Ethiopia’s khat-addicted dictator continues to throw wild accusations of terrorism against journalists and critics even as Wikileaks is exposing (read here) that the regime has been orchestrating bombings and blaming them on others.
Yesterday, Meles Zenawi’s injustice minister announced that it is filing terrorism charges against two Swedish journalists, Ethiopian Review editor, Awramba Times deputy editor, and others. The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalist described the accusations as ridiculous.
The following is how the Woyanne-controlled ETV and ENA reported the charges.
VIDEO
Federal Prosecutor Files Charges Against Terror Suspects
Addis Ababa, September 7, 2011 (ENA) – The Federal Prosecutor has filed charges against persons suspected of terrorists act including two Swedish journalists who were arrested during a fight with Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF), the Ministry of Justice said.
In a news conference he gave here on Wednesday, State Minister for Dispute Affairs with the Ministry of Justice, Berhanu Tsegaye said the Federal Prosecutor filed charges against the suspects under the file, Elias Kifle.
It has also filed suit against two Swedish journalists who were arrested during the fight with ONLF under the file, Abdiwoli Mohammed Ismael, he added.
According to Berhanu, the Federal Prosecutor has charged the suspects of attempting to dismantle the constitutional system through organized armed group.
He said the Prosecutor charged the members of the group operating under the mastermind, Elias Kifle, in collaboration with five organizations which are regarded as terrorist groups, and the Government of Eritrea with attempting to commit terror acts.
Berhanu said the suspects, who were organized in underground terror group in 2003 EC, were also charged with an attempt of destroying electricity and telephone as well as fiber networks existing in Addis Ababa City, Dessie, Woldiya, Harar, Hawassa, Assosa, Wollega, Jijiga and Gondar by collaborating with foreign terror groups.
The suspects include Elias Kifle, Zerihun Gebreegziabher Tadesse, Woubshet Taye Abebe and Hirut Kifle Woldeyes.
According to Berhanu, the defendants were accused on four counts of charges.
The charges include involving in terror act, commit terrorist act and using fraudulent money for terror act and extending financial support to terrorist acts.
Berhanu said the suspects, Elias Kifle and Hirut Kifle, were also found guilty of committing terror acts previously.
He said the Federal Prosecutor has also filed charges on members of ONLF and two Swedish journalists arrested during the fight with ONLF.
The Swedish journalists were charged with advancing and supporting ONLF’s subversive acts and participating in terrorist organization and violating the sovereignty of the nation.
According to the State Minister, the government has concrete evidence for the charges.
The Federal High Court, which received the suits, has adjourned the case for October 17 2011.
Due to Tropical Rain Lee, DC Cookout has been rescheduled. The new date will be announced shortly.
ETHIOPIAN HERITAGE SOCIETY OF NORTH AMERICA will have an outdoor festival (a cookout) to celebrate Ethiopian New Year and show its appreciation to its supporters in the Washington DC Metro Area.
This family oriented festival will be held on:
September 10, 2011
Time: from 12 to 6pm
Place: 4100 S Four Mile Run Dr., Arlington, VA 22206
FREE OF CHARGE TO ALL OUR GUESTS.
Please come and celebrate this Ethiopian Holiday with us !!
For more information please call: 703 395 6067 or 571 274 9420
Ethiopian Review and other media have been blaming Ethiopia’s khat-addicted dictator and his Woyanne junta for the so-called “terrorist bombings” in Addis Ababa (read here). From its jungle days, Woyanne is known for exploding bombs in civilians areas and blaming the action on its opponents. Now the U.S. diplomats have confirmed Ethiopian Review’s claim that the Addis Ababa bombings were carried out by the Meles regime’s security forces. Ambassador Vicki Huddleston wrote in a secret memo:
A series of explosions were reported in Addis Ababa on September 16, killing three individuals. The GoE announced that the bombs went off while being assembled, and that the three dead were terrorists from the outlawed Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) with links to the Oromo National Congress (ONC). An embassy source, as well as {www:clandestine} reporting, suggests that the bombing may have in fact been the work of GoE security forces.
So who is the real terrorist?
This revelation may come as shocking for some, but not for most Ethiopians who know about the evil nature of the Woyanne terrorist regime. Read the full report below:
VZCZCXRO1900
PP RUEHROV
DE RUEHDS #2708 2790853
ZNY SSSSS ZZH
P 060853Z OCT 06
FM AMEMBASSY ADDIS ABABA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 2771
INFO RUCNIAD/IGAD COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RHMFISS/CJTF HOA PRIORITY
RUEKDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY
RHMFISS/HQ USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL PRIORITY
S E C R E T ADDIS ABABA 002708
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
DEPARTMENT FOR AF/E
LONDON, PARIS, ROME FOR AFRICA WATCHER
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/23/2016
TAGS: PTER PREL PGOV ET ER
SUBJECT: ETHIOPIA: RECENT BOMBINGS BLAMED ON OROMOS
POSSIBLY THE WORK OF GOE
Classified By: CHARGE VICKI HUDDLESTON FOR REASONS 1.4(b)AND(d).
¶1. (S) SUMMARY A series of explosions were reported in Addis
Ababa on September 16, killing three individuals. The GoE
announced that the bombs went off while being assembled, and
that the three dead were terrorists from the outlawed Oromo
Liberation Front (OLF) with links to the Oromo National
Congress (ONC). An embassy source, as well as clandestine
reporting, suggests that the bombing may have in fact been
the work of GoE security forces. END SUMMARY
¶2. (U) On September 16, three bomb explosions were reported
in the Kara Kore area of Addis Ababa. The explosions were
heard at 4:45 a.m., 7:00 a.m., and 10:00 a.m. The National
Intelligence and Security Service (NISS), together with the
Federal Police Anti-terror Task Force later reported that the
bombs were “part of a coordinated terror attack by the OLF
and Sha’abiya (Eritrea) aimed at disrupting democratic
development.” The NISS said that the intended terror plot
had failed and the bombs had mistakenly gone off while the
suspects were preparing them while hiding out at an illegally
built house. Two of the suspects died immediately, while
another died on the way to the hospital. One other is in
critical condition. The police task force reported having
others in custody related to the plot and that evidence shows
the terrorists had ties to Oromo groups – the Mecha and
Tulema Association (MTA) and the ONC. They also said that
the bombs used contained parts sourced from Eritrea and were
consistent with bombs used in previous terrorist attacks.
¶3. (S) On September 20, Dr. Merera Gudina (strictly protect),
the former leader of the ONC (and a typically reliable
information source), contacted Post to report that the
deceased had not died not while constructing a bomb, but
rather at the hands of GoE cadres. Dr. Merera said that the
men had been picked up by police a week prior, kept in
detention and tortured. He said police then left the men in
a house and detonated explosives nearby, killing 3 of them.
He did not indicate whether the men were ONC or OLF
affiliated.
¶4. (S) Clandestine reporting indicates that the bombs did not
explode inside the structure, but rather appear to have been
placed outside and detonated.
[Ambassador Vicki] HUDDLESTON
EDITOR’S NOTE: Meles and his propaganda chief Bereket fabricate any thing, come up with all kinds of wild charges to silence independent information sources. It’s a regime that compares the Voice of America (VOA) to Rwanda’s Radio Télévision Libre Mille-Collines (RTLMC). That’s how silly and outrageous they are.
Ethiopia’s regime charged two Swedish journalists with terrorism after detaining them in July with rebels in the Ogaden region, State Minister of Communications Shimeles Kemal said.
Johan Persson and Martin Schibbye appeared in court yesterday, Shimeles said in a telephone interview from Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa, today. Prosecutors have a video showing the journalists handling guns, he said.
“They have entered the country with a bunch of terrorists,” the minister said. “They have even taken weapons training. Their activity is a bit more than mere journalistic activity.”
The journalists will be tried for engaging in terrorism, assisting a terrorist organization and entering the country illegally, Shimeles said. They were detained with members of the Ogaden National Liberation Front, which has been fighting since 1984 for self-determination of Ogaden, located in a province that borders Somalia.
The Swedish Foreign Ministry hasn’t received official notification of the charges, Teo Zetterman, a spokesman for the department, said in a telephone interview from Stockholm today.
Ethiopia also brought terrorism charges against two ONLF members and three other journalists, including Elias Kifle, who runs the Washington-based Ethiopian Review website and Woubshet Taye, the deputy editor of the Addis Ababa-based Awramba Times.
“He is innocent, everybody is innocent, it is clear,” Awramba Times’s editor, Dawit Kebede, said in a phone interview today. “I believe it’s a systematic way to put pressure on our newspaper.”
Ethiopian Heritage Society of North America (EHSNA) Announces Second Executive Committee Election Results, Releases Community Agenda
EHSNA Election Results
The Ethiopian Heritage Society of North America (EHSNA) recently held an election for members of its executive committee for the second time in its history. EHSNA’s primary mission and vision is to promote and preserve the rich heritage and traditions of Ethiopian culture. The elections were held for seven committee offices: President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Public Relations Director, Business Manager, and Events Coordinator. The results:
• President. Shakespear Feyissa was elected to his second term as president.
• Vice President. Fifi Derso was elected to her first term as vice president.
• Secretary. Yeshitila Araya was elected for his first term as secretary
• Public Relations. Abebe Hailu will be his first term as public relations director.
• Treasurer. Iskeinder Eyob was elected as treasurer for the second time.
• Business Manager. Haile Tefera was elected to his second term as business manager.
• Events Coordinator. Yared Eshete will be working as events coordinator for the first time.
On September 1, 2011 these individuals assumed their respective posts as the preceding executive committee officers handed over responsibilities as necessary. EHSNA board members, associate members, supporters and other members of the various Ethiopian communities extend congratulations and best wishes to the recently elected committee officers.
Goals of EHSNA
Entering its second year of operation, EHSNA has an ambitious primary goal. The Society, a 501(c)(3) organization, has a vision and mission to promote and preserve the rich heritage and traditions of the Ethiopian culture and its progenitors. Through its efforts it hopes to establish a strong link between that heritage and the new generation of Ethiopians born and raised in the Diaspora. The Society also wants to share that historical and cultural heritage with the other citizens of North America and contribute even more to the wide diversity that the North American nations already celebrate.
Recent EHSNA Activities
As part of that effort, the Society held its First Annual Ethiopian Heritage Festival, themed as “Celebrate and Discover Ethiopia,” this past July 1-3 at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. The festival showcased the historical, cultural, artistic, athletic, and culinary treasures, creativity, and talent from the Ethiopian community for the enjoyment and education of the public at large. The Society will seek to hold a similar festival annually during the first week of every following July.
EHSNA Agenda
Aside from the annual festival, the Society will work toward its mission by the sponsorship of a lecture series, as well as stage productions, art exhibits, sporting events, and the recognition of past and new achievements of individuals and groups within the Ethiopian community, including those in the Diaspora as well as those in the nation of Ethiopia itself.
Uniting the Ethiopian Communities of North America
EHSNA hopes to bring together Ethiopians from all walks of life residing in North America in such a way as to amplify exposure of others to the rich culture and increase its impact on the diversity of the North American societal mainstream. This hope is being realized by the recent and forthcoming activities of the various North American Ethiopian communities:
• Los Angeles, California. Little Ethiopia, an Ethiopian Diaspora community in L.A., held its annual celebration on September 4. It reached out to Ethiopians and Ethiopian-Americans as they celebrated the heritage they share.
• Houston, Texas. On September 10, the Houston Ethiopian communities will celebrate the Ethiopian New Year.
• Toronto, Canada. On September 10-11, the Ethiopian Diaspora communities in Toronto will have a two-day celebration of the Ethiopian New Year.
• Baltimore, Maryland. EHSNA will participate in a fund raiser for the benefit of the Baltimore Black Lion Soccer Team to be held on September 11.
• Arlington, Virginia/ Washington, D.C. In an event solely organized by EHSNA, on September 10, the Society will hold an Ethiopian New Year Celebration at Barcroft Park 4100 S. Four Mile Run Dr in Arlington, Virginia (a community near D.C.).
Ethiopian Communities Reach Out
Members of the Ethiopian Diaspora enjoy the peace and prosperity that comes with living in the various North America communities, but they also cherish the remembrance of their lives in Ethiopia, of the families and friends still there, and the way of life still extant in the Horn of Africa. The activities of the various Ethiopian communities and their organizations are meant to be a source of strength to all of Ethiopian heritage and an outreach of friendship to their adopted fellow citizens.
The Ethiopian Heritage Society of North America (EHSNA)
ethiopianheritagesociety.org
Majority Doing It or group mentality implies a fear-based reaction to peer pressure which makes individuals act in order to avoid feeling “left behind” from the group… [read more]
