Ethiopian Review has been the subject of constant harassment by Al Amoudi and Meles Zenawi lawyers that are based in Washington DC, the “capital of free speech.” One of Al Amoudi’s lawyers, Mary E. Gately of the DLP Piper law firm, this week has sent a threatening letter to Hostgator, the company that is hosting Ethiopian Review demanding that we remove articles that refer to her billionaire client Sheik Ato Al Amoudi. DLP Piper’s strategy was to go after a softer target — Hostgator — instead of taking me to court, which I welcome. Understandably, Hostgater did not want to spend thousands of dollars defending itself in court, so the management asked us to remove those articles. But, we were not about to suffer defeat. We created a mirror web site in Vanderland — a country out of DLP Piper’s reach — and transferred the articles there. Click here to view the mirror site.
Today is the 3rd anniversary of the passing away of Ethiopia’s preeminent Orthodox Church scholar and religious father. His absence is deeply felt these days as Ethiopians are left with few leaders who dare to speak the truth and take stand against evil.
Click here to read a message from Aleqa Ayalew’s family and his brief biography.
Please also visit the web site his family has launched to make information about him accessible to every one: aleqayalewtamiru.org It contains some of the published and unpublished documents of Aleqa Ayalew.
Aleqa Ayalew was engaged in a running battle with Aba Gebre-Medhin (formerly Aba Paulos) over fundamental teachings of the Church. He had served as chairman of YeLiqawnt Gubae (council of scholars) until he was forced out by Aba Gebre-Medhin, the gun-totting illegitimate patriarch of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church.
TAIZ, YEMEN — Yemeni authorities in Taiz province have handed over 150 Ethiopian immigrants to Passport and Immigration Authority in Sana’a who were detained for entering into Yemen illegally.
The Immigration and Passport Authority said they will deport the Ethiopians who were handed over by Taiz authorities to implement the orders of the Ministry of Interior.
In related news, security authorities have arrested 19 Ethiopians, 15 of them in Salah districe of Taiz province and others aged between 17-20 years old in Saada province.
ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA — Yesterday, August 17, 2010, around 8 pm, unidentified men tried to enter into Awramba Times’ office. Six hours earlier, the security guard was beaten up and suffered serious injuries.
The unidentified attackers had also threatened the deputy editor-in-chief of Awramba Times, Gizaw Legesse, who intervened to stop the beating.
Awramba Times Managing Editor Dawit Kebede reported the incident to the police, but no investigation has been conducted. The police officer who arrived at the Awramba Times office was not even interested to speak with the victim. Eyewitnesses were also not questioned.
Awramba Times is the only remaining independent newspaper in Ethiopia that dares to report about politics. It’s editors and reporters work under constant threat and harassment.
ISMAILIA, Egypt — Smugglers may have killed as many as 10 Ethiopian and Eritrean migrants in an armed battle near the Egyptian-Israeli border last week and dozens more could be lost in the desert, Egyptian security sources said on Sunday.
The Sinai peninsula is a major transit route for African migrants and refugees seeking work or asylum in Israel. It also is used by smugglers to ferry narcotics and weapons into Israel and a range of goods into the besieged Gaza Strip.
At least four migrants were killed on Friday after they stole weapons from smugglers who had been holding them for ransom and tried to escape. Egyptian police later gunned down at least two more migrants trying to cross the border.
Egyptian police suspect the death toll among the migrants may be as high as 10 following Friday’s shooting, with more bodies still to be discovered, a security source who asked not to be named said.
The smugglers had been holding about 50 Ethiopians and Eritreans for ransom and dozens of the escaped migrants are still missing, the source said.
“A number of the migrants might die of thirst as many are believed to have lost their way in the desert,” the source said.
(Reuters)
The violence brings the number of migrants killed near the Egypt-Israel border this year to at least 28, up from 19 in 2009. Twenty-four of those killed this year were shot dead by Egyptian security forces and four by smugglers.
(Reporting by Yusri Mohamed; Writing by Dina Zayed and Alexander Dziadosz in Cairo; Editing by Michael Roddy)
