June 15/2012
The Meles Regime Criminalises Skype
A full report by Craig Wilson has presented the following:
“Ethiopia’s state-owned Internet service provider, the Ethiopian Telecommunication Corporation (Ethio-Telcom), has begun performing deep-packet inspection of all Internet traffic in the country. The country’s government recently ushered in new legislation that criminalizes the use of services such as Skype, Google Talk and other forms of Internet phone calling.
Use Skype in Ethiopia and get 15 years in prison
The Ethiopian government has just made it a criminal offense to use VoIP services within the country such as Skype and Google Talk. Anyone caught using VoIP service can now spend 15 years in prison. Ethiopia passed the new law last month, and it’s only just now becoming known outside of the country.
HAMA TUMA AT THE INTERNATIONAL POETRY FESTIVAL IN BERLIN
THE 13TH ANNUAL International poetry festival in Berlin was held in Berlin from June 1 – June 9/2012 and Hama Tuma was one of the invited African guests. The festival is held every year and is sponsored (this year) by the German Foreign Ministry, AfricAvenir, Akademie of Arts (Kunste) Berlin, Literature Across Frontiers, the British Council, European Union, many other literature centers and embassies, African NGOs and Women’s groups, Institut Francais, Heinrich Boll Stiftung, etc…
Using Abbay as a wedge issue.
By Yilma Bekele
The Ethiopian government was peddling its ponzi scheme of selling bonds for
the pie in the sky project named The Grand Renaissance Dam’ on the Abbay
river here in the Bay Area. It was not as lavish as the event that took
place in their embassy in Washington DC.
OROMO BY NATURE, and ETHIOPIAN BY CHOICE?
Getachew Reda (www.ethiopiansemay.blogspot.com)
Government Should Consult, Compensate Indigenous Communities
(Nairobi) – The Ethiopian government is forcibly displacing indigenous pastoral communities in Ethiopia’s Lower Omo valley without adequate consultation or compensation to make way for state-run sugar plantations, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. The report contains previously unpublished government maps that show the extensive developments planned for the Omo valley, including irrigation canals, sugar processing factories, and 100,000 hectares of other commercial agriculture.
Open Letter to University of Saskatchewan
By Tedla Asfaw
Shiferaw Shigute a registered Ethnic Cleanser is coming mixed with "educators" to visit your university in June 10 next week. The university has put itself in a difficult position because the invitation of this known criminal will put it in collision course with Ethiopians in Canada.
JUNE 7/2012
OPEN LETTER TO THE UN COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS
High Commissioner,
Your recent statement that the killing of 100 people at Houla (Syria) “may constitute a crime against humanity” has prompted us to remind you that the massacre of more 1000 Anuaks (Ethiopians) in Gambella a few years back is surely a crime against humanity.
JUNE 1991—JUNE 2012: 21 YEARS OF DISAPPEARANCE
The ruling EPRDF has disappeared EPRP leaders and members since 1991 as it marched to power and later on after its takeover of power in Addis Abeba.
Press Release
The Resistance of Afars and Sinister Machinations of TPLF to quell
Choreographed Petition
Mankelklot Haile Selassie (PhD) - June 5, 2012
On may 5, 2012, I signed a petition organized by Ato Tedla Assfaw. For the reason I did not understand my signature and the comment I made under my signature was removed. This was the comment I made:
“Shame on President Obama and the Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for letting this ruthless human rights violator to step on the soil of this great nation, the United States of America. History will judge these International Organizations, including the President and the Secretary of the State, for they are part of this forum, to invite such an individual by knowing what this individual did and is doing against the people of Ethiopia. To invite an individual who is sucking the blood of the Ethiopian people, with intent, who designed his own economic system with in the economic system of the country to such economic related forum of such magnitude is a stinging and a cruel insult to the people of Ethiopia. Shouldn’t they show some feeling for such an oppressed society? It is very sad.”
Lives and Land Destroyed: Ethiopia for Sale
What’s yours is mine; what’s mine’s my own
by Graham Peebles / June 1st, 2012
It is a colonial phenomenon — appropriate land for the needs of the colonists and to hell with those living upon the land, indigenous and at home. Might is right, military or economic. The power of the dollar rules supreme in a world built upon the acquisition of the
When we were the achievers.
By Yilma Bekele
I am always harking back to the pleasant years of our past. Believe me it not being nostalgic rather it is the lack of good news that makes me reach deep to salvage a little bit of dignity how ever fleeting that might be. One can also make an argument for the fact that my generation has lost the battle to continue on the tradition of leaving intact what was passed on to us. Actually what was expected was a little bit of enhancement but we seem to have managed to degrade and discount. Let us not talk about that today.
LETTER TO SOUTH SUDAN GOVERNMENT
SOCEPP, a human rights organization working for an end to the violation of human rights in Ethiopia, has been alarmed by the recent news that refugees from Gambella region are threatened by a deportation back to Ethiopia, from where they fled in the first place.
Voice of America correspondent reported detained in Ethiopia
NAIROBI, Kenya — Voice of America says it is investigating reports that a correspondent in Ethiopia’s capital has been detained by authorities.
The U.S.-funded broadcast service said Friday that Peter Heinlein was believed to have been detained but did not say why.
My brother Abebe and his WMD
By Yilma Bekele
I doubt there is an Ethiopian in the Diaspora not familiar with what happened last Friday. As they say the video has gone viral. The act has brought deep satisfaction to the psych of the oppressed and left the evildoers in disarray. Abebe took less than one minute to do what has been tried for over twenty years. His heroic act will be remembered in the history books like that other important event in the annals of our glorious past.
Ethiopian activists protest Zenawi rule in demonstration near Camp David G-8 summit
THURMONT, Md. — Dozens of police officers in riot gear contained more than 200 Ethiopian activists who jammed a small Maryland town’s square Saturday to protest their prime minister’s involvement in a global economic summit at nearby Camp David.
Ethiopia: G8 Summit Casts Fresh Light on Ethiopia
Netizens have stepped up their efforts to draw attention to Ethiopia’s independent media situation as the G8 Summit in the United States approaches. Ethiopia's Prime Minister Meles Zenawi and three other African heads of state are expected to attend.
Ethiopia denies Anuak are fleeing violence into South Sudan
By Tesfa-Alem Tekle
May 15, 2012 (ADDIS ABABA) - The Ethiopian government has dismissed reports of violence in the country’s South Western region that allegedly forced civilians flee into South Sudan’s Jonglei State.
Some notes on the historical trajectory of Eritrean Nationalism
*Mesfin Araya NYC, May 15, 2012
Eritrea– which was once an Italian colony, a British protectorate, and briefly an autonomous region before it was reduced to a mere province of Ethiopia– became in 1993 an independent nation-state, redefining post-colonial African map, hopefully not setting a dangerous precedence.
Ethiopians May Victory at Regan Building in Washington DC !!!!!!
Tedla Asfaw
Friday May 18, 2012 will be remembered as one of the major victories the
Ethiopian Diaspora in the DC area scored against Meles Zenawi and his few
supporters who were cornered on the corner of Pennsylvania Avenue and 13th
St. I was surprised why they secured a permit on the 13th St and gave the
opposition a better spot to humiliate Meles Zenawi and his backer President
Obama.
‘No Mob without a reason’? Rumour in the short stories of Hama Tuma
Title: The Case of the Criminal Walk and Other Stories
Author: Hama Tuma
Book review by Tom Seymour
Perhaps it was inevitable, seeing as I had read a good deal Hama Tuma’s satire before I read any of his fiction, that I 
would read his short stories for his politics, and for the keen sense of justice that marks his satirical essays. There is much of this to be found in his fiction. First, in his sardonic depictions of petty bureaucrats, government thugs and political bullies, whose cool treatment of suffering is a recurring feature of the stories
Ethiopian journalist faces death penalty
Ethiopian journalist Eskinder Nega could be sentenced to death tomorrow (11 May). He is one of several people accused of inciting terrorism.
He was arrested in September last year after writing an article that questioned the arrests of journalists and the actor Debebe Eshetu under the country's sweeping anti-terror legislation.
It criminalises any reporting deemed to "encourage" or "provide moral support" to groups and causes which the government considers to be "terrorist".
In Ethiopia, new printing directive equals pre-censorship
New York, May 9, 2012- -Ethiopia's main, state-owned printing company has directed newspaper publishers to censor any content that may draw government prosecution under the country's anti-terrorism law or face cancellation of their printing contracts, according to local journalists and news reports.
A note to President Obama. By Yilma Bekele
Dear President Obama,
I am sure you do not have time to read my letter nonetheless it gives me a certain amount of release from the pain I am feeling and the little chance of this letter getting to you fills my soul with great amount of joy and hope. I am an Ethiopian immigrant currently living in California. I came to your country to go to college. I am always grateful to the American people in general and the citizens of the State of Oregon in particular that supported me in fulfilling my dream. Their graciousness in welcoming me and their generosity in helping me with financial aid to finish my education will stay in my heart forever.
Ethiopia Makes 4 Million Hectares of Land Available to Investors
Ethiopia has made more than 4 million hectares (9.9 million acres) of “fertile and unutilized” land available for agriculture companies that meet government requirements, Prime Minister Meles Zenawi said.
Canada to cut aid to Ethiopia
THE NILE CRISIS
Obama invites African leaders to G8 food security talks
Chicago Tribune
Those invited to participate are Benin's President Yayi Boni, Ethiopia's Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, Ghana's President John Mills and Tanzania's President Jakaya Kikwete, White House spokesman Jay Carney said in a statement.
An imprisoned Ethiopian journalist and blogger has been given a prestigious
BBC News
Eskinder Nega was awarded the Pen America's "Freedom to Write" annual prize for publishing articles critical of Ethiopia's human rights record. His wife Serkalem Fasil, who is a journalist and also spent time in jail, received the award on his behalf.
SOCEPP letter to Malawi’s President regarding mistreatment of Ethiopian refugees in Malawi
Official: Gunmen kill 5 farmworkers in Ethiopia
Muslims Dead in Ethiopia Ahbashism Protests
May 3/2010
REPRESSION AGAINST THE PRESS INTENSIFIES IN ETHIOPIA
One of the State controlled courts has sentenced the editor of the FITH newspaper, Ato Temesgen Desalegn, to four months imprisonment or a fine of 2000 Birr. Reports indicate that the Meles regime is out to close the FITH newspaper, perhaps the last of the relatively free press in the country.
May 3/2012
MAY 3--WORLD PRESS FREEDOM DAY
The regime of Meles Zenawi has been indentified and condemned as one of the worst predators of the free press in the world. Its latest victims are Woubshet Taye, Eskinder Nega and Reeyot Alemu, jailed and condemned as terrorists for writing and reporting on the news and the sad plight of the Ethiopian people.
Milestone or tombstone? EPRP’s 40 years of struggle
By Obo Arada Shawl May 1, 2012
Introduction
Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Party (EPRP) was formally founded on a week long underground conference April 2 - 9, 1972. Four decades have elapsed since that time. Is this a milestone or a tombstone? That is everybody’s inquiry.
May 1/2012
MAY DAY 2012 ETHIOPIAN WORKERS SUFFER BEYOND GRIEF
Ethiopian workers got the right to get organized and to observe May Day after paying sacrifice of big proportions—workers leaders like Abera Gemu, Markos Hagos and others- were killed by repressive regimes. We
Hundreds of thousands Ethiopian protesters rocked Addis Ababa
April 22, 2012 (Durame) – Addis Ababa was rocked with the largest protest in the city’s history last Friday afternoon when hundreds of thousands of Ethiopian Muslims gathered after Friday prayers to demand an end to oppression and interference in their religious affairs.
A young man doused himself with petrol
Addis Abeba (25 April 2012): A young man doused himself with petrol in Giorgis, Addis Ababa yesterday.
Eritrean Government Denies President Afwerki Is Terminally Ill
Eritrea’s government denied what it said was an “intensive campaign of rumor” in recent weeks suggesting that President Isaias Afwerki is terminally ill and his health is deteriorating
Revolution and the domesticated Ethiopian elite
By Gemencho
In a joint public address with the Ginbot 7 group, an official from Kemal Gelchu’s wing of the OLF, made an interesting remark. He said, his group, if need be, is ready to lead the coming Ethiopian revolution. Though thinly veiled, it is a clever move, to win the hearts of the gullible. No matter, he is not alone in this. We have been amused by those who sabotaged the May 2005 peoples’ uprising and saved the Meles regime from its doom, tripping over each other to pay homage to the North African and Arab revolutions.
Why Have the Amaras Once Again Become Victims of Ethnic Cleansing by TPLF?
By Assefa Negash, M.D.
Amstelveen, the Netherlands - 18th of April 2012
“A pregnant woman who only gave birth to a child during the night was thrown out on the street the following morning along with her mattress and child who is just a few hours old (neonate). Pregnant Amara women have been forced to flee their homes.
Editor’s Note – Kenya’s deputy speaker, Farah Maalim, ridiculed a Meles Zenawi envoy to Nairobi as an ignorant who doesn’t know how democracy works. The Kenyan made the remark after Shemsudin Roble, Zenawi’s ambassador to Kenya, wrote in The Standard criticizing Kenya for its role in Somalia. The Kenyan lawmaker’s article is posted below.
Setting record straight on regional politics and ‘Operation linda nchi’
By Farah Maalim (East African Standard)
My attention has been drawn to an article published by The Standard On Saturday on March 24 by Shemsudin Roble, Ethiopian Ambassador to Kenya.
Good Press for Dictators
Ken Silverstein December 19, 2001
(An old article but worth reading….
Somewhere in Africa, a dictator sits in his presidential palace, alone and forlorn. Just recently, he deployed troops to quell an opposition rally and a few unarmed civilians were killed. Nothing out of the ordinary, really; but this time the international press have descended on his capital. Foreign governments are calling for democratic reforms. And embarrassed international financial institutions, which have long subsidized the corrupt regime, are openly discussing a loan cutoff.
Ethiopian gunmen attack Sudanese governor
April 9, 2012 (KHARTOUM) – A convoy carrying the governor of Sudan’s eastern state of Al-Qadarif across the shared borders with Ethiopia on Sunday was attacked by suspected members of the Ethiopian gang known as Shifta, Sudan Tribune has learned.
BREAKING NEWS: Maitre Artiste Afewerk Tekle dies at 80
Gura Ferda and crimes against Humanity
April 14, 2012
By Tesfay Atsbeha and Kahsay Berhe
The inhuman measures of expelling Ethiopians from their own country in the district of Gura Ferda should outrage all Ethiopians. How can hardworking innocent farmers, women and children who were living legally be deprived of their houses, farmland and belongings and evicted by force, simply because they are ethnic Amharas? The root cause of this crime is the backward and divisive ethnic politics of Meles Zenawi.
Southern Ethiopia-the playground of Meles Zenawi
By Yilama Bekele
Most locations are just bland places. There is not much variation in the topography. Look at Google satellite map of Africa and you will see what I mean. Endless flat land, a stretch of desert, an occasional river or a few hills is the norm. Our Ethiopia is different. In the North we have the Semen Mountains rearing high as if trying to reach heaven.
A DELIBERATE AND OUTRIGHT DECEPTION–PART III
Mankelklot Haile Selassie (PhD) - April 9, 2012
3.2 Uprising (revolution)
To directly empower the people of Ethiopia uprising is the most efficient and effective method of struggle. But, the crux of the matter is, once the uprising is started it has to be on persistent level which inevitably would be directly proportional to the sacrifices that will follow.
A DELIBERATE AND OUTRIGHT DECEPTION–PART II
Mankelklot Haile Selassie (PhD)April 6, 2012
2. Which one of the Oromo organizations are the true representatives of the Oromo people?
Responding to this very important question boldly will help one look into the current event critically and take well articulated and measured steps. There are the prominent Oromo organizations who are recognized by the people of Ethiopia in general and by the Oromo people in particular, namely Oromo National Congress-ONC, Oromo Federalist Party (OFP), and Oromo Peoples Democratic Organization (OPDO) and others.
