CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation & Global Call to Action Against Poverty (GCAP)
MEDIA ADVISORY
Ethiopian activists Daniel Bekele and Netsanet Demissie may face brief additional time behind bars, as the court today sentenced them to two years and six months in prison on charges of incitement, despite demands by the prosecution that they receive the maximum sentence of 10 years.
“While we welcome the fact that Daniel and Netsanet may soon be reunited with their friends, families and colleagues in civil society, we are perplexed and dismayed by the additional sentence. Everyday they have spent and possibly will spend in prison is a deep injustice. They are true heroes of Ethiopia, true heroes of Africa and for everyone around the world who supports democracy, justice and the fight against poverty ,” said Kumi Naidoo, Secretary General of CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation and Co-Chair of the Global Call to Action Against Poverty (GCAP) who was present at the sentencing this morning.
Daniel and Netsanet, coordinators of GCAP in Ethiopia, were today sentenced to two years and six months in prison by the Federal High Court in Addis Ababa for provocation and preparing incitement in the aftermath of the May 2005 elections. On Monday, they were acquitted of conspiracy to overthrow the constitutional order, but were found guilty on the lesser charge. CIVICUS and GCAP anticipate that they will soon be released, given the two years and two months they have already spent behind bars, as well as their good behaviour and their willingness to cooperate with the court.
Before sentencing them this morning, the judges read a statement recognising their contributions to peace, democracy and the rule of law in Ethiopia. The presiding judge dissented from the verdict and has consistently maintained they are innocent of the charges, finding their actions to be fully within the constitution.
“The judges’ statement today read more like a citation for the Nobel Peace Prize than justification for even a single day they have spent in prison ,” said Kumi Naidoo.
Since Daniel and Netsanet’s arrest in November 2005, civil society organisations in Ethiopia have come under increasing scrutiny, and many have been forced into silence on controversial issues for fear of meeting the same fate as Daniel and Netsanet.
Speaking from Ethiopian Federal court, Kumi Naidoo said, ” This case has significance beyond the travesty of justice against Daniel and Netsanet. Their continued detention has had a chilling effect on civil society in Ethiopia. It is extremely important that the judges stated none of their actions were against the constitution and were in fact legitimate civil society activities. We hope that this vindication will enable civil society to fully exercise its role, including advocacy for human rights, democracy, peace and the eradication of poverty.”
Aside from their work with GCAP, Daniel is also head of the policy department at ActionAid International Ethiopia. Netsanet is also the founder of local human rights group Organisation for Social Justice in Ethiopia.
At the start of the trial in May 2006, 131 opposition politicians, journalists, civil society leaders and organisations stood accused of a range of charges from genocide to treason. They were among thousands who were detained following protests accusing the government of rigging the 15 May 2005 parliamentary elections. Many of the accused were acquitted during the course of the trial. Others were convicted but pardoned in July and August 2007 – all of whom signed a confession, admitting use of “unconstitutional means to change the constitutionally established government functions” following the 2005 elections.
Although they were asked to sign a similar statement, Daniel and Netsanet declined. They argued that their activities in 2005 were entirely legal and did not serve to undermine, but rather to protect and promote Ethiopia’s constitutional order.
Recognised as Amnesty International prisoners of conscience, Daniel and Netsanet were consistently denied bail, even after seven attempts, including an appeal to the Supreme Court.
ENDS
For more information or interviews, please contact:
Ciara O’Sullivan, GCAP – in the UK: +44 776 724 6880, [email protected]
Kumi Naidoo, CIVICUS – in Ethiopia: +251 911 926 295
Julie Middleton, CIVICUS – in South Africa: +27 403 6040 [email protected]
For more information on CIVICUS: www.civicus.org
For more information on GCAP: www.whiteband.org
NAIROBI (AFP) — Eritrean President Issaias Afeworki on Tuesday mourned the country’s famous independence fighter Mohammed Omar Abdalla, who died earlier in the day, aged 79.
Abdalla was one of the prominent fighters who launched Eritrea’s struggle for independence from Ethiopia in 1961. The guerrilla warfare campaign resulted in independence in 1993, when Issaias came to power.
“(He) was one of the patriots among the founding fathers of the armed struggle for independence in the wake of the big powers’ conspiracy against the right of the Eritrean peoples to self-determination,” Issaias said.
Afeworki described Abdalla as “a symbol of the legacy of the Eritrean people’s steadfastness and victory,” said a statement posted on the information ministry’s website, shabait.com.
The 1991 defeat by Eritrean rebel fighters of a far larger Ethiopian army — who were backed first by the United States and then the Soviet Union — came at a heavy price.
Asmara has allocated one-third of the its annual national budget in support of families of “fallen heroes and needy nationals.”
Apart from the independence heroes, Asmara regards men and women who died during the 1998-2000 border war with Ethiopia is another category of national heroes.
The president has vowed to improve the lives of people in Eritrea, the impoverished small nation on the western banks of the Red Sea, which is home to at least 4.2 million people.
An office staff member of the Coalition for Unity and Democracy Party (Kinijit), Ato Girma Amare, was picked up by Woyanne gunmen from the party’s temporary office located at the Kirkos district of Addis Ababa today. Ato Girma was released in the afternoon after being interrogated by the Woyanne security personnel. The Woyanne gunmen also searched the office without search warrant. Read more by zikkir News Service.
San Diego, CA – 50 best Ethiopian website of the year for year 2007 is out. Yebbo Communication Network and SEWD (Society of Ethiopian Web developers) has conducted a research to find out where the Ethiopian web sites are ranking by the number of traffics they have based on Alexa.com web site traffic tools and other feedbacks from visitors around the world and here are the top 50 Ethiopian websites of 2007.
#1 EthiopianReview.com
#2 Nazret.com
#3 EthioMedia.com
Read more at yebbo.com
Click below to listen to an interview with Dr Hailu Araya, Kinijit spokesperson, today 12:15 PM EST.
Ethiopian Review Radio Network
At 2:00 PM EST today, ECADF will interview Ato Muluneh Eyoel, Kinijit Secretary General.
ALSO TODAY
Discussion with Ato Zewdalem Kebede on the relation between Ethiopian opposition groups and the gov’t of Eritrea at 9:00 PM and will be repeated at 12:00 Midnight EST. Click below to listen: Ethiopian Review Radio Network
VOA – It was Christmas Day a year ago that the situation in Somalia changed dramatically. That’s when Ethiopia Woyanne invaded and drove out forces belonging to the Islamic Courts Union. However, Ethiopia’s Woyanne’s initial, decisive military victory has turned into a yearlong occupation with no end in sight.
Among those who’ve been following developments of the past year in Somalia is Professor David Shinn of George Washington University. Dr. Shinn is a former U.S. ambassador to Ethiopia. From Columbus, Ohio, he spoke to VOA English to Africa Service reporter Joe De Capua about the events of 2007.
“I think a lot of people are surprised that the Ethiopians Woyannes are still there and still trying to figure out how to get out of Somalia. I’m convinced they’d very much like to leave but feel they’re sort of stuck. And I’m almost certain they’re surprised at the situation that they are in. And I think a lot of other people are too, although frankly it should have been fairly predictable that this was not going to go very smoothly,” he says.
Shinn adds, “It’s a very difficult situation. The situation on the ground is still very difficult and has not really improved. And one still does not see a way out of this unless there’s going to be a political solution to the problem, which is really what is required.”
Ambassador Shinn has been calling for a political solution for the past year. Asked why one has not been achieved, he says, “Because I don’t think anyone has been very serious about trying to achieve a political solution on any side of the issue. In the past year, you would have to put most of the blame on the Transitional Federal Government for not making a significant enough effort. Because they have held most of the security cards so long as the Ethiopians Woyannes have been there supporting them. So, it is really up to them to make the gesture to those who oppose them. And try to bring them into the government in order to create a government of national unity that would allow the opponents to rein in those who are fighting against the Transitional Federal Government. They have not made sufficient steps to do that. They still have an opportunity to do that and I think the naming of the new prime minister, Nur Adde, makes that a greater possibility. But he has to seize the initiative and really create a new government that will be acceptable to most of those individuals who now oppose the Transitional Federal Government.”
Shinn calls on the international community, including the Arab League, to do more to find a political solution, rather than relying on AU peacekeepers, who are very few in number.
