The Meles Regime plans Information offensive against Amnesty International
Ethio-Zagol
The Meles Zenawi Regime plans to wage a campaign to discredit Amnesty International after the human rights group published names of tortured prisoners and exposed the country to some international condemnation.
The campaign will include allowing local and international journalists to access prisoners who were mentioned on Amnesty torture alert. The prisoners were moved from Maekelawi prison in the northern part of Addis Ababa to Kirkos district Addis Ababa police prison two weeks ago. Police sources said that the prisoners were warned against talking about their torture when journalists visited them. Yesterday, five prisoners were taken back to Maekelawi and videotaped by Police. Among them was Zenebe Tadesse. His name was mentioned on AI's list. The prisoners were instructed to deny the torture stories on the video. Two of them refused and claimed that they had been severely beaten and tortured for alleged crimes they never committed. Sources confirmed that the video tape was intended to be broadcast on the state TV.
EPRDF officials have been unhappy that stories relating to Ethiopia on major news outlets recently have carried the torture stories. Police sources said that the order to discredit Amnesty came from unnamed top officials. An elaborate plan of information offensive against the rights group has already been completed, according to government sources. This includes waging a smear campaign to show that Amnesty is being used as an instrument by the Ethiopian opposition in Diaspora.
Ethio-Zagol promised to publish the complete list of tortured prisoners soon
Ethio-Zagol
The Meles Zenawi Regime plans to wage a campaign to discredit Amnesty International after the human rights group published names of tortured prisoners and exposed the country to some international condemnation.
The campaign will include allowing local and international journalists to access prisoners who were mentioned on Amnesty torture alert. The prisoners were moved from Maekelawi prison in the northern part of Addis Ababa to Kirkos district Addis Ababa police prison two weeks ago. Police sources said that the prisoners were warned against talking about their torture when journalists visited them. Yesterday, five prisoners were taken back to Maekelawi and videotaped by Police. Among them was Zenebe Tadesse. His name was mentioned on AI's list. The prisoners were instructed to deny the torture stories on the video. Two of them refused and claimed that they had been severely beaten and tortured for alleged crimes they never committed. Sources confirmed that the video tape was intended to be broadcast on the state TV.
EPRDF officials have been unhappy that stories relating to Ethiopia on major news outlets recently have carried the torture stories. Police sources said that the order to discredit Amnesty came from unnamed top officials. An elaborate plan of information offensive against the rights group has already been completed, according to government sources. This includes waging a smear campaign to show that Amnesty is being used as an instrument by the Ethiopian opposition in Diaspora.
The Meles Zenawi Regime plans to wage a campaign to discredit Amnesty International after the human rights group published names of tortured prisoners and exposed the country to some international condemnation.
The campaign will include allowing local and international journalists to access prisoners who were mentioned on Amnesty torture alert. The prisoners were moved from Maekelawi prison in the northern part of Addis Ababa to Kirkos district Addis Ababa police prison two weeks ago. Police sources said that the prisoners were warned against talking about their torture when journalists visited them. Yesterday, five prisoners were taken back to Maekelawi and videotaped by Police. Among them was Zenebe Tadesse. His name was mentioned on AI's list. The prisoners were instructed to deny the torture stories on the video. Two of them refused and claimed that they had been severely beaten and tortured for alleged crimes they never committed. Sources confirmed that the video tape was intended to be broadcast on the state TV.
EPRDF officials have been unhappy that stories relating to Ethiopia on major news outlets recently have carried the torture stories. Police sources said that the order to discredit Amnesty came from unnamed top officials. An elaborate plan of information offensive against the rights group has already been completed, according to government sources. This includes waging a smear campaign to show that Amnesty is being used as an instrument by the Ethiopian opposition in Diaspora.
Ethio-Zagol promised to publish the complete list of tortured prisoners soon
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