PRESS STATEMENT
September 18, 2011
CONCERNED by the recent wave of arrests of political leaders, men and women of the Arts, journalists and human rights activists; We concerned Ethiopians and members of various support groups of Ethiopian civic and political organizations in the United States and Canada, having attended the emergency meeting organized by the BEKA MOVEMENT;
HAVING EXAMINED the root causes of the wave of arrests and TPLF/EPRDF’s nervousness about the Arab revolution, and the recent promulgation of a draconian and poorly drafted anti-terrorism law that criminalizes almost every form of dissent;
DEEPLY CONCERNED by the dismal state of the Ethiopian economy, which is characterized by rampant youth unemployment, poor education, endemic rural and urban poverty, migration, eviction from ancestral lands, hyperinflation, land grab at unbelievable prices, corruption, the creation of a tiny super-rich elite that is subservient to the minority regime, and the unfortunate prospects of the so called Growth and Transformation Plan and its delusional statistics;
ALARMED by the scale of the famine in Ethiopia and the Horn of Africa, and TPLF/EPRF’s denial of the existence of widespread hunger in Southern and Eastern Ethiopia, and the ongoing cover-up of the starvation and conflict, harassment of those who exposed the cover up to the international media, including the propaganda against the BBC’s investigative journalists and the deliberate wounding and imprisonment of Swedish journalists;
COGNIZANT of the fact that the Unity for Democracy and Justice’s (UDJ’s) New Year call to the Ethiopian people to stand up together to regain their stolen freedom and this call is being adopted by the main opposition groups in side Ethiopia;
NOTING the call for protest demonstration in Addis Abeba on October 2, 2011 and TPLF’s denial of permit, is yet another indication of the fact that the revolution that engulfed several North African and Middle East countries is slowly coming to Ethiopia;
NOTING with dismay some of the recent trivial arguments about collaboration among political parties, and its lack of relevance to defending the revolution that is already at the door steps of the country;
We have resolved:
(1) To adopt in full the NEW YEAR’S call of the UDJ to the Ethiopian people to stand up together to regain their stolen freedom, and concur with the view that the people of Ethiopia, like the 1974 revolution, cannot wait for political parties to stage the struggle. Details of the UDJ’s statement is available at http://andinet.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/Unity-for-Democracy-and-Justice-Party-New-Year-Press-Release_Amharic__090911.pdf
(2) To support the call for protest demonstration in Addis Ababa on October 2, 2011, in provincial cities and throughout the world where Ethiopians are residing;
(3) To call upon all Ethiopians inside Ethiopia and in the Diaspora to isolate the TPLF/EPRDF leadership and its foot-solders. Ethiopians in the Diaspora must make every effort to boycott TPLF/EPRDF’s embassies, TPLF/EPRDF affiliated business enterprises, community associations, clubs and societies and places of worships; with a view to put pressure on the minority regime to listen to the voices of the Ethiopian people;
(4) To call upon the Government of the United States and Canada to revise their policies towards the minority regime in Ethiopia. We call upon the White House to listen to its diplomats who are calling for change of the United States’ policy towards Ethiopia. We request the White House to target TPLF’s bosses like Bereket Simon, Shimeles Kemal, Dina Mufti, Redwan Hussen, Berhane Gebre Kristos and HaileMariam Dessalegn. There is enough prima facie evidence which shows that these individuals, together with Meles Zenawi, Azeb Gola, Sebhat Nega, Seyoum Mesfin, Addisu Legesse, Abay Tsehaye, Getachew Assefa and Samora Yunus, jointly and severally, are responsible for the tens of thousands of lives that were lost during the last 35 years;
(5) To condemn in the strongest possible terms the imprisonment of Olbana Lelisa, Bekele Gerba, Andualem Arage, Zemenu Molla, Nathnael Mekonnen, Eskender Nega, Debebe Eshetu, Riyot Alemu and Woubshet Taye. The allegation against these individuals is preposterous. The basis is the draconian and poorly drafted law. Its purpose is to suppress democracy. Ethiopians must refuse to observe this law. The above individuals are not terrorists as TPLF alleges. They are journalists, men and women of the Pen, artists and political leaders. We therefore demand the immediate and unconditional release of ALL political prisoners and prisoners of conscience;
(6) To call upon civic and political organizations to rise up to the challenge and immediately form a broad based National Council so that the revolution in Ethiopia is fast tracked and coordinated. This revolution must lead to the formation of a popular and prudent care taker administration that maintains law and order, defends the interests and territorial integrity of the country, while preparing the nation for peace, reconciliation and an unfettered free and fair election;
(7) To renew our commitment to continue our unwavering support to the struggle of the Ethiopian people for freedom, Justice and the Rule of Law. To this end, we have resolved to immediately start extensive world wide campaign to mobilize moral, material and diplomatic support for a united action to replace the dictatorial regime with a truly democratic system of governance that can bring freedom, peace and prosperity for the people of Ethiopia. We call upon all democratic forces to support the revolution that is at the doorsteps of the minority tyrannical regime.
People power shall end minority rule in Ethiopia!
Victory to the people of Ethiopia
Beka! Geye! Enough is Engough!
For more information contact: [email protected]
7 thoughts on “TPLF’s latest aggression will not stop the revolution”
After waves of demonstrations and protests rooted out dictators in North Africa, PM Meles Zenawi’s ethnic regime reduced itself into a small group of outlaws that use the legal system as a coer to round up dissenters and ship them to prison camps. In its futile attempt to prevent the inevitable, PM Zenawi’s dictatorial regime has literally stopped functioning as a state and has devoted the bulk of its time to evesdropping harassing, arresting, and killing otherwise law abiding citizens in the name of ‘terrorism’.The purpose of the politically motivated arrests and false accusations of the last few months is clear and simple; it is to instill fear in the mind of change seeking Ethiopians. In fact, fear has always been the driving force behind everything the TPLF regime does. However, regardless of what the regime does at this point of time;the days of ethnic supremacy and domination in Ethiopia are numbered, and the people of Ethiopia have determined to make 2004 the last year of dictatorship in Ethiopia. At this historical juncture and decisive moment, now it is about time for all democratic forces to stand together and bring and end to Zenawi’s ethnic dictatorship.
Coordinated, united and sustainable struggle within the new realistic diversity framework of give and take win-win approach is the one single road to victory. All else are ONLY time wasting and pouring endless amounts of useless political rhetoric down to the bottomless drain.
If we really want change we must change our our attitudes and then go straight forwards to bring about real changes on the ground, taking risks and pursuing winning strategies just like the Tunisians, the Egyptians, the Libyans, the Yemenis, etc. Then 21st century is the new century of technological and information and telecommunication revolution as well as the revolution in social and political changes. Even then divided, traumatized and sitting ducks can not act and bring about any change other than being acted upon and staying at the receiving end of all the national and international cruelty deliveries.
We stand shoulder to shoulder with UJD and other democratic forces in Ethiopia and let the devil woyane know that we want our God given freedom to express our selves with out fear of perseution.
-Let the devil woyane know that our allegiance to a different politial point of view, our tribal/ethnic origin, our belief should not be used as a reason for persecution.
-Let the devil woyane know that we will fight for equality of access for jobs based on merits and not on ethnicity, for education, for a decent living wage and for the right to make a choice on how or where we live in our country.
-Let the devil woyane know that we will assert our right to protest against woyane injustice, indiscriminate arrest, killings and torture using the latest ‘anti-terrorism’ tool the woyane created to incarcerate and persecute our citicizens willy nilly.
-Let the devil woyane know that we are against kidnap of people from street corners/from their houses , harassment, imprisonment without trial, murder and torture. we will continue to expose the barbaric act of the woyane against our people through using torture, imprisonment and murder.
-We will continue to demand that the woyane stop inciting inter-ethnic violence, inter-relegious violence and dividing and alienating people.
-We will continue to demand the devil woyane to stop using hunger and famine as a means to kneel down the people to its brutal rule. We demand that the woyane stop discriminating people when it distributes food or other aid given by international donors.
-We salute the UDJ party as it spear heads the struggle of the Ethiopian people for freedom, democracy and justice for all its citizens.
Ok Elias we will stand togther!!!
I think woyane was ready and expecting the Ethiopian youth are came out on the street like the middle east arebs , the woyane was ready to kill but the Ethiopian youth change the tactics the frustrated woyane try to provoke the Violent, woyane hodmis you should know that whatever force you have, how the powerful your gun are the winner will be the people, if you arrest one leader the other one is came out from the people to lead the straggle, the people’s straggle fore freedom never stop. they are not the frits who pay the price of freedom they are not the last either our straggle will Continue until woyane TPLF criminal’ are brought to juts
Indeed the time is nearer than they thought.it is advisable to study the movement of their tigerai tewolajotch Mahiber in all neighborhoods throughout Addis. Such associations are now the newly born spying associations. I hope they have readied themselves for the reprisals !!!!
just like ghadafi and his cronies now have to look for a refuge.
The Ethiopian populace is tired of their collective exploitations that have escalated prices beyond the capacity of the people. they are now selling their cement to the Abay Dam project. That is where the money they forced the Poor Ethiopian people to raise against their will. let effort and the rest enjoy their profits until doomsday that is closing on them !!!!
Good luck TPLF
Guys,
Today, Ethiopia is ruled by rule of the jungle; where the mafiasto Zenawe rules with his mafia Woyane/TPLF as he wishes and pleases. He writes a set of rules, send it to his rubber stamp parliament, and order them to vote “yes” within the hour. And then he has the fake “rule”. These fake “rules” apply only to his perceived opponents and enemies. These rules don’t apply to him or his thugs. Melles, his mafia organization, and the Woyane/TPLF thugs are immune to the fake “rule”. His so called “police” are there to enforce these so called fake “constitution” and “laws” on his opponents. How sad and pathetic.
Melese and his Woyane/TPLF terrorist group, since their days as a “shifta” and after they took power in Addis have continuously and consistently undermined Ethiopia’s security, political, and economic interests. Let us look what Melles and his Woyane/TPLF terrorist gang did in the last thirty years.
1. Fought the Ethiopian army (not Derg) by supporting the EPLF in Eritrea. Fighting Derg in Tigray is acceptable as it was another junta. But fighting the Ethiopian Army, which was fighting for the unity and territorial integrity of the Country, is crime of the highest order.
2. Facilitated the secession of Eritrea and even begged the members of UN to approve the secession of Ethiopian territory.
3. Made Ethiopia a land locked country sacrificing the national, security, and economic interests of Ethiopia and Ethiopians in Eritrea and Afar.
4. Divided Ethiopians by ethnic groups and set up the ethnic Bantustan federations under the model of the Apartheid South Africa.
5. Terrorized, raped, kidnapped, killed, and imprisoned millions of Ethiopians in every corner of the country.
6. Planned, coordinated, and executed ethnic strife, infightings, violence, killings, and ethnic cleansing in different parts of the country.
7. Planned, coordinated, and executed politically motivated kidnappings, killings, imprisonments, and disappearances of opposition party members, farmers, students, children, and nomads in Addis Ababa, Shoa, Gambela, Sidamo, Gondar, and Ogden.
8. Removed, killed, and imprisoned thousands of Ethiopian residences and gave the inherent Ethiopian territory of western Ethiopia to the Sudan.
These are all crimes of treasons, genocide, ethnic cleansing, and treachery of highest order committed by Melles and his Woyane/TPLF thugs against Ethiopia and Ethiopians. Ethiopians from north to south and east to west experienced and lived though these bad dreams in the last twenty years. When are we going to throw the shackles of terror and slavery???