Kinijit chairman Hailu Shawel has arrived in Washington DC this afternoon after a few days stay in Minneapolis. Close to 1,000 Ethiopians greeted him at the Washington Reagan Airport as he exited the terminal on a wheelchair provided by the airport. The shaleqa group, including Shaleqa Yoseph himself, Dr Taye Woldesemayat, Ato Solomon Bekele, Ato Merchaw Seneshaw and others, accompanied him as he greeted supporters and headed to his car.
Members of the Shaleqa group, which is joined by EPRP and other ani-Kinijit elements, have been distributing a pamphlet at the airport that says: “Kinijit will move forward with Hailu Shawel’s leadership!” The pamphlet accuses other Kinijit leaders of being Woyanne agents without mentioning names. The pamphlet caused an altercation which stopped after police intervened.
Officials of the Kinijit North America, including its chairman Aklog Lemeneh, and the Washington DC Metro Chapter, as well as the former head of the Kinijit International Leadership, Dr Moges Gebre-Mariam, were present at the airport to welcome Ato Hailu, but the Shaleqa group did not allow them to approach him.
The crowd gave Ato Hailu a warm welcome and followed him to a public park near the airport where he gave a brief speech. Addressing a gathering of about 700, he remarked that Kinijit is one, which received roaring cheers.
After concluding his speech, the crowd started to chant: Hailu yegna naw! Kinijit aend naw! Shaleqa leba naw! Merchaw leba naw!
Ethiopian Review spoke with several individuals who were at the airport to welcome Ato Hailu. Almost all of them were there to thank Ato Hailu for the sacrifices he made, while objecting to his recent actions.
So this was how Ato Hailu was greeted in Washington DC today. From the small number of turn out, it is clear that he has wounded himself politically.
5:30 PM
Ato Hailu Shawel gives a speech in a public park near the Washington Reagan Airport.
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[photo: Tewodros Mekebeb]
5:25 PM
The car carrying Ato Hailu and his wife has now entered the park. Ato Hailu went out of the car. He is accompanied by Ato Solomon Bekele. He is heading to a chair and table where he is about to make a speech…
5:10 PM
Hundreds of people are now gathering at a park near the Reagan Airport. Ato Hailu Shawel and his wife, Wzr. Almaz, are waiting in a car until the people who greeted them at the airport arrive at the park. Dr Taye, Shaleqa Yoseph and others are standing nearby talking among themselves. Merchaw Sinishaw, a radio host who has been campaigning against the Kinijit North America and International Leadership has the microphone and is saying some thing to the crowd. The number of people who are in the park right now is about 500, but more people are coming… – read more
4:52 PM
Ato Hailu Shawel and entourage are arriving at a public park near the Reagan Airport. He is surrounded by mostly unknown individuals other than the Shaleqa group. None of the Washington DC area Kinijit activists can bee seen close to Ato Hailu…
[photo: Tewodros Mekebeb]
4:45 PM
Ato Hailu is now heading to a public park near the Reagan Airport off of George Washington Parkway where he will give a speech. Close to 1,000 Ethiopians greeted him at the airport when he arrived a few minutes ago…
4:35 PM Ato Hailu has now arrived and is being greeted by by hundreds of Ethiopians at the Reagan Airport. He is on a wheelchair. He is being accompanied by… Shaleqa Yoseph Yazew, Ato Solomon Bekele, Dr Taye Woldesemayat and other members of the shaleqa group…
4:25 PM
There are currently about 600-700 people awaiting the arrival of Ato Hailu Shawel at the Reagan Airport. A few minutes ago there was a brief altercation when some individuals started to distributed a flyer.
The Coalition for Unity and Democracy Party (Kinijit) chairman, Ato Hailu Shawel, will arrive in Washington DC today, Saturday, 4 PM, at the Reagan Airport from Minneapolis. He came to the U.S. on Tuesday and had been staying with his relatives in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Hundreds of Kinijit supporters are expected to welcome Ato Hailu at the airport, but the reception is not expected to be filled with the kind of enthusiasm and joy that was seen last Sunday when the Kinijit delegation arrived. Many of those who will greet him at the airport today are angry by his recent behavior. Not only he continues to closely associate himself with individuals who have squandered and diverted hundreds of thousands of the party’s funds, he has also been going against Kinijit’s democratic principles, which he was elected and swore to uphold. His disregard for the decisions of the Kinijit executive committee is an unacceptable behavior in any major political party.
Ato Hailu’s most recent misconduct is his refusal to implement the decision by the Kinijit central council and executive committee to embark on a worldwide tour to mobilize critically needed support for the party.
At first, Ato Hailu agreed and made an official announcement that Kinijit high level delegation, including himself, would travel to the U.S. and other countries. But after the decision was made and he signed on it, he changed his mind and started giving different excuses as to why the tour should be postponed. Later it was revealed that he changed his mind after his close friend Shaleqa Yoseph Yazew and group asked him not to come. The Shaleqa group — which is accused by Kinijit North America auditor and inquiry commission of financial improprieties — is concerned that the delegation would conduct an investigation into the allegations and take appropriate measures. So the shaleqa group started to pressure Ato Hailu not to come to the U.S. To the shock and surprise of many, Ato Hailu has succumbed to the pressure.
After giving all kinds of excuses to delay the delegation’s visit to the U.S., Ato Hailu yet again changed his mind and decided to come after his colleagues arrived in Washington last Sunday. The enthusiastic reception for the delegation by Ethiopians in the Washington DC area may have played a role in his change of plan. Nevertheless, Ato Hailu’s decision to come was received as a good news by many of Kinijit officials and supporters in the U.S.
But the good news is a short-lived one, since it has now been revealed that Ato Hailu changed his mind and decided to travel to the U.S. only after asking the shaleqa group to give him a recommendation on what to do. After a heated debate, the shaleqa group decided to recommend to Ato Hailu that it is a good idea for him to come without any further delay. Among the shaleqa group, the shaleqa himself and Ato Moges Brook, the two individuals who are thought to have direct involvements in the reported corruption, have bitterly argued against Ato Hailu’s visit, according to sources close to the group. But a group within the shaleqa group led by Ato Solomon Bekele has prevailed and sent a recommendation to Ato Hailu.
It is wrong for Ato Hailu to arrive at decisions or make up his mind in this manner, i.e., through the advice and recommendations of a group that has no official leadership or advisory role inside Kinijit, while ignoring the decisions and directives of the executive committee he chairs.
The decision by the Kinijit executive committee to go on a worldwide tour is not the only thing that Ato Hailu has disregarded. He has so far refused to implement the executive commission’s decision signed by himself to terminate the Kinijit International Council (KIC) that is led by the well-known anti-Kinijit Dr Taye Woldesemayat. The KIC is actually run by Shaleqa Yoseph from behind the scene. It is the shaleqa who pays all the KIC’s expenses, including Dr Taye’s airfare, hotel and travel expenses as he travels from city to city to speak with a mostly EPRP audience of 10-20 individuals. When the Kinijit delegation arrived in Washington DC last Sunday, Dr Taye was in Dallas, Texas, holding a public meeting with less then 20 individuals. The once respected Dr Taye has practically turned himself into the Girma Wolde-Giorgis of Shaleqa Yoseph — a puppet.
Ethiopian Review has a great deal of respect for Ato Hailu. At one time we even recommended to the Kinijit executive committee to give him an emergency power so that he can make decisions on urgent matters by himself in times of crisis. Such a power can only be authorized and rescinded by the executive committee or the central council that appointed him chairman. What Ato Hailu is doing now can only be characterized as a reckless disregard for Kinijit’s rules and procedure, and its democratic principles that attracted most Ethiopians to the party.
The executive committee so far has been highly respectful toward Ato Hailu and did not utter any public criticism. At the same time, they are firm in making sure that the committee’s decisions are fully implemented. Otherwise, the party could not have been taken seriously. It would look like a personal fiefdome of Ato Hailu. Kinijit is a people’s party that is governed by democratic principles and a set of rules and procedures. That is why it is able to earn the support of Ethiopians from all walks of life.
It would be great if Ato Hailu comes to his senses and starts to work with the Kinijit executive committee. He has to make a choice between the crooked friends who have encircled him, and the executive committee whose members had languished for almost two years in jail with him. At the same time, the Kinijit executive committee needs to continue to show patience while staying firm about implementing the decision it is making to move the party forward.
Because of his age and worsening health condition, Ato Hailu may retire in a matter of few months. It would be a tragedy if he leaves Kinijit in disgrace after contributing so much for the struggle to bring freedom and democracy to Ethiopia. Great leaders often have sad endings. After leading the U.K. to victory against Nazi Germany, Winston Churchill was defeated at the post-war election, and later on he was forced out of his party’s leadership. Our own Atse Haile-Selassie’s fate was even worse — he was murdered by his own officers and buried unceremoniously. These leaders could have made a graceful exit at the right moment. But they chose to be forced out. There are examples of great endings, too, such as Nelsen Mandela of South Africa. History now remembers these leaders’ positive achievements more than the mistakes they made at the sunset of their career. No matter how Ato Hailu decides to end his political career, when the dust settles he will be remembered in the history books as a national hero who worked tirelessly to bring a better future for Ethiopia.
Wz. Lishan Akuma’s court trial continued today until 2 PM in the District of Columbia Court. This morning 7 witnessed testified on behalf of Lishan. One other witness and she will take the witness stand this afternoon when the court resumes at 3:30 PM.
Lishan was arrested in front of the White House on July 12 along with two other Ethiopians while holding a protest rally to denounce the conviction by the Meles regime of Kinijit leaders in Ethiopia.
The protesters accused the Bush Administration of encouraging or giving a blind eye to the Woyanne dictatorship’s political repression against Ethiopians back home.
Ethiopian Review spoke with Lishan when the court adjourned for a lunch break. She said that the prosecutor produced video and tape records as evidence, but the video doesn’t show when she resisted arrest, which is the main charge she is facing.
The trial will resume at 3:30 PM and is expected to end by 5 PM. Ethiopian Review encourages those of you in Washington DC to go to the court and show solidarity with our brave sister.
ADDIS ABABA (AP) — Woyanne security forces have detained three Ethiopians linked to a top opposition politician, accusing them of trying to create a disturbance during the country’s millennium celebrations, a fourth man who was released said Friday.
Nebiyu Bazezew, a 28-year-old banker, said that three of his friends had been arrested in the capital on Tuesday night, when celebrations for Wednesday’s millennium began, and held without charge.
After attempting to see the men, Bazezew was held incommunicado for three hours of questioning on Friday, but was released without being told why he had been detained. He was informed by police that his friends were being investigated for trying to cause a disturbance at millennium celebrations, he said, but given no further information on the circumstances of their arrest. Ethiopia follows a Christian calendar seven years behind the one most of the rest of the world uses.
Authorities were not immediately available for comment due to the millennium holiday, which was extended over several days. The three men still in prison were scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday, Bazezew said.
“It was more than scary. Nobody knew I was there. In a country where we talk about civil rights, I wasn’t even registered, and I wasn’t told why I was there,” Bazezew said.
His three friends have not been charged. Under Ethiopian law, suspects must be charged within 48 hours, although the holiday may have delayed their case.
Bazezew said the only connection between the four men was fundraising efforts to buy a car for Bertukan Mideksa in August. Bertukan, a top opposition politician, was among 38 opposition members released from prison last July. They had been held for more than two years after security forces shot 193 civilians protesting electoral fraud. The trial attracted international condemnation and strong pressure from the United States to free the accused, who emerged from prison with strong support in many of their neighborhoods. Such support motivated a group in the neighborhood to buy Mideksa a car, Bazezew said.
Bazezew said his arrest was “obviously” political but could offer no further explanation.
Ethiopia has attracted growing criticism from human rights organizations as it cracks down on political dissidents and rebel groups. The east African nation is currently fighting an insurgency in the remote northern region, and rebels say the army is carrying out reprisals against a civilian population.
PRESS RELEASE
United States Congress
Representative Mike Honda
15th District – California
Washington, D.C. – Congressman Mike Honda (D-CA) will be celebrating the Ethiopian Millennium today and tomorrow at two major national events organized by the Ethiopian-American community.
Today, he will be a guest speaker at the Ethiopian New Year’s Eve event on the Mall and on Wednesday, Honda will participate in the opening ceremony of the March for Democracy, to commence on the West Steps of the Capitol.
“It is important, now more than ever, to celebrate the culture of democracy and understand that its values need to be cherished and nurtured, wherever its ideals are preached,” said Honda, chair of the Congressional Ethiopian-American Caucus. “This should be not just a celebration of traditions, but also a reminder that the future is being forged today.”
Recently, Honda introduced H.Res.550 congratulating the people of Ethiopia on the second Millennium of their country. The resolution was co-authored by Rep. Donald Payne (D-NJ). Honda hopes the attention surrounding the Millennium will highlight priority issues such as political reconciliation and international aid and development.
The celebrations will also underscore the importance of Ethiopia as a key nation in the birth of the Pan-African movement, and the original home to nearly one million people residing in the United States . Ethiopian-Americans make up the second largest African immigrant community in the United States . The African Union has already declared the Ethiopia Millennium as the African Millennium.
“In the wake of a tumultuous period in Ethiopian history, it was important for us to do more to increase the visibility of a country that has been a long-time friend of the United States ,” said Honda, emphasizing that the two countries have had relations since 1903. ¨We also wanted show our appreciation to the Ethiopian-American community for all their ongoing contributions to our society.¨
Ethiopia ’s calendar is based on the Orthodox Tewahedo Calendar, which is based on Ethiopia ’s ancient Coptic calendar – the West follows the Gregorian calendar.
Honda also announced an event, to be held October 10, which he will host in 1300 Longworth Agriculture Committee Room. The event seeks to highlight this legislation, and to generate support for development issues the Ethiopia Caucus is committed to solving, such as the battle over coffee trademarks between Ethiopia and the National Coffee Association.
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Contact: José Dante Parra: 202.225.3327 [email protected]
The following is a speech by Ato Guled Kassim representing the Ogaden Ethiopian community at a rally that was held on Sept. 12 in front of the U.S. Congress. The rally urged members of Congress to pass H.R. 2003.
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Thank you all for being here today.
As we stand here in front of the U.S. Congress petitioning our government to address our needs. I want to tell you that the Ogaden Community stands with you shoulder to shoulder in denouncing this regime.
Today, we are here to say that we can no longer allow the destructive regime of Melez Zenawi continue to stay in power.
• His regime violated the human rights of the people in Ethiopia
• Detained and tortured thousands
• Committed genocides in Ogaden, Gambela, Sidamo and many other regions
• Slaughtered civilians in the streets of Addis Ababa for exercising their right to vote.
• Has violated the sacred trust of the people of Ethiopia given to him by the Constitution
• Has Violated international law as it relates to open war fare on civilians
• Has destabilizing the entire Horn of Africa with his inhuman policies.
US State Department Human Rights report details that this regime has:
• Arbitrary or Unlawful Deprivation of Life
• Disappearance
• Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman, or Degrading Treatment or Punishment
• Arbitrary Arrest or Detention
• Prison and Detention center – below standards
• Police detention of journalists
• Denial of Fair Public Trial
• Arbitrary Interference with Privacy, Family, Home, or Correspondence
• Detention of the press – press not free to report
Since the press isn’t allowed to report, you here today are giving a voice to the many million that are voiceless. So give yourselves a big round of applause.
As American Tax payers – we ask our government not to allow the use of our tax dollars to kill, maim and abuse the lives of innocent civilians.
We have Con. Honda and Payne here today and we, as a community need to thank them for their leadership and continue to challenge and pressure them so that they will continue their good work.
To borrow a phrase from a great man — Dr. Martin Luther King — I would like you all here in attendance to repeat after me:
I have a dream – where one day I can go peacefully to the land of my father’s birth and walk the streets in peace.
I have a dream – where one day the Horn of Africa will be rid of this tyrant who has no respect for the Rights of Humans.
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak today.
