By ZOE ALSOP AND NICK WADHAMS
The Globe and Mail
ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA — Dressed in a black Adidas track suit and seated amid a comfortable clutter of term papers and political science tomes in his modest office at Addis Ababa University, Prof. Merera Gudina hardly looks like a menace. But, ever since he was elected to parliament two years ago, people have been avoiding him.
There was, for example, the time that local mechanics were too terrified to repair his car when it broke down on the way back from his mother’s funeral east of Addis.
“The mechanic said somebody was giving him a signal and they ran away and we had to transport the car to Addis,” Prof. Gudina said. “What they do is that they don’t touch me as a person, but people in contact with me, after I leave an area, they harass them or detain them or whatever they want,” he said of government security agents.
Optimistic visitors from the United States, which will give $500-million (U.S.) in aid to Ethiopia in 2008, like to point out that the Ethiopian opposition pulled off a feat that would be unthinkable in America or Europe when they unseated more than 150 ruling lawmakers two years ago.
But civil-society groups and supporters of the opposition throughout Ethiopia describe the country’s parliament as little more than a Potemkin village. Prime Minister Meles Zenawi’s ruling EPRDF party puts on a show of democracy for international donors, while enacting a brutal crackdown on supporters of the opposition outside of the capital.
Leaders such as Prof. Gudina say they’ve been denied offices, staff and access to their constituents and the media.
“At this point, Ethiopia has some of the trappings of democracy, but none of the substance,” said Bronwyn Bruton, a Program Officer for East and Southern Africa with the National Endowment for Democracy, which gets some funding from the U.S. government.
In the 2005 elections, the opposition made historic gains against the EPRDF, which is dominated by Mr. Zenawi’s own Tigray ethnic group.
Hundreds of demonstrators were killed and tens of thousands more jailed, including journalists, the elected mayor of Addis Ababa and the head of the country’s only independent human-rights organization.
The government only last week released 38 of the opposition activists who had been tried and found guilty of inciting violence, treason and trying to topple the government, but not before they signed statements admitting their guilt.
While a number of opposition members have boycotted parliament in protest against the election, scores of others followed the advice of Western countries including the United States and took office.
“I can’t run away from this place and expect some miracle,” said Beyene Petros, who has represented the opposition ever since Mr. Zenawi ousted dictator Mengistu Haile Mariam in 1991.
Mr. Petros has seen so many colleagues jailed or killed that he seems somewhat bemused at his own survival.
“Not me. I’m sort of an alibi for a lot of bad things they do to others. They will say, ‘Look, Beyene Petros has been this, he’s a fierce opponent, he can say anything.’ Instead of coming to me, attacking me, they have gone and killed my immediate associates, they have abducted some. That’s not enjoyable position to be in.”
The government’s true face, people say, is shown in places like Dembi Dollo, a two-day journey from the capital along more than 480 kilometres of dusty, dilapidated roads. Few foreigners visit, and little news emerges from the area.
Dembi Dollo is the political heart of Oromia, Ethiopia’s most populous region. It’s the birthplace of the Oromo Liberation Front, a group once allied with Mr. Zenawi, but today the largest of half a dozen rebel fronts in the country.
It is here that men who once campaigned for an opposition party called the Oromo Federalist Democratic Movement are still paying the price.
“You can say my home is the prison. I spend a lot of my life in the prison,” said one elder who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retribution. “Since 1991, every year I was in prison it’s only this time now, this year, I didn’t visit the prison.”
Though support for the rebels runs high here, the town’s elders campaigned for the OFDM, which eschews violence. Unfortunately for them, the local officials of the ruling party do not distinguish between political parties like the OFDM and the OLF, which was branded a terrorist organization by Mr. Zenawi’s administration late last year.
The elders had been jailed and followed. Telephone and power lines to Dembi Dollo were cut off. The OFDM’s office was vandalized and closed. After an elementary school teacher campaigned for the OFDM, riot police went after his 16-year-old daughter. They broke both her wrists, bludgeoned her in the abdomen and held her for a month.
“When she went to the court, the witnesses are the police who beat her – so how can this be?” said one teacher, who also insisted on anonymity.
Ethiopia’s ruling party attributes any heavy-handedness against the opposition to growing pains. “In most cases there are no problems,” said Bereket Simon, a senior adviser to Mr. Zenawi. “We feel there might be problems here and there because this is not a mature democracy like that of the West. It is an emerging democracy and we’re bound to make mistakes.”
Prof. Gudina has kept his full-time job at the university. After seeing 56 members of his party killed amid post-election violence, he says there’s very little he can do in parliament, where, unlike representatives for the ruling party, he has no offices, no budget and no influence. “In a year and a half, I’ve attended five, six sessions, that’s all,” Prof. Gudina said. “There’s nothing there to do. When Meles makes a report, you go so at least people see you are there.”
20 thoughts on “Ethiopian regime turns its critics into untouchables”
Just because the white man said “Ethiopian regime turns its critics into untouchables” are we going to kill each other? or are we going to send our elder to fix our own problem without invoving outsider? what is going to be? tell me what is going to be?
Trust me the white man will never solve our problem we are the one is responsable to fix our problem. I say the white man here just to make the point… since we black people are respecting the white man more then ourself therefore we run to them for each and every small problem…
Yes you are going to tell me you are one of them! but why are you guys responding in mass for rocky reporter that cut his or her teeth in our expense…
Let me give you one example how the outsider will not fix our problem… if you allowed the outsider to free our cud leaders they will try to force PM Meles to sign the paper and free the jailed leaders at the same time… do you think this kind of fixing the problem will work? by making one side totally a loser and making the otherside total winner…
We say the outsider when it come to our border between the Ertirea and Ethiopia… they give the land to Eritrea even so the Eritrea lost the war and ready to accpet any deal that come from court…. No the outsider have their own aganda they don’t want us to finish the war therefore they give the land to Erirea and make Ethiopia a total loser by making her the first country that win the war and lose the land in court of law… in case of Eritrea thay started the war and they lost the war…. therefore they would have jamped to any kind of deal because Ethiopia army stopt he march to their capital city therefore they save their capital city therefore by any meausre they would have win if they lost the border land and keep their country intact…
No the outsider want us to fight endless war… Now look the reslt allowing the outsider in our local problem… where it take us? no where therefore why where trying to involve them with our oromo problem… yes we have problem with oromo the point is we can fix them with our elder… no more outsider…
Mark my word we can solve OLF problem with our elder we can solve our Eritrea border problem with our elder… we can solve anykind of problem with our elder then why involve outsider….
Let me tell you even America become fully democract only 40 years ago… for the last 360 years the black and woman are not allowed to vote therefore you can’t call it full democecy where 20% of your people are not taking part….
all I am saying is Ethiopia democercy need time… need local elder fixing that all I am saying yes we have problem but our problem only can be fixied by our elder end of the story.
if the America fix problem then they would have fix the Jew and the Arab problem long time ago.. fixing is not their interes therefore why invove them…
I love how TPLF supporters now want to hide behind their “Blackness.” They tell us that we should not listen to the criticism of the evil white man.
We didn’t hear this when TPLF sold its soul to Western interests and invaded Somalia. TPLF does not seem to mind to do anyone’s dirty work as long as it gets paid. This is one group that has absolutely no pride or shame. Endeh aynet ye ferenj akatari be etiopia tarik taytom ayetawokem.
So spare us the rhetoric about being defenders of the Black race. Just like you use the fight against terrorism as a cover for dirty deeds, you are using the race angle becuase you believe it suits your purpose for today.
God has cursed Ethiopia with these evil, greedy, Nazi-like bastards
ER, Just tell me why Ethiopians need Internet?
To use internet to produce more LIES,RUMOURS, and UNCONFIRMED REPORTS
So what can you say to Prof. Gudina who believes he can challenge Meles in the parliament and bring more change to his people. I am not blaming the Professer to continue believing what he believes but I am blaming Meles for what he says to his fund supporters, the West, is different than what he does to the opposition group whom he claims are doing well in his democracy. What Mr. Gudina and Petros do is to stay fighting the Meles regime in the Parliament for whatever time it takes for Mr. Meles to willingly convince himself one day he will feel the peoples’ suffering and decide to resign himself from power. Some how some way, Meles needs to be asked ‘if you do this good to your people, you will remain to stay in the government, other wise, you are no good to your people so it is enough’. When peaceful struggle is being pushed by a government security forces forcefully to the side, the consequence of one’s society security is paramountly high. This is why the ‘Shimagles’ are intervining to control the situation and trying hard to bring everyone to a reconciliation. One must be wise to take this advantage and stop political confrontation. Ethiopians shall evercome their differences through reconciliation and live in true democracy!
Reconciliation is still the solution and the opposition has to work hard to that end. However, I don’t know what many people would feel about when they read something like this. Thinking about the pain of the victims is even extremely horrible.
“You can say my home is the prison. I spend a lot of my life in the prison,” said one elder who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retribution.
They broke both her wrists, bludgeoned her in the abdomen and held her for a month.
Merera!
It always wonder me how you guys spin ideas rather than yours. Who want outsider (as you said “white man”) solve our problem? We only compare democracy how it works in Western world. It doesn’t matter whether they are white or black.
Again your recent philosophy is elders will solve the problems. It looks like we are head backward to 19th century as a part of communal era.
For people like you (cold blooded man) killing hundreds, wounding thousands, putting in Jails hundreds of thousands is nothing, it is simple. Even you are parching us white man gave our land to Eritrea, are you really in good mental state? Yes, for you, for the killers very easy to say let love our problem, but the question is how? Could you please tell me? Where, there are not more than three people could not stop together in public, how we could do that? If you know some kind of Hi-Tech we could use to talk to Melese, without physical presence, please advice we will benefit from that, instead of facing Woyane’s bullet.
Please stop mocking. We all know probably better than what you know, as your gut tells me, you didn’t even emancipate yourself from Woyane’s idea, may be you are selfish, greedy and live for stinginess.
Dear Ewnetu Aweke,
Let assume that TPLF sold its soul to Western interests and invaded Somalia…
Now tell me where is this hurt Ethiopia? invading Somalia hurt cud leaders? the answer is No!
Dear Ewnetu Aweke, if you are real Ewnetu you would have told us why you are defending the poor Somalians? Not because you love Somalians the fact that if TPLF invaded Somalia then it would be hard on you to sale your sole to the Western to oust TPLF…
Now give me a simple example where the Western help to fix Africa problem… in fact any problem? The Western have their own interest I would not blame them for having that but what I blaming is the Ethiopian so called opp. use the Western to hurt Ethiopia…
If their is no Ethiopia then what are you going to rule if their is no Ethiopian Somilia if there is no Oromo land then what are you going to rule… therefore don’t make the two.
TPLF have no choice if American tell him to invaded Somalia they have to invaded even CUD WOULD have invaded Somalia if the Ameirca told you so.
Even a country like Garman, Farnce and Canada can’t say NO! to America and get away with it…therefore it is in Ethiopia best interest to invaded Somilia… yes is very bad for our beloved cud party… interest but our party interest must and should come second to our Ethiopia interest.
All those so called Western tell Meles to free cud leaders…. and it take them two years telling him… but the elder give Meles something and also the give some thing to cud leaders and achived their freedom wihtout the outsiders…
Now if you Mr.Ewnetu Aweke, love Somilia so much then I have news for you the elder will fix it.
By the way… Ethiopia have the right and moral right to go and protect the poor Somilia from those anti Muslim element… so peopole you try to protect have no moral right to tell us anything because they rape and kill in the name of Muslim…
If you want the law to protect you then you must respect the law… the hard way that the cud leaders find out about the same way the somilian hologan will find out that they should respect the law first then the law protect them…
What I am saying they are saying Ethiopian have no right to cross their border! to say that first you should respect the internation law that they you should respect human right and all other right then UN And AU right protect you…
I know you will not understand this!
“We say the outsider when it come to our border between the Ertirea and Ethiopia… they give the land to Eritrea even so the Eritrea lost the war and ready to accpet any deal that come from court…. ”
You are a complete nonsense. Call ask your friends:Meles , Seyoum, etal.Its not the whites who sold our heroes and heroines’ lives and our border.Woyane does.
And here you are telling us not to believe a ferenje that ppl are being killed in Dembi Dolo and anywhere else in Ethiopia.What about peaceful yongesters gunned down by Agazi at Habteghiorgis bridge and their body moved to Kuchira Bank to say they were bulglars!!
Antways……
History in unforgiving and you all will face judgement!!!
Ethiopia shall prevail
Merera,
There have been some who used the above phrasolgy in the past week in the very forum you post your message.I think they used it,then, for right cause and occasion.It appers that you take their word from their mouth and attempted to appropriat it for your own case.You can’t sell this idea for jenuine Africans.Beside,no one was promoting politics based on race:it was sayed then in reference to the international aspirants and only in this sense mention was made. In the view that you expressed here,it show how T.P.L.F and its loyalists are allways in the state of flux.A party with no definite princciple,conviction,world view:whose only puropse is to keep melese and his clique in power and safe guard the well being of the families from Adwa.you better try another lie this one does not cut it.
WHy does TPLF keep poking Ethiopians in the face as if fight me or else be quiete. Is this what TPLF wants?
Do not assume CUD would be a slave to Western intersts because TPLF is. It says more about how little support TPLF has domestically.
Mereraw,
Your comment sounds like a sermon on the mountain rather than something of practical problem solution for issues that are both local and global.
You talk about blacks and whites as if the issues of dictatorship are confined strictly within the Ethiopian border. Mass murdere dictator who is commiting genocide in Ethiopia is not a white man.
If it were not for the white man the 80 million vitims of this sweat head dictator might have simply been butchered and left in the field for wild animals to dine on.
While hundreds and thousands of innocent Ethiopians were perishing due to hunger during the hedonistic regime of Haile Selassie the king have been laying on his comfortable bed in a ixurious palace and feeding prime quality beef to dogs and lions.
And the jounalists were strictly forbodden to write anything about the deliberate extermination of the helpless at the time.
At last it was the same white man you may wish to blame who took all the risks, brought hunger report and helped the victims to get assistance whil the king got the rightful assistance of getting lost for ever. Remember here also that the king is black and
not white.
some of the civilized, sympathetic and educated citizens of the developed west, some of those so called blaks would simply slaughter and eat you like Emperor Bokassa have done, metaphorically speaking of course.
The man who committed and still comimtting genocide against the Sidamas, the Amharas, the somalis, the gambellas, etc. is himself a black guy. If it were not for white pressure so to say, the same black guy would have excuted all the CUD political prisoners and beyond.
That so called mediation poetry can only work if there is sufficient and very strong balance of power that is able to displace the dictator otherwise. The dictator must clearly feel and see that the choise is between mediated settlement or total lose of power. Then mediation works.
But it will never ever work in the way you are just writing some sort softy poetry trying to tell people that they must do good and not bad as blacks. That fantacy and may be good for writing science fiction for entertaining 5th grade all girls school student.
What you are lamenting about winning war and losing territory with Eritrea is aslo fake fiction and wishful thinking than reality. Under international law it is forbidden to attack, capture and colonize and independent country which is a member of the united Nations. And the United nations is also blackmen/womens’ club too.
In addition to that, it was the black man meles who agreed to the border demarcation,promising to be bound by the out come by all means, but renaging after the fact and keeping both poor countries on war footing and resource wasting. You know that these and similar things are the worst kind and disgraeful type of being black.
So better blame youself than ranting at whites just to hide the complete savagery of some black people.
I never thought Merera will end up like this. U used to be one of the best prof in our PSIR Dep. I never thought u will be a success in politics.How on earth do u mange to be a politician and impartial proff of political science? Wondering!!
There is NO democracy in Ethiopia. Period, end of story! Every thing is for show. Try to talk to your family members, ask them question, you will hear a big hesitancy because someone might be eavesdropping. 85% Ethiopia is rural and no one is going to be able to compete and win parliament because they will be afraid of getting shot, no farmer would dare to vote for them, for fear of losing his land or even his life. Those of you who are supporting this government based on what you read online and what you see on waltainfo, you seriously need to wake up. I hate to break it to you this way but this is the truth.
TPLF now completely based on lies and trying to survice today. No long term plan and vision what so ever. Their only Strategy now is lie, lie, lie, trying to create confusion. wow, it doesn’t take high school diploma to figure that they are at their last days in power.
May God be with Ethiopia and all Ethiopians!
Berkete Semion, Afere bela wesstam leba!! Anet Ye Meles Wehsa!! leba keletam worda
Hoedehe bedem motawal afer beal keleatam !
Yeswe lij eaysdeke eayegedelk demo lefrnjochu lematatale
new yemtkabaterwe.
Yeswe dem feso ayekerem Yegedelkechwe Hisantoche atenent yefaredeahl Antenea Melesem
AFere beilu!!
A simple change now can make all the difference our tomorrow. It’s never too late to change something little today in order to make better Ethiopia’s tomorrow. With this thought in mind, I believe one of the most valuable gifts we can give this season is the gift of forgiveness. You see, forgiving is for giving. When we forgive, we become godlike. And how does God forgive? It is described in the Sunni Islamic holy book, Mishkat Al-Masabih, “Whoever approaches me walking, I will come to him running; and he who meets me with sins equivalent to the whole world, I will greet him with forgiveness equal to it.” God’s forgiveness, then, is unconditional and unlimited. In the same vein, Peter asked Christ how many times he should forgive someone who injured him. “Until seven times?” asked Peter. “I don’t tell you until seven times,” said Jesus, “but until seventy times seven.” Of course, Christ didn’t mean that our forgiveness should be limited to 490 times, but that it should be unlimited. In Hindu Scripture, the message is the same: “One should forgive under any injury. It hath been said that the continuation of the species is due to man’s being forgiving. Forgiveness is holiness; by forgiveness the universe is held together. Forgiveness is the might of the mighty; forgiveness is sacrifice; forgiveness is quiet of mind. Forgiveness and gentleness are the qualities of the Self-possessed. They represent eternal virtue.”. Pleas let go all thing and do the best now.
As Ethiopians, we recognize that love is listening to elderly people, and we agree to listen with an open heart, to give mutual support and to practice non-judgmental listening and sharing. Let live the past behind and think about what is to be done.We are all Ethiopians.
Dear fellow Ethiopiansand and also narrow mineded TPLF Weyane led propagandists, Ethiopians are not fool…… the truth must be said always… theat is only when accountability be practiced.. that is only when the so called ‘governors’ who are committing harsh mistakes be told what they are either officially or unofficaly doing to the people whom they claim they represented.. if the governemnt doesn’t want to be cursed, then they should do good things….. Foolish Weyane propagandists ask if there are any Ethiopians who are hurt because Weyanes invaded Somalia.. and they answeres “no” it is so funy.. Do you Weyanes think that the money invested on unjustifiable wars comes from sadist Meles Zenawi pocket? Do you think that the lives lost on wars are of pigs? DO you think that the hostile environment creatred by ill advised policy of Weyanes will not affect future Ethiopia? Weyanes, fool yourselves.. One of your terrible mistakes is to understimate the understanding of the people… ask yourselves why you are the most hated bunch of tyrants than any of your predecessor dictators.. as you are killing citizens many fold freedom fighters are being born on the sprits of martyrs .. the truth will always be said.. and there we confront all ill advised political steps politically
Some facts about the Multi Color personality of the Honorable Professor Merara Gudina
The professor claimed he is a chair person of his current party called ONC. He used this name to reserve his seat in the parliament. For the outsiders, he is known as the vice President of the illusion Hibert (EUDF)!!
The Honorable Professor Gudina has two full time jobs. He is MP of the FDRE , and a Political Science Lecturer at AAU. He loves both jobs, even though he claimed that he, attended the session for five or six times in the year and half; he constantly gets his monthly check. It is good to be a Parlamentrerian, but never said it in public!! He also teaches full time at AAU. Many of his Graduate students love listening him. He is a Good story teller.
The Good professor considers himself, as the kings’ of king and the lords of lord, when he held interview. With the Globe and Mail. “They don’t touch me as a person…but people in contact with me after I leave the area, will be harassed or detained…” He told boldly to journalist Joe and Nick. Why do they attack you Professor? You are not any danger animal!!
The Gear of this opportunist Professor is not at rest. Credible source indicated that he is now fully engaged to form a new party called OPC (Oromo People Congress). He has managed to have 1200 signatures and already submitted the application to the election board. The board registrar, Ato mekonen has already confirmed and adding that there are three more parties ahead of the professor application , waiting to get a certificate.
The ONC is in a move to its new house, OPC… who knows in the future we may hear the Lips of the Good professor the following announcement ..“After a through discussion and careful analysis, the executive committee of OPC has reached into the agreement to merge its struggle with OPDO, which has the same ultimate objective and goal for the advancement of Ormoia people …” signature= unreadable.
Lately the Double colored personality, of professor Merara has come to the picture…
It is learned that the professor along with, his spiritual father Dr. Petros, have visited the then jailed leaders for quite a bit, during their prison time, but this visit didn’t last long… the CUD leaders didn’t show their formers comrades a welcome gesture. Both individuals have received black eye. After the news of their released heard , the multi-colored Gudina, has took off his old jacket and stand as a God Father , and become an energetic advocate for them….
What a shame. My advice for the Honorable Merara, is as follows. Stay where you are, sir, be your own! Be yourself! This doesn’t represent you!! At least this doesn’t represent our culture. … We die for what we believe!! May God give you wisdom!!
Yedres Leato Debebe Regessaa
For some time now I have read some of your commentary. In fact in one of your article I was trying to react back, I would like to challenge your ideas since you and have one common house, Ethiopia is our common Bet!, Of course on certain points we may not have the same outlook, how will our country run or how will Democracy will foster or exercised , or what is that we should do to bring good governance so that we can elevate the life standard of our people? For example my, philosophy is Rome is not build over night, on the same token Democracy is not an overnight development. it is a working progress!! We are transforming from a Single party structure to a Multi party system, by saying this, Am I a narrow minded person? What is the criterion or norm some one has a big mind some have a small mind? Where is the Norm? Democracy is not agreed 100% we don’t have to throw all our ideas in one basket!! Your comment doesn’t signal that , I would like to engage my self with you in healthy discussion, but the tone of your article doesn’t reveal a welcoming gesture especially for those of us who have a different opinions. I would like to answer your questions about the entering of Ethiopian forces in to Somalia for a limited time, in a way I understand, but in most cases you are asking questions and you will answer it for your self.. GERAF RASU CHEO RASU AYNET NEW NEGERU….
If this my idea makes you to think I am weyane , simply go ahead and curse me !! But I would however say, please review your comments one more time before you posted them!! With Akebrot!!