WASHINGTON DC – Ethiopians in Washington DC held a rally to protest the widespread human rights violation against innocent civilians and systematic repression of ethnic Somalis that is taking place in the Ogaden region of Ethiopia.
As reported by the international media and the recent extensive report made public by Human Rights Watch, in areas inhabited by Ogaden people in eastern Ethiopia, the TPLF/EPRDF regime security forces have raped and sexually assaulted numerous women; displaced entire rural communities and destroyed dozens of rural villages; forced residents to flee to the neighboring countries; summarily executed thousands of of civilians; arbitrarily detained tens of thousands of people; intentionally restricted the delivery of humanitarian assistance and access to food and medical supplies in the Ogaden region of Ethiopia. Similarly, in the southern and western parts of Ethiopia that are inhabited mostly by Oromo communities, tens of thousands have been detained, tortured or otherwise mistreated.
At the rally organized on Friday October 24, 2008, in front of the US State Department, Ato Fitsum Achamyeleh Alemu, a Virginia based Attorney at law and human rights activist, representing the organizers, talked about gross violation of human rights committed in the past 17 and half years by the TPLF-EPRDF regime.
Fitsum said that from 1992-2008 the TPLF-EPRDF regime killed tens of thousands, forced millions to be displaced or to leave their country, detained and tortured hundreds of thousands. He based his statement on reports US State Department, Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International. He also stated that the TPLF-EPRDF also instigated ethnic and religious violence.
The protesters asked the US government to take leadership and stop the violence, the killing, the torture of Ethiopians. They also asked a new, independent commission to investigate the human rights situation in every province of Ethiopia and the US, the UN and the European Union to take the human rights situation in Ethiopia seriously and to bring perpetrators of the crimes to justice.
Ato Guled Kassim, a human rights activist in the Washington DC area and originally from Ogaden, also spoke at the rally. Guled challenged the US government, US lawmakers and the international community for looking the other way when such a gross violation of human rights is committed in the Ogaden. He said that US tax payers’ money should not be funneled to dictators like Meles Zenawi.
The Ethiopian Television Network (ETN), the VOA and members of the Ethiopian media were present to provide news coverage at the rally,
At the end of the rally, Ato Fitsum Alemu, Ato Neamin Zeleke, Dr. Kassa Aylew, and Dr. Mekdes Befekdau Mr. John Wysham, head of Ethiopia Desk at the State Department, and handed him the letter addressed to Dr. Condoleezza Rice, Secretary of State.
The letter urges the US government to hold the Meles Zenawi regime accountable for its widespread and gross violation of human rights against thousands of innocent civilians in the Ogaden region of Ethiopia as in other places of Ethiopia.
It also urges the US to send a fact finding mission to the region in order to conduct an investigation of the wide spread and systematic human rights violations by the security forces of the Meles regime, identify those who are directly involved, and ensure that they receive no assistance or training from the United States, as required under the “Leahy law”.
Fresh off their successful event, “Poety night” with the ‘youth league,’ below are the top 10 events Birtukan Mideksa and her UDJ (Andinet Party) are currently organizing:
10. Non Violence Poetry night Part II
9. Peaceful stand up comedy night
8. Non violence Magic Show
7. Peaceful Baking Contest
6. Peaceful Dance Contest
5. Non violence Fashion Show
4. Peaceful donkey riding contest
3. Non violence marshal arts show
2. Dalai Lama spiritual warfare training
1. Peaceful warfare techniques symposium
COTONOU, BENNIN – Ethiopian prime minister dictator announces Mauritania’s suspension from African Peer Review Mechanism.
Mauritania has been suspended from the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM), Ethiopian Prime Minister dictator Meles Zenawi, announced Saturday at the opening of the ARPM summit in Cotonou, Benin’s capital.
“In pursuance of the African Union’s decision to suspend Mauritania, we have also decided to suspend the country’s participation in the African Peer Review Mechanism”, Zenawi said.
The Ethiopian dictator — who stole the 2005 elections in Ethiopia and illegally invaded neighboring Somalia causing the displacement of 2 million people, among other atrocities he is commiting — chairs the forum of the continental institution.
Several heads of state and government thieves and murderers arrived Saturday in Bennin to participate at the summit.
Mauritania’s first democratically elected president was ousted on August 6 hours after he issued a decree firing the military’s top brass, including junta leader General Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz.
Since the coup, the junta has taken over the powers of the president and formed a new government with the support of a majority of the deputies in parliament.
UAE (BI) – Runners from across the world have been quick to sign up for the 2009 Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon following the announcement that Haile Gebrselassie of Ethiopia will launch an attempt on his own world record time in the Emirate, a press release said.
Entries for the event, scheduled for 16 January 2009, continue to rise as competitors sign up for the full marathon, the popular 10km event and the 3km Fun Run through the event’s official website
Runners of all ages can only register online or visit any branch of Fitness First in Dubai. Details of all branches of Fitness First are available at www.fitnessfirst.ae.
Held under the patronage of HH Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE, Ruler of Dubai, and staged under the aegis of the Dubai Sports Council, this year’s Dubai Marathon saw Ethiopian legend Gebrselassie set the then second fastest marathon time in history and narrowly miss out on a record US$1 million bonus.
Gebrselassie – fresh from setting a new world best of 2 hours 3 minutes and 59 seconds in Berlin last month – has already confirmed he will have another attempt at landing the biggest prize in athletics in January, a move that is already encouraging even more amateur names to sign up for the entry list.
“The 2008 event was the best in the history of the Dubai Marathon and we are looking forward to a record turnout in 2009,” said Event Director Peter Connerton.
“Thanks to the support of title sponsors Standard Chartered as well as our other supporters such as Dubai Holding, who are again offering US$1 million for a new world record, and the regular appearance of athletes such as Haile, Dubai is now well established as a leading marathon venue in world athletics.”
Despite registration opening three months before the start gun, Ahmed Al Kamali, Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon General Co-ordinator, President of the UAE Athletics Federation and Al Ahli Club Board Member, urged UAE runners not to be slow in signing up for the event. “We will close registrations on 15 December around one month before the race in order to finalise numbers and ensure we have all the necessary logistics in place to handle the exact number of runners,” he said.
While organisers continue to work behind the scenes on assembling a powerful field for next year’s marathon, event sponsors Standard Chartered are calling on the UAE public to put on their running shoes and get into training for all three race categories.
“Standard Chartered has been the title sponsor of the Dubai Marathon for the last four years and we are excited about our fifth year as sponsors in 2009. The Dubai marathon has grown into an international success story that reaches out to every member in our local UAE community,” said Shayne Nelson, Standard Chartered Regional CEO, Middle East and North Africa.
“The Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon, the 10km race and the 3km ‘Seeing is Believing’ Fun Run are great ways to get fit as well as raise money and awareness for local and international charities.
For us, the marathon is a key component of the Bank’s community strategy as we help to raise awareness about the rise of diabetes in the region, and how we can effectively combat this illness through regular exercise.
Those who take the challenge to participate in any one of the runs have the potential to make a significant difference. I look forward to welcoming thousands of athletes of all ages, nationalities and abilities to the starting line on 16 January next year.”
ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA (APA) – National Bank of Ethiopia admitted on Thursday that $27 million has been withdrawn fraudulently from its City Bank account in New York by three Nigerians.
The bank, however, said the withdrawal has not affected its domestic operations.
“We have observed that South Korean police had arrested three Nigerians for allegedly obtaining millions of dollars from Citibank with a forged document purportedly from National Bank of Ethiopia,” the bank said.
It was reported that the suspects were caught on Monday in the Yongsan district of Seoul following a tip-off from a local bank employee.
In August, the trio allegedly sent a forged payment request from the National Bank of Ethiopia to Citibank in New York, according to the Ethiopian bank.
They asked for more than 30 million dollars to be sent to bank accounts in several countries, including South Korea, China and Tanzania.
According to the National Bank of Ethiopia, the money that was withdrawn in the name of the Ethiopian bank will soon be returned to the City Bank in New York.
“This fake withdrawal was carried out with fake photo copy documents and fax messages. There is no connection with the suspected Nigerians and employees of the National Bank of Ethiopia. We have been informed by City Bank that the money will soon be returned to Ethiopian saving account there,” said the bank.
The bank said the Nigerians were arrested while trying to withdraw some few remaining money from the bank in Seoul.
Two of the suspects were in South Korea on business visas while a third was an illegal immigrant. Their names were withheld.
South Korean police said Thursday they had arrested three Nigerians for allegedly obtaining millions of dollars from Citibank with a forged document purportedly from Ethiopia’s central bank.
Police said the suspects were caught Monday in the Yongsan district of Seoul following a tip-off from a local bank employee as they tried to withdraw money from a bank account. It had been frozen at Citibank’s request.
In August the trio allegedly sent a forged payment request from the Ethiopian central bank to Citibank in New York. They asked for more than 30 million dollars to be sent to bank accounts in several countries, including South Korea, China and Tanzania.
“Citibank apparently transferred most of the money, including nine billion won (6.4 million dollars) sent to four local banks in Seoul,” Detective Jung Hyun-Soo at Yongsan police station told AFP.
It was unclear whether money was withdrawn from accounts in other countries, he said.
Of the nine billion won transferred to South Korea, police said the Nigerians had already withdrawn eight billion and were detained while trying to obtain the remaining one billion.
Han Jeong, a senior police officer at Yongsan, told Yonhap news agency the Nigerians had already handed over most of the eight billion won to unspecified Ethiopians.
“After belatedly discovering that the documents had been forged, Citibank notified the Korean banks,” Han said.
Two of the suspects were in South Korea on business visas while a third was an illegal immigrant. Their names were withheld.
“We’re working closely with police in their investigation,” a Citibank Korea spokeswoman said.
Police said Citibank officials told them that the forged document looked authentic and had the signatures of the central bank governor and directors.
