Dr. Gregory Stanton, President of Genocide Watch, gave an impassioned speech about the atrocities of the Meles regime in Ethiopia during a public meeting in Washington DC that was held to commemorate the 5th anniversary of the Ethiopian Election Massacre. Dr. Stanton urged Ethiopians around the world to get organized and work to bring change in Ethiopia. He discussed the experiences of the Ukraine and Ghana communities abroad who helped brought change in their countries and that Ethiopians can do the same. He also sent an unequivocal message to Ethiopians of Tigrean ethnic group in whose name the Meles regime is brutalizing Ethiopians and committing genocides in some regions of the country, such as Ogaden and Gambella. Dr Stanton said he is worried that eventually it will be the Tigreans who will pay the price for Meles Zenawi’s crimes. Watch the speech below:
32 thoughts on “Tigreans could pay the price for Meles crimes – Gregory Stanton”
We thank all friends of Ehtiopia and those who have been with the people of Ethiopia fighting the tyrany regime and those who run the repression regime for the last twenty years.Those friends of Ethiopia have in many ways been vanguard in showing us ways to fight and fight against our common enemy that kept Ethiopians hostages and murdering and looting citizes.
Ethiopians,keep faith;God’s and Ethiopians’ forces are mightier than the guns and the bullets and ill-gotten finance that our common has.We shall defeat the enemy through ongoing struggle against the common enemy.We shall win.
I followed the live conference on Ethiopian Review. Good job! … The fact is we have Meles that chose Haile-Mariam, similar to Putin-Medvedev arrangement. Who is in charge? Tigreans? I don’t think so.
Dr. Stanton echoed what many Ethiopians were saying for a very long time; sooner or later Tigreans will pay the price for siding with a brutal dictatorship. The crime of Tigreans in this matter is not complacency but active support for a regime that kills tortures and imprisons.
Tigreans are no longer of that much political significance anymore! Those days are over! Even you got all the Tigreans in Ethiopia to join you, you wouldnt be able to overthrow Meles. This because he no longer rellies on Tigreans to rule, but rather many million co-opted Haile mariams and Aba Dulas. Tigreans only possess middle ranking power positions now, power has been decentralized (within EPRDF as TPLF does not hold the same position) and concentrated (in Meles hands) at the same time. Get with the time fellas!
Dear Brothers and Sisters of Ethiopian Origin!!!!
Such terrifying and shameful act of killing innocent people just because of their ethnicity has never been our culture. If it should happen, it could have happened just before and after fascist Italy occupied the country. My father and uncle used to tell me how the ‘residentes’ and ‘carabinieris’ were inciting and pressuring my Oromo people to go out and kill every Amhara in sight. Yes there were very few individuals who used the green light to go out and kill innocent Amharas just to settle old scores. But other Oromos were very quick to realize that such urging by an outsider or insider has a very sinister motive behind it and it would have been a shameful crime against Allah’s people. So they were out there discouraging such heinous act. Otherwise, there would have been not a single Amhara left in the entire Hararghe, Arsi, Bale, Jimma, Illu Aba Bora and even in most parts of Shewa regions. Because it was not and still is not our people’s way of solving issues be it of Amharas, Oromos, Afars or any other nation. Rwanda and Burundi are of different nature and have had a totally peculiar background. The 1994 genocide in Rwanda was not the first one. There were other such mass killings of one ethnic group by another one. There were several disturbances where one ethnic group massacred 20-30,000 just at one sitting. What makes the 1994 genocide different was just its enormity and there was a contingent of UN peace keeping force in the middle of all that carnage. We all know that the average Tigrayan is not a first class accomplice of the crime committed by this frog face goon who crawled out from among them. Was every Amhara an accomplice of the evils committed by certain figures of the Haile Selassie and Menelik’s regimes? Was he? No and not at all. So we have to be careful of even saying such disgraceful outcome is bound to happen. With all due respect, I vehemently disagree with this honorable person of letters and goodwill. We should all respect and treasure his invaluable support.
I will give you the best example from our own most recent history. Events leading to the 2005 election were very encouraging and possibly emboldening for those with intentions of harming people. Was there a single Tigrayan harmed or mugged then? Not one!!! If someone says ‘yes there was one’, I will tell him ‘you are lying!! Liar, liar, your pants and soul are on fire!!!’ You see that is why I am always proud of my people. They may be suffering from abject poverty but they never go out and massacre people who they think are the main reason for their miserable life. I will say it again: That is why I am infinitively proud of my people even though they are the poorest being on earth!!! I am over confident that they will never let me down on this one!!! Never!!! Now I am overcome by my own emotions!!! But it was all tears of pride I have on my own people!!!
Thank you Dr. Stanton for telling the truth and justice. I also thank Ethiopian Review for informing us all the time.
For the sin Mr. Meles committed,the accountable one is only he and he. I know he had done so many shamefull activities against Ethiopian people.For all this , no one shouldn’t have to point against the tigreans.
There are bad individuals but not bad ethinic group/population. We will work with our Tigrean brothers and sisters for the common good!
Thank you Dr.stanton for saying enough is enough.Every ethiopians must see this speach and realize the danger it shows to the deavlish side of bothe the TPLF and there leaders.The so called the tigrieans elite or any tigreans who live in western world must take this as turning point and stand with the rest of Ethiopians atherwise they must know they are going to be dealt with every kind of strugels and they will lose the power soon and they have to remember what our country lost because of (TPLF).Dont forget we are humans and we have limit we cant let you disintegrate our mather land.Long live ethiopiawinet and death to (TPLF)and hodams who are leting the disintegration of our mather land ETHIOPIA:
I love how you think the Amhara would just sit there and get killed.
Great speech. God bless you Dr. Gregory Stanton.
We haven’t heard the Tigrean communicties around the world come in full force and condemn what the TPLF thugs are doing to their fellow Ethiopians. It is true that except a few hodams, the majority of Tigreans have not benefitted from the TPLF rule, and they should make their voices heard that they are with their oppressed fellow country people and expose the TPLF does not represent the Tigrean people as a whole, but a few hodams.
Thank you Dr. Stanton for standing against the masacre of the Ethiopian people. We will continue our struggle until we bring the genocidal Dictator Meles to court. We will never forget the slaughtered people of Ethiopia by tplf!! Never!!
We give great value for your Humanity work and Ethiopians all over the world are with you
Alemu
This speach I have waited for long time ago.Yes without quetion and condtion the Tigria people have responsplity on that matter right now.Ye Hulet sew Mohon Yi ‘Bkaen.
Dan and those who think Tigreans are not in power!
Are you kidding me? Nice try. I would heed attention what the Dr. said. TPLF just put non Tigrean puppet in power but the whole structure of Tigray domination in every sector has not changed. Gabito?
Take even for example in the diaspora, Tigreans are very active here on TPLF events excluding the rest of Ethiopians. What does that tell us? In addition, I have yet to hear Tigrayans in groups condemning Meles regime or actively working with other Ethiopians to bring this regime down and bring democracy. They still want that piece of pie and domination.
That being said, we Ethiopians are too civilized to commit crimes like the Meles regime. This does not mean we are stupid that we let the coninuance of Tigrayan dominance. No way. We will ask those Tigrayans to come to the light side and fight among the rest of Ethiopians. If not, they will be counted as Meles regime. As Bush said, “you are either with us or against us”.
Thank you Dr. Gregory Stanton for standing up for the truth.
This scares me. i Know the Tigrean Elites have turn their back on the rest of Ethiopia but what percent of Tigrean people do they represent? we have to look at the reality on the ground and make a decision. We Ethiopians are Famouns for living together with no conflict, we have people that are married to tigre, gurage and amhara..etc with out taking each others ethinic gourp into consideration. our struggle should be to protect and save guard our identity and our people beautiful culture of tolerance and love for each other intact. Please…please just because the white man hold one group resposible for meles crime let’s not react in a way they want us. These people are the same people who are giving money on a side when we cry about the opperssion in Ethiopia.So who are they to tell us to hold gurdge on each other. Tigreans are not the only ones who will pay the price for meles crime, we will all pay for it. because we are sitting and creating division among ourselves to allow the crime to go on. it is all of us who will not have a country called Ethiopia at the end of this crime. if they are really to blame, then let history judge them but for as the important thing should be having a peaceful united Ethiopia for our next generation.
You at #10. Why are you using my name? Stop using my screen name before I bring the matter to Brother Elias’ attention.
This is the kind of PUSH our Diaspora needs to galvanize the movement and effectively bring about a regime change in Ethiopia and stop this Woyane burning train of colonization. Woyanes and beasts, and beasts do not deserve to rule humans. Even the god we all pray to separated the beasts from humans.
Well done Dr. Gregory Stantona. A very well crafted strategic business plan. This is how you make your business (so called Genocide Watch)viable in the 21st century. This is incredibly the smartest long term business plan I ever seen. when your company go public I’ll be the first person to buy the stock shares because I am confidence on your ability to create conflict so as to make astronomical profit out of it 5 to 10 years down the road. I have bad news for you though Mr ” Genocide expert.” We Ethiopians refuse to be a milking cow for your company.
I think Dr. Gregory Stanton is telling us, that Ethiopia can be free only through its own people.For me the very important point in his speech is, that the Tigreans specially the elits of this ethnic group should think over it. It is terrible to be hated as a Nation. due to the crimes of Hitler and his followers the German nation suffered a lot it was not only the victims of Nazis that hated this nation even those who had nothing to do with that tragedy. But Germans have to my mind effectively overcome this problem in the last six decades.” Bilt kelelaw tifat yemaral” It is time to wake for both sides (Tigreans and the rest of Ethiopians) before we go to the hell.
God bless Ethiopia.
The HRW report was not far from truth. There are even details failed to be announced. The Ethiopian human rights group (“Isemegu”) had also reports before the famous Election 2005.
According to former Isemegu under Prof. Mesfin, tens of thousands of people were displaced, abducted, secretly killed and dumped. Especially in the region of Amhara, central Ethiopia, Gambela(by Tplf-Abai Tseha + Addisu Legesse(Zewdu is his real name- of the Harar-Oromo),the massacre among two ethnic group conducted by Woyane(Abay Tsehay)in the southern region of Ethiopia, etc.
Recently, there was in the Ogaden region- massacre and devastation of huts and villages. A war crime happened in the Somali state by the Tplf-junta counts to devilish acts of the Tigrean -apartheid regime of Meles the Satan.
Ethnic cleansing of Amharas from the southern & Eastern regions was conducted by Tamrat Layne- a Tplf messenger, etc. I’m from Asbe Teferi. I witnessed what happened there. It is compared to “Crystal Nacht” of former Nazi-Germany.
All these wrong doings or crimes are registered in the last two decades. TPLF- a Tigrean politburo is responsible to the crimes committed against the whole Ethiopian people.
How many Tigreas were killed by the regime in two decades? Answer: ONLY two men .These two were killed prior to the election or during the election campaign of May 2010 in the Tigray region.
In spite of all crimes committed by the Tigray regime in Ethiopia, the Ethiopian people haven’t retaliated against any Tigrean in the whole region of Ethiopia.
I am proud to say the Ethiopian people are cultured and wise to distinguish the innocent from the barbaric.
The monopoly of the military by Tigrays is also a kind of conspiracy against the Ethiopian people that a resistance from outside Tigrays be crushed so that the regime stays life-long. This is a kind of internal colonialism. A hidden agenda!
What’s to be done?
There is no need to put it on paper, but apply it in practice. That is the solution.
Ethiopia shall prevail!
You at #.3. When and where in history was reported that peoples belong to a given ethnic had been actively supported for a regime that killed, tortured and imprisoned? Leave alone in Ethiopia? Blind view! All Ethiopians Psychological make up is far from barbarism because of the long history living together at least with respecting of each other
To the editor: An unacceptable title used, which focused on against an ethnic, which is strong fact, an ethnic that is part and parcel of Ethiopians. To show openly such attitude which does not distinguish individual, group of individuals from the whole members of an ethnic is not wise way and helpful to resolve problem we have. When it is attempted to say “ Tigreans, it belong to all, respected kind, and innocent of millions of people who speak Tigrigna and lives in Tigray who running their life in a proper manner but which still suffering injustice and also in fact all found else where in the glob. We have to respect and think of the mass of people when a person use word or idea which might affects the majority of any ethnic. The message, you mentioned as “unequivocal” is contradictory to the objective of the gathering held which should condemn any genocide happened and which should prepares to prevent not to be happen such situation. But the title given or chosen and the message is irresponsible. It might be abusing the opportunity you obtained as matter of chance (did you read the result of your message above when/ what #.5 and # 14 attempted to say?). Respected Dr Gregory Stanton might have missed the main role of the Genocide Watch Organization expectation in such forum. Let the organization better deal, if it has the capacity, more in identifying for the cause and effect of the what bad event happened, the responsible person, group of persons etc. so that to go ahead and to take accountability from any side and to get lessons. We Ethiopians are not in a deficit of the third party (outsider) who vowel such negative message to us.Respected individuals at # 7 & 8, I appreciated for your kind opinions came from normal and healthy human mind which represents the majority of Ethiopians.
Right on #23, I tried to post similar opinion yesterday, but for some reasons it is not posted. It ok but posting a hate message is not going to solve Ethiopian people.
This is the rerality and a fact that Ethiopia is totally ruled by a government that is fully supported by a single ethnic group TIGRAYANS period.Simple facts prime minister Meles ,F.M Seyoum or Berhane,defence Samora,99% military generals and lietenaunts of tigray origin.What more facts do we need?. The sad truth is that tigrayans have dreamed of building a modern tigray financially viable and that will not rely on Ethiopia and ethiopians by sucking all Ethiopian wealth and treasure. Finally by manipulating or using article 19 of the weyane constitution that permits the right of self determination and by seceding from the union live happily ever after,but to make it happen Ethiopia has to be ethnically fragmented by the seeds of ethnic politics and ethnic based parties.Hey but not Abay tigray.As history tells the biggest untold ideological conflict between shaebia and evil hewehat or weyane before 1991 was that weyane insistance that E.P.L.F principally believes on ethnic politics and right of self determination.Their evil intentions was to disintegrate Eritrea and be local superpowers.Thanks to Eritrea leadership they knew weyane evil intentions and went with Eritrea nationalism not Ethnicism.
Yes indeed most tigrayans have been supporting Weyane since 1970″s and new and at present know this hidden agenda and are trying to implement it.All tigrayans residing in ADDIS ABEBA are fully aware and actively working with weyane intelligence web and have innocent Ethiopian blood in their hands.They are guilty with no doubt.
#25,
I wish you thought twice before you wrote that comment. From your own count what is the percentage of those individuals holding powerful positions out of the total population of Tigray or of all those speaking Tigrigna for that matter? Less than 0.5%? Think about that? We have to be very careful about what we are sending to this website. Hate-mongering will not cut the mustard or further the accord for our people. Sooner or later this turtle face evil will be gone. He will drop dead or his scarecrow wife will have him killed by one of her younger courtiers, if she doesn’t shoot him herself.
#5 Ittu Aba Farda….. I take my hat-off & salute you. Your analysis is flawless. Blaming the tigrayan people for the crime that weyane is wrong. Very wrong!! let’s say for argument sake the tigrayan people are to be blamed for weyane’s crime……. where this feeble assumption leads us can be more than we bargained for…… Are the poor people(99.6% of them) to blame for “electing ” the weyane. The poor people had been threatened, blackmailed and tortured to vote for nobody but weyane. If Tigrayan people are to blame then the rest of 99.6% Ethiopians will not be spared leaving Ethiopia with a 0.4% of it’s current population which amounts to half of the population of Djibouti. Blaming one ethnic Or another should never cross the mind of any true Ethiopians. That is a poisonous bait that only serves the outside power who will be vulturing over a disaster area to plunder.
Ittu Aba Farda…… You are so wise that reading through your opinion overwhelmed me with emotion. I know a person with similar opinion as that of yours but unfortunately know another with a baggage & with opinions of doom & gloom. The good thing is that the latter is so isolated that even those close to him increasingly make fun of his backward view. The forces of good are multiplying and the forces of evil are having their noose around their neck tightened by the day.
Harmony, respect, tolerance and unity in diversity should be at the centre of the struggle. Moreover the trust in God(Muslims & Christians) should be even more central.
God bless your struggle for a JUST justice.
Biddho, I can say I agree with some of your statements, but I cannot agree with your statement that all Tigrayanes are fully supporting the Meles regime. If that is the case why is that increasingly number of Tigray youths are joining TPDM? Just because few opportunistic Tigrayans are writing bad about the Ethiopian oppositions and the Eritrea Government, it doesn’t meant that they represent all Tigreayns. Believe me, as an Eritrean, I have hard time understating what Ethiopians really want; in one statement they oppose woyane in other statement they want the woyane to bring them Asseb. Sometime I am cynical to their intentions, but hope for peaceful and developed Ethiopia regardless who is power as long as the leader respects his/her people and his/her neighbors. you have to remember that the majority of Tigrayans are suffering as much as the other ethnic groups in Ethiopia and I don’t personally believe all Ethiopian hate woyane for its worst governing style, but some they hate woyane simple because they are from Tigray.
Biddho-hafash despite bearing an Eritrean name, is not far sighted. His opinion is emotional, unlike Eritrean psyche. Eritrean people and its government doesn’t have that sort of mentality from day one. They ahave always sought to isolate the malelit weyane and its cohhots from the innocent people of Tigray.
Biddho-hafash– if you are truly Eritrean, please straighten up and as of our culture of criticism and self-criticism, I hope you take that on the chin and move on.
I’ve always been suspect of enemies looking out for their boogy-man to serve their purpose. Just like the Jewish as for Nazi’s boogyman, so was the catholics for the english monarchs and now the West got their 21st century boogyman called ISLAM after having their 20th century boogyman, the communist threat expired in the late 1980s. That boogyman lasted them 4 decades and they bloody well made good use of it. Now that they were blown bare post the cold war, and now that they have got this one the “MUSLIM THREAT’, they are going to make it last for as long as possible to create havoc and occupy and ship out the resources of the vulnerable countries of the world.
No need to create anymore boogyman.
Cherio Folks,
Eritrean Hayet.
Dr. Gregory Stanton has stripped the barbaric Weyane all bare to its bone but there is one thing that I strongly disagree with him. Fast forward the video to around 11 minites and he claimed that the “US has made lots of mistakes”. The US has done so many mistakes but all those so called “mistakes” are deliberate mistakes that are born out of a carefully designed policy to extort countries of their wealth. Otherwise the US wouldn’t have committed mistakes after mistakes for 50 odd years. How about now the US still supporting the genocidal regime in Ethiopia? Is that another mistake too? No , NO NO. It’s a deliberate policy of the US addicted to its way of injustice. Apart from that, the good Doctor is a top man.
No Boogyman business.
Meles Zenawi and his prince consort and the multi-national corporate CEO, Azeb Gola have dared to flaunt with the chinese invester and even used chinese technology to muffle up the VOA and ethio-Sat. We have to cease this opportunity and get this regime packing away to Zimbabwe with Mengistu or Museveni’s Uganda. But the opposition must be careful not to bring the US so close as to decide our policy like they dictate to Meles and his gangsters. Meles knows that he draws his support- ironically enough-from the blood sucking Western democracies. yeah yeah, we’ve all sang with them democracy human right and all those tunes with them but we ended up still singing the lovely tunes and the skeleton while the west and the weyane run away with the real beaf. Shame on us, shame on us. bequmachin motenal.
i think the west is going to try a regime change in Ethiopia as long as they get the assurance of the main oppositions to continue the weyane’s policy in a different cloth. We welcome that but should be very careful of conditions placed by our wannabe song writers and lecturers in the west.
Dear #27,
Thank you for seeing through what I have been trying to say. I am a strong believer that this specter now at the helm of the ruling clique will be gone sooner or later. Because it is our peoples’ inevitable destiny. They will see days of sunshine(uninterrupted) just like the people of Chile, Uruguay, Argentina, Brazil, Taiwan, South Korea and many other countries are having now after many decades of horrible oppression. Believe me it will come. Insha Allah!!!!!