PRESS RELEASE

Stop the Woyanne event to be held at DeKalb Technical College Auditorium
Clarkston, Georgia

On the 10th of April, 2011 at 12 pm EST.

It is with great indignation and profound sorrow that the Ethiopian community, in and around Atlanta received the shocking news about the up coming meeting called by the delegation of the brutal regime of Ethiopian to be held in the DeKalb Technical College auditorium on the 10th of April, 2011. The delegation is part and parcel of the totalitarian, blood stained, ethnocentric regime that masquerade its ugly face with the acronym ‘EPRDF’ (Ethiopian People’s Republic Democratic Federation).

The Tigray Liberation Front (TPLF) took over the regime of Ethiopia in 1991 with the power of the gun; secured its control over the military, security, and police forces; the legislator, judiciary and the executive bodies; all the economic pillars of the country, such as the land (no Ethiopian owns land but the regime), industries like mining, banking, agro-business, construction, insurance, communication, etc. and is ruling the country through terror. Because of its contempt to the integrity of the country and its people, the regime was the main actor for the cessation of Eritrea and the give away of its port to Eritrea, its land to the Sudan along the boarder, and contracted out its fertile lands to foreign investors in disregard to local investors, farmers, and the recurring hunger the population faces. To appear democratic to the outside world, the regime holds national elections periodically that concludes with election fraud, public outrage and demonstrations, followed by savagery activities like beatings, imprisonments and killings; denunciations from election observers, humanitarian agencies, and outrage from other democracies around the glob. The last 20 years of the Ethnocentric Regime with Mr. Melese Zenawi at the helm as a prime minister is very well known for its human right atrocities, the suppression of freedom of expression, mobility and individual liberties.

In the 2005 National election, the regime lost the election to the opposition by an overwhelming majority. However, the regime rejected the election results, killed over 193 peaceful demonstrators, injured over 800, threw about 30,000 in concentration camps and prisons, and imprisoned opposition leaders that actually won the election. These human right atrocities, suppression of rights and liberties are documented by Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, European Union (EU), and other organizations that observe elections like the Cater center, and African groups. The 2010 National Election was not different to that of 2005, except this time election observers were not tolerated, and the totalitarian prime minister, Mr. Meles Zenawi declared that his ethnocentric party(TPLF) won 99.6% of the vote, there by, at last, officiating his one party system rule.

Ethiopia’s dictator Meles Zenawi is one of the most notorious leaders that Africa has today, preceded only by president Omar AL-Beshir of the Sudan who is wanted by the International Court of justice at the Haig. Among those wanted because of genocide, Mr. Zenawi ranks top in the list because of his human right atrocities all over Ethiopia, and war crimes he committed in the neighboring land of Somalia. In the letter to the United Nations, the High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), president of Genocide Watch, Dr. Gregory Stanton said, “The Ethiopian Prime Minister, Meles Zenawi and others in his government were probably aware that they too have been implicated in serious human right atrocities.” The President asserted that extensive documents that show violations by the prime minister are available and that the documents were compiled by independent investigators and completed by International Human Right Organizations.

Therefore, we unequivocally condemn and reject the meeting intended to take place in the premise of DeKalb Technical College on the 10th of April, 2011. We urge every body and specially Ethiopians to stop the activities of this delegate of the totalitarian and brutal regime that has no respect for life, human dignity, rights, and liberties.

Coordinating Task force for Ethiopians in and around Atlanta, Georgia.

[email protected]
(641)715-3900 ext.691462#