Ethiopian Review
July 18, 2005

Several Ethiopians held a demonstration at the Djibouti Embassy in Washington DC today to demand that Djibouti government respect the rights of the Ethiopian pilots who defected in Djibouti last month.

The protestors asked the Djibouti government to hand over the pilots to the UNHCR.

During the demonstration, a representative of the protestors delivered a letter to the Djibouti Embassy counselor, Mr Issa Bouraleh. 

UNHCR fears that the pilots may have already been turned over to the Meles government. But the Djibouti government is not saying any thing.

The Djibouti government’s violation of the longstanding international law that protects the rights of asylum seekers should not be tolerated. If no serious action is taken against President Guelleh’s government, the Ethiopian pilots who defected in Belarus will face the same fate.

Ethiopian Review proposes a special committee to be formed to undertake the  necessary legal actions to save the heroic Ethiopian pilots who refused to turn their guns against their own people. Any one who’s interested to discuss this matter further, please write to the Publisher.

It’s regrettable that the thousands of former Ethiopian officers who now reside in Europe and the US are not coming to the help of their fellow offices in their time of need. They should have taken a lead role in organizing the effort to have the safety and rights of the pilots protected.

On the other hand, the tireless effort by Meto-Aleqa Ayalsew Dessie and a few other officers on behalf of the pilots is highly commendable.