Open letter from... Accused number 44 under the Case File Engineer Hailu Shawel

Check back with ETP for more news throughout the day

Also in the news:
[March 5 court news, Addis Abeba (satire)] - [Gossip column on Tamrat Layne ] - [Foreign suspect detained in Ethiopia Protests his innocence ]

International:
[Sudanese ICC suspect says inspired by Saddam ] - [In shift, US to join Iran, Syria in talks about Iraq ] - [Castro makes first live comments since illness ] - [China Stock Markets Bounce Back] - [Picasso paintings stolen in Paris ] and more of today's top stories!

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March 2 - worldwide candlelight vigil for prisoners of Conscience in Ethiopia

March 4 - Candlelight vigil in front of the White House

100,000 letters-in-ten-days campaign

Surely, by now you have heard of the 100,000 letters-in-10-days campaign, but have you participated yet? (More...)_____________________________________________________

Open letter from... Accused number 44 under the Case File Engineer Hailu Shawel

(Ato Berhane Mewa)

(More...)

(Audio)Letter narrated by Berhane Mewa
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[The following is not real news – it was sent to us by a reader who found the whole courtroom drama comedic. It’s a satirical piece that demonstrates the absurdity of the current Ethiopian judiciary]

March 5 court news, Addis Abeba (satire)

Ethiopian News Agency (ENA)

The federal high court of Ethiopia today, once again, adjourned the trial of human rights activists, journalists, and opposition party leaders till April 22, 2009. The court asserted that the documents provided by the election board and speech of CUD Chairman Hailu Shawl - recently translated to Amharic, should also be translated into Geeze --Ethiopia’s oldest language.

The court acknowledged the importance of the Geeze language and added this decision should be seen as a clear Support for Ethiopia’s historical past.

In the spirit of global unity and solidarity, federal high court judge, judge Adil - also added the election board documents and CUD chairman Hailu Shawel’s speech at the NPC should be translated into Swahili, Ndebele, Arabic, pashtune, Dutch, French and Japanese.

"We are part of the global community" Judge Adil said, "no one should be left out".

Commenting on the court’s ruling, Prime Minister Meles Zenawi of Ethiopia said he was inspired by the court’s deep sense of history and commitment to the global community.

Mr. Zenawi also suggested one more name to add to the list, the recently discovered tribes of the Amazon, the Matis Indians.

"They too are part of the global community" added the prime minister, "we should not discriminate against anyone".

In addition to the above mentioned languages, footnotes to the rulings also disclose the documents will be translated into all the eighty-two ethnic languages of Ethiopia.

Inside sources confirm there is talk of translating the documents into “the braille system”, a system of raised letters used by People who are legally blind to read by touching with fingers.

Fortune's Gossip column on Tamrat Layne

(Fortune)

Time flies, wondered gossip corridor. The saga that was unfolding before the nation when Tamrat Layne, once second in charge in the camp of the Revolutionary Democrats, was confessing guilt on a live televised parliamentary showdown feels like it was just happened couple of years ago.

Negussie Hailu, one of the convicted people in the charge, was out only last year, after serving a sentence of 12 years. Of course, he had stayed in prison for not more than eight years, enjoying the four years deduction on probation.

Gossip was abuzz last week with the news of release of yet another prominent personality of this case: prison doors were open to Shadia Nadim on Tuesday afternoon, February 20, who had served a sentence of 14 years: she must have stayed in jail for 10 years; she too was given probation of four years.

It is now Tamrat Layne that is left behind bars, still serving a sentence of 16 years, found guilty by the Supreme Court of grand corruption. He will probably stay for another two years, depending on the results of the ongoing trail he was charged as accomplice in the Seyee Abraha et el vs. the Federal Ethics and Anticorruption Commission.

According to gossip corridor, Shadia has left the country the following day to Djibouti. It is a country where a disputed 2.5 million dollars had been kept, in the accounts of Ramis International Plc, at the Indo-Swiss Mearuge.

Although it license was revoked back in the 1990s, this was a company originally formed with shares held between Hussein Kassim, Shadia’s son, and Bezualem Melaku, a mother of Tamrat. Bezualem later on left the company after transferring her shares to Wissam Abdella Kassim, another son of Shadia, who had been managing the company since 1995. He now lives outside of the country.

This was in fact an amount claimed by Sheik Mohammed Ali Al-Amoudi three years ago, in his charges filed at the Federal High Court. It was an attempt to recover 16 million dollars the Supreme Court ruled in 1998 that Shadia and Nugussie should pay Al-Amoudi. In this charge, Al-Amoudi had claimed Shadia’s admittance before the Federal Police, during investigation in 1996, that she had deposited 2.5 million dollars in Indo-Swiss.

Gossip wondered whether this case is still pending.

Foreign suspect detained in Ethiopia Protests his innocence

BBC

A man on trial over his alleged involvement in the 21 July terror plot protested his innocence after he was detained in Ethiopia, a jury has heard.

Adel Yahya, 24, told police who flew out to quiz him that he knew the other people held over the alleged failed attack on the London transport network.

But he said he "should not be found guilty by association", Woolwich Crown Court heard. Mr Yahya and five other men deny conspiracy to murder. They also have pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to cause explosions.(More...)

Sudanese ICC suspect says inspired by Saddam

(Reuters) - A Sudanese official named as a possible Darfur war criminal said he drew inspiration from the example of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein at his execution in Baghdad in December.

On Tuesday the International Criminal Court named the official, minister of state for humanitarian affairs Ahmed Mohammed Haroun, and the Sudanese newspaper Akhbar al-Youm published the interview with him on Wednesday.

Asked how he felt about the case, Haroun said: "I don't know why I recall the footage of Saddam's execution when the whole world saw him take strong confident steps towards the gallows.

"The late Saddam on that day was more steadfast than his executioners. God willing, we are capable of taking such steadfast attitudes, which will shake the Muslim and Arab world."(More...)

Index on Censorship nominates Yalemzewd Bekele for her outstanding defence of freedom of expression

ETP - Index on Censorship annually presents its award to courageous journalists, writers, lawyers, campaigners, filmmakers and whistleblowers from around the world who have made a significant contribution to free expression over the past year.

This year, Ethiopian Human rights activist Yalemzewd Bekele is nominated for her “outstanding defense of freedom of expression” and is in contention to win The Bindman’s Law and Campaigns Award 2007. This award will be presented to campaigning human rights organisations or individual lawyers.(More...)

Today's Top Stories

-Liberia's ex-leader 'stole $1m' (Liberia's ex-President Gyude Bryant has been charged with embezzling more than $1m while in office)
-In shift, US to join Iran, Syria in talks about Iraq
-Human Rights Watch lists 39 secret CIA detainees
-War-weary Afghans fear spring offensive by Taliban
-Canada's Parliament scraps 2 anti-terror measures
-China Stock Markets Bounce Back
-Castro makes first live comments since illness
-Picasso paintings stolen in Paris (At least two Picasso paintings with a combined value of 50 million euros (£33.7m) have been stolen from his granddaughter's home in Paris)






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Index on Censorship nominates Yalemzewd Bekele for Award

Check back with ETP for more news throughout the day

Also in the news:
[UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs humanitarian news and analysis] - [ETHIOPIA-ISRAEL: Waiting Falash Mura languish in squalor] - [Lewit: AP Reporter sacked by VOA ] - [Ship hijackers caught in Somalia]

International:
[Cheney Targeted in Assassination Attempt ] - [Chinese stock prices plunge, Ripple Effect Spreads Across Asia ] - [4th French victim dies after Saudi attack ] - [Killer Bus Collision in Central Sweden] - [EU citizens are officially happy: poll ] and more of today's top stories!


(SUDAN) A displaced Sudanese girl carries her sister at the Otach camp in Nyala, Feb. 22. The International Criminal Court's prosecutor Today named a former Sudanese junior minister and a militia leader as suspects in war crimes and crimes against humanity in the country's Darfur region (More on this below)


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March 2 - worldwide candlelight vigil for prisoners of Conscience in Ethiopia

March 4 - Candlelight vigil in front of the White House

100,000 letters-in-ten-days campaign

Surely, by now you have heard of the 100,000 letters-in-10-days campaign, but have you participated yet? (More...)_____________________________________________________


Index on Censorship nominates Yalemzewd Bekele for her outstanding defence of freedom of expression

ETP - Index on Censorship annually presents its award to courageous journalists, writers, lawyers, campaigners, filmmakers and whistleblowers from around the world who have made a significant contribution to free expression over the past year.

This year, Ethiopian Human rights activist Yalemzewd Bekele is nominated for her “outstanding defense of freedom of expression” and is in contention to win The Bindman’s Law and Campaigns Award 2007. This award will be presented to campaigning human rights organisations or individual lawyers.

Yalemzewd Bekele is a prominent human rights lawyer whose projects focus on civil society and women’s issues.

Ethiopian authorities held Bekele for eight days in October. Amnesty International believed her to be at high risk of torture and mistreatment.

The 7th annual Index on Censorship Freedom of Expression awards will be presented at LSO St Luke's, London, on 14 March 2007.

Index on Censorship was founded in 1972 by a group of writers, journalists and artists, who were inspired to take to the page in defence of the basic human right of freedom of expression.

Initially, Index on Censorship focused on censorship in the former Soviet Union. Since the demise of communism in the 1990's, the magazine has sought to shed light on other challenges facing free expression, including religious extremism, the rise of nationalism, and Internet censorship. [see list of Nominees]

UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs humanitarian news and analysis

the aftermath of Ethiopia’s landmark May 2005 parliamentary elections laid bare the deeply entrenched patterns of political repression, human-rights abuse and impunity that characterise the day-to-day reality of governance in much of the country.

Media

The media in Ethiopia is not free, with frequent government crackdowns on the independent press.

After the contested 2005 elections, authorities detained more than a dozen journalists, issued a wanted list of editors and publishers, and threatened to charge journalists with treason, an offence punishable by death in Ethiopia. The media were accused of acting as "mouthpieces" for the opposition.

State-owned media, which include most of Ethiopia's radio and television stations, reflect government policy although the number of private newspapers has grown.

Human rights

Ethiopia’s human-rights record deteriorated after the May 2005 elections when many Ethiopians experienced heavy-handed government efforts to suppress and punish any form of political dissent, according to Human Rights Watch (HRW).

The aftermath of the May elections was marred by controversy and displays of government brutality that threatened to reverse the gains yielded by the electoral process. These tensions exploded in early June and November when protests broke out in Addis Ababa.

Police and military forces responded with excessive force, killing at least 82 unarmed civilians and arresting thousands of opposition supporters throughout the country.

Authorities in the vast Oromia region have used exaggerated concerns about armed insurgency and ‘terrorism’ to justify the torture, imprisonment and sustained harassment of their critics and even ordinary citizens, according to HRW. In addition, there are restrictions on press freedom, judicial delay, and arrests of human-rights defenders.(See full report)

Lewit: AP Reporter sacked by VOA

According to sources, Ethiopia’s AP reporter Les Nehaus has been sacked by Voice of America, following inflammatory comments recently made public on Ethiopian Review.

As one of two foreign correspondents permanently stationed in Ethiopa (following the expulsion of his predecessor Anthony Mitchell) he has been often criticized here for evading such great responsibility by failing to accurately report the current political landscape and escalating EPRDF brutality.

However, thanks to his charming opinions on the Somalian invasion and factions of the diaspora (as “the sons and daughters of the Derg officials who now live comfortably in Georgetown”) his critics now include his former employer and many abroad.(More...)

ETHIOPIA-ISRAEL: Waiting Falash Mura languish in squalor

TEL AVIV, 27 February 2007 (IRIN) - Thousands of Ethiopian former Jews have been waiting more than 10 years in disease-ridden camps in Ethiopia for the Israeli government to take them to Israel, NGOs say.

About 16,000 of the Falash Mura – Jews who converted to Christianity, and some who reverted back - live in squalid conditions in immigration compounds in the capital, Addis Ababa, the city of Gondar in north-western Ethiopia, and in villages.

In these compounds, tuberculosis and hepatitis are rife and children routinely die of preventable diseases such as measles, according to Falash Mura who have made it to Israel and specialists who have visited them.(More...)

Ship hijackers caught in Somalia

Four pirates who are part of the gang that have hijacked a United Nations-chartered cargo ship in Somali have been arrested, aid officials say.

The UN said the authorities in Puntland arrested the gunmen when they went to purchase supplies in Bargal port

The hijacked ship, MV Rozen, had just delivered food aid to north-eastern Somalia when pirates seized it.(More...)

Today's Top Stories

-ICC names first war crimes suspects in Darfur (The International Criminal Court prosecutors named the first two suspects accused of committing war crimes in Sudan's Darfur)
-Cheney Targeted in Assassination Attempt
-4th French victim dies after Saudi attack
-Bus Collision Kills 6 in Central Sweden
-Chinese stock prices plunge, Ripple Effect Spreads Across Asia
-European research goes for gold (Europe has a new flagship agency to fund the brightest ideas in science)
-Mother coached children to fake retardation
-EU citizens are officially happy: poll





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U.S. silence worries Ethiopians

Check back with ETP for more news throughout the day

Also in the news:
[Hundreds Hospitalized in Somali Unrest] - [Ugandan troops in Somalia this week: Somali president] - [US warship tackles Somali pirates] - [Activists' trial halted again] - [Ethiopia second lowest in World chubbiness survey]

International:
[Senegal's president ahead as results trickle in] - [Iraqi Vice President wounded in bombing] - [Reporter: U.S. planning Iran bombs] - [How The Nazis Conned The World] - [Oscar glory goes to Scorsese and The Departed] and more of today's top stories!

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March 2 - worldwide candlelight vigil for prisoners of Conscience in Ethiopia

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100,000 letters-in-ten-days campaign

Surely, by now you have heard of the 100,000 letters-in-10-days campaign, but have you participated yet? (More...)
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U.S. silence worries Ethiopians

Ethiopians fear that the Bush administration's pursuit of alleged terrorists in the Horn of Africa is diverting attention from a human rights crackdown by their prime minister

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia - Journalists here don't criticize the government much anymore, perhaps because doing so has landed at least 15 of them in prison on treason charges.

Since a bloody crackdown after elections in 2005, Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi also has tried dozens of opposition leaders on treason charges, blocked antigovernment websites and attempted to muzzle an independent inquiry into the postelection violence, which found that government security forces had killed 193 civilians.(More...)

Activists' trial halted again

Legalbrief Africa

The Federal High Court in Ethiopia has once again adjourned the trial of 111 opposition activists and journalists, including more than 70 defendants who have been held in custody since November 2005 on charges of instigating unrest to overthrow the government.

Federal High Court Judge Adil Ahmed adjourned the trial until March 5, according to a report from Irin, saying a speech allegedly made in the US Congress by one of the defendants - the leader of the main opposition party, the Coalition for Unity and Democracy (CUD), Hailu Shawl before his arrest - needed to be translated from English into Amharic. (More...)

Hundreds Hospitalized in Somali Unrest

MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) -- Hundreds of civilians have been wounded in recent fighting in the Somali capital between Ethiopian-backed government forces and Islamic insurgents, the International Committee of the Red Cross said on Saturday.

AP Television filmed a number of people being brought to Mogadishu's Madina hospital, though it was not clear how they were injured.

The capital of 2 (m) million people remained tense on Saturday as families continued to flee to safer areas outside the coastal city.(More...)

Ugandan troops in Somalia this week: Somali president

ADDIS ABABA (AFP) - Somali President Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed on Monday said a deployment of Ugandan troops to Somalia, the first members of an 8,000-strong African Union peacekeeping force, should begin this week.

"The African Union is coming, the Ugandans are coming. My estimation is that they should be in Somalia for the first week of next month (which begins Thursday)," he said at the fifth Sanaa Forum for cooperation, a gathering of leaders from Yemen, Ethiopia, Sudan and Somalia.(More...)

US warship tackles Somali pirates

A US warship is heading towards the Somali coast where a United Nations-chartered cargo ship was hijacked by pirates, say aid officials. UN staff say the hijacked ship, the MV Rozen, is at anchor after delivering food aid in north-eastern Somalia.

There have been no reports of demands from the pirates who boarded the ship armed with AK-47s. It is not known if any of the 12 crew have been injured. Piracy was rampant in Somalia, but stopped during recent Islamist rule.(More...)

Senegalese vote in one of Africa’s most stable democracies

DAKAR, Senegal - The president of one of Africa’s most stable democracies sought another five-year term Sunday, jostling with 14 contenders in a race that may hinge on the votes of young people hungry for jobs.

Early results reported by Senegalese Press indicated President Abdoulaye Wade was in the lead but did not say by how much. It was not known how many votes had been counted, but they included polling stations in key cities including the capital Dakar and Thies, the agency said.

The first official results are not expected to be released by the electoral commission until Monday night, Election Commissioner Issa Sall told The Associated Press.(More...)

Ethiopia second lowest in World chubbiness survey

In a list of the countries with the greatest percentage of overweight people, Nauru tops a list with an alarming 94.5% of its adult population (ages 15+) classified as such, based on the most recent estimates by the World Health Organization (WHO).

According to Forbes Magazine, Ethiopia and Eritrea rank as the lowest countries with fat people. 5.6 % of its adult population over ages 15+ in Ethiopia is overweight and Eritrea is declared as a country where the lowest percentage of overweight people live in, as only 4.4 % of the population are overweight.

There are currently 1.6 billion overweight adults in the world. In just 10 years, the WHO projects that number will grow by 40%.(More...)

Today's Top Stories

-Iraqi Vice President wounded, 12 killed in bombing at ministry
-Bush To Musharraf: Deal Or No Deal?
-Ill Iraqi President in Jordan for Tests
-Israeli forces raid Nablus
-Reporter: U.S. planning Iran bombs
-Political problems mount for Ahmadinejad
-Serbia cleared of responsibility for genocide
-How The Nazis Conned The World (Used A Children's Opera To Deceive International Observers)
-Farewell appearance for Farrakhan
-Oscar glory goes to Scorsese and The Departed
-Retarded mice get smarter with drug





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The Week in Review

Look for the 'The Week in Review' segment below

Weekend news: [Meles Zenawi: African dictator or hope for democracy?] - [Thousands flee Mogadishu fighting]

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March 2 - worldwide candlelight vigil for prisoners of Conscience in Ethiopia

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A picture released 17 January 2007 by the US Air Force (USAF) shows Ethiopians from the nearby village of Bilate sitting near an Air Force C-130 Hercules deployed to Ethiopia. The US military remained silent on a press report Friday that US ground troops used Ethiopian bases to fight Al-Qaeda in Somalia, but said it would help regional allies fight terrorists. Bereket Simon denied the report by the New York times calling it a fabrication.(AFP/USAF-HO/File)

100,000 letters-in-ten-days campaign

Surely, by now you have heard of the 100,000 letters-in-10-days campaign, but have you participated yet? (More...)

Meles Zenawi: African dictator or hope for democracy?

These days in Addis Ababa, a have-and-have-not capital in which elegant piazzas abut ramshackle slums, there's a climate of thickening fear and suspicion.

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia - Journalists here don't criticize the government much anymore, perhaps because doing so has landed at least 15 of them in prison on treason charges.

Since a bloody crackdown after elections in 2005, Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi also has tried dozens of opposition leaders on treason charges, blocked antigovernment Web sites, and tried to muzzle an independent inquiry into the postelection violence, which found that government security forces had killed 193 civilians.(More...)

Thousands flee Mogadishu fighting

Thousands of civilians have fled the Somali capital, Mogadishu, after heavy fighting between Ethiopian troops and armed groups on Friday and Saturday left at least 10 people dead.

The exodus came as the International Committee for the Red Cross, ICRC, asked the warring parties on Saturday to protect civilians caught up in the conflict there. The ICRC said that since the beginning of the year, more than 430 civilians had been admitted to two of the city's three hospitals suffering from violence related injuries.

The precise death toll, which is estimated at several dozens, cannot be confirmed, the ICRC said.(More...)

The Week in Review

• Monday - February 19, 2007

[Court postpones verdict - new date, March 5th]


• Tuesday - February 20, 2007

[100,000 LETTERS IN TEN DAYS, CAMPAIGN TO STOP HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS IN ETHIOPIA] - [CARTER HOPEFUL CUD TRIAL WILL END IN THE COMING WEEKS] - [Hunt for al-Qaida overshadows repression in Ethiopia, some fear] - [AFP: Heavy fighting rocks Mogadishu as thousands flee] - [ETHIOPIA: Trial of opposition activists adjourned] - [New Somalia govt restricts radio coverage of violence and refugees]


• Wednesday, February 21, 2007

[EZ: Ambassador Yamamoto genuinely interested in finding a solution to Ethiopia’s political crises] - [100,000 LETTERS IN TEN DAYS campaign gaining momentum] - [ION: More Ethiopian diplomats defect] - [Somalia's hopes for peace fade] - [680 dead in Ethiopia in suspected cholera outbreak]


• Thursday - February 22, 2007

[Deputy Mayor Elect of Addis Abeba Flees Country with Wife] - [100,000 letters-in-ten-days campaign update] - [Ethiopian Millennium to be Celebrated by Ethiopians in Los Angeles] - [Somalia: Artillery Kills 10, Wounds 50] - [Poverty and cultural customs contribute to obstetric fistula] - [UN Security Council approves Somalia peacekeepers]


• Friday - February 23, 2007

[The Economist: Should the West go on helping a repressive govt. in Ethiopia?] - [Report: U.S. used airstrip in Ethiopia to mount strikes against ICU, Ethiopian Govt. says not true] - [Ethiopian court upholds death sentences over terror] - [AFP: Fierce fighting b/n Ethiopian forces and unidentified gunmen erupts in Somali capital] - [Uganda to start deploying soldiers in Somalia within two weeks] - [Surviving forced marriage in Ethiopia]

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The Economist: Should the West go on helping a repressive govt. in Ethiopia?

Check back with ETP for more news throughout the day

-(New)EZ: The Meles adminstration plans Information offensive against Amnesty International

-(New)EZ: Team of lawyers to write decisions for judges in political trials

Also in the news: [Report: U.S. used airstrip in Ethiopia to mount strikes against ICU, Ethiopian Govt. says not true] - [Ethiopian court upholds death sentences over terror] - [AFP: Fierce fighting b/n Ethiopian forces and unidentified gunmen erupts in Somali capital] - [Uganda to start deploying soldiers in Somalia within two weeks] - [Surviving forced marriage in Ethiopia]

International: [Head of the UN's nuclear watchdog invited to North Korea] - [Prime Minister Tony Blair on Britain's foreign policy, BBC interview] - [Prodi poised to return as PM next week] - [Chimps in Africa seen making deadly spears] and more of today's top stories!

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100,000 letters-in-ten-days campaign

Surely, by now you have heard of the 100,000 letters-in-10-days campaign, but have you participated yet?

Professor Alemayehu G. Mariam in association with the Coalition for HR5680 has called on Ethiopian Americans and Ethiopians throughout the world, regardless of party affiliation, to deliver 100,000 letters to the White House asking for support for human rights reforms in Ethiopia.

Everyone who wishes to see human rights and democracy flourish in Ethiopia is encouraged to participate in this campaign. You can send your own letter to the White House, or endorse any of the letters provided on the website with your signature and send.

- [See LETTER]

- Also Visit: 100,000 LETTERS IN TEN DAYS Campaign site
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Fierce fighting b/n Ethiopian forces and unidentified gunmen erupts in Somali capital

Agence France-Presse

MOGADISHU - Fierce fighting between Ethiopian forces and unidentified gunmen erupted Friday in Mogadishu after an attack on Ethiopian troops based in the south of the Somali capital, an AFP correspondent said.

"Some gunmen have attacked an Ethiopian base in the former ministry of defence building. They fired mortar shells and machine guns and the Ethiopians responded heavily with anti-aircraft weapons," witness Ali Nur Said told AFP.

"A mortar shell landed in a house that was near mine," said witness Ahmed Gobe. "It killed one person and wounded two children."

"There were many stray bullets flying around. I cannot confirm other casualties because I cannot get out of the house."(More...)

Dilemma in the Horn: Should the West go on helping a repressive govt. in Ethiopia?



THE second most populous country in Africa and one of the poorest, Ethiopia is a test case for the West in its efforts to eradicate extreme poverty on the continent.

But its government's undemocratic leanings have presented donor countries with a dilemma. Should they continue to funnel their taxpayers' money to a country that routinely jails and tortures its critics or should they turn off the tap and thereby hurt the blameless poor?

Most donors are keeping up or even increasing their giving. Britain, with qualms, is upping its aid from $180m last year to $260m this year. Some donors have harmonised and even pooled their support.

Many have signed up to schemes to promote transparency and hold the government to account. Whether the nastier bits of Ethiopia's government will co-operate fully is moot.

In any event, Meles Zenawi's government is finding it hard to run the show. Some 80% of the people in Addis Ababa probably back opposition parties. In response, the government has become harsher, muzzling free speech and forcing independent newspapers to close.

Many journalists are in jail on trumped-up charges. Dissidents have been disappearing, along with critical websites. Telephones are often tapped. For more than a year, text messaging on the country's small number of mobile phones has been hampered by “technical difficulties”.(More...)

CBS: U.S. used airstrip in Ethiopia to mount strikes against UIC, Ethiopian Govt. says not true

An Ethiopian official denied Friday a report in The New York Times that U.S. troops used Ethiopia as a staging ground for attacks against al Qaeda leaders in Somalia last month. "This is simply a total fabrication," Bereket Simon, special adviser to Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, told The Associated Press.

The Times report, published Friday, cited unnamed American sources officials from several U.S. agencies with a hand in Somalia policy as saying the U.S. soldiers used an airstrip in Ethiopia to mount strikes against Islamic militants in Somalia. (More...)

Surviving forced marriage

23 February (IRIN) - Standing at the front of her classroom, Mulu Melka reads out of her English book in a shy voice like any other 13-year-old schoolgirl; betraying nothing of the fact that twice within two years, she has been abducted and forced into marriage.

A target of the traditional practice, known locally as "marriage by abduction", Mulu managed to escape on both occasions. "The first time I was 11," she recounts. "I was going to the mill, when a group of men grabbed me from behind. They took me by surprise. I fell on the ground, and when I woke up again I was in the house of my abductor. I stayed there three days."

In the meantime, her parents held a meeting with the abductor's parents, mediated by village elders. In exchange for a cow and two sheep, her parents agreed to her marriage with the abductor. But, Mulu ran away one night. "I escaped from the abductor's house while he and his friends were drinking and dancing. I went to the toilet and then I escaped through a fence and ran away." (More...)

Ethiopian court upholds death sentences over terror

ADDIS ABABA, Feb 23 (Reuters ) - The Ethiopian supreme court has upheld death sentences on five people convicted of attacks that killed 29 people and wounded 18 others during the past 11 years, state television reported late on Thursday.

"The criminal bench of the Federal Supreme Court upheld death sentence on Mohamed Mahamoud Farah, Mohammed Hassan Mahmoud, Ibrahim Hussein Nalaye, Mohammed Almi Liben and Mohammed Ibrahim," the television report said.

"(They) were convicted of terrorist attacks at various times and places in Addis Ababa and Dire Dawa since 1996." (More...)

Chimps in Africa seen making deadly spears


Chimpanzees in Senegal have been observed making and using wooden spears to hunt other primates, according to a study in the journal Current Biology.


Researchers documented 22 cases of chimps fashioning tools to jab at smaller primates sheltering in cavities of hollow branches or tree trunks.

The report's authors, Jill Pruetz and Paco Bertolani, said the finding could have implications for human evolution. Chimps had not been previously observed hunting other animals with tools.

Pruetz and Bertolani made the discovery at their research site in Fongoli, Senegal, between March 2005 and July 2006.(More...)

Today's Top Stories

-Uganda to start deploying soldiers in Somalia within two weeks
-UK-US in talks on missile defence, "star wars"
-Analysis: Clinton-Obama tussle reveals some real issues
-Head of the UN's nuclear watchdog invited to North Korea for talks
-[Audio, BBC interview] Prime Minister Tony Blair on Britain's foreign policy
-Prodi poised to return as PM next week
-Former Mujahedeen Stage Rally in Kabul Supporting Amnesty for War Crimes
-Medieval Muslims made stunning math breakthrough
-Emotion robots learn from people




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Deputy Mayor Elect of Addis Abeba Flees Country with Wife

Check back with ETP for more news throughout the day

Also in the news: [100,000 letters-in-ten-days campaign update] - [Ethiopian Millennium to be Celebrated by Ethiopians in Los Angeles] - [Somalia: Artillery Kills 10, Wounds 50] - [Poverty and cultural customs contribute to obstetric fistula] - [UN Security Council approves Somalia peacekeepers]

International: [Egypt blogger jailed for 'insult'] - [Italian Premier Prodi resigns] - [Toxic gas latest insurgent weapon in Iraq] - [Real Sea Monster Caught In Antarctica] - and more of today's top stories!

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One of the earliest Europeans to see the churches of Lalibela, Portuguese priest Francisco Álvares (1465 - 1540) - astounded by their beauty, describes what he had seen in considerable detail and ends by saying , "I weary of writing more about these buildings, because it seems to me that I shall not be believed if I write more ... I swear by God, in Whose power I am, that all I have written is the truth". Now, these magnificent churches are in danger of collapse, BBC reports. (More...)
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100,000 letters-in-ten-days campaign update

Coalition for H.R. 5680

As part of the worldwide 100,000 letters-in-ten-days campaign, H.R. 5680 has been overwhelmed by enormous responses in support of the campaign, and requests for a shortened version of Prof. Al Mariam’s letter to President Bush.

The Coalition has prepared the following shortened two-page version of Prof. Al’s letter for all supporters of freedom, democracy and human rights in Ethiopia. All who wish to write President Bush a letter may use this letter in its present form, or by modifying it to express their personal views.

The Coalition thanks the thousands of Ethiopians and others who have contacted it over the past couple of days regarding the 100,000 letters campaign.

The Coalition pledges to respond to each and every email message over the next few days, and apologizes in advance for any delays.

- [See shortened LETTER]

- Also Visit: 100,000 LETTERS IN TEN DAYS Campaign site
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Deputy mayor elect of Addis Abeba flees country with wife

Ethiopian Review

Dr Admasu Gebeyehu, former chairman of UEDP-Medhin and Deputy mayor elect of Addis Ababa, is now in Sweden seeking political asylum. Dr Admasu went into exile with his wife, Dr Mulualem Tarekegn, a member of parliament representing Woreda 12/13 of Addis ababa.

Dr Mulualem had split with Kinijit's leadership over the question of boycotting parliament. She entered the rubber-stamp parliament with Ato Lidetu Ayalew and others. She now regrets her decision, saying that the opposition has no voice.

Soon after he was elected as vice-mayor of Addis Ababa, Dr Admasu became sick and has been inactive since. As a result, he escaped imprisonment when his colleague, the mayor of Addis Ababa, Dr Berhanu Nega, along with all the other top leadership of the Coalition for Unity & Democracy Party (CUDP) were thrown in jail.(More...)

Also see:
-EMF: MP joins the Diaspora struggle

Ethiopian Millennium to be Celebrated by Ethiopians in Los Angeles
Ethiopian Millennium Coordinating Committee of Los Angeles

February 21, 2007
For Immediate Release

Ethiopians all over the world will celebrate our own millennium in September 2007. To date, Millennium events are planned in grand fashion in Washington DC , London and Australia .

The Ethiopian Millennium Coordinating Committee of Los Angeles was established by interested individuals to have a millennium celebration for all Ethiopians and friends of Ethiopia in the West Coast.

The Coordinating Committee has held regular meetings to lay the ground work for this event to take place in Los Angeles around the first weekend in September. Our vision is to make the Los Angeles Millennium event a regional event in which Ethiopians and friends of Ethiopia from California , State of Washington , Oregon , Nevada etc join us for a three day event that will include symposium, art, music, cultural fashion show, youth program and poetry reading to celebrate Ethiopia ’s uniqueness.

Our objectives include introducing Ethiopia 's diverse culture to others and to recognize remarkable Ethiopians and friends of Ethiopia who have made contributions to the betterment of Ethiopia and its people.

The Los Angeles Coordinating Committee held its first public meeting on Sunday, February 18, 2007 to announce its plans to invited community members. The Coordinating Committee is in the process of putting together a Millennium Celebration Committee(MCC) that will include Ethiopians from all walks of lives.

We would like to invite interested individuals, businesses, non profit organizations and all faith based establishments to join us for this once in a life time event. We believe this will give our community an opportunity to introduce the rich history of Ethiopia to other communities and be part of the legacy that the coming generation will be proud of.

For further information contact: fayami@aol.com

Somalia: Artillery Kills 10, Wounds 50

Deadly attacks, incessant gunfire and rocket exchanges between unknown gunmen and Somalia government-Ethiopia troops in Somali capital, Mogdishu, have left 10 dead, 50 seriously wounded and forced thousands to flee the country.

The largest number of civilian population fled Mogadishu on Tuesday morning, heading to Merca in Lower Shabelle province, 100 km south of the capital. Meanwhile hospital sources say that more wounded people could not be rushed to hospitals last night as artillery fires were continuing and people could not reach the hospital. Doctors in Medina hospital said most of the wounded were admitted to the hospital yesterday. They said some of the wounded bled to death after hours of lack of medical care.(More...)

Poverty and cultural customs contribute to obstetric fistula, a condition virtually unknown in the West

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia | Kumbe Seboka, nine months pregnant, sat quietly in the hospital parking lot. She clutched her medical information card in one hand and cradled her swollen belly with the other, as if to keep her unborn child from escaping.

Her first pregnancy, two years ago, had ended in heartbreak: three days of excruciating labor, then a stillbirth, and finally a ruptured bladder that for three months issued a steady trickle of urine that ran down her legs and wet her clothes, bed, everything.

The injury is called obstetric fistula, a tear in the tissue between the vagina and adjoining organs, caused by prolonged labor in small, undernourished women.(More...)

Human Rights Watch: Letter to Ethiopian Ministers on Human Rights Violations Against Students

Human Rights Watch wishes to draw your attention to several incidents of human rights violations allegedly committed by federal police officers against students in the towns of Dembi Dollo and Ghimbi in western Oromiya State in the past weeks.

In sum, we have learned that one student, and perhaps two, died as a direct result of police beatings and that other students were severely injured and hospitalized in Dembi Dollo. Between 30 and 50 have been detained and remain detained without charge in the central Dembi Dollo jail and in two district police stations. In Ghimbi, local police and militia members deputized by local officials are reported to have shot and killed two high school students—cousins—in January.(More...)

UN Security Council approves Somalia peacekeepers

The UN Security Council authorised an African Union (AU) peacekeeping mission for Somalia for six months yesterday as mortar attacks pounded the capital and the northeast African country spiralled further into chaos.(More...)


The Rabbit and the Elephant

by Wondimu Mekonnen

A running rabbit passed the lion and the gorilla!
Off into the Desert of Gambella
She ran and ran to cross into The Sudan
But blocked by an elephant,
The gentle African giant.
"Rabbit Bunny! Rabbit Bunny!
Just spare me a minute, honey!
Why such in a hurry? Why are you running?
(More...)

Today's Top Stories

-Egypt blogger jailed for 'insult'
-Another US Helicopter Down, British Bases Bombed
-Prince Harry Looking Forward to Proving Himself in Military
-Italian Premier Prodi resigns
-Toxic gas latest insurgent weapon in Iraq
-World Powers Await IAEA Report on Iran
-Real Sea Monster Caught In Antarctica
-Colombian clowns gunned down in front of kids
-Sex attacks blamed on bat demon (Men in parts of Tanzania's main city, Dar es Salaam, are living in fear of a night-time attacker)





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Human Rights Watch: Letter to Ethiopian Ministers on Human Rights Violations Against Students

Check back with ETP for more news throughout the day

Also in the news: [EZ: Ambassador Yamamoto genuinely interested in finding a solution to Ethiopia’s political crises]

[100,000 LETTERS IN TEN DAYS campaign gaining momentum] - [ION: More Ethiopian diplomats defect] - [Somalia's hopes for peace fade] - [680 dead in Ethiopia in suspected cholera outbreak]

International: [Gambian President Says Green Paste, A Bitter Drink, And Banana Can Cure AIDS] - [Protest ban in Zimbabwe capital] - [Obama, '08 candidates head to California] - [Britain, Denmark announce withdrawal of its troops from Iraq] and more of today's top stories!

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[THE SECOND BATTLE OF AMBAALAGI, THE LAST ITALIAN STRONGHOLD IN THE NORTH. RAS SEYOUM SEEN HERE ADDRESSING HIS RESISTANCE FIGHTERS BEFORE THEY WENT INTO ACTION, MAY 1941]

Feb. 19 (Last Monday) was Martyrs' Day in Ethiopia. After the attempt on the life of Italian Viceroy Rodolfo Graziani (19 February 1937), there followed the Addis Ababa massacre in which thousands were killed. The massacre motivated many to join the resistance movement. How did it start? The story of Abraha Deboch, Moges Asgedom and Simeon Adefres.(More...)
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100,000 LETTERS IN TEN DAYS Campaign Gaining Momentum

In a press release to major Ethiopian news media groups, Kinijit International has officially endorsed the 100,000 LETTERS campaign.

KIL stated this effort should remain non-partisan and promised the participation of Kinijit support groups all around the world in making the campaign a success. KIL has provided different sample letters Ethiopians can employ in this endeavor.

Yesterday Prof. Alemayehu G. Mariam in association with the coalition for HR5680 called on Ethiopian Americans and Ethiopians throughout the world to begin a campaign to deliver 100,000 letters in the next 10 days to the White House.

The campaign aims to promote human rights in Ethiopia. Those who would like to participate can send their own letters, sample letter from Kinijit’s website or endorse Prof. Alemayehu’s letter with their signature and send. Visit: 100,000 LETTERS IN TEN DAYS Campaign site

Human Rights Watch: Letter to Ethiopian Ministers on Human Rights Violations Against Students

Human Rights Watch wishes to draw your attention to several incidents of human rights violations allegedly committed by federal police officers against students in the towns of Dembi Dollo and Ghimbi in western Oromiya State in the past weeks.

In sum, we have learned that one student, and perhaps two, died as a direct result of police beatings and that other students were severely injured and hospitalized in Dembi Dollo. Between 30 and 50 have been detained and remain detained without charge in the central Dembi Dollo jail and in two district police stations. In Ghimbi, local police and militia members deputized by local officials are reported to have shot and killed two high school students—cousins—in January.

We urge you to investigate these incidents promptly and to prosecute police officers and others responsible for these serious crimes. At the same time, we strongly urge you immediately to release students detained without charge in Dembi Dollo. If there is substantial evidence that any student has committed a serious crime, they should be promptly charged, brought to court, and released pending trial.(More...)

EZ: Ambassador Yamamoto genuinely interested in finding a solution to Ethiopia’s political crises

On the topic of the current meeting between CUD family members and Ambassador Yamamoto, Ethio-Zagol writes

“...According to the sources, neither Ambassador Yamomoto nor the two Ethiopian mediators acted on bad-faith. "There was an urge and want to help. Yamomoto did not comment a lot. He listened. Haile and ambassador Bekele also talked about saving the country and reconciliation," one source said.

Ambassador Yamomoto has thrown himself on solving the current political crisis right from the first date of his arrival. American embassy staff said his attitude and approach has been quite contrasting with the former charge d'affaires, Vicki Huddelstone who was acting as Meles's messenger” {read EZ’s report}

ION: More Ethiopian diplomats defect
Indian Ocean Newsletter N° 1208 17/02/2007

More Ethiopian diplomats have defected, bringing the total that has decided to leave the diplomatic service to seventy three.

The latest to ditch the government of Prime Minister Meles Zenawi and ask for political asylum in the United States is Ambassador Tayework Tilahun, who was his country’s consular attaché in Kuwait.

Recently a staff member of the Ethiopian embassy in Ottawa (Canada), Dereje Ejigu, decided to do likewise. Several employees of embassies in London, Geneva, Stockholm and Paris, have defected the last few years.

Somalia's hopes for peace fade

Mogadishu - Clutching a handful of possessions, Yonis Nor fled the Somali capital with his eight children and hundreds of other families, seeking safety from the daily onslaught of mortar and rocket attacks that have left dozens dead.

Somali government forces and Ethiopian troops exchanged heavy fire overnight with insurgents, leaving 15 dead and another 45 injured in the heaviest fighting so far this year in Mogadishu.

Among those killed in the clashes on Tuesday were a four-year-old boy and a pregnant woman. A 12-year-old girl lost both her legs in a blast, doctors said. (More...)

680 dead in Ethiopia in suspected cholera outbreak, say aid groups

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) - More than 680 people in Ethiopia have died in a suspected cholera outbreak that has also affected neighbouring countries, officials said Wednesday.

Some 60,000 people have been infected, but the country's Health Ministry is resisting pressure to declare an emergency despite a UN warning that the disease is an epidemic.

"The fact that it is spreading to new areas in the country is cause for serious concern," said Paul Hebert, head of the UN's Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Ethiopia. "The full extent of this needs to be addressed."

The UN has not officially declared the outbreak, which began nearly a year ago, to be cholera. But UN officials speaking privately because of the sensitivity of the issue are saying it is cholera, something local officials continue to deny. (More...)

Somali insurgents warn against peacekeeping deployment
Associated Press

MOGADISHU, Somalia - Somali insurgents warned Wednesday against the impending deployment of African peacekeepers in the war-ravaged country, as families began burying their dead after some of the heaviest violence to hit the capital city.

Just hours after the U.N. Security Council voted unanimously to authorize an African Union force to help stabilize Somalia, one insurgent leader said they will fight any foreign troops who are sent into the country.

”The U.N. should keep its hand off our country because the Islamic forces are ready to fight any foreign troops whether they are blue helmet or black helmet,” said one insurgent leader identified only as Osman.(More...)

Gambia's AIDS 'Cure' Claim Causes Alarm
Gambian President Says Green Paste, A Bitter Drink, And Banana Can Cure AIDS

From the pockets of his billowing white robe, Gambia's president pulls out a plastic container, closes his eyes in prayer and rubs a green herbal paste onto the ribcage of the patient — a concoction he claims is a cure for AIDS.

He then orders the thin man to swallow a bitter yellow drink, followed by two bananas.

"Whatever you do, there are bound to be skeptics, but I can tell you my method is foolproof," President Yahya Jammeh told an Associated Press reporter, surrounded by bodyguards in his presidential compound. "Mine is not an argument, mine is a proof. It's a declaration. I can cure AIDS and I will." (More...)

Today's Top Stories

-Protest ban in Zimbabwe capital
-Obama, '08 candidates head to California
-Britain announces withdrawal of its troops from Iraq
-Denmark to withdraw from Iraq
-Italian Patients Given Organs With HIV
-Fighting surgeons leave patient in the lurch






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100,000 LETTERS IN TEN DAYS, CAMPAIGN TO STOP HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS IN ETHIOPIA

Check back with ETP for more news throughout the day

Also in the news: [CARTER HOPEFUL CUD TRIAL WILL END IN THE COMING WEEKS]

[Hunt for al-Qaida overshadows repression in Ethiopia, some fear] - [AFP: Heavy fighting rocks Mogadishu as thousands flee] - [ETHIOPIA: Trial of opposition activists adjourned] - [New Somalia govt restricts radio coverage of violence and refugees]

International: [Bush swears in new intelligence chief] - [3,000-year-old tombs are found in Egypt] - [Syria Rejects Limited Talks With U.S.] - [Asteroid Has Fairly Good Chances Striking Earth in 2036] and more of today's top stories!


Prof. Alemayehu G. Mariam in association with the coalition for HR5680 is calling on Ethiopian Americans and Ethiopians throughout the world to begin a campaign to deliver 100,000 letters in the next 10 days to the White House. You can send your own letter to the White House, or endorse Prof. Alemayehu’s letter with your signature and send it. Everyone who wishes to see human rights flourish in Ethiopia is encouraged to participate in this campaign. (More on this below)

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International Ethiopian Women Organization (IEWO) will hold its 1st Public Meeting in Washington D.C. on March3, 2007.

The event will commemorate International Women's Day by celebrating the Adwa victory and honoring our heroic Ethiopian mothers and sisters from Taytu to the Present. (More...)
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WORLDWIDE 100,000 LETTERS-IN-TEN-DAYS CAMPAIGN TO STOP HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS IN ETHIOPIA AND PASS H.R. 5680

Prof. Alemayehu G. Mariam today called Ethiopian Americans and other Ethiopians throughout the world to begin a campaign to deliver 100,000 letters in the next 10 days to the White House and express appreciation to President Bush for his promise: “All who live in tyranny and hopelessness can know: the United States will not ignore your oppression, or excuse your oppressors. When you stand for your liberty, we will stand with you.” He also urged all freedom-loving Ethiopians to ask the President to support H.R. 5680 in their letters.

In a passionate letter to the President, Prof. Alemayehu described the dire human rights situation in Ethiopia. He suggested to the President that there are two kinds of Ethiopians in the world today, “those who live with dignity, respect and hope in the free world, and millions who live in their homeland seared in the flames of withering tyranny and oppression.”

He told the Coalition for HR 5680 that “Ethiopian Americans have a special duty to stand up for human rights in Ethiopia because they have the constitutional right to demand their tax dollars not be used to support a ruthless dictatorship.” He asked, “if we in America, with all our liberties fail to stand up for the human rights of those we left behind in Ethiopia, who will stand up for them? It is not fair to expect Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and the other human rights organizations do the heavy lifting while we stand on the sidelines with folded arms. The old saying is still true: ‘God helps only those who help themselves.’”

Commenting on the supposed relationship between terrorism and human rights that the Ethiopian regime has been trying to establish, Prof. Alemayehu wrote the President, “You should rest assured that Ethiopians will never abandon America in its struggle against global terror. Never! Never! Never! But, Mr. President, America must also never, never, never abandon the cause of human rights in Ethiopia.”

Asking the President to support H.R. 5680, Prof. Alemayehu wrote, “Mr. President, in the words of the great American civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, in H.R. 5680, America offers Ethiopia a promissory note for $20 million in down payment to promote freedom, democracy and human rights. But instead of accepting and cashing this note in the bank of democracy and human rights, the present rulers in Ethiopia have hired a mighty army of lobbyist to defeat the bill, thereby extinguishing forever the yearning for freedom of the Ethiopian people.”

Prof. Alemayehu asked every freedom-loving Ethiopian Americans and Ethiopians to write a personal letter and ask President Bush to support H.R. 5680. He urged all Ethiopians committed to justice and human rights to write letters of their own, or endorse his letter with their signatures and send it to the President.

He concluded by stressing the importance of engaging the American people: “I make a personal plea to all Ethiopians throughout the world to write the President a letter, but I plead with Ethiopian Americans to get their friends, neighbors, friends, church members, co-workers, classmates and others to join in our struggle for human rights in Ethiopia. Let us ask them to write letters of support on behalf of our cause -- the cause of freedom, democracy and human rights.”

SEND YOUR LETTERS TO:

The Honorable George W. Bush
President of the United States
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave, NW
Washington, DC 20500
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Prof. Alemayehu G. Mariam's letter to president George W. Bush
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Hunt for al-Qaida overshadows repression in Ethiopia, some fear

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia - Journalists here don't criticize the government much anymore, perhaps because doing so has landed at least 15 of them in prison on treason charges.

Since a bloody crackdown after elections in 2005, Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi also has tried dozens of opposition leaders on treason charges, blocked anti-government Web sites and attempted to muzzle an independent inquiry into the post-election violence, which found that government security forces had killed 193 civilians.

Once hailed as a hope for democracy in Africa, Meles increasingly is whispered about in this cagey capital as a dictator. But he has a powerful ally in the United States, which is drawing on Ethiopian troops and intelligence in a shadowy hunt for al-Qaida operatives in neighboring Somalia.(More...)

Heavy fighting rocks Mogadishu

Mail & Guardian

Mortar bombs hit several parts of Mogadishu before dawn on Tuesday, killing at least 16 people in one of the fiercest bombardments since an Islamist movement was chased from Somalia's capital last month.

The hilltop presidential palace, Villa Somalia, and the coastal city's defence headquarters were among the targets hit.

"They showered us with rockets and a mortar also hit the compound. Luckily no one was hurt," said a government soldier who was in Villa Somalia during the attack but declined to be named for fear of reprisal.(More...)

Also see:
-Agence France-Presse: Somali capital clashes kill 12 as thousands flee
-Associated Press: 12 killed in heavy shelling in Somalia’s capital
-CBS news: 12 Killed In Somalia Shelling

ETHIOPIA: Trial of opposition activists adjourned again

ADDIS ABABA, 20 February 2007 (IRIN) - The Federal High Court in Ethiopia has once again adjourned the trial of 111 opposition activists and journalists, including more than 70 defendants who have been held in custody since November 2005 on charges of instigating unrest to overthrow the government.

Federal High Court Judge Adil Ahmed on Monday adjourned the trial until 5 March, saying a speech allegedly made by one of the defendants - the leader of the country's main opposition party, the Coalition for Unity and Democracy (CUD), Hailu Shawl - in the US Congress before his arrest needed to be translated from English into Amharic, Ethiopia's official language.

The trial has been adjourned several times before.

Seventy-eight of the accused were in court on Monday. Twenty-five are being tried in absentia because they are in exile.

Some of the defendants - 54 CUD officials and 15 journalists - face charges of attempting to "overthrow the constitutional order through violence" and "outrages against the constitution". Other charges include high treason and attempted genocide, which are capital offences under Ethiopian law.(More...)

CARTER HOPEFUL CUD TRIAL WILL END IN THE COMING WEEKS

Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, who is on an 11-nation tour of Africa said on Tuesday February 13 at the Sheraton Addis that he is hopeful to see the trial of Coalition for Unity and Democracy (CUD) members would see an end in the coming weeks.

Carter at a press conference after concluding his mission in health training and sanitation in Jimma, availed his optimism that the 111 defendants, amongst which are opposition members, journalists and civic society members accused of charges ranging from treason to forcefully violating the constitution after the out come of the 2005 elections when more than 90 people died after security forces clashed with demonstrators.(More...)

Somalia govt restricts radio coverage of violence, refugees

MOGADISHU, Somalia Feb 19 - Somali security officials in the capital Mogadishu summoned representatives from three independently-owned FM radio stations to disclose new government restrictions on their programs.

The Monday meeting, chaired by national security official Gen. Nur “Shirbow” Mohamed, presented to radio operators severe restrictions imposed on the independent broadcasters’ radio programming.

According to government documents, the three broadcasters – Radio Shabelle, HornAfrik Radio and Radio Banadir – were accused of “exaggerating” news reports about daily violent attacks in the capital, interviewing refugees fleeing the violence and civilians who accused Ethiopian soldiers of bombarding their homes in response to insurgent attacks.

The radio operators were specifically asked not air reports on security operations against insurgents or air the voices and concerns of civilians caught in the crossfire.(More...)

Also see:
-Shabelle Media Network shocked at the restrictions and threats directed at the freedom of local media by the transitional federal government of Somalia

Today's Top Stories

-The growing power of Nigeria's gangs
-Bush swears in new intelligence chief
-Cheney to Talk Security on Japan Visit
-Asteroid Has Fairly Good Chances Striking Earth in 2036(U.N. urged to take action)
-Jordan Urges U.S. to Chase Mideast Peace
-Syria Rejects Limited Talks With U.S.
-Russian missile "blackmail" won't work, Czechs say
-3,000-year-old tombs are found in Egypt
-Islamic spies to snoop on lovers






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Court postpones verdict - new date, March 5th

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ETP - The federal high court of Ethiopia has postponed verdict in the trial of human rights activists, journalists and political opponents of the government.

This comes as no surprise. According to a recent unscientific web poll conducted by ETP, over 60 percent of participants believed the government will postpone verdict.

The Ethiopian government is known for its long trials which take decades to wrap-up. This MO of the government, critics say, has resulted in the deaths of several defendants from disease and old age, while their trial was still in progress.
____________________________________________________________

(Lewit)

...Once all were admitted, not an empty seat remained in the court room. The defendants looked well and were obviously overjoyed to see one another after the long recess-- Bertukan especially seemed to enjoy greeting every individual with a kiss before returning to her seat.

After an hour and a half delay, the session began and lasted less than an hour—Judge Adil quickly announced that the court would be adjourned until March 5th, apparently to allow for 3 things:

1. The translation into Amharic of the press conference given by Hailu Shawel shortly after the elections to the American Press Club

2. The translation of all written documents into Amharic, apparently to be provided to all defendants at the next hearing

3. To allow for the compilation of all election results and reports from the National Electoral Board of Ethiopia (NEBE)(More...)




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Open the door for a grand national reconciliation

Look for the 'The Week in Review' segment below

Weekend news: [The Martin Luther King, Jr. March Committee demands the immediate and unconditional release of all prisoners of conscience in Ethiopia ] - [Ethiopians rallied demanding the release of unjustly jailed leaders] - [Trial of ex-NSU professor in Ethiopia at critical juncture]


February 19 is a critical moment in history. Will the prisoners of conscience be released or not? All those who understand history and wish the nation to go on with a democratising developmental trajectory will argue for the unconditional release of all the prisoners of conscience (Prof. Mammo Muchie)

We, the accused are not worried about the type of sentencing that we will be receiving in the coming weeks. Our deepest concern is about the possible irreparable harm that can be inflicted on the justice system of our country, and the consequences on peace, security, democracy and development in Ethiopia.(Dr. Yacob Haile-Mariam, prisoner of conscience)

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-Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky's letter to Prime Minister Meles

-See pictures from "Free Ethiopia’s Prisoners of Conscience" activities
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For the final push Visit:

'Free Ethiopia’s Prisoners of Conscience'

[Action Center] - [Resource Center]

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The Martin Luther King, Jr. March Committee demands the immediate and unconditional release of all prisoners of conscience in Ethiopia

The 4th Annual Human Rights Symposium sponsored by the MLK Jr. March Committee focused on human rights issues in Africa. The symposium devoted one whole day to discussion of political and human rights issues in Ethiopia.

Based on these discussions the MLK, Jr., March Committee adopted a set of resolutions including the immediate and unconditional release of all prisoners of conscience in Ethiopia.

Ms. Helen Butler, Executive Director of the Peoples’ Agenda and co-Chairperson of the Human Rights Symposium presented the resolution to Ethiopians at a rally to free all prisoners of conscience in Ethiopia held in front of the US Capitol on February 15, 2007.

At the rally Ms. Butler expressed the Coalition’s determination to provide support to the struggle against human rights abuses in Ethiopia.

Accompanied by Mr. Yassim Kassim, co-Chairperson of the Human Rights Symposium, Dr. Moges Hailemariam, Chairman of Kinijit International Leadership, members of support groups of Kinijit from Atlanta and Washington, DC-Metro, and Ato Obang of the Anuak Justice Committee, Ms. Butler presented the Resolutions of the MLK, Jr. March Committee to the offices of Representative Donald Payne (Chair of the Africa Committee of the US House of Representatives), Rep Mike Honda (Chair of the Ethiopia sub-committee), Rep Chris Smith, Rep Clyburn (Chair of the Black Caucus), and Rep Jesse Jackson.

Also see:
-2007 King holyday human rights symposium: “peace on trial in Ethiopia”

The moment is now to release the prisoners and open the door for a grand national reconciliation

By Prof. Mammo Muchie

...February 19 is a critical moment in history. Will the prisoners of conscience be released or not? All those who understand history and wish the nation to go on with a democratising developmental trajectory will argue for the unconditional release of all the prisoners of conscience.

Those now in jail are people with the moral stature that have answered to the call of the best in Ethiopian citizenship. These citizens should be honoured, not put in jail. Those who forced them into jail must be the first to move a motion to get their immediate release and compensate them for getting them into this unacceptable situation in the first place.

The alleged crimes they have been accused of makes absolutely no sense. All they did is engage in what they believed to be a democratic process. Those who invited the Ethiopian people to vote should have known that they too would be also voted out. The powers that are, however, were not prepared to accept the peoples’ verdict.

Why did they engineer the election that they knew the outcome was not something they were not prepared to accept? Any power that respects the people would not play such games with history. The people manifested a will to govern. Those in power were unwilling to accept it. Those in jail argued fiercely for the respect of voice and votes.(More...)

Ethiopians rallied demanding the release of unjustly jailed leaders

Ethiopians and friends of Ethiopia rallied demanding the release of unjustly jailed leaders of Kinijit, Members of the Independent Press, and Human Rights Advocates.

The protesting crowd condemned the bogus trail of the leaders and called for genuine reconciliation to promote the democratization process, and to bring peace and stability to Ethiopia.

The rally was part of a worldwide demonstration called by Kinijit International Leadership and organized by Kinijit Los Angeles support chapter. It was held at CNN’s west cost main office. It was a beautiful day in Los Angeles; this is in sharp contrast to the extreme cold weather our D.C. compatriots had to go through on Thursday.(More...)

Trial of ex-NSU professor in Ethiopia at critical juncture

The Virginian-Pilot

Monday looms as a judgment day for Yacob Hailemariam.

The lawyer and former Norfolk State University professor has been imprisoned for more than a year in his home country, Ethiopia, after winning a parliament seat as a reformer.

Judges are scheduled to rule on the prosecution's part of a trial on charges of treason and genocide against Hailemariam and more than 70 others, said Charles Schaefer, a country specialist for Amnesty International.

The human rights organization objects to the Ethiopian government's actions, has declared Hailemariam and others "prisoners of conscience," and tracks the case through American diplomats there.

If the judges decide the case hasn't been convincing, "possibly all the prisoners will be released," Schaefer said this week. "That would be the best scenario."(More...)

The Week in Review

• Monday - February 12, 2007

[Marchers Call for the release of prisoners of conscience] - [Meles named 17th worst dictator] - [The plight of Ethiopian journalists] - [Amharic - radical journeys] - [BBC: Heavy blasts rock Somali capital] - [Emigrants in Sioux Falls pray for Ethiopian prisoners]


• Tuesday - February 13, 2007

[The Nation: Bush's Somalia Strategy Enables an Ethiopian Despot] - [panel discussion on Human Rights in Ethiopia held at Harvard University] - [30 Ethiopian and Somali migrants drown] - [Somali minister survives bomb attack] - [BBC: Residents flee Mogadishu]


• Thursday - February 15, 2007

[France-Africa Summit opens minus Mugabe, Kagame and Mbeki - Meles present] - [Reuters: Mogadishu residents back to living in constant danger] - [Los Angeles Kinijit Support Organization Elects Its Leaders] - [Africa growers back Ethiopia in row with Starbucks] - [UN: Somalia's warlords re-emerge from shadows to threaten relief work]


• Friday - February 16, 2007

[Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky's letter to Prime Minister Meles] - [FREE PRISONERS RALLY IN DC A BIG SUCCESS] - [Agence France-Presse: Crime surges in Somalia's lawless capital] - [UN:Ethiopians dying off the cost of Yemen] - [Ethiopian Govt: Union of Eritrean Opposition Groups (EDA) Meets in Addis Ababa] - [Starbucks to double East Africa spending]

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