EXILED ETHIOPIAN TRADE UNION LEADERS
Contacts in USA, Africa, Europe and Australia
E-Mail: [email protected]
[Sent to each senator individually]
The Honorable US Senators
SENATE OFFICE BUILDING
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20510
Dear Senators:
Re: AN APPEAL AND CRY FOR DEMOCRACY TO SUPPORT BILL H.R. 2003
We the Exiled Ethiopian Trade Union Leaders residing in the United States of America and different parts of the world would like to ask your support for H.R. 2003, “Ethiopian Democracy and Accountability Act of 2007.” This bill authored by Congressman Donald Payne (Chairman, House Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health) passed unanimously in the House of Representatives, last month, on October 2, 2007 will let democracy, accountability, good governance and transparency reign in Ethiopia.
Since May 1991 Ethiopian has been under the most repressive regime once again and the current Prime Minister, Meles Zenawi, dressed in democratic grab and is clinging to power for the last 16 years through the barrel of a Gun. Meles Zenawi, under fake election continued his brutal regime the same as his predecessor by following the footprints of the Dereg and deceitfully blind folding the democratic world including USA. Ever since he came to power, he has been ruling the country with an iron fist.
In May 2005 national election, 25 million of Ethiopia’s illegible voters stood in line for long hours to cast their votes. Mr. Zenawi’s regime was overwhelmingly defeated by the opposition. However, Mr. Zenawi had difficulty in accepting that the opposition had won the national election and declared himself a winner, ordered his security to shoot and kill more than 193 innocent citizens, embarked on a massive and sustained crackdown of all dissent in the country. Thousands of innocent citizens, mostly young held in 5 specially arranged Nazi type concentration Camps. There have been massive extrajudicial killings and massacres in many parts of the country and even many times in neighboring countries and continued the same international crime specially in Kenya and the Sudan using the money funneled to them from American and other tax payers.
The self crowned dictator, Prime Minister Meles Zenawi surrounded by world class criminal gangs who are above the law and using the constitution as a tool for suppression call it democracy while they take care that they will pull every string the way they want. The Addis Ababa Gang is playing with the rules not by the rules. As a result, currently, our country, Ethiopia is run by criminal Gangs which call’s themselves a government.
The regime has routinely engaged and continues to engage in torture, beatings, systematic abuse, cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment of dissidents and opponents in violation of their own Constitution. The regime of Prime Minister Meles Zenawi has severely curtailed the right of freedom of associations and the right of the people to engage in unrestricted peaceful political and civic activity. The regime continues to violate the people’s right to assemble freely by disrupting or unlawfully banning opposition party meetings, arbitrarily denying or delaying or engaging in last minute revocation of public meetings or demonstration permits, and by using pressure tactics on ordinary Ethiopians, including requiring opposition members to renounce their party membership, even systematically harassing and intimidating opposition parliament members and their constituents not to hold meetings to address any issue.
The regime continues to harass, persecute publishers, editors and journalists and controls all broadcast media. Regime officials continue to manipulate the privatization process, as state and party owned businesses received preferential access to land leases and credit. The regime relies on politically appointed judges to obtain predetermined outcomes, which often result in a miscarriage of justice.
We Ethiopians have had more than our share of political crises and internal conflict due to the lack of good governance and accountable government operating under the rule of law. Our people have paid for democracy and the rule of law in terms of their blood and treasure for years. Many opportunities for development have been wasted because of the political crises, as a brand new chapter is being added to the book of scandal of the regime of Prime Minister Meles Zenawi by the day, as we speak.
Therefore, we ask you to support rule of law and democracy to prevail in Ethiopia and to use your influence to be part of the solution for the crises in Ethiopia. We say democracy and ask you to stand with our people whose rights are denied. You can right wrongs, and say enough of blood and tears in Ethiopia. That will be by supporting bill H.R. 2003 to stop the ongoing crimes being committed. We believe that, bill H.R. 2003 is the corner stone to lay ground for true democracy and rule of law with accountability in our country, as these are the measuring yard sticks to promote democracy and transparency that will make all the difference.
Thank you for all your work in supporting those whose rights are denied.
Respectfully,
Signed by Representative
EXILED ETHIOPIAN TRADE UNION LEADERS
E-Mail:[email protected]