Gen. Asaminew Tsige is one of the 46 suspects charged by Ethiopia’s tribal junta
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ADDIS ABABA (AFP) — Ethiopia’s tribal junta on Thursday charged 46 people, most of them ex-military, of plotting to assassinate government officials, a government spokesman said.
“The charges can be summed up as conspiring to kill different government officials and conspiring to demolish public utilities,” Communications Minister Bereket Simon told reporters.
“The prosecution presented the charges to the court today,” he said, more than a month after their arrest.
Authorities are holding 32 out of the 46 suspects with the rest believed to have fled to the United States, Europe, Eritrea and Sudan.
Ethiopian authorities in April said they had unearthed a plot by senior serving and former military officers aligned with the opposition Coalition for Unity and Democracy (CUD) to kill top government officials and attack key infrastructure.
The group has been detained and held in communicado for more than a month.
Bereket denied accusations that detaining the men for over a month without charge violated regulations, saying national anti-terrorism laws allowed police to hold suspects without charge for as long as in necessary.
“No constitutional right was abrogated,” he said.
7 thoughts on “Ethiopia’s dictator charges 46 with ‘assassination plot’”
this is laughable! “national anti terrorism laws”! who is the real terrorist here?
thanks to Bush, woyanes are empowered to arrest kill and torture ethiopians all in the name of “terrorism”
ofcourse woyane needed time to cook up the accusations and fabricate evidence before he can bring them to his kangaroo court. we need a revolution!
Sebhat Nega is often mentioned as the father of TPLF. It was because of this claim that I decided to listen to his interview. To be honest I expected to hear an interview with substance. However what I heard from him was not only discouraging but also hopeless. It forced me to ask my self, is this the person who claimed to defend Eritreans from any outside attack? Why is he calling them now economically and politically backward? When I started comparing the previous and the new interviews it made me more confused. It made me remember what the head of the state of Eritrea once said. He said even from its inception Woyane did not have any vision. I am afraid that his claims might be very true. However Sibhat Naga’s insult of the Eritrean people may have come from hopelessness. Now Sibhat Naga knows he can not dictate Eritrea. As a matter of fact this shows Eritrea emerged as a winner. I am almost sure that Eritrea’s friendship with the other Ethiopian organizations is going to be a big head ache to woyane. On the other hand Woyane knows the so called Eritrean opposition groups in Addis will not deliver what woyane wants to get, new government in Eritrea. Through time Woyane Madness could aggravate and may lead to provoking Eritrea into another war. Yet that is also another disaster as it will facilitate woyane downfall. I am very hopeful those woyane days in power maybe dwindling. However it is very important to be cautious and remain on guard.
Guys, if we don’t do something soon these dictators will kill us all slowly. As always they are there to fabricate lies and cases to hunt and arrest poeple. I watched the interview made with president of Eritrea and I learned a lot ( as one guy said it is better 4 hours with Isayas than 4 years in university) it was very interesting to know about WOYANNEWOCH, let work poeple of thie region to eliminate this CANCER.
It is indeed ironic that a criminal gang charging innocent people for assassination plot. It may think for now, it is the prosecutor; the lawyer and the ultimate judge. At this moment weyane is so desperate it will try anything just to calm the storm. Now it feels threatened and is becoming very dangerous like a cornered beast. It’s last playing card “war on terror” is out of date and there is no hope from the new US administration to get the unlimited support it enjoyed for several years as in the past. All the signs indicate that weyane will be hunted down and captured or decimated in the very near future.
Whose constitution Bereket is talking about ? The constitution that serves him and Meles & TPLF? Or the constitution that serves the Ethiopian people? There is no rule of law in Ethiopia. Meles, Bereket and TPLF are the law.
It is no secret the fate of these guys, what is going to be expected from rubber stamped parliament and a fake judge which serve not the truth but one person, – recently the TPLF regime draft new law in the name of terror to detain, to sabotage, and torture , anybody that threaten the regime, it is very annoying . Meles has gone so far, these people understand one thing action, because they are violating the rule of law and killing democracy slowly, is this living no?
There is nothing worse than living in fear, and to be ruled under people who have no concise and good will for the country and the people
I would like to appreciate the derg regime,compared to them they are angels at least derg has some taste, and respect rule of law as far as you do not oppose them in the power, and they have done a lot of good and at least the country was respected and feared by others—
These people will tell us they have opened new power station and the next week they let the whole country into darkness—- i am tired of these guys
They tell us about marvelous economic growth and next they say shortage of money, and tell us happen due to the growth and increase in economic growth and improvement of the life of the people
This must be stopped—-,
Now these guys will be accused of killing and they brought their fake witness and say it is permit under the new law we came so low—–
It is clear that terrorist TPLF is orchestrating this foolish futile drama among others for the following interrelated three reasons. It is a dumb attempt to hit multiple targets with one stone.
1. The terrorist TPLF released the drama just after the funeral of the greatest Ethiopian Singer Tilahun Gessesse. The passing away of this all time great singer has aroused unprecedented national sentiment across the board transcending all sorts of divides – ethnic, religious, generational, ideology, political parties or what have you. Terrorist TPLF saw this as a clear and present danger and immediate threat to its minority terrorist rule. As the result, terrorist TPLF decided to diffuse this gathering national sentiment triggered by the sudden death of the national treasure of which every citizen of Ethiopia feels ownership despite all ranges of differences and misgivings they harbor. If there is any single national icon that can gravitate and unite the Ethiopian people around a single point, it is Tilahun Gessesse. It is not an exaggeration to say that Tilahun united us all in his death, albeit momentarily, more than anything in the history of the country. Had there been any barometer (poll) for measuring the unity of the Ethiopian people for the last 100 or 3000 years, no doubt that the highest peak would have been found in the wake of Tilahun’s death. Terrorist TPLF convinced itself that this national sentiment triggered by Tilahun’s death can be diffused by nothing less than a heavy bomb shell like ‘the news of a coup plot’. When they felt that they had diffused the gathering danger and when they felt that the detriment had outweighed the benefit more than they could tolerate, they ‘washed their eyes with the salt solution’ and changed the fake story after three days to ‘an assassination plot’. Though the fake drama had already been filmed a while back, it was in edition phase. The original plan was to finish the editing and use it for its primary purpose to be discussed below. The sudden death of Tilahun has forced the premature release of the drama without completing the edition at least to the liking, satisfaction and original intent of the authors. The clumsy terrorist TPLF was forced to release the drama because of the immediate threat and panic it felt following Tilahun’s death. There was no better arsenal in its store at the moment than the unedited foolish drama. There was no better antidote to temper the sudden spike in national sentiment through the death of the national icon. The only change made to the drama for its immediate release was changing the title to attract attention to suit the purpose of diffusing the national sentiment by changing of the agenda of the day and through diversion of attention with a sensational news like ‘a coup plot’.
2. The original and primarily intention of the fake foolish drama by the terrorist TPLF was to throw any desperate mud (charge) on Ginbot 7 Movement and see if it sticks. Terrorist TPLF hopes against hope that if one of the mud balls sticks (it is a big IF even for the TPLF), they desperately hope that they would throw G7 off balance and off message and derail it from its march forward at least temporarily. It hoped against hope that it would also put a dent on the acceptance of G7 in the Western world and helps to get some diplomatic doors slammed on the G7 leadership in the West. The terrorist TPLF knows very well that any diplomatic door the G7 is knocking at in the Western capitals is being opened wide for the leadership and it is being welcomed and hosted warmly with no exception. If terrorist TPLF were able to taint the G7 with such trumped up bogus charge and IF it were able to stick somehow, TPLF hoped that it would help to leave some of the knocked doors unanswered. This is nothing but a classical example of desperation on the part of the terrorist TPLF. The drama was conceived as an intimidation and a futile psychological war effort on the G7 leaders, members and supporters. It was intended also as a personal vendetta on the G7 leaders by attacking their immediate family members and confiscating their properties. The question is why Ginbot 7 and not the other parties inside or outside the country. The terrorist TPLF knows first hand and very well the potency of the Ginbot 7 leadership. The Ginbot 7 leadership is blessed with people with a glaring track record of delivering results. The G7 leadership consists of seasoned visionaries who brought the terrorist TPLF to its knees in its own game and field in May 2005 with a preparation that lasted barely six months. It is replete with individuals who know what they are doing and who mean what they say. It is full of people who have the mandate through the election held in May 2005 to lead the country. The terrorist TPLF refused to transfer power to the democratically elected leaders that include most of the G7 leadership members. The TPLF has never had a mandate, none whatsoever, from the Ethiopian people and it came to power through terrorism and is staying in power through terrorism. If anything it is the terrorist TPLF that must be brought to justice or justice taken to it for the coup de’ta in the aftermath of May 2005 election and for terrorizing of the Ethiopian people and its neighbors.
3. The original secondary purpose of this badly written foolish drama by the TPLF was intended to purge some non-Tigrean members off the TPLF terrorist militia. These conscripted non-Tigrean members, some of whom are ex-POWs, are targeted because they have been suspected and perceived of opposing the ever increasing terrorism against the Ethiopian people by the TPLF. The goal was also to break some weak links, if any, to G7 whose popularity is growing in geometric progression by the day. It was also to see if the thunder and lightening induced by the news can expose and smoke out some clandestine network of grassroot organizations and members of the G7. Moreover, it was also aimed at some active members of the relatively strong parties operating inside the country under one of the most difficult, forbidding and dangerous political climates in the entire world. This was intended to discourage these parties not to make any serious effort to challenge the terrorist TPLF in the next sham election. It was thought to get the message across that if terrorist TPLF could charge a party operating outside the country with a foolish drama of ‘plotting a coup’, then the ones inside the country would even be easier preys and therefore ‘you better watch out your activities’. The terrorist TPLF would not want to find itself defending its ill-gotten power and a windfall of opportunity through what it did in June and November 2005. Terrorist TPLF knows very well that it would not survive any similar event as the one that transpired in the aftermath of the May 2005 election. Therefore this drama is also to pre-empt any possibilities, however remote they seem, that might lead to such eventualities by intimidating those inside and outside the country. The terrorist TPLF at one time used to dream ruling Ethiopia in terms of years but these days that dream has been cut back to days. Therefore they can fabricate this or that endless drama just to buy a day in power. As far as the terrorist TPLF is concerned any thing goes when it comes to staying in power. No moral, ethical or legal constraint, none whatsoever, that can hold back the terrorist TPLF. Anything is a fair game for the terrorist TPLF. The current drama on play is yet another foolish and futile attempt by the terrorist TPLF that is desperately hoping to cling to power. The G7 has not been bullied around by this foolish drama and it stuck to its message according to its plan. The desperate and clumsy TPLF drama even raised the profile of the G7 helping it to secure one of the most strategic heights in the Ethiopian political landscape.
Genene G7