Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (Reporter) — A military court sentenced six senior army officers to prison terms ranging from 10 to 23 years of rigorous imprisonment on July 24, last month after finding them guilty of charges relating mainly to their involvement with the former Coalition for Unity and Democracy (CUD).
The Second Bench of the Primary Military Court passed the sentence on Colonel Abebe Asrat, Lieutenant-Colonel Gossaye Bogale, Lieutenant- Colonel Tesfaye Hailu, Lieutenant-Colonel Tesfaye Lemma, Lieutenant- Colonel Getnet Admasu and Captain Kassahun Negussie.
According to the first of the six charges, the military prosecutor brought against the defendants on February 16, 2009, in February 2005 and another undetermined date in the same year they withdrew five Kalashnikov rifles with 300 rounds of bullets and 16 B-52 guns and handed them over in May and June 2005 to unauthorized/unknown persons by themselves and through Ato Bedru Adem, a member of the leadership of the CUD. They were thus accused of transferring army firearms to unauthorized persons and causing harm to the national defense forces.
The second charge accuses the defendants of knowingly participating on an unspecified date in 2005 in an illegal meeting organized by the CUD which was inciting members of the defense forces to engage in mutiny with a view to subvert the constitution and constitutional order through violence. It says during the meeting, the chair, Ato Bedru Adem, told them to cause their subordinates to support the CUD’s objectives and explained to them that as the army played a vital role in bringing down the government they should struggle for this purpose and needed to incite army members to rebellion. The charge alleges that the defendants then expressed their intention to do secretly to do whatever was in their power to help achieve the CUD’s objectives and topple the government.
In the third charge, the second, third and fourth defendants were accused of abusing their power by committing gross neglect of their responsibilities with intent to damage and embezzle government property when they were assigned as committee members to head the army’s ordnance maintenance main section. The charge says the second defendant took home 40 pieces of 28-gauge sheet metal, one grinder, one driller and one generator while the third defendant sold various quantities of apparel, cement and other army properties and pocketed the money himself. It also accuses the three defendants of distributing among themselves the government-issued apparel that had been intended for use by all the staff of the main section.
The remaining three charges concern the third defendant accusing him of causing the loss of four guns which had been given to him by different persons at different times (fourth charge) causing the destruction of military documents, namely the property ledger of the ordnance maintenance main section, by ordering a subordinate to burn it in June 2005, (fifth charge), as well as insulting and intimidating subordinate female soldiers on various occasions with the intent to injure their moral (sixth charge).
After considering the arguments of both the prosecution and the defendants as well as their documentary evidence and testimonies of witnesses, the court found the defendants guilty as charged with the exception of the fourth and fifth charges.
Accordingly, it sentenced the 1st defendant (Colonel Abebe Asrat) to 18 years of rigorous imprisonment. The 2nd defendant (Lt Col. Gossaye Bogale), the 3rd defendant (Lt Col. Tesfaye Hailu), the 4th defendant (Lt Col. Tesfaye Lemma), the 5th defendant (Lt Col. Getnet Admasu) and the sixth defendant (Cap Kassahun Negussie) were given prison terms of 23, 21,16, 10 and 15 years of rigorous imprisonment respectively.
All the defendants have appealed the decision to the Military Appellate Court, it has been learnt.
SEATTLE – More victims are surfacing in connection with a local travel agency that suddenly closed its doors earlier this summer – leaving an untold number of customers holding the bag.
Now the agency, Alem Travel, is at the center of a police investigation as detectives try to determine what happened to the business’ owner and thousands of dollars in ticket money that simply vanished.
For years Alem Travel has been the go-to travel agency for the Ethiopian community. But a few weeks ago, travelers bound for Ethiopia were shocked to learn the airline tickets they bought didn’t exist and they were left in the lurch.
In a previous report, KOMO News talked to several victims who said they trusted the 12-year-old business at 1812 East Madison Street and the man who ran it – until he disappeared with their money.
Now even more victims are turning up.
Aster Tareken is one of them. She said she hasn’t seen her daughter Bethlehem in two years. The 17-year-old is supposed to be home right now but instead she’s stuck in Ethiopia. Her airline ticket is canceled.
Aster thinks her Seattle travel agent booked the ticket, canceled it and pocketed the refund.
Now she’s out $1,650 and her daughter is stranded in Africa.
“What am I gonna do now? How am I gonna tell my daughter I feel really sorry for her? How am I gonna explain this to her?” Aster says.
Like the previous victims, Aster bought her ticket from Alem Travel.
KOMO News has tried repeatedly to contact Alem Travel in Seattle. But sources say the owner, Solomon Biruk, may be in Ethiopia.
Seattle police confirm that multiple victims have surfaced since KOMO News aired its original report on the agency and its victims.
Selamneh Ambaw is one of them. He got a confirmation number – and even a printed itinerary – for his planned trip in October to Ethiopia.
The airline said a reservation was made, but says the ticket was then canceled.
Selamneh says, “I said, ‘Ah, this does not sound good.’ I said, ‘I can’t seem to get a hold of this guy ’cause he’s no longer around.'”
He lost $1,383, which he paid in cash.
“It’s just very, very sad,” he says. “Like I said, I just wonder what happened for him to do something like that.”
All the travelers out of money said they’ve worked with Alem before and never had a problem. They and neighboring businesses are stumped.
Bryan Vehrs says, “He was one of the hardest-working people here, from my experience – was incredibly honest and ethical.”
Aster and Selamneh both saved for their trips. Now Aster is borrowing money to get her daughter home.
KOMO News Problem Solvers also were contacted by a ticket consolidator in Washington, D.C., who said they sold Alem Travel 42 airline tickets and never got paid because, they allege, Alem used unauthorized credit cards.
BERLIN (AFP) — Olympic champion Kenenisa Bekele remained on course for an unprecedented distance double at the World Athletics Championships after moving seamlessly into the men’s 5000m final.
The Ethiopian used his trademark last-lap kick to win his semi-final in 13min 19.77sec, far off his own world record of 12:37.35.
Bekele, who has been the fastest in the world over 5000m every year since 2004, won his fourth 10,000m world title on Monday to tie him with former master Haile Gebrselassie’s record over the distance.
His performance in the semi-final here suggests that his rivals in a high-quality field will have their work cut out to prevent him repeating his Beijing Olympics exploits.
In the Chinese capital, Bekele became the first male athlete to claim the 5000/10,000m double since another Ethiopian, Miruts Yifter, achieved the same feat in the widely boycotted 1980 Games in Moscow.
In the race at a packed, sun-kissed Olympic Stadium, Japan’s Yuchiro Ueno set the early pace, Kenyans Vincent Chepkok and Joseph Ebuya at the head of the chasing pack which quickly reeled the Japanese runner back in.
With nine laps to go, the upright figure of Qatar’s Saif Shaheen moved up through the field to second as the field strung out.
Chris Solinksy of the United States, Moroccan Anis Selmouni and Bekele followed Shaheen and the Kenyan duo.
When the bell went for the final lap, Bekele had to go wide to get past Briton Mohammed Farah and American Matthew Tegenkamp but once ahead stayed like that through to the line.
Tegenkamp finished second with Farah third, Chepkok in fourth and Spain’s Jesus Espana in the final automatic qualification spot.
Defending champion Bernard Lagat of the United States got through his semi with ease, a handy last-lap breakaway of five coming across the line in close order.
Ugandan Moses Kipsiro, who won bronze at the last worlds in Osaka in 2007, won the heat in 13:22.98, with Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge, defending silver medallist, coming though in second ahead of James C’Kurui of Qatar.
Lagat and Moroccan Chakir Boujattaoui completed the automatic qualifiers.
One runner who did not qualify was Qatar’s two-time world 3000m steeplechase champion Saif Shaheen, who finished well down the field in the opening semi-final.
“I am a steeplechase runner, but this year I could not qualify for the steeple, so I decided to run the 5000m,” said Shaheen, who previously competed as Stephen Cherono for Kenya.
“But I have some health problems: hamstring and the stomach. I just decided to run the race despite my problems.
“This was my last race for this year. I will go to Munich tomorrow and see the doctor. I hope to come back for the indoors season.”
There was good news for Bekele’s compatriot Ali Abdosh, who will compete in Sunday’s final despite finishing in 13th position in his semi-final.
Abdosh was spiked on the second lap and lost 200m as he attempted to put one shoe back on.
On August 29, 2009, His Holiness Abune Merkorios, Patriarch of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, will bless the opening of The Kidist Mariam Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Cathedral. The ceremony will be held at the brand new complex, located at 1152 South Stone Mountain Lithonia Rd., Lithonia, GA (a suburb of Atlanta)… [read more]
To assist foreign-born adults to improve their English language skills and advance their career, an ESL for Employment course will be offered in the fall at several campuses of Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA). Prospective candidates are encouraged to attend a two-hour information session about the course. Such information sessions will be presented on five August and September evenings, beginning August 6, each at a different NOVA campus. There is no charge for the Information Session. In fact, a $25 check towards course tuition will be awarded to people who register at least one week before the session of their choice… [read more]
Berlin (DPA) – Top star Tirunesh Dibaba could not run due to injury and as a result confusion reigned for Ethiopia in the 10,000 metres. Meselech Melkamu thought she had won and started celebrating, unaware that she was pipped for the world title on Saturday by Kenya’s Linet Masai on the finish line.
If that wasn’t enough, organizers first listed Meseret Defar as bronze medallist, realizing only half an hour later after a review that countrywoman Wude Ayalew was in fact third. Defar had to settle for fifth after tiring dramatically on the home stretch.
In addition, Dibaba, who was declared injured on Friday, would have most probably run at a much faster pace with her team-mates than the race turned out to be, with Masai making the most of it.
As a result of all of this, Ethiopia failed to get a sixth straight gold in the race as Kenya moved back on top for the first time since Sally Barsosio won in 1997.
“I can’t believe it! I’m so grateful for the win. I didn’t give up until the end,” said the 19-year-old Masai.
The Ethiopians had only themselves to blame in the end (and will hope that Dibaba is fit to run the 5,000m next week).
The absence of Dibaba, the two-time Olympic champion and four-time world champion, was a blow, but the season-leader Melkamu and former 5,000m world champ Defar seemingly classy enough to see the race home.
Ayalew readily admitted that the slow pace, which was eventually picked up by Masai, was a mistake.
“If we had taken the pace earlier we would have finished on top,” she said, with Malkamu adding “there was no plan to push the pace.”
Things looked fine until the end when Defar kicked going into the home stretch. However, she tired in the end and faded to fifth.
Melkamu took over but was ambushed at the finish line by Masai, just like Ejegayehu Dibaba was stunned in similar fashion by China’s Xin Huina in the Olympic 10,000m race in 2004.
“I never saw the Kenyan … I thought I had won,” said Melkamu.
“I am very, very disappointed that we lost the gold. For myself personally, I am pleased because this is my first time running this event at the world championships, so I’m happy I got a medal.”
Ayalew, meanwhile, was awarded with the bronze after an agonizing wait.
“I thought I might be third. I was disappointed when I heard I was fifth. Now I am happy,” she said shortly after learning of the medal.
SEATTLE – More victims are surfacing in connection with a local travel agency that suddenly closed its doors earlier this summer – leaving an untold number of customers holding the bag.