By Peter Heinlein
Addis Ababa
16 June 2009, VOA
A prominent Ethiopian attorney and a Voice of America journalist face stiff prison terms in a case linked to an exiled opposition leader accused of plotting to overthrow Prime Minister Meles Zenawi's government. The accused are free on bail, pending trial.
The Chairman of Ethiopia's independent Human Rights Council and former Supreme Court justice Abebe Worke is scheduled to appear for pre-trial hearings on Wednesday in an Addis Ababa court along with VOA Amharic service reporter Meleskachew Ameha. The two men are charged with trying to sell illegal radio broadcasting equipment that was imported without paying taxes.
Defense attorney Atnafu Bogale says the pair face long prison terms, if convicted.
"One charge carries a sentence of seven to 15 years and the other charge carries a sentence of three to five years," said Atnafu Bogale. "Both charges are serious, rigorous imprisonment."
The suspected contraband was seized by customs agents at the Addis Broadcasting Company, ABC - a firm founded by a shareholders group that includes Meleskachew, Abebe and opposition leader Berhanu Nega.
The company obtained studio equipment in 2002 through a grant from the Norwegian government intended to foster independent media in Ethiopia. But subsequently, the firm was unable to obtain a broadcasting license.
Attorneys says ABC's link to Berhanu Nega is a complicating factor in the case. He was elected mayor of Addis Ababa in 2005, but was later jailed in connection with post election violence. After being freed in 2007, he went to the United States, where he heads Ginbot Seven, an opposition group committed to ousting the Ethiopian government.
Police recently arrested 32 suspected Ginbot Seven members and accused them of hatching a plot to assassinate public officials.
Click on 'Read More.' Fourteen others were charged in absentia, including Berhanu Nega. Berhanu denies the charges.
Law professor and co-founder of the Ethiopian Human Rights Council Mesfin Woldemariam says Berhanu's involvement in ABC makes it a target.
"They are definitely going at Berhanu Nega with ABC," said Mesfin Woldemariam. "[If] they wanted Berhanu Nega, they don't have to arrest so many individuals who have shares. So it is irrational, perhaps motivated by fear."
The arrest of Meleskachew Ameha comes at a time of tense relations between the government and the Voice of America, which broadcasts in four of Ethiopia's main languages. The government temporarily suspended Meleskachew's reporting license earlier this year to underscore its displeasure with VOA's news coverage.
Ethiopia's Communications Minister, Bereket Simon, told journalists it is no secret that the government has qualms about VOA's reporting. But he denied that the ABC case is aimed at silencing reporter Meleskachew.
"Absolutely not," said Bereket Simon. "The arrest of Meleskachew is related only to tax evasion and doing illicit activities in terms of bringing in radio equipment without prior knowledge of the government. So it has nothing to do with content."
In a related development, the government last week ordered a local FM radio station in Addis Ababa to immediately stop all rebroadcasts of VOA programs. The popular Sheger FM station had been broadcasting several hours daily of mostly music programming in English, including brief international news bulletins.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Eritrea - Interesting highlights of the comical interview with Isayas Afeworki
By Yonas Kibru
In the last few weeks, Eritrea’s monstrous dictator and regional outcast Isayas Afeworki has made an unsurprising appearance on two Ethiopian websites giving interviews to Elias Kifle of ‘Ethiopian’Review and a relatively little heard of Sileshi Tilahun of the mythical EPPF . The interview was a clear attempt by Isayas to recreate himself as a friend and dependable ally of the Ethiopian people in their quest for democracy. However analysed carefully, his interview is nothing more than a stupid banter which only makes a mockery of the man many now regard as an unmistakable half-wit . The following is an analysis of some of the interesting excerpts from the interview.
The Sky is the limit
Isayas Afeworki spent the entirety of his adult life sabotaging Ethiopia’s existence as a country. He has caused death and destruction to all things Ethiopian in the past half century. History has shown time and again that his vision of a thriving independent Eritrea is only possible on the ruins of Ethiopia as a united country.
He has a history of collaborating with any forces bent on undermining Ethiopia’s existence. The TPLF, OLF, and ONLF are but a few examples past and present. In spite of his uncontested adversity though , the Eritrean despot promises Ethiopian opposition groups that the ‘sky would be the limit’ of cooperation between his parasitic regime and a possible successor of the TPLF-led EPRDF regime in Ethiopia.
Click on 'Read More.' In what seems to be an open acknowledgment of the debilitating impact of the strained economic relations with Ethiopia, Isayas speaks of his urgent wish for a greater economic integration with Ethiopia. He even goes on about the possibility of harmonising policies and forging a security pact.
In a study presented to a conference at Chatham House (the British based independent body which has in the past sponsored several studies on Horn of African Affairs ) in April 2007, associate fellow on the Africa Programme Sally Healy described Eritrea’s ailing economy as one that is slowly grinding to a halt.
No wonder he is desperate to find his way back into Ethiopia’s resources by posturing to be sympathetic to the political plight of Ethiopians under the TPLF.
Solidarity with Amharas, Oromos, Somalis and others
For decades both Isayas and Meles have depicted and attacked the Amhara ethnic group as a symbol of misrule and domination in Ethiopia. Arguably Isayas’ share of the credit is greater in spearheading a sustained hate campaign against the Amhara ethnic group for decades as he used it to rally the Eritrean population behind his separatist cause.
18 years on, the same Isayas tells of his regime’s willingness to embrace the Amharas if it means fighting the common enemy at present i.e. the TPLF. He says: “If I could work with the Tigres in the past, why couldn’t I work with other Ethiopians be they Amaharas, Oromos or other ethnic groups.”
Isayas could be oblivious but the heinous crimes his forces committed in the then Wollega province has not been forgotten. Hundreds settlers from the former Wollo province were horrendously massacred in cold blood by EPLF and OLF insurgents as the two anti Ethiopian organisations launched a surprise joint attack in the dying days of the Derg . The famine stricken settlers were targeted for no other reason than their ethnic identity.
His empty rhetoric aside, the following interesting quote from him lays bare the intrinsic negativity Isayas harbours to individual ethnic groups in Ethiopia particularly the Amhara ethnic group :
“ Tigrians have replaced the Amharas as a symbol of savage massacre among Ethiopian Somalis at present.”
It looks as though his statement was targeting Tigrians but in fact it spews out just as much hatred about the Amhara ethnic group as persecutor of others in the past.
Ethnic politics in Ethiopia and Article 39
“Ethnic politics is bad for any country not least Ethiopia which is home to myriads of ethnic groups,” says the Eritrean dictator adding the infamous Article 39 of the Ethiopian constitution was a ploy intended to destroy the country.
Isayas is of course the last person to speak about the perils of the ethnicisation of politics in Ethiopia.
Back in the day, it was Isayas’ EPLF and Meles Zenawi’s TPLF which masterminded this divisive political system because they considered it expedient to achieve their goals.
The infamous Article 39 of the Ethiopian Constitution was from the start intended to legitimise the secession of Eritrea. Yet Isayas’ blatant turnaround to say the TPLF thrust the infamous provision against his advice only helps to explain his delusions to dupe the Ethiopian people into thinking that he is after all not what we have known him to be.
The port of Assab
The Eritrean tyrant’s remarks about Ethiopia’s need for an unfettered access to the sea show his desperation to bring Ethiopia back to the doomed port of Assab. He says both Ethiopia and Eritrea could benefit mutually from a more developed and expanded port of Assab if Ethiopia made the strategic choice of investing in the port. He states that between 1991 and 1998 , Ethiopia paid a nominal fee for using the port of Assab adding Eritrea didn’t even charge in hard currency because it considered its relations with Ethiopia more important.
Surely Isayas’ memory couldn’t be so bad as to even remember when his parasitic regime stopped using the Birr as its official currency. For all we know both Meles and Isayas reached an agreement to keep the Birr as the official currency in Eritrea so Eritrea’s economic advantages in Ethiopia are kept as before even though it was technically a foreign country which should have been trading in hard currency with its neighbour right from day one of independence.
Ogaden and Darfur
Isayas says in terms of the human suffering, Ogaden is even worse than Darfur. He adds Ogaden is a black spot on contemporary Ethiopian history. He says not even the Derg and Haile Selassie regimes have inflicted so much suffering on the local Somali population.
He goes on to testify for fellow despot Albashir’s regime saying it had no hand in the so called genocide killings of the people of Darfur . He retorts it was all a myth propagated by Western aid agencies and the global media.
The Ethiopian army may well have taken disproportionate measures to rid the Ogaden off Eritrean backed ONLF separatists. However, a reviled tyrant with a history of mass murder is no credible critic of even a fellow tyrant’s abysmal human rights records.
Isayas has wiped out whole villages of Kunamas, Afaris and other non-Tigrean tribes in Eritrea just as his cousin in Addis Ababa. Besides his undenied involvement with the ONLF in Ogaden means he has a stake in the genocide he alleges to have been committed.
The following is an excerpt from a study presented by D Lussier at the 13th annual conference of Ethiopian Studies in Kyoto, Japan in 1997 :
“Recent violent incidents combined with the ills inflicted upon them (the Kunamas) by the behaviour of Tigrini individuals have produced a movement of thoughts and emotions, particularly acute nowadays… There is now a hypertrophy of fear among the Kunama communities, a generalized phenomenon particularly visible in the towns with the rampant presence of government agents.”
Democracy mocked
Of all Isayas Afeworki’s remarks , his pointless foolish talk about democracy was the most conflicting. As the minutes ticked by in the course of his confused response to a question on democracy , his views changed from dismissing democracy as a luxury of the west to one in which he tried to give the impression that he believed democracy was indispensable to his country. He said : “ It’s democracy or no other way for the future of Eritrea.”
However his most hilarious comment on the subject came when he said : “ The day will come when Ethiopians will vote for the right things for them. No one can stop that. It will happen willy nilly.”
These words would not have been so hilarious if they weren’t uttered by one of the most hated repressors in living memory. At one point , Isayas speaks about how he was not surprised the May 2005 elections were stolen. Surely he must have been delighted his former ally and most ‘trusted foe’ managed to cling on to power in Arat Kilo for a bit longer. Given the evidence so far, Isayas’ Eritrea can’t wish for more allegiance and better protection than that it is getting from Meles’ regime.
Deported Eritreans
When Isayas spoke of his indignation on behalf of the people he used as his intelligence gatherers and fund raisers , he appeared to be a man of higher moral standing compared to his former allies in Ethiopia. He described the expulsion of ‘ 70, 000’ Eritreans from Ethiopia as an act of ‘revenge by humiliation’. Not surprisingly, he was mute about the appalling crime his forces committed on innocent Ethiopian nationals looted and kicked out from all corners of his country. It didn’t matter to him tens of thousands of Ethiopians were murdered and incarcerated and remain unaccounted for in the wake of his invasion . Why would it ? They did not exist in the first place as he has been denying in previous interviews .
However, unlike Eritrean nationals who are incentivised to return and reclaim their full rights in Ethiopia, Ethiopian nationals in Eritrea remain stuck in agony unable to pay the vast amount the state has levied on any one wanting to leave the country.
Unflinching support
Undoubtedly the whole point of Isayas’propaganda interview was to induce Diaspora opposition groups into trusting him to wage a war in case history repeats itself and he got lucky with managing to install the next Shabia puppet just as the TPLF of 10 years ago. And so he went on to reaffirm his commitment to give unwavering support for opposition groups even if the TPLF surrendered whatever patch of territory the Border Commission has ordered it to hand over to Eritrea.
Speaking in a rather defiant tone , he said no Eritrean now nor in the future, not even the president can use Eritrean land as a bargaining chip. He said he couldn’t bring himself to think he could short-change the quest for democracy in Ethiopia just to reclaim what is now Eritrea’s lawful territory.
Surely these words would be enough to win the hearts of some Diaspora opposition activists who fail to see the glaring evidence before their eyes. However, it is impossible to think how the rest of Ethiopia can fall for Isayas’ contrivance this time regardless of the widespread revulsion for Meles.
In the last few weeks, Eritrea’s monstrous dictator and regional outcast Isayas Afeworki has made an unsurprising appearance on two Ethiopian websites giving interviews to Elias Kifle of ‘Ethiopian’Review and a relatively little heard of Sileshi Tilahun of the mythical EPPF . The interview was a clear attempt by Isayas to recreate himself as a friend and dependable ally of the Ethiopian people in their quest for democracy. However analysed carefully, his interview is nothing more than a stupid banter which only makes a mockery of the man many now regard as an unmistakable half-wit . The following is an analysis of some of the interesting excerpts from the interview.
The Sky is the limit
Isayas Afeworki spent the entirety of his adult life sabotaging Ethiopia’s existence as a country. He has caused death and destruction to all things Ethiopian in the past half century. History has shown time and again that his vision of a thriving independent Eritrea is only possible on the ruins of Ethiopia as a united country.
He has a history of collaborating with any forces bent on undermining Ethiopia’s existence. The TPLF, OLF, and ONLF are but a few examples past and present. In spite of his uncontested adversity though , the Eritrean despot promises Ethiopian opposition groups that the ‘sky would be the limit’ of cooperation between his parasitic regime and a possible successor of the TPLF-led EPRDF regime in Ethiopia.
Click on 'Read More.' In what seems to be an open acknowledgment of the debilitating impact of the strained economic relations with Ethiopia, Isayas speaks of his urgent wish for a greater economic integration with Ethiopia. He even goes on about the possibility of harmonising policies and forging a security pact.
In a study presented to a conference at Chatham House (the British based independent body which has in the past sponsored several studies on Horn of African Affairs ) in April 2007, associate fellow on the Africa Programme Sally Healy described Eritrea’s ailing economy as one that is slowly grinding to a halt.
No wonder he is desperate to find his way back into Ethiopia’s resources by posturing to be sympathetic to the political plight of Ethiopians under the TPLF.
Solidarity with Amharas, Oromos, Somalis and others
For decades both Isayas and Meles have depicted and attacked the Amhara ethnic group as a symbol of misrule and domination in Ethiopia. Arguably Isayas’ share of the credit is greater in spearheading a sustained hate campaign against the Amhara ethnic group for decades as he used it to rally the Eritrean population behind his separatist cause.
18 years on, the same Isayas tells of his regime’s willingness to embrace the Amharas if it means fighting the common enemy at present i.e. the TPLF. He says: “If I could work with the Tigres in the past, why couldn’t I work with other Ethiopians be they Amaharas, Oromos or other ethnic groups.”
Isayas could be oblivious but the heinous crimes his forces committed in the then Wollega province has not been forgotten. Hundreds settlers from the former Wollo province were horrendously massacred in cold blood by EPLF and OLF insurgents as the two anti Ethiopian organisations launched a surprise joint attack in the dying days of the Derg . The famine stricken settlers were targeted for no other reason than their ethnic identity.
His empty rhetoric aside, the following interesting quote from him lays bare the intrinsic negativity Isayas harbours to individual ethnic groups in Ethiopia particularly the Amhara ethnic group :
“ Tigrians have replaced the Amharas as a symbol of savage massacre among Ethiopian Somalis at present.”
It looks as though his statement was targeting Tigrians but in fact it spews out just as much hatred about the Amhara ethnic group as persecutor of others in the past.
Ethnic politics in Ethiopia and Article 39
“Ethnic politics is bad for any country not least Ethiopia which is home to myriads of ethnic groups,” says the Eritrean dictator adding the infamous Article 39 of the Ethiopian constitution was a ploy intended to destroy the country.
Isayas is of course the last person to speak about the perils of the ethnicisation of politics in Ethiopia.
Back in the day, it was Isayas’ EPLF and Meles Zenawi’s TPLF which masterminded this divisive political system because they considered it expedient to achieve their goals.
The infamous Article 39 of the Ethiopian Constitution was from the start intended to legitimise the secession of Eritrea. Yet Isayas’ blatant turnaround to say the TPLF thrust the infamous provision against his advice only helps to explain his delusions to dupe the Ethiopian people into thinking that he is after all not what we have known him to be.
The port of Assab
The Eritrean tyrant’s remarks about Ethiopia’s need for an unfettered access to the sea show his desperation to bring Ethiopia back to the doomed port of Assab. He says both Ethiopia and Eritrea could benefit mutually from a more developed and expanded port of Assab if Ethiopia made the strategic choice of investing in the port. He states that between 1991 and 1998 , Ethiopia paid a nominal fee for using the port of Assab adding Eritrea didn’t even charge in hard currency because it considered its relations with Ethiopia more important.
Surely Isayas’ memory couldn’t be so bad as to even remember when his parasitic regime stopped using the Birr as its official currency. For all we know both Meles and Isayas reached an agreement to keep the Birr as the official currency in Eritrea so Eritrea’s economic advantages in Ethiopia are kept as before even though it was technically a foreign country which should have been trading in hard currency with its neighbour right from day one of independence.
Ogaden and Darfur
Isayas says in terms of the human suffering, Ogaden is even worse than Darfur. He adds Ogaden is a black spot on contemporary Ethiopian history. He says not even the Derg and Haile Selassie regimes have inflicted so much suffering on the local Somali population.
He goes on to testify for fellow despot Albashir’s regime saying it had no hand in the so called genocide killings of the people of Darfur . He retorts it was all a myth propagated by Western aid agencies and the global media.
The Ethiopian army may well have taken disproportionate measures to rid the Ogaden off Eritrean backed ONLF separatists. However, a reviled tyrant with a history of mass murder is no credible critic of even a fellow tyrant’s abysmal human rights records.
Isayas has wiped out whole villages of Kunamas, Afaris and other non-Tigrean tribes in Eritrea just as his cousin in Addis Ababa. Besides his undenied involvement with the ONLF in Ogaden means he has a stake in the genocide he alleges to have been committed.
The following is an excerpt from a study presented by D Lussier at the 13th annual conference of Ethiopian Studies in Kyoto, Japan in 1997 :
“Recent violent incidents combined with the ills inflicted upon them (the Kunamas) by the behaviour of Tigrini individuals have produced a movement of thoughts and emotions, particularly acute nowadays… There is now a hypertrophy of fear among the Kunama communities, a generalized phenomenon particularly visible in the towns with the rampant presence of government agents.”
Democracy mocked
Of all Isayas Afeworki’s remarks , his pointless foolish talk about democracy was the most conflicting. As the minutes ticked by in the course of his confused response to a question on democracy , his views changed from dismissing democracy as a luxury of the west to one in which he tried to give the impression that he believed democracy was indispensable to his country. He said : “ It’s democracy or no other way for the future of Eritrea.”
However his most hilarious comment on the subject came when he said : “ The day will come when Ethiopians will vote for the right things for them. No one can stop that. It will happen willy nilly.”
These words would not have been so hilarious if they weren’t uttered by one of the most hated repressors in living memory. At one point , Isayas speaks about how he was not surprised the May 2005 elections were stolen. Surely he must have been delighted his former ally and most ‘trusted foe’ managed to cling on to power in Arat Kilo for a bit longer. Given the evidence so far, Isayas’ Eritrea can’t wish for more allegiance and better protection than that it is getting from Meles’ regime.
Deported Eritreans
When Isayas spoke of his indignation on behalf of the people he used as his intelligence gatherers and fund raisers , he appeared to be a man of higher moral standing compared to his former allies in Ethiopia. He described the expulsion of ‘ 70, 000’ Eritreans from Ethiopia as an act of ‘revenge by humiliation’. Not surprisingly, he was mute about the appalling crime his forces committed on innocent Ethiopian nationals looted and kicked out from all corners of his country. It didn’t matter to him tens of thousands of Ethiopians were murdered and incarcerated and remain unaccounted for in the wake of his invasion . Why would it ? They did not exist in the first place as he has been denying in previous interviews .
However, unlike Eritrean nationals who are incentivised to return and reclaim their full rights in Ethiopia, Ethiopian nationals in Eritrea remain stuck in agony unable to pay the vast amount the state has levied on any one wanting to leave the country.
Unflinching support
Undoubtedly the whole point of Isayas’propaganda interview was to induce Diaspora opposition groups into trusting him to wage a war in case history repeats itself and he got lucky with managing to install the next Shabia puppet just as the TPLF of 10 years ago. And so he went on to reaffirm his commitment to give unwavering support for opposition groups even if the TPLF surrendered whatever patch of territory the Border Commission has ordered it to hand over to Eritrea.
Speaking in a rather defiant tone , he said no Eritrean now nor in the future, not even the president can use Eritrean land as a bargaining chip. He said he couldn’t bring himself to think he could short-change the quest for democracy in Ethiopia just to reclaim what is now Eritrea’s lawful territory.
Surely these words would be enough to win the hearts of some Diaspora opposition activists who fail to see the glaring evidence before their eyes. However, it is impossible to think how the rest of Ethiopia can fall for Isayas’ contrivance this time regardless of the widespread revulsion for Meles.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Ethiopia plot suspects tortured, say relatives
By Barry Malone
ADDIS ABABA, June 15 (Reuters) - A group of men accused of plotting to topple Ethiopia's government were tortured in prison during lengthy interrogations, relatives said on Monday.
At a pre-trial hearing in Addis Ababa, a judge refused a request from a lawyer for one of the 32 men for a doctor chosen by the families to visit the detainees in prison to compile a report on any injuries.
The arrest of the group in the biggest such crackdown for several years has worried rights group, who say Prime Minister Meles Zenawi's government has become increasingly authoritarian and tough on any critics in the Horn of Africa nation.
Officials say the group planned bombs and assassinations.
At Monday's hearing, the judge said the group had access to a prison doctor, which was adequate. Some members of the group discussed with the judge how, with their meagre means, they should hire lawyers. A few threw waves and smiles at relatives.
After the hearing, three family members told Reuters suspects had spoken of mistreatment in jail.
Click on 'Read More.'
"Some of them have been tortured and are injured," one relative, who asked not to be named, said outside court. "They have been interrogated for up to nineteen hours. One man with injuries to his penis had to be treated in hospital."
Lawyers said five of the group were being held in solitary confinement. The 32 accused were mainly former and current army personnel, including two generals.
"TERROR" ACCUSATIONS
A Government spokesman said the allegations were "baseless".
"They have the right to relate any indignities they allege they have suffered openly in court," Shimeles Kemal said. "If this had been the case, they would have, but they didn't."
The government has identified only two of the prisoners despite calls by rights groups to give all the names.
Another 14 people, some resident in the United States and Britain, have been charged in absentia.
The government says the accused, arrested more than a month ago, belonged to a "terror network" formed by Berhanu Nega, an opposition leader who teaches economics in the United States.
Berhanu denies the accusations.
Addis Ababa says the group had planned to kill senior government officials and blow up power and telecommunications facilities to provoke protesters who would then march on government buildings and attempt to topple the government.
Opposition parties have called the charges trumped-up.
Security forces killed about 200 protesters after elections in 2005 when the opposition disputed the government's victory. The next national election is due in 2010.
Berhanu was elected mayor of the capital Addis Ababa in the 2005 ballot, but was arrested and accused of orchestrating the street protests. He was pardoned and released in 2007.
His "May 15th" organisation was named after the date of the 2005 poll. He has made statements in the United States saying it wants to overthrow Meles' government.
The Ethiopian government says the plotters received money to buy weapons from Berhanu and other diaspora opposition members.
The accused will appear in court again on June 30th.
ADDIS ABABA, June 15 (Reuters) - A group of men accused of plotting to topple Ethiopia's government were tortured in prison during lengthy interrogations, relatives said on Monday.
At a pre-trial hearing in Addis Ababa, a judge refused a request from a lawyer for one of the 32 men for a doctor chosen by the families to visit the detainees in prison to compile a report on any injuries.
The arrest of the group in the biggest such crackdown for several years has worried rights group, who say Prime Minister Meles Zenawi's government has become increasingly authoritarian and tough on any critics in the Horn of Africa nation.
Officials say the group planned bombs and assassinations.
At Monday's hearing, the judge said the group had access to a prison doctor, which was adequate. Some members of the group discussed with the judge how, with their meagre means, they should hire lawyers. A few threw waves and smiles at relatives.
After the hearing, three family members told Reuters suspects had spoken of mistreatment in jail.
Click on 'Read More.'
"Some of them have been tortured and are injured," one relative, who asked not to be named, said outside court. "They have been interrogated for up to nineteen hours. One man with injuries to his penis had to be treated in hospital."
Lawyers said five of the group were being held in solitary confinement. The 32 accused were mainly former and current army personnel, including two generals.
"TERROR" ACCUSATIONS
A Government spokesman said the allegations were "baseless".
"They have the right to relate any indignities they allege they have suffered openly in court," Shimeles Kemal said. "If this had been the case, they would have, but they didn't."
The government has identified only two of the prisoners despite calls by rights groups to give all the names.
Another 14 people, some resident in the United States and Britain, have been charged in absentia.
The government says the accused, arrested more than a month ago, belonged to a "terror network" formed by Berhanu Nega, an opposition leader who teaches economics in the United States.
Berhanu denies the accusations.
Addis Ababa says the group had planned to kill senior government officials and blow up power and telecommunications facilities to provoke protesters who would then march on government buildings and attempt to topple the government.
Opposition parties have called the charges trumped-up.
Security forces killed about 200 protesters after elections in 2005 when the opposition disputed the government's victory. The next national election is due in 2010.
Berhanu was elected mayor of the capital Addis Ababa in the 2005 ballot, but was arrested and accused of orchestrating the street protests. He was pardoned and released in 2007.
His "May 15th" organisation was named after the date of the 2005 poll. He has made statements in the United States saying it wants to overthrow Meles' government.
The Ethiopian government says the plotters received money to buy weapons from Berhanu and other diaspora opposition members.
The accused will appear in court again on June 30th.
Meles appoints party loyalists to oversee controversial Ethiopia CSO Agency
Yohannes Anberbir, Capital
An agency to implement the hugely controversial Charities and Societies Proclamation was established last week.
The Office of the Prime Minister appointed Sirage Ali as director of the Charities and Societies Agency (CSA). He is one of the top members of the ruling party. He is also credited for his contribution in selecting the former caretaker administration of Addis Ababa.
The PM office also appointed Atkhelti Gedaye as deputy director.
Re-registering the existing civil society organizations and categorizing them as Ethiopian and foreign will be the first task of the agency as per the proclamation.
Every civil society organization (CSO) should re- register within one year.
According to the proclamation, the agency will enable and encourage CSOs to develop and achieve their purposes; has a duty to ensure CSO’s operations are transparent and accountable; and has a responsibility to ensure that they operate legally.
But CSOs currently operating in the country have criticized the power vested in the agency.
According to them, the proclamation allows it to interfere in the operation of civil society institutions. The agency may remove or suspend an officer if they are convicted of an offense involving dishonesty, fraud and turpitude.
CSOs are protesting, saying that the article allows an opportunity for the restriction of the right to organize and unwarranted interference in the internal affairs of the organizations.
If the agency applied this power to religious institutions, the implication is that the agency can remove, suspend or replace spiritual leaders.
Though CSOs have been vociferously opposing aspects of the law, the Government has not acceded to their demands.
An agency to implement the hugely controversial Charities and Societies Proclamation was established last week.
The Office of the Prime Minister appointed Sirage Ali as director of the Charities and Societies Agency (CSA). He is one of the top members of the ruling party. He is also credited for his contribution in selecting the former caretaker administration of Addis Ababa.
The PM office also appointed Atkhelti Gedaye as deputy director.
Re-registering the existing civil society organizations and categorizing them as Ethiopian and foreign will be the first task of the agency as per the proclamation.
Every civil society organization (CSO) should re- register within one year.
According to the proclamation, the agency will enable and encourage CSOs to develop and achieve their purposes; has a duty to ensure CSO’s operations are transparent and accountable; and has a responsibility to ensure that they operate legally.
But CSOs currently operating in the country have criticized the power vested in the agency.
According to them, the proclamation allows it to interfere in the operation of civil society institutions. The agency may remove or suspend an officer if they are convicted of an offense involving dishonesty, fraud and turpitude.
CSOs are protesting, saying that the article allows an opportunity for the restriction of the right to organize and unwarranted interference in the internal affairs of the organizations.
If the agency applied this power to religious institutions, the implication is that the agency can remove, suspend or replace spiritual leaders.
Though CSOs have been vociferously opposing aspects of the law, the Government has not acceded to their demands.
Civil Society rejects AU stance
Statement by representatives of African civil society and the legal profession on the implications of the African Union's recent decisions on universal jurisdiction and the work of the International Criminal Court in Africa.
Read the rest here.
Read the rest here.
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