Meles Government in serious trouble

Ethio-Zagol
The Meles government will be in serious trouble once the European Union investigates the espionage claim on its staff and diplomats.
Yalemzewd Bekele, prominent human rights activist, appeared before a local court in Moyale today eventhough courts in Ethiopia are normally closed on Saturdays. The judge granted the police a five days remand.
According to Ethiopian security sources, an investigator named Adane, who arrived from Awassa after Yalemzewd Bekele was arrested, is following her case with Tamrat Genanaw, an Ethiopian security personnel.
After the court apperance, Yalemzewd Bekele was taken to a police station where she was told to sleep on a floor without mattress and blanket. It was reported that she was firm and not talking to the investigators eventhough the Ethiopian Security Personnel tried to roughen her up. She had been held at the immigration office in Moyale before being taken to the police station.
Meanwhile, more reports about the European Commission espionage are coming out.
The man, who was investigating Yalemzewd, was carrying a photo of Yalemzewd Bekele and her expelled boss eating Pizza the day she was stranded at the delegation's office here in Addis Ababa.
Another pictures of Yalemzewd Bekele, the prominant lawyer, and other delegation staff were also taken in a farewell party held for an expatriate staff in an European Commission compound. According to security sources, Both photos were taken by Sibhatu and Brothers, the firm in charge of the delegation's compound security and handed over to Ethiopian security.

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EPPF Army released 326 prisoners from 'Bechena' town in Gojam

On 13th of October 2006, EPPF's 'Assmelash' Army Division has for the second time controlled Arbeya town in Gonder for a period of 12 hours. Within the 12 hours, EPPF Arbegnoch informed the local residents about EPPF activities and objectives. In the fight to control the town 4 police and 5 Kebele officers where killed. EPPF has confiscated an Information Ministry vehicle registration number 00492.
On 14th of October 2006, EPPF Army released 326 prisoners from 'Bechena' town in Gojam at 3am in the morning. In the aftermath of this mission, Weyane rounded up and imprisoned 8 police officers and other 12 police officers have been taken and there whereabouts are not known to date.
In a separate incident, more members of the 26th Army Division of the Ethiopian military from Azezew City in Gonder have defected from the crumbling Weyane regime and have joined EPPF. The names of the officers will soon be available.
EPPF is intensifying its fight against weyane for peace and democracy in Ethiopia.

EPPF Command Center

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Another Inquiry Commission official defects

Ethiomedia
LONDON - A member of Ethiopia's Inquiry Commission whose report held Prime Minister Meles Zenawi responsible for massacring 193 civilian Ethiopians last year has fled the country for fear of political persecution, Ethiomedia sources confirmed earlier on Saturday.
Mitiku Teshome of the Catholic Secretariat in Ethiopia and member of the 10-person Inquiry Commission was one of the eight votes that approved the Meles government had used excessive force to quell protests that erupted following the May 2005 elections rigged by the ruling party in power.
Trained in law, Mitiku was the third official who followed the footsteps of Frehiwot Samuel and Wolde-Michael Meshesha, chair and deputy chair of the Inquiry Commission whose debilitating report unmasked how security forces under the command of the prime minister slaughtered 193 Ethiopians, of which 40 were teenagers, "including a boy and a girl, both 14," according to AP.
Following the Inquiry Commission's report released to the Associated Press, Ana Gomes, chief of the European Union (EU) Election Observer Mission to Ethiopia, said it was what her delegation has been saying all along, and blasted European leaders for turning a blind eye to government crimes in Ethiopia. Her denunciations were followed by U.S. Congressman Chris Smith's blistering attack of the Zenawi regime.
"Prime Minister Meles Zenawi's silence speaks volumes. The regime refuses to comment on the report, most likely because they never expected it to see the light of day. We have a responsibility to hold them accountable for their brutal actions as well as their subsequent efforts to suppress this inquiry," Smith, who is the chairman of the Africa, Global Human Rights, and International Operations Subcommittee and author of the "Ethiopia Freedom, Democracy and Human Rights Advancement Act of 2006" (H.R. 5680) - said in a report released by his office.
Congressman Smith was joined by Congressman Donald Payne, who is co-author of HR 5680, in condemning the activities of the Zenawi regime.
"For over a year, I constantly argued that the Ethiopian government used excessive force against innocent civilians. Many innocent civilians lost their lives. Parliament established a Commission of Inquiry to investigate the killings. The Commission interviewed dozens of people and spent months investigating and documenting what they saw and heard. When the time came to submit the report, parliament was adjourned a day early, denying the Commission the opportunity to present their findings. The decision was deliberate in order to force the Commission to change its findings," Mr. Payne said.
"Over the past week, a friend spoke to both the chair and deputy chairman of the Commission. They clearly stated that they can not turn their backs on all those people who risked their lives to speak to us. They said the truth must come out and Ethiopians must know what happened in June and November," Mr Payne said in a report also released by his office Friday.

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Ethiopian Government's biggest conspiracy and espionage exposed

Ethio-Zagol
Conversations with the two expelled diplomats and Tim Clark, the delegation's head had been tapped by the EU office security company "Sebhatu and Brothers" and passed to the Ethioppian security. " Sebhatu and Brothers Security company" is also in charge of the security other key foreign interests in Addis Ababa.
Ethiopian government's espionage against European Commission is exposed. The Ethiopian government claimed on Thursday that it had expelled two EU diplomats who were trying to smuggle two Ethiopian fugitives who committed serious crimes.
According to Security sources, the two diplomats weren't arrested at the border town of Moyale but more than 157 miles away from the border while they were traveling back to Addis Ababa. They didn't try to cross the border. The car was stopped near the town of Agre Mariam.
Yalemz was arrested when she was checking at the Moyale immigration office as a regular traveler to Kenya. She was told to hang on and plain-clothed security guys picked her up and took her to a detention center. Fasil Assefa the man who was arrested with her was taken from Koket Borena hotel while he was sleeping. He wasn't trying to cross the border.
Security sources said that the whole episode was pre-arranged. When police issued an arrest warrant against Yalemzewd on Thursday she stayed the night at the compound of the EC delegation in Addis Ababa where she was working. The delegation's security was contracted out to Sibihatu and Brothers, a company owned by former VOA journalist Mimi Sibhatu Family and managed by her brother. The information that she was staying at the compound was passed by this company to government security.
According to our security sources, Yalemzewd's conversation with the two expelled diplomats and Tim Clark, the delegation's head was being tapped by the company and passed to the Ethioppian security. Her subsequent stay at the house of Bjorn Jonsoon, her immediate boss was also reported by Sibhatu and Brothers to the Ethiopian security.
On Wednesday the Ethiopian security had advanced knowledge(from espionage in the EC delegation's office by Sebhatu and Brothers) that the two diplomats were taking Yalemzewd. They thought the diplomats would try to take her to Kenya, crossing the border. Instead the two diplomats dropped her at the town of Moyale where she met Fasil who was seeing her off.
She checked out hotel at 9 am. Fasil stayed there. She went to Moyale Immigration Office showed her passport. She was detained there.When the security personel who were waiting for her knew that she was not with the diplomats they reported it to Addis Ababa where decision was taken to arrest them on the road.
Ethiopian government has spilled over a lot of pieces here and there,"our securtiy sources said, "any serious investigation on the part of the EU would reveal that easily."
Sebhatu and Brothers is also in charge of the security other key foreign interests in Addis Ababa.
Alert to international journalists:

The expelled diplomats will be in Brussels today.
They should be asked where they were arrested.

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European Commission should prevent torture on Yalemzewd

To:
Tim Clarke, Head of Delegation to Ethiopia
Hervé Delphin, Member of the
Cabinet (oversees EC programs in Ethiopia)
Louis Michel, Commissioner for
Development and Humanitarian Aid

CC:
Human Rights Watch, attn. Peter Takirambudde, Executive Director (Africa Desk)
European Union Office, Amnesty International
Charles Schaefer, Country Specialist for Ethiopia, Amnesty International
European Union Delegation to Ethiopia
Horn of Africa Division, Voice of America
The Guardian newspaper

Dear Mr. Clarke, Mr. Delphin, and Mr. Michel:

I am deeply troubled by the information recently learned that an employee of the European Commission in Ethiopia, Ms. Yalemzewd Bekele has been arrested yesterday by Ethiopian government authorities close to the Ethiopian-Kenyan border. She is being accused of having helped to distribute a calendar calling for nonviolent civil disobedience against repressive practices by the Ethiopian government. Amnesty International recently reported on Ms. Bekele's case and expressed the concern that she is at risk of torture. AI also reported on the confirmed case of severe torture of Mr. Alemayehu Fantu, as well as the deaths resulting from grave torture of three individuals -- all related to the same charge levied against Ms. Bekele. Please see the following links for the above mentioned Amnesty International reports:
http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGAFR250332006
http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGAFR250322006

I am gravely concerned for Ms. Bekele, a woman lawyer and professional employee of the European Comission for over two years. I strongly urge you to use the full power of your office to ensure that Ms. Bekele be released immediately and unconditionally. I also expect that you will do your utmost to prevent that she be tortured or otherwise ill-treated.

As a major international institution, the European Commission has the moral and legal responsibility to protect its staff from violence committed against them by governments of countries in which it operates. In addition to this responsibility that I hope you take very seriously, I believe that if Ms. Bekele continues to be held in detention of if she in any way is mistreated by government forces, the EC as a whole will incur damage, as the institution may lose the trust of its staff that they would be ensured that their employer will do what is in its power to protect them from physical harm and violence by governments with which the EC conducts business. Furthermore, I believe that the EC will also lose the trust of European citizens, the vast majority of whom would strongly condemn anything other than strong and decisive action by the EC to ensure the physical safety of its staff.

Sincerely,
Hewan Zerfu

Next, here are the relevant EC phone numbers, faxes, and emails to contact:

1. Head of Delegation to Ethiopia
Tim Clarke
Tel: +251-11-661 2511
Fax: +251-11-661 2877
timothy.clarke@ec.europa.eu
Main switchboard phone number: +32-2-299 1111

2. Member of the Cabinet (oversees EC programs in Ethiopia)
Hervé Delphin
Tel: +32-2-295 1820
Fax: +32-2-292 1485
herve.delphin@ec.europa.eu
Main switchboard phone number: +32-2-299 1111

3. Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid
Louis Michel
Tel: +32-2-295 9600 or +32-2-295 2718
Fax: +32-2-292 1485
louis.michel@ec.europa.eu
Main switchboard phone number: +32-2-299 1111

Source:Ethiopianpolitics

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Ethipoia: Fear of Torture or ill-treatment: Yalemzewd Bekele (f)

PUBLIC AI Index: AFR 25/033/2006
19 October 2006
UA 282/06 Fear of Torture or ill-treatment
ETHIOPIA Yalemzewd Bekele (f), lawyer and women's rights campaigner

Yalemzewd Bekele, a lawyer working for the European Commission in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, was arrested on the morning of 19 October by the Ethiopian authorities, while trying to cross the border to Kenya. Amnesty International is concerned that she is at high risk of torture or other ill-treatment.
It is believed that Yalemzewd Bekele was accompanied by another person at the time of her arrest. The identity and whereabouts of this person are not known. Yalemzewd Bekele appears to have been arrested in connection with the publication and distribution by the political opposition Coalition for Unity and Democracy (CUD) of a calendar of action for non-violent civil disobedience. On 5 October, Alemayehu Fantu, the owner of a chain of supermarkets in Addis Ababa, was also arrested in connection with the calendar. Shortly after Alemayehu Fantu was detained, the Ethiopian authorities issued an arrest warrant against Yalemzewd Bekele. There are clear indications that Alemayehu Fantu was tortured in detention at Woreda 8 police station in the Gulele district of Addis Ababa (see UA 279/06, AFR 25/032/2006, 13 October 2006). Three others arrested at the same time, reportedly in connection with the calendar, are believed to have died after being tortured in custody. Amnesty International is extremely concerned that Alemayehu Fantu may have named Yalemzewd Bekele as being involved with the CUD calendar while he was being tortured, and that she may be tortured in detention.
Yalemzewd Bekele began working for the European Commission in Addis Ababa in 2004. The projects on which she works include projects related to human rights and civil society. Yalemzewd Bekele is a also a prominent civil rights lawyer who volunteered with the Ethiopian Women Lawyers' Association (EWLA), a prominent women's rights organization. She has been an active campaigner for women's rights in Ethiopia.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The CUD published their calendar of action for civil disobedience on 11 September, to coincide with the Ethiopian New Year. The Ethiopian government reportedly set up a special task force to investigate the publication and distribution of the calendar. This investigation led to the arrest of Alemayehu Fantu and at least three others, who are reported to have died in custody. All those arrested were taken to the recently re-opened Woreda 8 police station, which is also used to hold new CUD detainees. There have also been other reports of police beating people caught distributing or possessing the calendar.
In November 2005, the Ethiopian forces arrested several thousand suspected government opponents from the CUD and other opposition parties following demonstrations in June and November 2005 in Addis Ababa and other towns. They were protesting against alleged fraud in the parliamentary elections of 15 May 2005. During the demonstrations, the security forces shot dead at least 86 people and wounded over 200 others. Seven policemen were killed by mobs.
The distribution of the calendar for civil disobedience follows the publication of a book by Dr Berhanu Negga, one of the leaders of the CUD arrested in November 2005, who is on trial along with 75 others in Addis Ababa (see UA 284/05, AFR 25/017/2005, 2 November 2005, and follow-ups). The book was written by Dr Berhanu Negga in Kaliti prison, and was smuggled out of the prison in August 2006. The book has been widely circulated on the web and in print since then.

AI Index: AFR 25/033/2006 19 October 2006

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Rep. Smith: Ethiopian Regime's Silence on Report Speaks Volumes

Calls for Immediate Passage of "Ethiopia Freedom, Democracy, Human Rights Advancement Act of 2006" when Congress reconvenes
10/20/2006 11:15:00 AM

To: International Desk, Political Reporter
Contact: Patrick Creamer of the Office of U.S. Rep. Chris Smith, 202-225-3765

WASHINGTON, Oct. 20 /U.S. Newswire/ -- U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) today expressed outrage at the Ethiopian government's continued silence about the report linking their security forces to nearly 200 deaths during two waves of protests over election results in 2005 and called for immediate passage of his bill to promote human rights and democracy in Ethiopia when Congress reconvenes.
Smith -- who is the Chairman of the Africa, Global Human Rights and International Operations Subcommittee and author of the "Ethiopia Freedom, Democracy and Human Rights Advancement Act of 2006" (H.R. 5680) -- said "Prime Minister Meles Zenawi's silence speaks volumes. The regime refuses to comment on the report, most likely because they never expected it to see the light of day. We have a responsibility to hold them accountable for their brutal actions as well as their subsequent efforts to suppress this inquiry."
Smith added "this report should prompt the House to move on my bill when we reconvene. We must send a message to the Ethiopian government that these actions will not be tolerated."
The independent Commission of Inquiry report found that Ethiopian security forces fatally shot, beat or strangled 193 people protesting election fraud last year -- a number that far exceeds the Ethiopian government's official death toll. The report also states that these demonstrators were unarmed, yet the majority died from shots to the head.
Wolde-Michael Meshesha, a vice chairman of the 10-member panel who conducted the investigation, said the Ethiopian government tried to suppress the inquiry and he has stated in news reports that he was told to change the results two days before the release of report. Meshesha fled Ethiopia in the wake of controversy surrounding the report and is in Europe seeking asylum.
The report comes well over a year after the first wave of violence, despite the Prime Minister's assurance to Rep. Smith during a meeting in August 2005 that there would be an expeditious and transparent investigation.
"This delayed, secret report, as well as the repeated delays in the trial of the opposition leaders, human rights activists and journalists, demonstrates an outright contempt for rule of law and due-process," Smith said.
The "Ethiopia Freedom, Democracy and Human Rights Advancement Act of 2006" aims to bring democratic reform and accountability to Ethiopia by limiting U.S. security assistance to peacekeeping and counter-terrorism only; denying visas to anyone who was involved in the June and November 2005 killings of demonstrators and by assisting political prisoners, indigenous Ethiopian human rights organizations, independent media, civil society and to promote legal training. Smith's legislation passed the House International Relations Committee last June.
"This legislation helps strengthen the will of the Ethiopian people who want freedom and democracy and will bring positive change to the circumstances that have limited progress in Ethiopia. It should be brought up for immediate consideration when the House reconvenes next month," said Smith.

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Ethiopian human rights lawyer arrested

International human rights groups are on high alert as their Ethiopian colleague Yalemzewd Bekele was arrested on Thursday morning, while trying to cross the border to Kenya. According to Amnesty, there are serious concerns that "she is at high risk of torture or other ill-treatment," as others involved in the same affair reportedly have been killed in detention.
Ms Bekele, a women's rights campaigner and lawyer working for the European Commission in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, was arrested on Thursday morning by Ethiopian authorities, while trying to cross the border to Kenya, Amnesty said in an alert today, adding that the group feared she may be tortured while in detention.
It is believed that Ms Bekele was accompanied by another person at the time of her arrest. The identity and whereabouts of this person are not known.
Ms Bekele appears to have been arrested in connection with the publication and distribution by the political opposition Coalition for Unity and Democracy (CUD) of a controversial calendar, Amnesty assumed. The CUD published their "calendar of action for civil disobedience" on 11 September, to coincide with the Ethiopian New Year. Ethiopian authorities reportedly set up a special task force to investigate its publication and distribution, leading to many arrests.
On 5 October, Alemayehu Fantu, the owner of a chain of supermarkets in Addis Ababa, was also arrested in connection with the calendar. Shortly after Mr Fantu was detained, Ethiopian authorities issued an arrest warrant against Ms Bekele.
There were "clear indications that Alemayehu Fantu was tortured in detention at Woreda 8 police station in the Gulele district of Addis Ababa," Amnesty said. "Three others arrested at the same time, reportedly in connection with the calendar, are believed to have died after being tortured in custody," the human rights group added.
Amnesty said it was "extremely concerned" that Mr Fantu may have named Ms Bekele as being involved with the CUD calendar "while he was being tortured, and that she may be tortured in detention."
Ms Bekele began working for the European Commission in Addis Ababa in 2004. The projects on which she works include projects related to human rights and civil society. She is a also a prominent civil rights lawyer who volunteered with the Ethiopian Women Lawyers' Association (EWLA), a local women's rights organisation. Further, she has been an active campaigner for women's rights in Ethiopia.

Source: Afro News

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EU says two EU diplomats expelled from Ethiopia

The Associated Press
BRUSSELS, Belgium The European Union said Friday two of its diplomats in Ethiopia were expelled and said the lack of an explanation was "totally unacceptable."
Ethiopian state television reported Thursday that police arrested two foreigners working with the European Union because they were trying to help two Ethiopians wanted for serious crimes cross the southern border with Kenya.
"We have no information why the two members of the EU delegation in Addis have been expelled." said EU Development Commissioner Louis Michel. "This expulsion without explanation is totally unacceptable."
He said he had already called on the Ethiopian ambassador to explain the action. Michel also said he would continue to try to contact others in the Ethiopian government.
The European Union is one of Ethiopia's largest donors, but its officials have been sharply critical of political developments in Ethiopia amid questions about top Ethiopian officials' commitment to democracy.
An immigration department statement read on Ethiopian TV did not identify the foreigners nor the Ethiopians. Police stopped a European Commission vehicle with diplomatic license plates containing four people in the southern border town of Moyale and made the arrests when the foreigners refused to wind down their windows, the statement said.
Amnesty International meanwhile said Yalemzewd Bekele, an Ethiopian lawyer working for the European Commission in Addis Ababa, was one of those arrested on Thursday.
"Amnesty International is concerned that she is at high risk of torture or other ill-treatment," it said in a statement. It said Bekele was apparently arrested in relation with the distribution of an opposition schedule for nonviolent civil disobedience.

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Police arrest prominent human rights activist, two EU workers

A combined report of Ethio-Zagol, AP and EthioMedia
ADDIS ABABA - Police in the Ethiopia-Kenya border town of Moyale arrested Friday a prominent Ethiopian human rights activist, her Ethiopian colleague and two foreigners working for the European Union (EU) as the group tried to cross the border into Kenya, media sources said.
Yalemzewd Bekele, also a lawyer working for EU, and another unidentified Ethiopian were arrested after police intercepted the EU car bound for Kenya. Police had a week earlier issued an arrest warrant for Zewdalem after she was accused of allegedly distributing opposition calendars of impending civil disobedience programs in the country, Ethio-Zagol reported.
The blog, whose report is confirmed by Associated Press, said the two EU employees who were allegedly helping Yalemzewd escape the country were identified as Bjorn Jonsoon, Head of Finance and Contract Department of the delegation in Ethiopia and Enrico Sborgi, who works at the Good Governance Department of the EU.
AP said the two working with the European Union in Ethiopia were arrested on Thursday because they were trying to help two Ethiopians wanted for serious crimes cross the southern border with Kenya, state-owned Ethiopian TV reported. The immigration department statement read on Ethiopian TV did not identify the foreigners nor the Ethiopians.
EU development spokesman Amadeu Altafaj Tardio in Brussels said that the EU delegation in Ethiopia was still trying to get information on what had happened.
Police stopped a European Commission vehicle with diplomatic license plates containing four people in the southern border town of Moyale and made the arrests when the foreigners refused to wind down their windows, the statement said.
The Ethiopians, who are in police custody, were, "being hunted by police for committing felonies," the statement said.
What the foreigners did, "violates the sovereignty of the country while jeopardizing the security of the nation," AP quoted the statement as saying.
The European Union is one of Ethiopia's largest donors, but its officials have been sharply critical of political developments in the country amid questions about top officials' commitment to democracy.
Earlier this week, an Ethiopian judge who served as vice-president of a 10-man inquiry commission released a finding to AP that the government of Prime Minister Meles Zenawi was responsible for massacring 193 unarmed civilians last year. The report, which observers billed as "devastating" to the Meles regime, was released by Wolde-Michael Meshesha.

Members of the Inquiry Commission* were:

Mr. Firehiwot Samuel (Chairman - Fled Ethiopia)
Mr. W/Michael Meshesha (Vice Chairman - Fled Ethiopia)
Sheik Elias Redman
The Reverend De reje Jenberu
D r . Gemechu Megerssa
Mr Abdu D i- ad Ibrahim
D r . M ekonnen Dissasa
Abune E wosketewos G/kirstos member
Mr. Mitiku Teshome
Mr. Haregeweyin Tasew
Mr. Biluy Addis Woldeyes

Political observers fear government witchhunt of opposition activists in general and those mainly affiliated to the popular Coalition for Unity and Democracy (CUDP-Kinijit) in particular may continue indefinitely with the arrest of Zewdalem Bekele and her colleagues.

*List of Inquiry Commission Source: Ethiopian Parliament

Ana Gomes on BBC holds Meles Zenawi responsible for the massacre of 193 Ethiopians in 2005.

Source: Ethiomedia

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Ethiopia row over 'massacre' leak

BBC

The EU's chief observer at last year's elections in Ethiopia, Ana Gomes, has said a leaked report confirms serious government human rights violations.
The report, leaked by Ethiopian judge Wolde-Michael Meshesha, claimed police massacred 193 protesters in clashes after disputed elections.
Ms Gomes accused western leaders of turning a blind eye, and preferring not to take action against Ethiopia.
The report's contents are hearsay, a government spokesman told the BBC.

'Blind eye'
"This only confirms what we have said in our report on the elections," Ms Gomes told the BBC.
"We pointed out that indeed there were massive human rights violations," she said.
"European leaders have been turning a blind eye because they want to turn a blind eye.
"They just pretend this is not true because they want to continue dealing as usual with the Ethiopian regime," she said.
Meanwhile, Ethiopia's ambassador to Britain, Berhanu Kebede, dismissed allegations that the government tried to suppress the independent report.
"This is a report that has been commissioned by the parliament and the report will be submitted directly to parliament," he said.

Cover-up
The report said the government used "excessive force" to crack down on protesters who claimed the elections had been rigged.
Ethiopian security forces said 58 people, including seven police, had died during an attempted revolution.
People took to the streets of the capital, Addis Ababa, and other cities in June and November last year to protest at the official results of May's general elections.

The report said that the government had concealed the true extent of deaths at the hands of the police.
It said that 193 people had been killed, including 40 teenagers. Six policemen were also killed and some 763 people injured.
They had been shot, beaten and strangled.
The judge described the deaths as a massacre and said the toll could well have been higher.
"The police fired, definitely, as a kind of massacre of the demonstrators - especially in Addis, where more than 160 civilians were dead," by shooting, he told the BBC.
He said there was no doubt that excessive force had been used.
He claimed he had been put under pressure to alter his findings and fled into hiding in Europe when he received anonymous death threats.
More than 100 opposition leaders, journalists and aid workers were rounded up during the protests and are currently on trial, accused of treason and attempted genocide.

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Police say two unidentified EU personnel arrested in Ethiopia

The Associated Press
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia Police have arrested two people working with the European Union in Ethiopia, a police spokesman said Thursday.
Federal Police spokesman Cmdr. Demsash Hailu declined to give any more details of the arrests, saying that more will said during Ethiopian TV's 10 p.m. (1900GMT) news bulletin.
Officials of the European Union in Ethiopia were unavailable for comment.
The European Union is one of Ethiopia's largest donors, but its officials also have been sharply critical of political developments in the country amid questions about top officials' commitment to democracy.

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Ethiopia church wants action on sectarian violence

ADDIS ABABA, Oct 18 (Reuters) - Ethiopia's Orthodox Church urged the government on Wednesday to take action against anyone fomenting violence between Christians and Muslims in the west of the country that has killed 15 people since last month.
The trouble has been centred on Jimma, a coffee-rich province 350 km (215 miles) west of the capital Addis Ababa.
"Blood has been shed and religious shrines destroyed as a result of a hate campaign launched by a few individuals since September," the church's Holy Synod said in a statement.
"The Holy Synod appeals to the government to take urgent action and end these destructive and illegal activities."
Ethiopia has a population of 79 million people of whom 60 percent are Christians and the rest are Muslims and animists.

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Ethiopian security forces massacred protesters, says inquiry judge

By ANTHONY MITCHELL Associated Press
NAIROBI, Kenya Ethiopian security forces massacred 193 people _triple the official death toll — during anti-government protests following last year's election, a senior judge appointed to investigate the violence said Wednesday.
Unarmed protesters were shot, beaten and strangled to death, said Wolde-Michael Meshesha, vice chairman of the government-backed inquiry. He said he believed the Ethiopian government was trying to cover up the findings.
Ethiopian officials refused to comment on the claims.
"This was a massacre," Wolde-Michael said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press. "These demonstrators were unarmed yet the majority died from shots to the head."
"There is no doubt that excessive force was used," said Wolde-Michael, who fled the country last month after receiving anonymous death threats, leaving his wife and five daughters behind. He is now claiming asylum in Europe and would not disclose his exact whereabouts out of fear for his safety.
Last year's elections were followed by a government crackdown on its opposition and increasing questions about its commitment to democracy.
A draft of the team's report, which should have been presented to the Ethiopian parliament in early July and has since been obtained by the AP, says among those killed were 40 teenagers, including a boy and a girl, both aged 14. Both were shot dead.
Six policemen were also killed in the June and November 2005 riots, bringing the overall death toll to 199. Some 763 people were injured, the report adds. Wolde-Michael says the figures could be higher because many people were too afraid to speak out.
The government claimed at the time that 35 civilians and seven police were killed in November. In June, 26 people were killed.
Ana Gomes, who was the European Union's chief observer during the 2005 elections, told the AP the report "exposes the lie" that the Ethiopian government is moving toward democracy.
"It is time the EU and U.S. realize that the current regime in Ethiopia is repressing the people because it lacks democratic legitimacy and is actually weak," she said by e-mail after reading the report. "It is driving Ethiopia to more poverty, conflict and war."
Wolde-Michael and the other commissioners spent six months interviewing more than 600 people, including Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, police officers, witnesses, and other government officials.
According to Wolde-Michael, Meles said he did not authorize police to use live bullets.
The inquiry's mandate was to determine whether excessive force was used. In early July, shortly before completing its report, the team held a vote and ruled eight to two that excessive force was used.
The vote and comments of the commission members were recorded on video, a copy of which has also been obtained by the AP.
"Many people were killed arbitrarily," said inquiry chairman and supreme court judge Frehiwot Samuel, who is also believed to have fled Ethiopia, was heard saying on the video. "Old men were killed while in their homes and children were also victims of the attack while playing in the garden."
Ethiopian Orthodox priest, Estatiose Gebrekristos, was recorded as saying, "Based on my eyes, ears and knowledge the actions taken were 100 percent wrong."
But two of the commission members said the government responded appropriately.
"I consider the motives of the protesters was to overthrow the government," Elias Redman, vice president of the Ethiopian Islamic Affairs Council, said on the video. "I therefore fully support the action taken by the police."
Wolde-Michael, who was appointed a judge by the current government in 1994, said the inquiry team came under intense pressure once the ruling party learned of its findings.
Electricity to their offices was cut and at one point their office was surrounded by security forces, he said. The team was also summoned by the prime minister, two days before the report was to be released, and told to reverse their findings, Wolde-Michael added.
The prime minister said at the time that demonstrators were trying to overthrow his government in an Ukraine-style revolution. Prior to the unrest he had banned all demonstrations and announced on state television he had put security forces under his direct control.
Wolde-Michael said police records he saw showed 20,000 people were rounded up during the anti-government protests.
Of them more than 100 opposition leaders, journalists and aid workers are on trial for treason and attempted genocide.
Meles, who was part of British Prime Minister Tony Blair's Commission for Africa, was once thought to be one of Africa's more progressive leaders. However his reputation suffered in the aftermath of the elections. The EU and U.S. Carter Center expressed serious concerns over the vote.
In January of this year, Britain withheld US$87 million (€70 million) in aid because of concerns about the government's handling of the unrest.
Ethiopia is one of the poorest country's in the world. More than half the 77 million people live on less than US$1 a day. Each year the international community pours in US$1.9 billion (€1.52 billion) in emergency aid and funds for development to help alleviate poverty.

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In ‘major’ ceasefire breach, Eritrean troops move into security zone with Ethiopia – UN

16 October 2006 – Eritrean troops have moved some 1,500 troops and 14 tanks into the Temporary Security Zone (TSZ) separating the East African country from Ethiopia in “a major breach” of the ceasefire that ended the two-year border war between the two from 1998-2000, the United Nations reported today.
Secretary-General Kofi Annan called on Eritrea to withdraw its troops from the Zone immediately. The UN Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE) reported that the Eritrean forces took over one of its checkpoints in Sector West.
Overseeing the ceasefire between the two countries signed in Algiers in 2000, UNMEE currently fields nearly 2,300 military personnel to assist in ensuring the observance of the security commitments agreed by the parties and monitor the positions of forces on both sides.
In a statement issued by his spokesman, Mr. Annan voiced deep concern at the incursion. “This development constitutes a major breach of the ceasefire and the integrity of the TSZ,” the statement said. “It could seriously jeopardize the peace process and undermine the Algiers Agreements between Ethiopia and Eritrea, with potential consequences for the wider region.
“The Secretary-General urges the Government of Eritrea to withdraw its troops from the Zone immediately, and to cooperate with the United Nations in restoring the ceasefire arrangements,” it added.
Last year Eritrea restricted UNMEE’s use of helicopters, impeding its ability to monitor 50 to 55 per cent of the area on the Eritrean side within the TSZ.
In his latest report last month on the conflict, Mr. Annan repeated concerns that Ethiopia had not accepted the binding decisions of the Boundary Commission demarcating the lines that had caused the war, and that Eritrea refused to continue to cooperate with the body.

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Internal opposition in a fray in Meles's Parliament

Indian Ocean Newsletter N° 1198
While the leadership of the Coalition for Unity and Democracy Party (CUDP) in the Diaspora is paralysed by a deep internal crisis, the situation is no better for the opposition within Ethiopia itself. Two of its leaders still free, former members of the United Ethiopian Democratic Force (UEDF), are pulling in different directions. Merera Gudina of the Oromo National Congress (ONC) and Beyene Petros of the Southern Ethiopian People’s Democratic Coalition (SEPDC) no longer have the same political approach.
According to sources close to the government, Merera Gudina has tried to persuade Beyene Petros to campaign with him to put the freeing of the imprisoned opposition leaders into a central place on the agenda of the new parliamentary session. Beyene Petros and Bulcha Demeksa are believed not to have accepted to follow Merera Gudina on this path, whereas Lidetu Ayalew is reported to not even have been contacted. Since then, the Ethiopian government has stepped up the pressure on Merera Gudina, with measures including freezing his personal bank account.
For their part, some EPRDF newspapers have accused Merera Gudina and several CUDP MPs who accepted to take up their seat in Parliament of having plotted to “disrupt the work of Parliament”. However, according to a source close to Mereru Gudina, the latter’s disagreement with Beyene Petros broke out when the latter asked him to publish on behalf of the internal wing of the UEDF, a joint communiqué denouncing the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Party (EPRP, radical faction of the UEDF, influential among the Ethiopian Diaspora). Merera Gudina refused and Beyene Petros finally released the communiqué in the name of the SEPDC alone.

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The difficult profession of journalists in Ethiopia

Indian Ocean Newsletter N° 1198
After a first spate of Ethiopian journalists from the independent press leaving the country, it is now the turn of those working for the State media to scarper. Ezedine Kedir, who worked for the Ethiopian government television station, has just set up home in Germany. This brings the number of journalists from government media defecting up to sixteen.
According to information we have received, Alemneh Wassie, who worked for Radio Fana owned by the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) has also left the country with his family to settle in Israel. Journalists in government media who are reluctant to apply the orders of the authorities in Addis Ababa sometimes receive death threats, pushing them to leave the country.

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Five die in Ethiopia clashes - police

Associated Press
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia - Five people died in clashes at the weekend in a western Ethiopian region that has seen clashes between Muslims and Christians, a police spokesperson said on Monday.
The clash happened near Dembi, about 440km west of the capital, Addis Ababa, where at least eight people died when Muslims and Christians fought on September 26 over an Ethiopian Orthodox Church festival.
Federal Police spokesperson Commander Demsash Hailu said that police had not established if there was link between the latest clash and the September one.
"It happened in the surrounding area of Dembi where the last incident happened, but I cannot confirm if this was another clash between Muslims and Christians, as happened before, but there are a few persons creating the trouble," Demsash told The Associated Press.
Demsash said that police have arrested several police and had not determined the religion of the victims.
Officials at the Ethiopian Orthodox Church were unavailable for comment. Elias Redman, vice president of the Ethiopian Islamic Affairs Council, declined to comment until he got more information.
Police said that property had been damaged but the extent of the damage or the value of the property.