Gursha : blossoming for bottom millions

As the cost of food rises, the popularity of street gursha, selling and  consuming handfuls of restaurant leftovers, is spreading around the capital. Originating in areas such as Fews Terra, Merkato, the business caters to those who not only want to save money on food but also time, the Addis based English Weekly, Addis Fortune Reports. 

Hungry for dinner, youngsters hold open their plastic bags to receive food from the bulle vendor.

Youngsters who work around Merkato and its areas sit down on street at Fews Terra to have dinner with plastic bags, serving as their plate on the evening of Friday, December 23, 2011.

Despite the sky rocketing buildings and infrastructural developments,'growth in GDP' millions of Ethiopians gradually find themselves sliding down to the list of the bottom millions who survive on Gursha.Gursha, under normal circumstances, is a small roll of enjera and stew that one person puts into the mouth of another as an act of intimacy or hospitality, a tradition in Ethiopia. Sometimes the roll of food may be somewhat big with some of it falling into the palm of the person who is being fed, who keeps his hand just under his mouth expecting some spill over.

According to the Newspaper, a single Gursha/Shot of food is being sold 1 ET. Birr. Read the rest here .

The first gravest factual mistake of Bereket Simon's book discovered

By T, De Birhan Media 
24 Dec. 2011

A book by Bereket Simon,head of the Government Communications Affairs Office (GCAO) under a ministerial portfolio, titled “A Tale of Two Elections”  was launched on Tuesday, December 20, 2011 at the Sheraton Addis Hotel in Addis Abeba, Ethiopia. The book launch was attended by dignitaries, artists and investors.  

The book discusses about the 2005 and 10 elections, it goes back and investigates the EPRDF’s transformation after the Ethio-Eritrea conflict and analyses leaders of major opposition political parties. One of these politicians who took the brunt of Bereket's sharp criticism was Dr. Berhanu Nega, Chairman of Ginbot 7 Movement. 

According to Bereket  "Berhanu was an opportunist who manipulated all the member parties of the then Coalition for Unity and Democracy (CUD) party to enjoy his dream of being the mayor of Addis Abeba city". This is how the Addis Abeba based Amharic weekly, Addis Admas quoted the book. 

"ዶ/ር ብርሃኑ ነጋ ላይ የሚጨክነው የአቶ በረከት መጽሐፍ፤ “ከንቲባነትን በቆረጣ” በሚል በተቸበት ርእስ ስር ከምርጫ 97 በኋላ ያለውን ሂደት፤ “ለዶ/ር ብርሃኑ የሁሉም ነገር ማጠንጠኛው የከንቲባነት መንበሩን መቆናጠጥ ስለነበር፣ ለእርሱ ቅንጅትም ሆነ ቀስተ ደመና፣ መኢአድም ሆነ ኢዴፓ የቼዝ ጠጠሮች ናቸው፡፡ በእንያንዳንዱ እርምጃው እንደ አመቺነቱ በተናጠል ወይም በቡድን የላቀ ችሎታ ባለው ኃይል ፊት ያጋፍጣቸዋል፡፡ ሲፈልግ ሰድቦ ለሰዳቢ ይሰጣቸዋል፡፡" 

The gravest factual error of Bereket Simon's book emerges when it goes in detail to criticise the dissident scholar's involvement in and manipulation of the private press for his own use. Bereket writes "Dr. Berhanu insulted his party peers such as Engineer Hailu Shawel and also passed secret information about CUDs decsions through the papers he funded and supported like "Beza" Newspaper". The Amharic version of the above quote reads as follows,  

"በሌላ በኩል ግን ገንዘብና መረጃ እየሰጠ በሚያሰማራቸው “ቤዛ”ን በመሳሰሉ የግል ጋዜጦች ይሰድባቸዋል፡፡ የቅንጅት ሚስጥሮች፤ በተለይም ኢንጂነር ኃይሉን የሚመለከቱና በየጋዜጠው ይወጡ የነበሩ ውስጣዊ መረጃዎች ከዶክተር ብርሃኑ የሚፈልቁ እንደነበሩ በአንድ አጋጣሚ ያገኘሁትና ዶ/ር ብርሃኑ እንዲህ ብለህ ጻፍ እያለ መረጃ፣ ምክርም ገንዘብ ይሰጠው እንደነበር ያጫወተኝ በግል ጋዜጣ ውስጥ ይሠራ የነበረ ጋዜጠኛ ነው” ይላል፡፡" 

Although Bereket accuses Dr. Berhanu of using the private press such as "Beza" newspaper during and after the 2005 election to insult and leak information about his party peers and the Party itself  , he commits an enormous factual error in that the stated newspaper has not been publishing since April 2000 during when Dr. Berhanu had no form of political involvement.    

Beza Newspaper which was owned by Genet Ayele, the publisher of a book on former Ethiopian president, Mengistu Hailemaraim, ,run for around 10 years before it finally ceased publication in 2000. During the high-times of the election as well there was no type of publication called "Beza". The error goes worse as Bereket tries to validate his allegation by saying that he got the information from a journalist that worked in the private press.  

The book, reportedly edited by literary scholars and party whips including the prime minster contains such green errors.

A Dedication to Reeyot Alemu

By T, De Birhan Media Staffer 
23 Dec. 2011

Reeyot Alemu, a journalist and columnist for the Addis based, Fetehe has been languishing in prison since June 2011. A news broke out today that she was requested by Hasan Shifa, deputy police Commissioner of the Federal Police,  to testify on her colleagues and be freed. Defiant Reeyot has been kept in a solitary confinement for 13 days for refusing to do so. She disclosed this yesterday in court. She also stated in the court that there was an attempt by interrogators to record her informal conversation with a hidden camera, and files and documents that didn't belong to her were inserted into her email inbox.

It has been reported that journalists in Ethiopian prisons have been physically and emotionally abused and forced to provide the passwords of their e-mail addresses. 

We at De Birhan Media say to her "Proud of your unwavering stand for your own conscience!!!" and dedicate this number to you.

 All that you have is your soul

Don't be tempted by the shiny apple 

Don't you eat of a bitter fruit 

Hunger only for a taste of justice 

Hunger only for a world of truth 

'Cause all that you have is your soul

Free all journalists and political prisoners in Ethiopia NOW!!!!

International Journalists, Writers, Rights Activists Protest Terrorism Charge Against Ethiopian Journalist

News Release | December 23, 2011

Dec. 23, 2011 – A broad international group of journalists, writers and human rights activists today called for the Ethiopian government to unconditionally release journalist and blogger Eskinder Nega, imprisoned since Sept. 14 on terrorism charges that carry a maximum sentence of death.

The petition’s signatories include Mark Hamrick, president of the 3,500-member National Press Club based in Washington, D.C.; Aryeh Neier, president of the Open Society Foundations; Joel Simon, the executive director of the Committee to Protect Journalists; Kenneth Roth, executive director of Human Rights Watch and William Easterly, a New York University economics professor and author of the bestselling book “The White Man’s Burden: Why the West’s Efforts to Aid the Rest Have Done So Much Harm and So Little Good.”

In an open letter to Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, Minister of Government Communication Affairs Bereket Simon and Justice Minister Berhan Hailu, the etitioners expressed concern about reports that Eskinder is at risk of abuse in prison and called for the government to end its use of terrorism laws to silence the press.

"We urge the Ethiopian government to unconditionally release Eskinder and other journalists unjustly detained; to ensure that he and others are treated humanely; to halt the use of anti-terrorism laws to prosecute journalists; and to fully defend the rights of the press outlined by Ethiopia’s constitution and international agreements," the petition says.

About Eskinder Nega

Eskinder Nega is a prominent Ethiopian journalist arrested in September of 2011 under the country’s Anti-Terrorism Proclamation of 2009. Just prior to his arrest, Eskinder had published an online column critical of the use of the terrorism law to silence dissent and calling for the Ethiopian government to respect freedom of expression and end torture in the country’s prisons. Eskinder is a journalist and dissident blogger who espouses non-violence. He now faces charges with a maximum penalty of death.

Previous to his current arrest, Eskinder and his wife Serkalem Fasil, both newspaper publishers, spent 17 months in jail after being charged with treason following Ethiopia’s disputed 2005 elections, along with dozens of journalists, human rights activists and opposition leaders. While in custody, Serkalem gave birth to their first child. Even after they were acquitted by Ethiopia’s Federal High Court, Eskinder and Serkalem were blocked from reopening their newspapers and the government continued to pursue civil charges against them.

Eskinder was detained earlier this year, after he published an online column asking members of the security services not to shoot unarmed demonstrators – as they did in 2005 – in the event the ‘Arab spring’ should spread to Ethiopia.

Additional Signatories

The letter’s signatories also include Marshall Ingwerson; managing editor of the Christian Science Monitor; Maziar Bahari, the Newsweek journalist jailed by the Iranian government for 118 days in 2009; former Ethiopia-based BBC correspondents Elizabeth Blunt, Nita Bhalla and Alice Martin; Anya Schiffrin, director of the media and communications program at the Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs; John Ryle, professor of anthropology at Bard College; Helen Epstein, author of “The Invisible Cure, Why We Are Losing the Fight Against AIDS in Africa” and The New York Review’s “Cruel Ethiopia,”; Lonnie Isabel, director of the international reporting program at CUNY Graduate School of Journalism; Ben Rawlence, senior researcher in the Africa division of Human Rights Watch and a co-author of “Development Without Freedom: How Aid Underwrites Repression in Ethiopia,”; Tom Rhodes, East Africa consultant for the Committee to Protect Journalists and former Bloomberg News correspondent in Ethiopia Jason McLure.

Previously, a number of press freedom and human rights groups, including PEN/International, Reporters Without Borders, Amnesty International and the International Federation of Journalists have called for Eskinder’s release.

Additional information about Eskinder’s case can be obtained online at www.FreeEskinderNega.com.

New York Review of Books letter

A separate letter about Eskinder’s case, published in the new issue of the New York Review of Books dated January 12 and signed by Mark Hamrick, president of the National Press Club; Aryeh Neier, president of the Open Society Foundation; Joel Simon, executive director of the Committee to Protect Journalists; Kenneth Roth, executive director of Human Rights Watch; and William Easterly, professor of economics at New York University, notes that Ethiopia tops Iran and Cuba to lead the world in the number of journalists who have fled into exile over the past decade and calls for Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and America’s Western allies to publicly repudiate Ethiopia’s efforts to use terrorism laws to silence political dissent and to take steps to ensure that aid money does not foster political repression. The New York Review is America’s leading biweekly book review and journal of intellectual events.

Committee to Free Eskinder Nega media contact: Jason McLure +1 202 370 6905 or FreeEskinderNega@gmail.com

Ethiopian Court's Conviction of Two Swedish Journalists : US State Dept.

Press Statement, Mark C. Toner

Deputy Spokesperson, Office of the Spokesperson

Washington, DC, December 21, 2011

The United States notes with concern an Ethiopian court’s recent conviction of two Swedish journalists on a terrorism-related charge, in which the verdict appears to equate reporting about terrorism with support for terrorism. The court also found the Swedish journalists guilty of entering Ethiopia illegally, which they had not disputed.

We recognize the authority of the judicial process in Ethiopia and respect the Ethiopian Government’s legitimate concerns about terrorism and the need to protect the country’s national security. However, as we have made clear in our ongoing human rights dialogue with the Ethiopian Government, a free press is an important element of democratic society.

We will continue to monitor the ongoing trials of journalists on terrorism-related charges, and will continue our dialogue with the Ethiopian Government on press freedoms.

Saudi Arabia Arrests Ethiopian Christians for "Mixing with the Opposite Sex"

Washington, D.C. (December 21, 2011) – International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned that the Ethiopian Christians who were arrested seven days ago in Saudi Arabia for holding a prayer meeting are now being charged by Saudi officials with mixing with the opposite sex. In Saudi Arabia, it is illegal for men and women (non-family) to be in the same room together. 

The six men and 29 women were holding a weekly prayer meeting on December 15 when the Saudi police arrested them. Christian leaders say that the accusation of “mixing with the opposite sex” is only an excuse and believe that the Christians were arrested for practicing their faith. The Christians have not yet been brought before any court. 

“The Saudi officials are accusing the Christians of committing the crime of mixing of sexes because if they charge them with meeting for practicing Christianity, they will come under pressure from the international human rights organizations as well as Western countries. In fact, when an employer of one of the detainees asked for the reason for their employee’s arrest, the Saudi official told him that it was for practicing Christianity,” said a church leader from Saudi Arabia in an interview with ICC. 

Asked what Christians around the world could do for their brothers and sisters, another Saudi church leader said, “I ask people who belong to the kingdom of God to show their solidarity with the detained Christians by speaking on their behalf and asking government officials for their release.”

ICC’s Jonathan Racho said, “The freedom of religion, including the freedom to assemble together to worship, is a basic right recognized under international human rights law. It is ironic that Saudi Arabia, the country which engages in construction of mosques around the world, clamps down on Christians who worship in their private homes. We urge the media, international human rights bodies and others to put pressure on Saudi Arabia and condemn its actions.”

ICC is a Washington-DC based human rights organization that exists to help persecuted Christians worldwide. ICC provides Awareness, Advocacy, and Assistance to the worldwide persecuted Church.

8 Tyrannical Dictators Still Alive And In Powe

POLITICS BUZZ Muammar Gaddafi and Kim Jong Il may have passed, but the Human Rights Watch still has their eye on plenty of power hungry madmen. Here are a handful of those lunatics that you should know.

Brian Abrams

1. Isaias Afewerki, President of Eritrea

Age: 65

Assumed office: 4/27/91

Afewerki has not set up any formal constitution to protect the rights of his people, and yet two-thirds of his nation is reportedly malnourished. Every male at 18 must enter military service for an indefinite period of time, unless they prefer to be imprisoned or killed. According to one WikiLeaks cable, the U.S. ambassador called the Eritrea dictator "unhinged, cruel, and defiant."

2. Bashar al-Assad, President of Syria

Age: 46

Assumed office: 6/20/2000

Assad succeeded his father Hafez's 29-year reign with 97 percent of the nation's vote but without publicly disclosing voter statistics. His security forces continue to arrest citizens without warrants and torture them under a "no freedom, no rights" policy. He is responsible for approximately 3,000 civilian lives since the recent Arab Spring demonstrations have begun on Syrian ground.

3. Omar al-Bashir, President of Sudan

Age: 67

Assumed office: 10/16/93

Bashir has an outstanding arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court for war crimes in Darfur and killing up to 400,000 civilians to date. It is also said that Sudan hosted pre-9/11 training grounds for Osama bin Laden to train members of al-Qaeda. Bashir's security officials continue to arrest, sexually abuse, and torture demonstrators active in the Arab Spring protests.

4. Meles Zanawi Asres, Prime Minister of Ethiopia

Age: 56

Assumed office: 8/23/95

The Ethiopian P.M. is responsible for losing tens of thousands of civilian lives through what is often thought of as a pointless conflict with the state of Eritrea. He also had his forces massacre 193 civilians who protested during his disputed 2005 reelection.

5. Islam Karimov, President of Uzbekistan

Age: 73

Assumed office: 3/24/90

Uzbekistan's torture has been described by the United Nations as "systematic." In 2005, Karimov's regime shot several hundred civilians on site who were protesting the arrests of 23 local businessmen. That very day, the government issued a statement that 9 people were killed and 34 sustained injuries during a "clash." Reporters Without Borders characterizes Karimov as one of the world's "Predators of Press Freedom, breaking his own records for repression and paranoia."

6. Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, President of Equatorial Guinea

Age: 69

Assumed office: 8/3/79

Nguema staged a coup to take over Equatorial Guinea, a.k.a. "the Auschwitz of Africa," from his very own uncle Francisco Macias Nguema. Since, Nguema has maintained a reputation as a murdering and a cannibalizing his own people for 30-plus years as he reels in billions of dollars from oil exports.

7. Robert Mugabe, President of Zimbabwe

Age: 87

Assumed office: 12/31/87

Mugabe continues his 24-year reign through means of election rigging, media control, and the threat of starvation. Barry Bearak, a "New York Times" journalist who had been imprisoned in the state's capital in 2008, reported that "power had flourished through methodical cruelty, including the murder of thousands of people ... as he and cronies then acquired lavish mansions and enormous bank accounts."

8. Yoweri Museveni, President of Uganda

Age: 71

Assumed office: 1/26/86

In 2005, the International Criminal Court oversaw a case accusing Uganda of invading Congo and massacring its civilians. Museveni has roundly defended his actions as a means to keep peace, but, according to Human Rights Watch, "the Ugandan police Rapid Response Unit frequently operates outside the law, carrying out torture, extortion, and in some cases, extrajudicial killings."