Tom Connelly, assistant to the New York Times sports editor who assisted Jeré Longman with the story on Haile Gebrselassie told LetsRun.com on Thursday:
The New York Times stands by its story. Jeré reported what he was told. We reported the story correctly.”
LetsRun.com offers the following analysis:
To us, it logically makes zero sense that a sports reporter would make up such a major accusation about the tapping of phone lines. If that’s the case, then the only logical explanation is that both Gebrselsassie and Hermens were strongly encouraged to denounce the story by the powers in charge in Ethiopia — either that or Gebrselassie realized he needed to have Hermens do it soon or he’d have some significant problems on his hands. The question therefore is, “Is this type of coercion common place in Ethiopia and does it make sense that this actually would have happened?”
The answer is yes, it is common for the despot in Ethiopia to extract confessions and statements from citizens.
We can only imagine what Haile is going through — although he is partly responsible. To protect him and other Ethiopian athletes, the IAAF and other international athletic groups need to launch an investigation.
21 thoughts on “NYT defends Haile Gebreselassie story”
what a life! I mean one life to live. He has has got what he wants but living with fear! weyo Haile!
Everyone in Ethiopia knows that Haile has been under a great pressure from Meles, particularly after Haile has accidentally expressed his interest to be involved in politics.
It is time for Haile to come out open and tell the truth. Now, the world is looking, whatever happens to you will be a great cost to Woyanes, don’t be afraid stand by the truth and become a hero once again and gain eternal respect. Take back the T-shirt you gave to Meles or renounce that it is no more in your interest.
We all know they live in a fear society.Otherwise Haile will risk all his investments in the country.Given his approach to business,he will go to bed with the devil just to protect it.I urge those spineless collaborators to look back into history.During the Italian invasion there were lots of wealthy dejazmaches and fitawraris who betrayed their people and cooperated with the fascist regime then.I mean HODAMOCH.Nobodies!
But Ethiopia and Ethiopians always remember those brave young Ethiopians: Abrham and Moges!!!
They were first of all Ethiopian patriots!!They paid the ultimate price for the freedom of their people-their life!!
They were not the HODAM wealthy dejazemach then or investor today!
LONG LIVE ETHIOPIA!
Thank you, Tom Connelly for standing firm on this important story. Ethiopia needs more people like you to expose the lawless Woyane regime. You are absolutely right, it just doesn’t make sense why Haile’s manager backed out from his story. IAAF need to get to the bottom of this story for the sake of Haile if Woyane usual common practice of bribery and intimidation is used in this case. I hope you follow this story closely, so that the corrupted regime doesn’t somehow bribe the IAAF personals. My heart goes out to Haile, I can’t even imagine the nightmare Haile is going through, because of the amount of intimidation by the known criminal regime. Knowing what Woyanes have done to innocent Ethiopians through out Ethiopia…it is obvious that if Haile doesn’t cooperate with the regime — everything Haile worked hard and earned all his life, and his precious life is in immediate danger.
When you deal with the devil he always wins. Haile made his bed in the devil’s den, now he must lie in it. He had other choices, but chose to deal with the Mother of Corruption” Azeb. She outran him to the finish line. ces’t la vie.
Of course Woyanne is behind the arm twisting for Haile. Haile has made his point that he can’t be bullied by Woyanne and that he would “name and shame” Tyrant Meles unless Haile is given a break. Haile is smarter, Meles is gun-and-bully smarter. Meles can do one thing that we all can not do – he Kills and Imprisons. So he is a coward and let no one tell me he is smart. Cowards kill and imprison and there is no smart person who is a coward. Cowards also cannot tolerate anything different being said or though as they have a narrow mind and cannot even cope with accommodating difference. Meles – the Liberator or Tigray – hates opposition, free media, anyone who he thinks is better than him. Maybe it is his upbringing or the way he is made but he is narrow. Haile – Keep up. Name ans shame the coward. You made your point and you went out the winner – again. But Meles – Go to your best profession of intimidation and prison and killing – a job you the coward is perfect at.
the more weyane tries the more it gets into deep s..t
I don’t think the Meles tribalist mafia have understood that the whole world knows what they are made up of and no one gives any value to what they say since the bandas have exposed their naked evil nature to all to be taken seriously
ሃይሌ መልክትህ ደርሶናል:: የዕድገትና ትራንስፎርሜን ወሬ ተረት እንጂ የመለስ (የትግራይ ነጻ አውጪ) ዘመድ/ጔደኛ ካልሆንክ የሚታሰብ ዓይደለም::በላብህ ያፈራህዉን ገንዘብ የትግራይ ነጻ አውጪው እና ሚስቱ ዓዜብ ሊወስዱብሀ ይቸላሉ:: ግን በዓገሪቱ እየተብላላ ያለው የዓቢዮት እሳት ስለሚቀድማችው ተረጋጋ:: ጠባቡ የትግራይ ነጻ አውጪው የወደፊት ቀኖቹ ካለፉት ያጥራልና::
Ok. This is my take. The first time Hermens talked about Haile in the interview was the truth as it is told to him by haile or his close friends. He wasn’t aware of the danger of telling the truth in Ethiopia against the guys in power. I really believed the NY times guys. I don’t expect them to apologize like bbc and rephrase their wording still saying the same thing.
I do not care for Hayle, because he has chosen money than the truth we should remember how he served Meles during Birtukan and Kinijit.
when Haile cried I cried so much. And now I know why it touched me because he was sobbing not about his leg, but because of the things happening to him back home. I think he is confused and depressed. The only thing we can say is “be strong” and we LOVE you Haile Ambesaw!!!!! <3
“Endurance”
ሁለት ዓይነት እንባ፤ ኃይሌም አለቀሰ።
ሕዝቡ ዛሬም ሲሞት፦
ደሙ እየፈሰሰ፤
ሁለት ዓይነት እንባ፦
ኃይሌም አለቀሰ።
የመጀመሪያው እምባ፦
ያኔ ጉንግን ሲያጠልቅ፤
በድል አድራጊነት፦
ስሙ ገና ሲደምቅ።
ለኢትዮጵያ ሰንደቅ፦
የሕዝብ ፍቅር አንቆት፦
እየተናነቀው!!!
እያንሰቀሰቀው!!!እምባው አልቆም ብሎት፦
የእኛ አለኝታነቱ፦
ከልቡ አቃጥሎት፦
ያደባባይ ደስታው፦ሲቃውን ፈንቅሎት፤
በጥርሱ ሳቀና፦
ተቆጣጠረና፤
ትዝ ይለኛል ያኔ?
ያውቀዋል ወገኔ?
እምባው እየፈሰሰ፤
ኃይሌም አለቀሰ።
ሁለተኛው ግና፦
ደግ አይደለምና፤
ድብን አድርጎ አይኖቹን፦ ካንጀቱ እርር ብሎ፤
ወያኔ-አጋዚን በግልፅ ተጠልሎ፤
በኒወርክ ከተማ፦
ድሉንም ተቀማ።
በእግሩ እያነከሰ፤ ብሶቱን አምጦ፤
ሕሊናውን ሰርቆ፤ ይቅርብኝን መርጦ፤
ከሕዝቡ ለመራቅ ፍፁም ባይፈልግም፤
የእንቆቅልሽ ንግዱ እድፉ-ን ባይጠርግም::
የወያኔ-አጋዚን በትግል ለመጣል፤
ሕዝቡ ደሙን ከፍሎ ነፃነት ያመጣል፤
ይሄን ልቡ ያውቃል:-
ባጣብቂኝ ከውስጡ አንገቱ ይስቃል።
እናም በሕሊናው ስለተከሰሰ፤
የመረረ እንባ፦
ኃይሌም አለቀሰ!!!
– አብይ ኢትዮጵያዊ
Tom Connelly, the New Times and LetsRun.com,
First of all, thank you very much for breaking the news. Without you, it would have been totally impossible for us in the diaspora to realize what is going on. We the diaspora are the lucky fraction of the millions voiceless Ethiopians in Ethiopia. All kept in total darkness.
Let Meles’s government say what ever it likes to says. You are just discharging your journalistic responsibility. Let the truth be told. We don’t want nothing less, nothing more.
Now that you told the truth, Zenawi thinks that he can put you in all sorts of troubles or muzzle you up just like the Ethiopians under his despotic rule. From now on, expect loads of bad-mouthing, direct attack and non-sense neo-liberal accusation and all that jazz against you. You heard stuff like that before and I believe nothing should deter you from ensuring us that your professional commitment is as potent and functional as ever and Zenawi can do nothing about it.
Let truth be told as is!!!!
We shall overcome!!!
There are many people that we can sympathize for but if anyone doesn’t deserve our sympathy it is Haile. Given his huge standing in our society, it was a big shame that he chose to be involved in politics as so called “shimagile’ and bcome an instrument for Meles. As if that wasn’t enough, he openly declared his admiration and respect to dictator Meles. So,if this fall out b/n the government and Haile is indeed true, then I feel absolutely no sympathy for Haile. He has totally lost my respect. Anyone who has no regard for the lost lives and for the immeasureable suffering our poor people doesn’t deserve our sympathy.
We should not be hard on Haile because he was coerced into joining the Shemagile (Elders) Group of the wily Prof. Ephraim Isaac, who pretends as if he is on the side of political prisoners and is helping in mediating between them and Meles Zenawi. Meles uses Ephraim as a medium through which he can convey in a seemingly ‘positive’ light to the international community, that he is not the conniving and ruthless ruler who terrorizes his subjects. The traditional Elders’ mediation format is also a face saving arrangement for Meles vis a vis the international community. Poor Haile if he is in trouble, Meles will use the Shimagile deal on him just to humiliate him!
For twenty years the Woyanne shifta has been sending innocent Ethiopians to jail while he must have been the one to be locked up for life at at kelati.
Haile naively dealt with weyane hoping normality but found out that he was, indeed, dealing with a different breed of beast. Weyane might have been heard criticizing the west but it’s all part and parcel of the game of the day. He is a loyal puppet and reliesonthe west to stay in power and the west knows very well too that Meles is a puppet for life that can’t afford to go astray if he wants to service another day. As much as weyane has a knack for serving his masters, it makes meles feel good to play similar tricks in creating its own servants. There is no way out for Haile, as he is at the mercy of the weyane Mafiosi.
God bless your fight for a just justice.
This is now a good opportunity to tell NYT, Guardian etc, the intimidation of Haile is also the intimidation of many Ethiopians. We should say that Ethiopia is under seige
I don’t know how Ethiopians got to loose their ways these much? Ethiopians need to pause for a bit and think of how their grandparents and greatgrandparents protected their dignity and defended what is right. Nowhere in history including the times of foreign invasion Ethiopians lost their freedom to this extent . All Ethiopians need to start imagining what their forefathers would think of them if they saw them now.How can a person go to sleep and continue life the next day like nothing happened while their phone is tapped , their bank account is being played with , while their children are languishing all over the world looking for a future that was taken from them by their own government and so on is really beyond everyone.
The problem with Haile are as clear as the problems we saw in the events of New York Marathon.
His true feelings were revealed during the times that he quitted that competition.
Haile is now very confused person: politics, business and now wants to remain sport star.
We are not going to be victims of this self loving guy. He is ruining our life by making us look bad in international events. No Ethiopian athlet has been as controversial as Haile internationally. He systematically releases news that are aimed to boost competetion and his fame. We know also he won only soft matches. The time for Haile to show his love was to seek asylum in New York.
But he missed that opportunity.
Some of ypu think he loves his country or he loves his fans but as it can be seen he is puppete politician. I don’t view him as a hero no more.