of judicial proceedings that are clearly unfair. Since her detention the Ethiopians civic organizations and other humanitarian organization called for her and other prisoner of conscience to immediate and unconditionally release. To this date the ruling party TPLF/EPDRF regime refused to release her.

We have read dozens of articles about political prisoners who had experienced the terror, torture, and the solitary confinement in Mekelawi and Kailti prisons. Both prisons have a notorious reputation when it comes to dealing with political detainees. The prisoners are subject to ruthless TPLF interrogator with harsh and life threatening condition. She was not allowed to speak to her lawyer to contest the charge against her, and to see or speak to her family members or friends for extended time. She stated that all her rights were abused . It is clear that she doesn’t want to reveal to the readers all brutality used by the police interrogators, but she indicated a hint. She – said the interrogator slapped her on her face and bangs her head to prison wall to shake her down. You may guess what is happening next.

In Picture: ESAT Journalists with Freedom Fighters

January 19, 2015

The two top notch ESAT (Ethiopian Satellite Television) journalists Mesay Mekonnen and Fasil Yenealem are in Eritrea to gather news and reports about the Ethiopian patriots (freedom fighters), the following pictures are taken from Mesay Mekonnen’s Facebook page.

Should Ethiopians Boycott the Upcoming Fake Election in Ethiopia?

January 19, 2015

More Crackdowns Lock Out Opposition Groups from Political Participation

“If we do not have a proper multiparty democracy, this country is going to end up like Somalia. This is imperative” he said. “It is up to the people to decide on how many seats should be given to the opposition and how many to the ruling party.” (Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn)

SMNE PRESS RELEASE

(December 16, 2015. Washington, DC) The Solidarity Movement for a New Ethiopia (SMNE) has no choice but to

 expose the duplicity and repression of choice in the upcoming Ethiopian National Election due to the dictatorial nature of the ethnic apartheid regime of the TPLF/EPRDF that has been in power for the last 24 years. The SMNE is non-political, non-violent social justice movement that stands up for the freedom, rights, and well being of all Ethiopians, regardless of ethnicity, political view, religion, regional background or other differences. We are very concerned about the future of the country.

The above statement by Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn is frightening in light of the recent crackdown on political opposition groups in Ethiopia; however, his ominous prediction of Ethiopia becoming another Somalia without a fair process should be a cause of alarm to all. Even now, it is obvious that the Ethiopian Peoples’ Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) so deeply fears what could happen in the build-up or aftermath of the upcoming May 24, 2015 election that they are now training militias in regions of the country where they see greater resistance, like in the Amhara and Oromia regions. If the people rise up in protest to the election, they intend to use these militia groups to suppress the people.

ፖሊስ የደብረማርቆስ ተማሪዎችን እያፈሰ እያሰረ ነው

December 31, 2014

ፖሊስ የደብረ ማርቆስ ተማሪዎችን እየደበደበ ነው፡፡ የትናንትናው ተቃውሞ በኢሳትና በሌሎች ሚዲያዎች መተላለፉን ተከትሎ ‹‹ማን ነው ከኢሳትና ከሌሎች ሚዲያዎች ጋር እየተደዋወለ መረጃ የሚሰጠው?›› እንዲሁም ‹‹የተቃዋሚ ፓርቲ አባል ካለ ተናገሩ››  በሚል ተማሪዎቹን አሳልፈው እንዲሰጡ ከፍተኛ ደብደባ እየፈጸመ መሆኑን ከቦታው የደረሰን መረጃ ይጠቁማል፡፡ ፖሊስ አሁንም ተማሪዎችን እየፈለገ እያሰረ መሆኑም ተገልጾአል።

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• ‹‹ኢህአዴግ አይገዛንም!›› ተማሪዎቹ

(ነገረ ኢትዮጵያ) ፖሊስ የ‹‹አብዮታዊ ዴሞክራሲ›› ስልጠናን የተቃወሙ የደብረማርቆስ የመለስተኛ ሁለተኛ እና የከፍተኛ ሁለተኛ ደረጃ (መሰናዶ) ተማሪዎችን እያፈሰ እያሰረ እንደሚገኝ የነገረ ኢትዮጵያ ምንጮች ገለጹ፡፡ ተማሪዎቹ በትናንትናው ዕለት ኢህአዴግን የሚተቹ አስተያየቶችንና ጥያቄዎችን በማንሳታቸው ይሰለጥኑበት ከነበረው ሰፊ አዳራሽ ወጥተው 20፣ 20 ሆነው በጠባብ ክፍል እንዲሰለጥኑ ከመደረጉም ባሻገር ጥያቄ የሚያነሱት ላይ ማስፈራሪያ እንደደረሰባቸው ለነገረ ኢትዮጵያ ገልጸዋል፡፡

ዛሬ ጠዋት ጥያቄ ያነሳሉ የተባሉት ተማሪዎች ስልጠና ወደሚሰጡባቸው ትምህርት ቤቶች ግቢ እንዳይገቡ ከመደረጉም ባሻገር የድብዛ ከፍተኛ ሁለተኛ ደረጃ ትምህርት ቤት ተማሪዎች ስልጠናውን መቃወማቸውን ተከትሎ ፖሊስ እርምጃ እየወሰደ መሆኑን የሰሙ የተክለሀይማኖት መልስተኛ ሁለተኛ ደረጃ ተማሪዎች እርምጃውን በመቃወም ለድብዛ ተማሪዎች ድጋፍ መስጠታቸው ተገልጾአል፡፡

የሁለቱም ትምህርት ቤት ተማሪዎች በጋር በመሆን ከተማው አደባባይ ላይ በመውጣት ‹‹አህአዴግ አይገዛንም፣ ኢህአዴግ ሌባ፣…›› የመሳሰሉ መፈክሮችን በማሰማት ተቃውሟቸውን መግለጻቸውን ተከትሎም ፖሊስ ተማሪዎቹን እያፈሰ ወዳልታወቀ ቦታ መውሰዱ ተሰምቷል፡፡ ከዚህም ባሻገር ጥያቄ የሚጠይቁና ፖሊስ ተቃውሞውን አደራጅተዋል ብሎ የሚጠረጥራቸውን ተማሪዎች እየፈለገ እያሰረ መሆኑን ተማሪዎቹ ለነገረ ኢትዮጵያ ገልጸዋል፡፡

Obang Metho’s Speech to Diverse Ethiopians in Minnesota

December 17, 2014

SMNE FORUM SERIES II: MINNESOTA

Starting the Conversation Between Diverse Ethiopians in Minnesota, Can we Collectively Own Both the Good and the Ugly Parts of our Past so we Can be Free at Last from the Shackles of Oppression?

First of all, I would like to thanks Ato Girma Biru, all members and supporters of the SMNE in Minnesota for taking your time to organize this wonderful forum. Thank you for inviting me to speak to you on the topic of Starting the Conversation between Diverse Ethiopians in Minnesota. I have spoken to the Ethiopian community in Minnesota a number of times, not including times I have spoken to the Anuak—my own ethnic group. In the past, I have mostly addressed separate communities of Ethiopians in Minnesota, but this time it is different. My message for today is to encourage us to break down the barriers between communities by starting to talk to each other rather than about each other. This forum is second in a series of forums on this topic. No doubt, simply by living in Minnesota, you have seen ample evidence that certain environmental values, practices and supports make it easier to do.

Ethiopia: Senior Blue Party leaders, members and supports have been detained

December 6, 2014

On Saturday, December 6,2014, the ethnic based Ethiopian government security forces have arrested leaders of Blue and other Party leaders,

 members and supporters at the start of a peaceful public rally to demand free and fair election. Blue Party Chairman Eng. Yilkal Getnet along with senior party members have been detained. This protest rally was organized by a coalition of opposition political parties fully in compliance with the law.

This is a clear manifestation of the governing party’s total dictatorship and absolute intolerance for peaceful decent

At this point, the exact number of detainees is not available nor where they have been detained. We will release more information soon.

Contact:

Phone: (202) 556-3078

Semayawi Support-North America: info@semayawiusa.org

Related:

Raw audio footage: Federal police beating protesters