US government, US Senate and Congress use your leverage to stop abuses in Ethiopia
Ethiopia is the oldest independent country in Africa, with a population of over 80 million; it is the second most populous country in Sub – Sahara Africa. More than eighty five percent of the country‘s population lives in rural areas.
The current Ethiopian government has involved itself in religious affairs by violating the constitutional rule of religion-state separation. The government engaged itself notoriously in Ethiopian Orthodox Church and Muslims affair, threatening and embezzle Muslims Ethiopians in the country, torturing and imprisoning journalists and opposition politicians and agitating one ethnic group to rise and attack another one. Now they step up their attack on those of us who live in abroad. The Ethiopian government officials are almost all of them engaged in corruption.
We the committee members of community representative, here file the grievance of Ethiopians on the current government for the last twenty years to the government of US. These grievances accuse are substantiated by the statements of international human right organizations like Amnesty International, Human right watch, Ethiopia based Ethiopian human right council, other civil organizations and individuals testimonies.
The current ruling party of Ethiopia came to power by beginning of 1990’s following the eve of the collapse of communism party by international support with the hope to bring democracy to the country. During this time coalition government formed by different political parties by signing the charter of transitional government. In doing so they promised the Ethiopian people and international community to establish democratic rule in the country. But soon after, the ruling party started to break the charter promises on the first election, by harassing, intimidating, arresting and killing the election candidates, voters and members of opposition parties. The arrests were mostly in undisclosed locations to facilitate torture and systematic elimination such as putting the detainees to hunger, denying them medical attention when they are sick and hiding them from any press. The consequences were wide irregularities in election processes and many parties were forced to withdraw not only from elections but also from transitional government itself. This pressure of the government on opposition party came from the fact that the ruling party sees opposition party not as political opponent but as an enemy. Since the failure of communism party TPLF’S EPDRF the current ruling party became the only party that ruled the country at any cost for the last Two decades.
The current ruling party continued its destabilization techniques of few remaining opposition parties or opposition leaders such as Dr Merara Guddina in the country by criminalizing them through written and unwritten rules as well as forcing them to be confined within the capital Addis Ababa controlling and limiting their access to people in different regions or towns.
These inactive opposition parties and few presses were allowed numerous times in the capital Addis Ababa to use them as a show case to the world diplomats in Addis Ababa to disguise government’s true dictatorial nature.
The current government of Ethiopia is not constitutional or democratic government as it is demonstrated by no limit of power, two of the three branches of the governments are controlled by executive body, no independent judicial system; hence no check and balance. The existing constitution had consciously designed to ensure the hegemonic aspiration of the rulers than building democratic institutions.
Even though theoretically the constitution of Ethiopia guaranteed all human rights, practically there are no basic human rights in the country, no right to lead a peaceful life, no right to freedom of speech, no right to practice a religion of choice, no right to get information and no right to organize, no right to elect or to be elected. Independent voices are not tolerated including jamming of voice of America. Journalists are imprisoned or forced to exile.
The current government involves itself in religious affairs by violating the constitutional rule of church-state separation, for instance, the Ethiopian Orthodox church pope was assigned by the government which is against the rule of the church. Furthermore, states sometimes threat religious institutions through land grabbing or even burning the institutions. A country’s old Waldiba monastery in north western part of Ethiopia is the case where nuns are said to be harassed and bitten by the government security forces. Northern part of Ethiopia is known for housing ancient churches and monasteries some of which are under the list of UNESCO’S world heritage site.
On the other hand, the government engaged itself notoriously in threatening Muslims in the country. The ruling party has been attempting to impose teachings of a new religious sect known as Al-Ahbash on Muslim community. The government has been trying to institute this new religious sect through national council of Islamic affair which supposed to be run by the people themselves.
In response, Muslim citizens requested to stop the unconstitutional religious interference by creating committee of seventeen members that represent Muslim community to negotiate and formally file the complaint and demands of the Muslim community. After the complaint filed rejected and negotiations had failed by the ruling party, the Muslim community started protesting peacefully requesting in what they considered to be unconstitutional government interference to impose new religious sect on Muslim community, attempt to determine the makeup of the supreme council of Islamic affair and to take over and control the public school and mosque called Awalia.
Since July 13, 2012, Ethiopian government forces have arbitrarily arrested hundreds of Muslims at Addis Ababa Awalia and Anwar mosque, wallo and Arsi provinces. Many of them subjected to torture, harassment, assault and kill...
