ETHIOPIA: Relentless government violence on Oromo students and nationals continues, says human rights organization

Posted: Hagayya/August 27, 2014 · Gadaa.com

The following is a press release from the Human Rights League of the Horn of Africa (HRLHA).

————————-

August 27, 2014

While fresh arrests and detentions, kidnappings and disappearances of Oromo nationals have continued in different parts of the regional state of Oromia following the April-May crackdown of peaceful demonstrators, court rulings over the cases of some of the earlier detainees by courts of the regional state are being rejected by political agents of the governing TPLF/EPRDF Party. The renewed violence by government forces against Oromo nationals started particularly following what was termed as “Lenjii Siyaasaa” (literally meaning “political training”) that has targeted Oromo Students of higher educational institutions and has been going on in the past two weeks in different parts of Oromia.

Although the agendum for the “Political Training” was said to be “the unity of the country,” it instead has become an opportunity of carrying out further screenings and arrests of students, as around 100 more students have so far been arrested from Ambo University campuses alone and sent to a remote, isolated military camp called Sanqalle, leaving families and friends in fear in regards to the safety and well-being of the students in particular, not to mention the disruption of their studies. The arrests were made following the students’ protest of their confinement into the campuses during this so call “Political Trianing,” and the demand that the killers of their fellow students be brought to justice prior to discussing “unity.” Also, five students of Wallaga University, from among those who were gathered for the same purpose of “Political Training,” were kidnapped on the 22^nd of August 2014, and taken away in a vehicle with plate number 4866 ET; and their whereabouts are not known since then. HRLHA correspondents have also traced another fresh arrests and detentions of around 100 Oromo nationals in a small town called Elemo, Doranni District in the Illu Abba Borra Zone. It took place on the 14^th of August 2014; and Waqtole Garbe, Sisay Amana, Tiiqii Supha, Ittana Daggafa, Badiru Basha, Kamal Zaalii, Rashiid Abdu, Zetuna Waaqoo, Daggafa Tolee, Adam Ligdii, Indush Mangistu, Dibbeessa Libaan, and Ofete Jifar were a few among those detainees in Elemo Prison.

More worrisome and frustrating is agents of the federal government’s interference with regional and local judicial systems. More than one hundred students and other Oromo nationals, from among the thousands who were detained following the April-May nationwide protest, have been granted bails in local courts of the regional government of Oromia. These include 64 detainees in Dembi Dollo/Qellem, 10 in Ambo, 40 in Sibu-Sire and Digga District. But, all the court decisions were overruled by political officials representing the federal government. The Dembi Dollo/Qellem detainees in particular were granted bails four times, only to be turned down by political officials all the four rounds. On the other hand, there have been some cases in which prison terms ranging from six months to a year-and-half were imposed on the Oromo detainees, not in courts, but by those representatives of the federal government. Also, some independent lawyers complain that they were threatened by officials from the ruling party; and, as a result, refraining from representing the Oromo detainees. Usual as it has been in the past fifteen or so years, this case of interfering with and disobeying court rulings indicates that the case of these most recent Oromo detainees is purely political.

The Human Rights League of the Horn of Africa (HRLHA) calls upon the Ethiopian Government to refrain from harassing and intimidating students through such extra-judicial means as killings, arrests and detentions, and denials of justice after detention; and instead, facilitate conducive teaching-learning environments. HRLHA also calls upon the Ethiopian Government to unconditionally release the detained Oromo students and other nationals; and, as requested by their fellow students, bring to justice the killers of innocent and peaceful protestors during the April-May crackdown.

BACKGROUNDS:
The Human Rights League of the Horn of Africa (HRLHA) has reported (May 1^st and 13^th, 2014, urgent actions, HumanRightsLeague.com) on the heavy-handed crackdown of the Ethiopian Federal Government’s Agazi Special Squad and the resultant extra-judicial killings of 34 (thirty-four) Oromo nationals; and the arrests and detentions of hundreds of others.

Although the brutalities of the armed squad and the resultant fatalities happened to be very high in Ambo Town, the peaceful protests by Oromo students of different universities and faculties have been taking place in April and May in various towns and cities of Oromia, including Diredawa and Adama in eastern Oromia, as well as Jimma, Mettu, Naqamte, Gimbi, and Dambidollo in western Oromia.

The Oromo students of universities and colleges in different parts of the regional state of Oromia took to the streets for peaceful demonstrations in protest to the decision passed by the Federal EPRDF/TPLF-led Government to expand the city of Finfinnee/Addis Ababa by uprooting and displacing hundreds of thousands of Oromos from all sorts of livelihoods, and annexing about 36 surrounding towns of Oromia, the ultimate goal of which is claimed to be redrawing the map of the Oromia Region. The federal annexation plan, which was termed as “The Integrated Development Master Plan,” is said to be covering the towns of Dukem, Gelan, Legetafo, Sendafa, Sululta, Burayu, Holeta, Sebeta, and others, stretching the boundary of Finfinne/Addis Ababa to about 1.1-million hectares – an area of 20 times its current size.

- HumanRightsLeague.com

-Gadaa

Maraatoon Bonn Injiffanoo Oromotaatin Xummurame

Marathona Bonn/Germany-tti Gaggeeffame Oromootni Injifatan

Kaacha seena qabeessa Ebla 10 bara 2011 Magaala Bonn/Germany-tti Deutschepostqopheesse Presadaantii Jarmanii Christian Wulff dhukaasa dhukasaaniin Marathon eggalee.

Bonn Marathon bara kana irratti Athletoota 11,177 Biyyooti 45 irra kan hirmatan enna ta’u, dowwatoota 200,000 ol ta’utu dow’atee. Kaacha kana kessaatti Matathon 1,583 Maratana Marathona qixxee, 7,100 kan hafan hirmaattota garagaraa akka ta’an Gazexoonni Magaala Bonn addeessaniiru.

Oromtiticha Kaacha Marathon Deutschepost qopheesse Fiqiruu Ajjamaa fi Badhaanee Gammachuu 1ffaa fi 3ffaa ba’uun injifataniiru.

Athletii Badhaanee sagantaa badhaasa irratti Alaaba Biyya Oromoo ol kaasee badhasaa enna fudhaatu warri argee gammachuu guddatu itti dhagayame. Qaamolee mootummaa, Ijaarsotaa garaagaraa fi Dowwatoota 200,000 ol-ta’u kallaattiin agarssiisun, Oromoo, Qabsoo isaa fi Alabaa Oromoo beeksisanii argamuun isaa ajaa’iba ta’ee kan mullate dha.

Badhaane Gammachu Acuuccaa ilmaan oromoo irraa ga’a jiruuf isaa irra qaqqabaneen Boyya Oromoo Lubbu isaa caala jalatuu gadhissee Biyya Jarmanitti Koluu galee nama jiru.

Qaxalee gurbaan kun eenyummaa isaatti kutatee dandeetti/Ogummaa qabuun itti fufee Saba isaa beeksisuu fi Ogummaa isaa cimsuu irratti muratee kan ka’e dha. Ijifannoo Maraaton durii isaa irraa ka’ee ammas Xiqinaanillee iddoo hirmaatanitti Injifannoo agarsisaan Gazeexessitoota fi Uummata Magaala Bonn guyyaa kana argamanii hordofaan rajeeffachiseera/Ajaa’ibseera.

Guyyaa kana Gazeexessota Oduu qopheessuuf kaata turan maddii Oromoonni achitti argaman Alaabaa Oromoo qabatanii Atiletoota Oromoo fi hirmaatota biroo jajjabeessaa turaniru. Injifannoo fi mullinni argamee Oromoo bakka jiru hundatti akka gammachisu beekamaa dha.

Kanaaf, Injifannoo guyyaa kana argamee warrii argamanii ilaalanii fi Subquunnamtii/ Medea addaddaa arguutti carraa argatan qixxee bilisummaan argametti ilaalanii gammadaniiru. Isinis, suuroota kanaan walqabsiifnee ergine kana ilaalati, itti gammadaa. Bakka hundatti, injifannoo ilmaan Oromotiif, haa ta’u!

http://www.marathon4you.de/meldungen/deutsche-post-marathon-bonn/marathonsieg-an-silvia-krull-und-fikru-ajema-jeyi/3086

Waa hundaafu Suraalee guyya kana ilalaame.

Baalchaa

RELATED: Celebrate Oromian Athletes

Gadaa.com

The Lava Lakes of Erta Ale, Ethiopia’s “Smoking Mountain

August 9, 2014 (National Geographic) –Located in the Danakil Depression (or Afar Depression) in the Afar Region of northeastern Ethiopia, Erta Ale is one of the driest, lowest, and hottest places on Earth. Temperatures during the year range from 77 degrees Fahrenheit to 118 degrees Fahrenheit. The area is beset by drought, bereft of trees, and has little in the way of roads.

Known by the Afar as the "smoking mountain" and "the gateway to hell," Erta Ale is a 2,011-foot-high constantly active basaltic shield volcano. It is one of only a handful of continuously active volcanos in the world, and a member of an even more exclusive group: volcanos with lava lakes. While there are only five known volcanos with lava lakes globally, Erta Ale often has two active lava lakes, making it a unique site.

Erta Ale was discovered in 1906, which also makes it the longest-known lava lake. For a lava lake to exist, the surface of the lake and the magma chamber below must form a constant convecting system, or the entire thing will cool and solidify.

Beneath the ground surrounding Erta Ale is an enormous pool of active magma. The lake goes through cycles and will cool, form a black layer on top, and then suddenly convect back into liquid lava. Occasionally, due to pressure, "fountains" of lava will form, spewing lava in 6- to 13-foot-high plumes.

The volcano itself has erupted in 1873, 1903, 1940, 1960, 1967, and 2005, when it killed hundreds of livestock and forced thousands to flee. In 2007 lava flows once again forced evacuation. Two people went missing and were presumably killed.

Despite the harsh conditions, danger of volcanic eruption, and extreme heat, Erta Ale has become something of a tourist destination recently. Whereas in 2002 the area was accessible only by helicopter, today adventure tourism groups take trips to the volcano lakes and it is now possible to drive within 4.3 miles of the volcano.

Lava bubbles and oozes inside a lava lake in Ethiopia’s Ertale volcano. Molten surface temperatures range from 550 degrees Fahrenheit (288 degrees Celsius) to nearly 1000 degrees Fahrenheit (540 degrees Celsius) at the center of the pit. Best attraction – walk to the edge of crater by fragile ash.ayyantua

Afaan Oromo in DC Office of Human Rights Language Access

Participants of the event from various immigrant communities in DC

July 1, 2014, WASHINGTON, D.C. (ayyaantuu) – On Saturday June 21, 2014 the DC Office of Human Rights (OHR) convened a multilingual community dialogue and resource fair where about 100 diverse limited and non-English proficient residents made recommendations for strengthening Language Access in the District. The recommendations were the result of two-hour simultaneous roundtable discussions that took place in 10 different languages. As the second installment in a series of events hosted by OHR to commemorate the 10 year anniversary of the DC Language Access Act, this unique community dialogue supplemented report findings from an Urban Institute study released in April, with direct community feedback on Language Access implementation over the last 10 years directly from the intended users.

“It’s truly incredible to be part of a city that welcomes, nurtures and enables its immigrant communities to thrive and contribute,” said OHR Language Access Program Director Winta Teferi. “As an immigrant myself, I know that Language Access is crucial for ensuring that those who speak little or no English can participate meaningfully in their government. Because DC is home to one of the most linguistically diverse populations, it is imperative that we engage and hear from all communities to ensure we meet the unique needs of all residents who speak little or no English.”

As a result of the discussion with a participation of a 15-member delegation of Oromo Community Organization of Washington DC, Afaan Oromo was recommended to be one of the language access in the District of Columbia. The participants of the event including officials of the various DC Government agencies understood very well the importance and the rights of Oromo residents needing such services in Afaan Oromo.

Because of the rapid growth of Oromo community in the Washington, D.C., there has been an increasing demand for Afaan Oromo translation services and Oromo participation in the affairs of the District.

Once the final work is finalized, the Language Access Department of the DC Office of Human Rights will declare the Afaan Oromo as an official language access in DC. Necessary signs will be translated and written in Qubee and placed in public quarters. Interpreters and translators in each and every DC government institution, hospital, school, DC government agency, etc. will be facilitated.

The Oromo Community Organization of Washington DC requests its members and supporters to support it in this effort.

-ayyaantuu

ሞትን የናቀና እስራትን ያልፈራ ትውልድ ተራራዉን ይንዳል

ጂቱ ለሚ ከኦሮሚያ | Waxabajjii 30, 2014

“የቆጡን ላውርድ ብላ የብብቷን ጣለች::” ይላሉ ዐበው ሲተርቱ። ይህች ምስኪን ስግብግብ ፍጡር ሌላውን ስታሳድድ የያዘችው ሁሉ ይበተንባታል:: ሰሞኑ በሀበሾቹ መንደር ስጋቱ አይሏል፤ ግርግሩም በርትቷል:: እንደ ማባበልም፣ እንደ ማስጠንቀቅም፣ እንደ መቆጣትም፥ ብቻ ነገሩን በያይነቱ እየሞካከሩት ነው። እንዳለመታደል ሆኖ ለዚህ ሁሉ ችግራቸውና ስጋታቸው ምንጩ የኦሮሞ ህዝብ ብሔራዊ ትግል እንደሆነ ሊያስረዱን ይሞክራሉ። በመሠረቱ የኦሮሞ ህዝብ ትግል ዓላማና ግቡ ጨቋኝ ቅኝ ገዥዎችን ማስወገድና በአንጻሩ የኦሮሞ ሕዝብ የራስን ዕድል በራስ የመወሰን መብትን ለማረጋገጥ የሚካሄድ ዓለም አቀፋዊ ድንጋጌዎች መሠረት ያለው ፍትኃዊ ትግል ነው። የዚህ ትግል ጠቀሜታ ለኦሮሞ ህዝብ ብቻ ሳይሆን የቅኝ ገዥዎች ቀንበር በኃይል ለተጫነባቸው ለመላው የኢምፓየሪቷ ብሔሮችና ህዝቦች ጭምር ነው። በመሆኑም የኦሮሞ ሕዝብ በጭቁን ሕዝቦች የጋራ ትግል ያምናል። መሰል ዓላማና ግብ ካላቸው ኃይሎች ጋር የተቀናጀ የጋራ ትግል ያካሄዳል፤ በማካሄድ ላይም ነው። በሌላ መልኩ የኦሮሞ ህዝብ በሁለንተናዊ ባሕሪውም ሆነ በባሕላዊ አደረጃጀቱና አስተዳዳራዊ መዋቅሩ ሠላምን ይሰብካል፤ ፍትሓዊ አንድነትን ያበረታታል። ደካማውን ያፀናል፤ የተገፋውን ያቋቁማል። ለዚህ ማሳያ ደግሞ በዛሬዋ ኦሮሚያ ውስጥ ለዘመናት የኖሩ ብሔሮችና ሕዝቦች በፀረ-ኦሮሞ ኃይሎች የሚደረገውን እኩይ የማጋጨት ሤራ በማክሸፍ ከኦሮሞ ህዝብ ጋር ያላቸውን ተምሳሌታዊ አንድነት እንዴት ጠብቀው እንዳቆዩ ልብ ማለት ያሻል።

በአጠቃላይ የኦሮሞ ሕዝብ በማሕበራዊ አኗኗርም ሆነ በብሔራዊ ትግሉ የሰብኣዊ መብቶችን ቀመር በወጉ የተከተለ በመሆኑ በማንኛውም መመዘኛ ለጎረቤት ሕዝቦችም ሆነ አብረውት ለሚኖሩ ወንድም ሕዝቦች ስጋት ባለመሆኑ የነፍጠኛ ሥርዓት ናፋቂ ኃይሎችና አብዮታዊ ህወሃቶች(TPLF) የኦሮሞ ሕዝብን በአጠቃላይ፥ ብሔራዊ ትግሉን ደግሞ በተለይ ለማጥላላት በጋራና በተናጠል የሚያራግቡትን መሰረተ-ቢስ ወሬና የሚያደርጉትን ከንቱ ሙከራ በቀላሉ ፉርሽ ያደርጋል።

ይህ እውነታ በተለያዩ ጊዜ በተለያዩ ሰዎች ሲገለፅ ቆይቷል። ሆኖም ግን ይህንን መረዳት የተሳናቸው ኦሮሞ-ፎቢክ የሆኑ (Oromo-phobia) ፍርሃተ-ኦሮሞ የተጠናወታቸዉ ኃይሎች ተገደውም ብሆን እጃቸውን እስኪሰጡ ድረስ የኦሮሞ ትግል እምርታ በቃልም ሆነ በተግባር ልናሳያቸውና ልናስተምራቸው ግድ ይለናል። በዚሁ መሠረት የኦሮሞ ህዝብ ትግል በማንኛውም ዓይነት ሤራ መቀልበስ የማይቻል እጅግ ወሳኝ ደራጃ ላይ ስለመድረሱ ባይወዱም ምስጢን ከነተጨባጭ መስረጃዎቹ ላሳያችሁ ወደድኩ።

ማሳያ ቁጥር አንድ፥ የኦሮሞ ሕዝብ ውድ ልጆቹ በከፈሉት ክቡር ዋጋ የሀገሩን ድንበርና የህዝቡን እውነተኛ ታርክ እስከ ወዲያኛው የዓለም ጫፍ ድረስ ለማስተዋዋቅ ችሏል። ከእንግዲህ ወዲያ ሀገራችን ኦሮሚያ በልጆቿ ደምና አጥንት እስከ ዘልዓለሙ ትከበራለች!!። በቃ እውነታው ይህ ነው።

ማሳያ ቁጥር ሁለት፥ የኦሮሞ ህዝብ ባህልና ቋንቋ አስተማማኝ በሆነ መልኩ በማይናውጥ መሠረት ላይ ተዋቅሯል። ዛሬ Afaan Oromoo ምቹ የሆነ የራሱ ፊደል (orthography) አለው። ሚልዮኖች ይማሩታል፤ ያስተምሩበታል፤ ይመራመሩበታል። እጅግ በርካታ ዓለምዐቀፋዊ ይዘት ያላቸዉ ሚዲያዎች ይዘግቡበታል፤ ያሰራጩበታል። የስነ-ፅሁፍና ስነ-ጥበብ ውጤቶች ይቀርብበታል፤ ይከወንበታል። ይህም የኦሮሞ ህዝብ ትግል ወደ ፊጻሜው እየተቃረበ ስለመሆኑ አንዱ አመላካች መስረጃ ነውና ልብ ይሉታል።

ማሳያ ቁጥር ሦስት፦ የኦሮሞ ሕዝብ ትግል ሞትን በናቁ፣ ሕይዋታቸውን ጨምሮ ሙሉ ሰብኣዊ ክብራቸውን ለኦሮሚያ ሉዓላዊነትና ለኦሮሞ ነጻነት ቤዛ ሊያደርጉ የወሰኑ የአንድ ትውልድ ዘመን ላይ ደርሷል። ይኸኛው የነገሮች ሁሉ ማሳረጊያ ይሆናል። እውነታው በተግባር እየታያ ስለሆነ የማሳመኛ ትንታኔ የሚያስፈልግ አይመስለኝም።

ማሳያ ቁጥር ዐራት፦ በኦሮሞ ሕዝብ ላይ እየተፈፀመ ያለውን ዘግናኝና ወደርየለሽ ጭፍጨፋ የዓለምዓቀፉ ማሕበረሰብ በግልፅ ከመረዳትም አልፎ ለመፍትሔው ሁነኛ ምክክሮችን ለማድረግ የተገደደበት ወሳኝ ምዕራፍ ላይ ደርሰናል። ይህም ያልተቋረጣ ህዝባዊ ትግል ፍሬ ነውና ባይጥማሁችም ትክክለኛ ትርጉሙን የምትስቱ አይምስለኝም።

ማሳያ ቁጥር አምስት፦ ዛሬ የኦሮሞ ህዝብ በፀረ-ኦሮሞ ኃይሎች ሤራ የማይከፋፈልና ለጋራ ዓላማ ያለአንዳች ልዪነት በጋራ መቆማቸውን ያረጋገጡበት ታርካዊ ወቅት ላይ ደርሷል። ይህ የኦሮሞ ህዝብ የጋራ ትብብር የአራት ኪሎዉን አሮጌ ዙፋናችሁን ከነመሠረቱ ለመጣል መነቅነቅ በመጀመሩ የአንዳንዶቻችሁ የደም-ግፊት ልክ ስለመጨመሩ የሰሞኑ ግርግር አመላካች ሆኗል።

ማሳያ ቁጥር ስድስት፦ የኦሮሞ ህዝብ ብሔራዊ ትግል ሁለንተናዊ የትግል ስልቶችን የሚከተል እንደመሆኑ መጠን የኦሮሚያ ተራሮች፣ ሸለቆዉ፣ ጫካዉ ጋራዉና ሸንተረሩ ትግሉን ወደ ፊጻሜ የሚያደርስ መጠነ-ሰፊ የትጥቅ ትግልና ጠንካራ ወታደራዊ ዝግጅቶችን እያስተናገዳ ይገኛል። በዚሁ መሠረት የኦሮሞ ነፃነት ሠራዊት (Oromo Libration Army) በወርሃ ግንቦት (2014 ዓ ም) ብቻ ከድንበር እስከ መሃል ኦሮሚያ ድረስ በመንቀሳቀስ በወሰደዉ ወታደራዊ ጥቃት ከሁለት መቶ በላይ የጠላት ሠራዊትን ሙትና ቁስለኛ አድርጓል። እንዲሁም በርካታ ወታደራዊ ቁሳቁሶችን ለመማረክ ችሏል።

በአጠቃላይ የኦሮሞ ህዝብ በትግሉ እጅግ ቁልፍ ድሎችን እያስመዘገበ ሲሆን ለቀሪ መብቶቹ ሙሉ ለሙሉ መከበር ደግሞ ሰብኣዊና ቁሳዊ ኃይሉን ከመቼም በላይ አቀናጅቶ በመንቀሳቀስ ላይ ይገኛል። ታዲያ ህዝባዊ ዓላማ ይዞ በቆራጥነት የተነሳዉን ባለራዕይ ትዉልድ በእስራትና ግዲያ ልታቆሙት ነዉን? ወይስ በበግ መሳይ ተኩላዎች ግሳጼና የማወናባጃ ቃላት ልታዘናጉት ትሻላችሁ? እውነት! እውነት እላችኋለሁ! ያ ዘመን ዳግም ላይመለስ ሄዷል። አሁን እውነቱን ትቀበሉ ዘንድ ላደፋፍራችሁ። ግርግሩ፣ ሽኩቻው፣ የመሠሪዎች ሤራ …. ብቻ ማንኛውም ዓይነት የክፋት ኃይል ይህንን ትውልድ ሊያቆመው አይችልም። ለምን ቢባል ይህ ትውልድ ዓላማ ይዞ የተነሳ፣ ለዘመናት በህዝባዊ ተልዕኮ ተቀርጾ፣ በጽናት የታነጻ፣ መነሻውንና መድረሻውን ጠንቅቆ ያወቀ፣ ሞትን ንቆ ዋጋውን ተምኖ የወጣ ትውልድ ነውና በተዓምር የሚያቆመዉ ምድራዊ ኃይል የለም፥ አይኖርምም። አሁንማ ብቸኛዉና አዋጪው መንገድ በትላንትናዉ አሮጌ መነፅራችሁ እዉነትን ኣጣምማችሁ በማየት ከመስጋት ይልቅ እይታችሁን በማስተካከል ማምለጥ የማይቻለዉን ሀቅ በመቀበል ከነባራዊ እውነታ ጋር ታርቆ መኖር ነዉ የሚሻላችሁ። ልቦና ይስጣችሁ!!

እዉነት ለዘለዓለሙ ታሸንፋለች!!
ጂቱ ለሚ ነኝ ከኦሮሚያ

-Ayyaantuu

Oromia: State Broadcaster Fires 20 Journalists for “Narrow Political Views”

Muktar Kedir, President of the Oromia regional state

June 30, 2014 (Reporters Without Borders) — Reporters Without Borders condemns last week’s politically-motivated dismissal of 20 journalists from Oromia Radio and Television Organization (ORTO), the main state-owned broadcaster in Oromia, Ethiopia’s largest regional State.

The 20 journalists were denied entry to ORTO headquarter on 25 June and were effectively dismissed without any explanations other than their alleged “narrow political views,” an assessment the management reached at the end of a workshop for journalists and regional government officials that included discussions on the controversial Master Plan of Addis that many activists believe is aimed at incorporating parts of Oromia into the federal city of Addis Ababa.

The journalists had reportedly expressed their disagreement with the violence used by the police in May to disperse student protests against the plan, resulting in many deaths.

It is not yet clear whether the journalists may also be subjected to other administrative or judicial proceedings.

“How can you fire journalists for their political views?” said Cléa Kahn-Sriber, the head of the Reporters Without Borders Africa desk. “The government must provide proper reasons for such a dismissal. Does it mean that Ethiopia has officially criminalized political opinion ?

“In our view, this development must be seen as an attempt by the authorities to marginalize and supress all potential critiques ahead of the national elections scheduled for 2015 in Ethiopia. These journalists must be allowed to return to work and must not be subjected to any threats or obstruction.”

Ethiopia is ranked 143rd out of 180 countries in the 2014 Reporters Without Borders press freedom index.

Source:  Reporters Without Borders

-ayyaantuu

Hirphaa Gaanfuree: #OromoProtests – “Baratooni Kaate Qabsoo Finiisite” (Sirba Haarawa)

Gadaa.com