INTERVIEW with Dr Admasu Gebeyehu
Ethiopian Review, October 2001
… continued from page 1
Q. The ruling party in Ethiopia, Tigray People Liberation Front (TPLF), is fracturing, and the government seems to be in the verge of collapse. How do you assess this situation and where do you think this will lead to?
A. As an answer to this question, I shall quote the position of EDP from a press release issued on March 27, 2001:
“At this moment we are at a verge where we cannot see the TPLF and the government as two different entities. The political supremacy and economic control are in hands of the TPLF. In addition, it can be said that the defence, police and security forces are also directly or indirectly under the control of the TPLF. The present situation forces us to conclude that chaos within the TPLF is, in general, chaos within the government. One cannot say that the present problem will not eventually develop into a more serious confrontation and a wider conflict. Therefore, EDP calls upon the people to be aware of the seriousness of this danger and, with their usual decency and patriotism, to take the necessary precautions to safeguard the country’s unity and peace.”
Q. In April, the Meles regime has used brutal means to suppress student protests. Over forty unarmed citizens died as a result. The regime also rounded up and detained several members of AAPO and EDP whom it accused of inciting the student protests. Why do you think the Meles regime came after your members?
A. Let me start with the most recent phenomena. We participated in the wereda election conducted on February 25, 2001, and found out that the process was totally anti-democracy, anti-constitution and blind acts of oppression. As a result, we decided not to participate in the March 4, 2001, kebele election which is part of the woreda-kebele election package. It happens that most of the opposition candidates in Addis Abeba were from AAPO and EDP. EDP alone had 1200 candidates. Besides other indicators, the interrupted process itself alarmed the ruling party to sense the extent of support we have from the people. In April, university students protested demanding for the respect of their rights. Using the student protest as a cover for its false accusation, the ruling party started attacking us in order to fulfil its pre-planned agenda of weakening or eliminating us. During the attack, EDP lost one of its members (extrajudicially killed) and 112 of its members were illegally detained for about two to three months (at Shewa Robit, Zeway and Tatek) in miserable conditions where many of them were exposed to and contracted malaria and typhoid. Above all, EDP is considered a threat by the ruling party because of it is a multi-ethnic party.
Q. Who do you think should be responsible for the April massacre of unarmed students and other citizens?
A. The armed forces have violated the human rights in contravention of the law of the country. They have killed unarmed citizens. They have detained thousands and caused harms. The government does not seem to be willing to take legal actions against the killers. Therefore, it is the government that should be responsible.
Q. The general and district elections in Ethiopia, by all accounts, were not freely held and there were gross irregularities. Do you think these makes the Meles regime illegitimate?
A. The Meles regime has never been willing to allow opposition parties to contribute their own share in building a democratic system. The Meles regime is proclaiming that the “oppressed people” are by its side but it never wanted to find out the truth by creating favorable condition for free and fair elections. For instance, during the elections as well as other times, the officials in charge of elections and the electronic media (radio and TV) are totally controlled by the ruling party. The officials serve the interests of the ruling party and the media broadcast its views only. This is the truth. The Meles regime has come to power by the barrels of the gun.