Human Rights Defenders Under Siege in Ethiopia

Soon to be Implemented, Ethiopia’s Civil Society Law is the Most Restrictive of its Kind in Sub-Saharan Africa; Law Draws Inspiration from Similarly Repressive Laws in Zimbabwe, Russia and Singapore

Chicago, Ill. – The Northwestern University School of Law’s Center for International Human Rights, in a report released today has found that Ethiopia’s new Civil Society Law violates Ethiopia’s human rights obligations by effectively silencing independent civil society organizations, particularly human rights defenders and advocates of democratic governance that provide critical services to Ethiopia’s most vulnerable citizens.

The report, entitled Sounding the Horn: Ethiopia’s Civil Society Law Threatens Human Rights Defenders, concludes that the new CSO law violates Ethiopia’s human rights obligations as well as the Ethiopian Constitution and thus should be rescinded immediately. Upon implementation of the new law in January 2010, all foreign non-governmental organizations (NGOs) will be prohibited from engaging in activities pertaining to human rights, women’s rights, children’s rights, disability rights, citizenship rights, conflict resolution or democratic governance. Even local NGOs that receive more than ten percent of their funding from foreign sources are considered “foreign” under this law. The report finds that: “Since the vast majority of domestic human rights NGOs in Ethiopia receive the bulk of their funds from foreign sources, the new CSO law will force them to either close their doors or drastically alter the scope of their work.”

The Ethiopian government has long been hostile to human rights defenders. For decades the government has harassed civil society organizationsand their leaders. In fact, the director of the Ethiopian Women Lawyers’ Association (EWLA) recently fled the country after the government retaliated against the EWLA for its description of the government’s human rights record.

Unless the Ethiopian government repeals the CSO law, it will be implemented one year after its enactment, on January 6, 2010. The report calls upon the Ethiopian government to rescind the law as soon as possible.

DebreBirhan has managed to get the full report of the research. Click on the first link on the right hand side of the page to read the full report:

http://www.law.northwestern.edu/humanrights/

KENENISA PLEADS BERTUKANS RELEASE

MESSAGE TO THE ETHIOPIAN YOUTH

DEAR ETHIOPANS

This is a national call to the Ethiopian youth.

Our Fathers have been so zelous and courageously patriots in their days .Then our nearer fathers were so highly infatuated with the ideologies of Marx, Lenin,Socialism and bla bla and they have even sacrificed their life for this cause.

What has today's youth done?

What are the ideologies of todays YE ARADA LIJOCH and lijagerdoch?

Our ideology today is No to racism and hatred.

We , the youth of today's Ethiopia are ready to overthrow Meles Zenawi's dictatorial scum.We are not fighting for Lenin or Karl Marx; today we are fighting for our basic freedom,human rights, love and peace>>>ONE LOVE.

Are you ready to remove Meles Zenawi's era and replace it with the new age politics/government of PEACE,LOVE AND FREEDOM?

Then do these three things:

1.Ask yourslef who your best/loyal friend is, she/he could be your girl/boyfriend.

2.Without telling anyone, form your own network of freedom .

3.Two of you in the network, can assist real freedom fighters like www.Ginbot7.org/ or EPPF or any other group in anyway you can and then enjoy your FREEDOM.

YE ARADA LIJOCH HOY,,,,

Secure Your own Freedom Yourself

HAGER Force demolishes Harar Base

Hager Force, a newly established squad of 1000 strong military commandos has demolished a Woyanee military base in Harar.As to DebreBirhan's sources the squad was able to amass armaments from the base by attacking the soldiers located in the military base.Hager Force is on a wise preparation to conduct a blitzkrieg attack on Meles's colonizing ''government''. The public is asked to give financial and strategic informations to all pro Ethiopian Unity Forces by Hager. Below is a Report by IOC regarding the issue. According to information received by The Indian Ocean Newsletter, a deadly skirmish occurred on 16 November in a place known as Jaketa, situated between Harar and Babile in the east of Ethiopia. It pitted government soldiers of the South Eastern Command against unidentified rebel forces and is believed to have made several tens of victims among the government troops. Many of the wounded soldiers were treated at the Hiwot Fana Hospital and other hospitals in Harar. Although no organisation has yet officially claimed responsibility for this action, it is highly likely that those involved were Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) rebels, the most active group in this region. However, according to some witnesses, several of these attackers spoke to each other in the Amhara language, which is not so common in the ranks of the ONLF. They may have been instructors from outside this region of Ethiopia. This military confrontation occurred after arms were stolen in Harar at the beginning of the month, a theft attributed to ONLF rebels .

ETHIOPIAN REGIME TO KILL 40 ETHIOPIANS

-THE GALLIBLE WORLD NEEDS TO WAKE AND TAKE MEASURE

-COUNTRY GOING INTO APOCALYPSE

VOA's Peter Heinlein reported the following:

ADDIS ABABA — Prosecutors in Ethiopia are seeking the death penalty for 40 people found guilty of conspiring to overthrow the government. Twenty-seven of the defendants were tried and convicted last week. Thirteen others, most of them living in exile, were earlier found guilty in absentia. This VOA correspondent was in the courtroom as the 27 in custody pleaded for reduced sentences.

One by one, the 27 convicted conspirators were given a chance to explain to a three-judge panel why they should not be executed for planning a campaign of violence aimed at bringing down Meles Zenawi's government.

The group was convicted of five charges. Among them were trying to incite rebellion within the army, plotting to kill senior government officials and destroy strategic facilities.

All were said to be members of the outlawed Ginbot 7 Movement led by exiled political leader Berhanu Nega.

Berhanu, now a university professor in the United States, was among the 13 convicted in absentia. He has denied the existence of a plot, but has repeatedly called Meles's government 'illegitimate' and said it should be removed by any means.

Many of 27 convicted last week are current or former military officers. Speaking to the court, they pointed to their decades of decorated service. Some spoke of fighting with the forces that overthrew the previous Marxist regime. Several listed the medals they had won and the wounds they suffered fighting for Ethiopia in its Woyanne's war against Eritrea a decade ago, or serving in Somalia, or in the counterinsurgency campaign against rebels in the independence-minded Ogaden region.

Two defendants, both former army majors, admitted their guilt and threw themselves on the mercy of the court.

Ethiopia's inJustice Ministry spokesman Mekonnen Bezabeh says while the death penalty is being sought for all 40, the two who pleaded guilty would get special consideration.

"We asked the court for the death penalty, but we also asked the court to minimize the penalty for two persons who told to the court their activities," Bezabeh said.

The other defendants, including the lone woman among the 40, maintained their innocence throughout the trial, though some said they respect the court's decision.

Several defendants, including the few represented by attorneys, questioned whether the death penalty is appropriate in a case where the charge is simply planning a coup, not carrying it out. Presiding judge Adem Ibrahim was silent on the matter, but Justice Ministry spokesman Mekonnen said the cumulative weight of all the charges calls for the maximum punishment.

"According to our procedure law, if there are so many charges, each penalty will be added and they will be penalized the sum of the penalties, so when we see their convictions, by acting contradiction with the constitution, and also they conspired to make a crisis between army forces, the penalty would be the highest penalty point, which is the death penalty," Bezabeh said.

Those facing the maximum penalty include Melaku Teferra, a senior member of Ethiopia's opposition UDJ, or Unity for Democracy and Justice Party. Melaku was among the scores of political leaders convicted of inciting post-election violence in 2005, then later pardoned.

In outlining the charges Tuesday, Chief Prosecutor Berihun Tewoldeberhan singled out Melaku, saying he should have learned from his past mistakes.

Melaku is one of two top UDJ officials in prison as next May's elections approach. The party's main leader, Birtukan Mideksa, was also among those jailed after the 2005 election and then pardoned. But she was sent back to prison last December and ordered to finish serving a life sentence after denying that she had asked for the pardon.

Meles denies food to opposition members

Ethiopian opposition parties said on Wednesday that their members were being refused food aid to force them to join the ruling party before national elections are held in May next year.

The Ethiopian government says 6.2 million people will need emergency foo

d this year and has appealed to the international community for help.

Another 7 million Ethiopians are part of a long-running food-for-work scheme, which means more than 13 million of the country's 80 million people rely on aid to survive.

"Our members can't get on the food-for-work scheme," Gebru Asrat, spokesman for the opposition coalition Medrek, told Reuters. "Only ruling party members can now join the programme, so it forces desperate people to leave the opposition."

People who joined the ruling party would not be able to work for the opposition or stand as opposition candidates.

Prime Minister Meles Zenawi's administration rejected the opposition complaint.

"It's simply a ridiculous and outrageous thing to say," Bereket Simon, government head of information, told Reuters.

He said the ruling Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) party had fewer than half the number of people currently enrolled in the food-for-work scheme.

Aid workers say a five-year drought is afflicting more than 23 million people in seven east African nations, with Ethiopia worst affected. Ethiopia's latest appeal came on the 25th anniversary of the 1984 famine that killed more than 1 million.

"PROGRAMME FOR POOR, NOT POLITICS"

"The government is trying to control what parties people join," Medrek's Gebru said. "Food aid should not be used as a political weapon."

Medrek is a coalition of eight parties and is seen as the most serious threat to Meles' nearly 20 years in power.

The prime minister has agreed a "code of conduct" for the elections with three parliamentary opposition parties -- two of which opponents say are government "satellites".

Medrek refused to sign that agreement, demanding bilateral negotiations with the government on issues that they say were left out of the deal, including reform of the electoral board.

The government strongly denied the allegations of food being withheld from the opposition. "That programme is designed to help the poor in our society. Ethiopia doesn't discriminate on political grounds when distributing food," Bereket said.

Security forces killed about 200 protesters after the opposition said the government rigged elections in 2005. Seven policemen were also killed. Most analysts agree Meles' EPRDF will win easily at the ballot box next year.

The opposition says this is because candidates are routinely intimidated and jailed -- mostly in remote areas outside the capital Addis Ababa. The government says the opposition has no chance of victory and just wants to discredit the poll.

Ethiopia has never had a peaceful transition of power. Meles took over in 1991 after a rebel group led by him and others overthrew a communist regime.

An Extraordinary Video Clip Coming from Ethiopia

Ethiopia is a country of countless miracles,wealth and successes.But we are also home of hunger.See this video and decide who you are and what you lack as an Ethiopian, both in your spiritual life and secular.

DebreBirhan.blogspot.com will bring you an extraordinarily stunning video clip from Ethiopia.Our Blog will be the first to unleash this video for the Disapora.



Regards ............Stay TUNED

Why Bow? Our Norm or Submission?

In Ethiopia, 10,000 tons of coffee vanishes in one month

DBE to buyout flower growers debt

Meles Angered of the Coffee Issue

Prime Minister Meles Zenawi last Wednesday took a firm tone when discussing issues concerning the horticulture and coffee sectors.

During the full-day discussion Meles scolded coffee exporters saying they are making the industry into a family business and ignoring the benefit of the country.
Meles said that the government is going to “cut the hands” of those committing grave crimes against the country as of January 9, 2009.
He further said that 10,000 tons of coffee bound for export has disappeared recently and added that the government is vigorously investigating the case.
At current global prices, 10,000 tons is worth about 20 to 23 million dollars.
Ethiopia produces about 200,000 tons of coffee a year, half of which is consumed locally.
The country’s production is just a small fraction of the world’s coffee, dwarfed by giants like Brazil, Colombia and Vietnam. However, the quality and potential holds a key to unlocking prosperity in one of Africa’s poorest countries, an expert in the coffee sector commented.
At the discussion that predominately held coffee exporters responsible for mishandling the country’s biggest foreign currency earner, Meles warned exporters that work with different licenses both as suppliers and buyers to cease their illegal practice. He said that government is going to take severe actions on those who are dishonestly working in the sector.
During the discussion the PM cited the sector’s performance as a reason for the steep decline of the foreign currency income by the sector from past years.
Replying to Meles’ questions, coffee exporters blamed the problem on the Ethiopian Commodity Exchange (ECX), saying it has delivery and storage troubles.
Eleni Zaude G. Medihin, CEO of ECX, denied these accusations.
The exporters further said the global economic crisis has hit sales hard and that banks are tightening credit for their customers.
But experts in the sector said that the effect of the global crisis is not more than 5% on the coffee market.
Moreover, the ECX price index is relatively higher than the New York Stock Market that fluctuates minute by minute.
Coffee earned 525 million dollars in the 2007/08 fiscal year.
Some 12 million people are dependent on the coffee industry. Ethiopia’s key markets are Germany, Japan, USA, France, the Middle East and Scandinavian countries.

On horticulture
Meles has also held discussions with flower farm owners who appealed for extensions of loan repayment periods.
During their discussion, some flower growers who began operations taking loans from private banks appealed to the Development Bank of Ethiopia (DBE) to take over their project after settling the loan.
The growers said that private banks are not interested in long-term loans and these farms could not handle the pressure of the private banks for repayment.
DBE officials during the discussion accepted the appeal and said that if the cash flow of the company is considered healthy DBE would service the loan payments for the private banks and would transfer the company to ownership as collateral.
According to DBE’s credit policy ratified by the Public Financial Enterprises Agency - the regulator of state-owned financial institutions - headed by Dr. Eyob Tesfaye on September 25, 2008, the bank could buyout performing loans found in government and private banks. According to the bank’s lending policy, investments in all agricultural products, excluding oilseeds, pulses and gums, all manufactured industry products, excluding hides and skins, agro-processed products and manufactured goods are considered as priority areas.
With the newly approved credit policy, the bank is allowed to take over loans found in other banks upon the request of a borrower.
Another issue that was raised is the one-year grace period the bank gives to its clients. The growers said that repayment time would arrive before they could even start setting up the greenhouses they use for their products.
The borrowers appealed for the extension of the one-year grace period to two years, a request Meles said would be taken under consideration.
The other bottleneck growers raised is the repayment period of five years, which they said could not be achieved by investors in the sector. They subsequently requested a seven to ten year repayment period.
Meles told sector representatives these, and other issues, including freight service by Ethiopian Airlines would be considered.