Ethiopian Review has been the most tolerant among the Ethiopian media as far as allowing free expression of ideas and views, even though some of the views expressed tend to be full of hatred and insults.
Recently I have been receiving complaints from readers, particularly fellow Muslim Ethiopians, about some comments that are being posted on Ethiopian Review’s comments sections. Indeed some of the comments contain languages that do not belong in a civilized discourse.
Relations between Ethiopia’s two major religions — Christian and Muslim — have been harmonious for centuries. What I am witnessing these days, however, is disconcerting. It is the responsibility of every Ethiopian to make sure that the harmonious relations between Ethiopia’s Christians and Muslims will continue to be a role model to the world.
To this end, I am introducing a new editorial policy: Negative views about the Christian or Muslim religions are prohibited on Ethiopian Review as of today.
The wise Emperor Menelik II said, hager yegara, haimanot yegil. Let’s keep religious views private and focus on how we can help build our Ethiopia, which belongs to all religions and ethnic groups.
On this date, July 29, 1936, the Italian forces occupying Ethiopia executed Abune Petros.
Italy invaded Ethiopia in May 1936, forcing Emperor HaileSelassie into exile. Gen. Rodolfo Graziani, who led the invasion forces, proclaimed: “The Duce [Mussolini] will have Ethiopia, with or without the Ethiopians.”
Ethiopian Orthodox patriarch Abune Petros became the symbol of resistance to Italian occupation. When the Italians ordered him to stop his incitement, he replied: “The cry of my countrymen who died due to your nerve-gas and terror machinery will never allow my conscious to accept your ultimatum. How can I see my God if I give a blind eye to such a crime?”
On July 28, Italians repelled a large insurgent attack by the sons of Ras Kassa between Addis Ababa and Dessie. The next day, the Italians executed Abune Petros.
Azeb Mesfin, wife of Ethiopia’s genocidal dictator Meles Zenawi, a member of the rubber-stamp parliament and boss of the biggest corruption scheme in Africa called “the Endowment Fund the Rehabilitation of Tigray” (EFFORT) has been pushing state banks to the brink of bankruptcy.
According to well-positioned banking sources, since Azeb took over EFFORT from Sebhat Nega last year she is personally pressurizing banks to illegally grant huge amounts of loans in local and hard currency. EFFORT, which allegedly owes close to 10 billion birr in unpaid loans mainly from the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia, the Development Bank of Ethiopia and the Business and Construction Bank, is well-known for defaulting on the multi- billion birr loans it is raking out of the coffers of state-owned banks.
Azeb, widely known as the First Lady of African Corruption, has been hand twisting banks, managed by inexperienced TPLF’s hirelings, to loan out a string of additional funds to EFFORT, which has practically monopolized the economy. The latest installment of the loan bonanza to the privileged and discriminatory ethnic business conglomerate arrived in the amount of $120 billion (1.6 billion birr) which was secured a few months of ago from the major state banks including Development Bank of Ethiopia. The bank has already been in the red as it carries a huge burden of unpaid non-performing loans.
The latest loan was approved for EFFORT’s shady business proposal to launch a huge irrigation project in Tigray. Under Hiwot Agriculture Mechanization, one of TPLF’s numerous companies, EFFORT has already short-listed foreign agribusiness giants including, a Saudi Arabian Irrigation firm, Alkhorayet Industry and Valley, the British Irrigation company and Israeli Drip irrigation, Omni. The main idea of the project is to produce cash crop for export while two-thirds of households in Tigray depend on food aid… continue reading at AddisVoice.com
Arab Satellites Communication Organization (Arabsat) has suspended the Woyanne-controlled Ethiopian Television (ETV) after the Meles regime has repeatedly interfered with Arabsat signals to jam Ethiopian Satellite TV (ESAT), according to Addisvoice. Arabsat, which is owned by the Arab League, has been forced to take retaliatory action after the lawless regime in Ethiopia jammed ESAT for the third time yesterday. ESAT was airing a captivating story about an Ethiopian air force officer when it suddenly went off air.
ESAT has issued the following press release on the matter:
Ethiopian Satellite Television (ESAT) Intercepted for Third Time
For the past 24 hours, Ethiopian Satellite Television (ESAT) broadcasts and transmissions in Ethiopia, the Middle East and Europe have been disrupted for the third time since it began service on May 2010. Along with ESAT, the satellite service of state-controlled Ethiopian Television was also knocked off the air.
Our evidence on the source of the illegal signal interference points exclusively in the direction of the Ethiopian Government Woyanne junta. Beginning on July 20, the satellite system carrying ESAT signals was bombarded by intense and sustained radio frequency interference disrupting a whole set of services provided by various public and private entities. The evidence gathered by ESAT shows that the Ethiopian Government in illegal collaboration with certain parties in the satellite business attempted to isolate and disrupt ESAT signals. Appartently, that effort backfired and knocked off the broadcast signals of the Ethiopian Government Woyanne junta along with a number of other international satellite service providers. The Ethiopian Government Woyanne junta by attempting to knock out ESAT ended up knocking itself off the air.
ESAT in cooperation with other impacted parties shall seek appropriate legal remedies to stop the Ethiopian Government Woyanne junta from engaging in patently illegal interference in satellite communications.
ESAT continues to receive messages of public support and encouragement for its mission to bring news, information and entertainment to the Ethiopian public. As we have done recently when our satellite services were jammed, we again wish to extend our appreciation to the friends and supporters of ESAT. We wish to assure our viewers that we will seek all legal and technological methods to overcome any interference directed at ESAT programming by the Ethiopian Government Woyanne junta. We ask again for the support and patience of our viewers as we continue to struggle to go back on the air.
Two central committee members of the Ethiopian People’s Patriotic Front (EPPF), Ato Leul Qeskis and Ato Demis Belete, were guests at Qale Ethiopian Discussion Forum on Sunday afternoon, July 18.
In the discussion, which was attended by over 300 people, both Ato Demis and Ato Leul talked about latest efforts to revamp the 11-year-old armed resistance movement which is fighting to bring about a pro-unity, genuinely democratic governance in Ethiopia.
In February this year, EPPF held its general assembly and elected 17 members from the Diaspora to join the organization’s top decision making body, the central committee. The decision to include Ethiopians from the Diaspora in the leadership was part of the transformation process the organization is undertaking. It is also in line with a growing belief within EPPF that for the organization to achieve its goal of bringing about change in Ethiopia, it needs to utilize the skills and resources of Ethiopians around the world.
Ato Demis and Ato Leul explained that many of the newly elected central committee members are working hard to make radical changes in EPPF. However, such effort is being resisted by a few individuals in leadership positions, some of whom are involved in rampant corruption and malfeasance. Due to lack of proper procedure in handling its finances, EPPF is also exposed to infiltration by Woyanne agents. It has been recently discovered that some executive committee members have been receiving bribe. There are also many instances where funds collected for EPPF have been pocketed by some in the leadership.
The newly elected central committee members, in collaboration with EPPF activists and chapters around the world, are coming up with a new system that imposes strict discipline and accountability in the organization. Until such a system is established and announced through legitimate representatives of the organization, any attempt to collect funds on behalf of EPPF any where around the world is illegal, and all EPPF public meetings in the Diaspora must also be authorized by the central committee and EPPF chapters, according to Ato Demis, who is head of the EPPF external press office. Additionally, all press interviews, press releases, and announcements that are not approved by the press office must be ignored by EPPF supporters, Ato Demis added.
Click on the audio player below to listen the interview:
[podcast]http://www.ethiopianreview.com/audio/demis-and-leul-interview-qale-room-18-july2010-edited.mp3[/podcast]
Russia has donated a large quantity of wheat to Ethiopia, according to a report by Xinhua, a Chinese news agency. Meanwhile, Indian, Chinese and Saudi Arabian corporations are given large tracts of fertile land by Ethiopia’s genocidal regime to grow wheat, corn and other food to be exported to their countries. This the kind of game that is being played on the people of Ethiopia by Meles Zenawi’s junta and its Western backers. Ethiopia doesn’t have a shortage of food. Russia can keep its wheat. What Ethiopia lacks is a legitimate government.
ADDIS ABABA (Xinhua) — Russia donated on Saturday 2, 805 metric tons of wheat to World Food Program (WFP) Ethiopia.
Alexandr Letoshnev, Charge d’ Affaires of the Russian Embassy in Addis Ababa, said the Russian government commended Ethiopia’s success in the agriculture sector.
He said his country will remain a development partner of the country.
The people and government of Russian will assist the development activities in Ethiopia, Alexander said.
Lynne Miller, WFP Ethiopia deputy country director, thanked Russia for its generosity and said the number of people affected by the drought is dwindling.
On this date, July 29, 1936, the Italian forces occupying Ethiopia executed Abune Petros.