Monday, September 2, 2013

የሶሪያ ጦርነትና የኃያሉ ዓለም ዝግጅት


የሶሪያ ጦርነትና የኃያሉ ዓለም ዝግጅት

ፕሬዝዳት ኦባማ የሚተማመኑበትን እቅዳቸዉ ለማስፈፀም-የሚተማመኑበትን ዘመናይ ጦር ከምርጥ መሳሪያዎቹ ጋር አዝምተዋል።የሶሪያ የቅርብ ወዳጆች ሩሲያ፥ ቻይና እና ኢራን የድብደባዉን ዕቅድና ዘመቻ አጥብቀዉ ይቃወማሉ።የሩሲያዉ ፕሬዝዳት ቭላድሚር ፑቲን ከዚሕም አልፈዉ አሜሪካና የተባባሪዎችዋን አቅድ አጣጥለዉ ነቅፈዉታል።
ሶሪያዎች ሠወስት ዓመት እንደለመዱት ይተለላለቃሉ።ለንደኖች፥ የደማስቆ መንግሥትን በኬሚካዊ ጦር መሳሪያ ሕዝብን በመጨረስ ወነጀሉ፥ ሶሪያን ለመብደብ ዛቱ፥ ፎከሩና በስተመጨረሻዉ ገሸሽ-ገለል አሉ።ፓሪሶች እንደ ለንደን፥ ዋሽግተኖች ዛቱ ፎከሩና የድብደባ-ነጋሪቱ ዋሽንግተን ላይ እስኪጎሰም አድፈጠዉ ቀሩ።ዋሽግተኖች እንደፎከሩ ነዉ።ሞስኮዎች፥ ቤጂንጎች፥ ቴሕራኖች የድብደባ ፉከራ፥ ዘመቻ፥ ዝግጅቱን እንደተቃወሙ ነዉ።እነሱንም፥ ድፍን ዓለምንም የሚያስተናብረዉን የተባበሩት መንግሥታት ድርጅትን የጋራ ማዕከልነት የተቀበለዉ የለም።የሶሪያን ጦርነት፥ የሐያሉ ዓለም የዉጊያ-ዝግጅት፥ ተቃዉሞ ያፍታ ዝግጅታችን ትኩረት ነዉ-አብራችሁኝ ቆዩ።


የዩናይትድ ስቴትሱ ፕሬዝዳት ባራክ ኦባማ መጀመሪያ ሶሪያን በጣሙን የሶሪያ መንግሥትን አስጠንቅቀዉ ነበር።

«በዚሕ ሠዓት እዚያ ባለዉ ሁኔታ ወታደራዊ እርምጃ እንዲወሰድ አላዘዝኩም።ግን እንደተጠቀሰዉ የኬሚካዊ እና የባዮሎጂያዊ መሳሪያ (የመጠቀም) ጉዳይ በጣም አሳሳቢ ነዉ።ይሕ ጉዳይ ሶሪያን ብቻ የሚመለከት ዓይደለም።እስራኤልን ጨምሮ ባካባቢዉ ያሉ የቅርብ ተባባሪዎቻችንን የሚያሰጋ፥ እኛንም የሚያሳስብ ነዉ።ኬሚካዊና ባዮሎጂያዊ ጦር መሳሪ ከመጥፎ ሰዎች እጅ እንዲገባ (ልንፈቅድ) አንችልም።»

ነሐሴ ሃያ-ሁለት ሺሕ አስራ ሁለት( ዘመኑ በሙሉ እንደ ጎሮጎሮሳዉያኑ አቆጣጠር ነዉ።ቀጠሉ፥-ለአፀፋ-እንደማያመነቱ ዛቱ ቃል ገቡም።

«ለአሰድ ሥርዓትም ሆነ፥ እዚያ ላሉት ወገኖች ግልፅ ማድረግ የምንፈልገዉ ኬሚካዊ ጦር መሳሪያን (ለዉጊያ) ማንቀሳቀስ ወይም ጥቅም ላይ ማዋል ለኛ ቀይ መስመር ነዉ።ይሕ ስሌቴን ይቀይረዋል። ይሕ ጥያቄዬን ይለዉጠዋል።ይሕ ለኛ ቀይ መስመር መሆኑን ባካባቢዉ ላሉ ወገኖች በሙሉ አሳዉቀናል።ኬሚካዊ ጦር መሳሪያ ማንቀሳቀስና መጠቀም ከባድ አፀፋ እንደሚገጥመዉ ተናግረናል።»

Blick auf die Innenstadt von Damaskus, aufgenommen am 07.10.2005. Foto: Oliver Berg +++(c) dpa - Report+++
ደማስቆ


ነሐሴ-ሃያ-አንድ ሁለት ሺሕ አስራ-ሰወስት።ማስጠንቀቂያ፥ ዛቻ ቃሉ ዓመት ደፈነ።ርዕሠ-ከተማ ደማስቆ አጠገብ ኬሚካዊ ጦር መሳሪያ ወይም መርዛማ ጋዝ መተኮሱ ተነገረ።በሌላ አባባል የፕሬዝዳት ባራክ ኦቦማ ቀይ መስመር መጣሱ ተወራ።

የተነገረ፥ የተወራዉ መጣራት፥ መረጋገጥ አለበት።የተባበሩት መንግሥታት ድርጅት አጣሪዎች ቡድን እዚያዉ ደማስቆ ነበረ።ቡድኑ መርዛማዉ ጋዝ ተተኩሷል የተባለበትን አካባቢ ለመመርመር፥ የተኳሾቹን ማንነት ለማጣራት ከሶሪያ መንግሥት ተፈቅዶለት በአራተኛዉ ቀን ወደ አካባቢዉ ተንቀሳቅሷል።«ተልዕኮዉ ዛሬ ነሐሴ ሃያ-ስድስት በሰዓታት ዉስጥ በአካባቢዉ ምርመራ ይጀምራል ተብሎ ይጠበቃል።እያንዳዱ ሰዓት ትርጉም አለዉ።ተጨማሪ ጊዜ እንዲጠፋ አንፈልግም።»

ዋና ፀሐፊ ፓን ጊ ሙን። ዋና ፀሐፊዉ እንዳሉት የዓለም አቀፉ ድርጅት የመርማሪዎች ቡድን በኬሚካዊ ጦር መሳሪያ ተመትቷል የተባለዉን አካባቢ ለመርመር ወደ አካባቢዉ የተንቀሳቀሱት ነሐሴ-ሃያ ስድስት ነዉ።ቡድኑ ከአካባቢዉ የሰበሰበዉ መረጃ ቢያንስ በይፋ እስከ ዛሬ ተመርምሮ፥ ተጣርቶ አላበቃም።የለንደን ፖለቲከኞች ግን ኬሚካዊ ጦር መሳሪያ መተኮሱን ለማወጅ፥ የፕሬዝዳት ባራክ ኦቦማ ቀይ መስመር መጣሱን በግልፅ ለመናገር የዓለም ማሕበር የምርመራ ዉጤት መጠበቅ አላስፈለጋቸዉም።

ለንደኖች ዓለም አቀፉን ድርጅት አይደለም የቅርብ ወዳጆቻዉን የዩናይትድ ስቴትስ አቻዎቻቸዉን ለመጠበቅ እንኳን አልታገሱም።በሁለት ሺሕ አስራ-አንድ የሊቢያዉ የርስ በርስ ጦርነት እንደተጀመረ የብሪታንያዉ ዉጪ ጉዳይ ሚንስትር ዊሊያም ሔግ የያኔዉ የሊቢያ መሪ ኮሎኔል ሙዓመር ቃዛፊ ወደ ቬኒዙዌላ ኮብልለዋል የሚል መረጃ እንደደረሳቸዉ ተናግረዉ ነበር።ኋላ ዉሸትነቱ ሲረጋገጥ የጠየቃቸዉ የልነበረም።


Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron is seen addressing the House of Commons in this still image taken from video in London August 29, 2013. Cameron said on Thursday it was unthinkable that Britain would launch military action against Syria to punish and deter it from chemical weapons use if there was strong opposition at the United Nations Security Council. REUTERS/UK Parliament via Reuters TV (Foto: Reuters) / Eingestellt von wa ካሜሩን
በቀደምም የተባበሩት መንግሥታት የመርማሪዎች ቡድን ኬሚካዊ ጦር መሳሪያ ተተኩሷል ተብሎ ወደ ሚጠረጠርበት ቦታ ገና ጉዞ ሳይጀምር የታላቅዋ ብሪታንያ ታላቅ ዲፕሎማት ኮሚካዊ ጦር መሳሪያ መተኮሱን አይደለም የተኳሹን ማንነት እንደሚያዉቅም በግልፅ ተናገሩ።ነሐሴ ሃያ-ስድስት ሁለት ሺሕ አስራ-ስድስት።

«ባለፈዉ ሮብ በጣም ከፍተኛ የኬሚካዊ ጦር መሳሪያ ድብደባዉን የፈፀመዉ የአሳድ ሥርዓት ለመሆኑ ለኛ በብሪታንያ መንግሥት ዉስጥ ላለነዉ ግልፅ ነዉ።መረጃዎቹ በሙሉ ወደዚያ አቅጣጫ ነዉ የሚያመለክቱት፥ የዓይን ምሥክሮቹ፥ ኬሚካዊ ጦር መሳሪያ የተተኮሰዉ፥ የሥርዓቱ ሐይላት ያን አካባቢ ሲደበድቡ መሆኑ (ያንኑ) አመልካች ነዉ።»

የዘመኑ ዓለም ፖለቲካዊ ሥርዓት ቀያይሽ፥ የዓለም ሐያል፥ የተባበሩት መንግሥታት ድርጅት መስራች፥ የፀጥታዉ ጥበቃ ምክር ቤት ቋሚ አባል ትልቅ ዲፕሎማት ኬሚካዊ ጦር መሳሪያ መተኮሱን አይደለም፥ የተኳሹን ማንነት ጭምር አዉቀዉ፥ ማወቃቸዉን ለዓለም እያሳወቁ የዓለም አቀፉ ድርጅት ሌላ-ምርመራ ለማድረግ ሌላ ገንዘብና ጊዜ ማጥፋቱ በርግጥ አነጋገሪ፥ ግራ አጋቢም ይመመስላል።ነዉም።


ዉጪ ጉዳይ ሚንስትር ዊሊያም ሔግ ያሉ-የሚናገሩት አነጋገሪ፥ ግራ አጋቢነቱን ማስተንተን በርግጥ አያስፈልጋቸዉም።የምክር ቤት እንደራሴዎቻቸዉን አቋም ለመገምገም እንኳን አልታገሱም፥ ወይም የማስተንተን አቅም ብስለቱ ያጥራቸዉ ነበር።እና ደማስቆ መዳራሻ በመኬሚካዊ ጦር መሳሪያ መደብደቡን፥ ደብዳቢዉ የደማስቆ መንግሥት መሆኑን በይፋ ተናግረዉ አላበቁም።የኦባማን ቃል ለማስከበር መንግሥታቸዉ ቀዳሚ መሆኑን ከራሳቸዉ ከኦባማ ቀድመዉ አረጋገጡም እንጂ።
A UN convoy of vehicles, carrying inspectors investigating allegations of the Syrian regime's use of chemical weapons, drives through the Lebanese village of Taanayel after crossing into Lebanon from Syria on August 31, 2013. The team of UN inspectors left Damascus after completing their probe into a suspected chemical weapons attack near Damascus, an AFP reporter said. AFP PHOTO/ANWAR AMRO (Photo credit should read ANWAR AMRO/AFP/Getty Images) የተመድ መርማሪዎች


«በሃያ-አንደኛዉ መቶ ክፍለ ዘመን፥ ኬሚካዊ ጦር መሳሪያ ጥፋት እንዲያደርስ፥ በዚሕ መንገድ ሰዎች እንዲገደሉ ልንፈቅ አንችልም።ያለ-አፀፋ እርምጃ አናልፈዉምም።»

ሔግ ለሚያዘምቱ፥ ለሚያስጠነቅቁት ወታደራዊ አፀፋ ከሩቅ የሚወቅስ፥ የሚጠይቃቸዉ ቢኖር እንኳ በርግጥ ደንታም አይሰጣቸዉ።ከዚያዉ ከምክር ቤት እንደራሴዎቻቸዉ ለተንቆረቆሩት ጥያቄዎች መልስ መስጠት ግን እሳቸዉም አለቃቸዉ ጠቅላይ ሚንስትር ዴቪድ ካሜሩንም ግድ ነበረባቸዉ።

«(ካሜሩን) ፕሬዝዳት አሳድ ይሕን አድርገዋል ያሉበትን ምክንያት ለቤቱ ሊያስረዱ ይችላሉ?አሰድ ኬሚካዊ ጦር መሳሪያ ይተኩሳሉ ለማለት ተጠያቃዊ ምክንያት አለመኖሩ አንዳዶችን ያሳስባል።»

አሉ-አንዱ የምክር ቤት እንደራሴ።አርብ።ሌለኛዉ ቀጠሉ፥-

«ሶሪያን መደብደብ፥በሐገሪቱ እና ባካባቢዉ ያለዉን ሁኔታ ይበልጥ ላለማባባሱ (ካሜሩን) የሚሰጡት ማረጋገጪያ አለ?»

ሌሎቹም-እንዲሁ።ጠቅላይ ሚንስትር ዴቪድ ካሜሩን እና ዉጪ ጉዳይ ሚንስትር ዊልያም ሔግ ሶሪያን ለመደብደብ የፈለጉበትን ምክንያት ለማስረዳት፥ ለሚዥጎደጎደዉ ጥያቄ መልስ ለመስጠት ብዙ ሞከሩ።እንደራሴዎቹን ማሳመን ግን አልቻሉም።እንደ ዲሞክራሲዉ ወግ በድምፅ ብልጫ ተሸነፉ።

«በቀኝ በኩል የድጋፍ ድምፅ ሁለት መቶ ሰባ-ሁለት፥ በግራ በኩል የተቃዉሞዉ ድምፅ ሁለት መቶ ሰማንያ-አምስት።»

የብሪታንያ መንግሥት የዛተ፥ የፎከረበት የጦርነት ዘመቻ-በሐገሪቱ ምክር ቤት ድምፅ ሲሸከሽፍበት፥ እንደለንደኖች ሁሉ የደማስቆን ገዢዎችን ለመቅጣት ሲጋበዙ የነበሩት የፓሪስ መሪዎችም ከወትሮ አቋማቸዉ ሸብረክ ማለት መጀመሩ።እርግጥ ነዉ ፕሬዝዳት ፍራንሷ ኦላንድ ሌላ ሐገር ለመዉረር ከብሪታንያዉ ጠቅላይ ሚንስትር ከዴቪድ ካሜሩን የሚሻሉበት ሁለት፥ ከዩናይትድ ስቴትሱ ደግሞ አንድ ዕድል አላቸዉ።

ኦላንድ እንደ ካሜሩን-የቶኒ ብሌር፥ እንደ ኦባማ የጆርጅ ደብሊዉ ቡሽ እኩይ ምግባር መጥፎ ዉርስ የለባቸዉም።ጠቅላይ ሚንስትር ካሜሩን ራሳቸዉ ባለፈዉ አርብ እንዳሉት የምክር ቤት እንደራሴዎቻቸዉ የሶሪያዉን የዘመቻ ዕቅድ ዉድቅ ያደረጉት የቀድሞዉ የሐገሪቱ ጠቅላይ ሚንስትር ቶኒ ብሌር እና የዩናይትድ ስቴትሱ ፕሬዝዳ ጆርጅ ደብሊዉ ቡሽ ኢራቅን በሐሰን መረጃ ወርረዉ በየሐገራቸዉም፥ በኢራቅም በድፍን ዓለምም ያደረሱት ጥፋት በመኖሩ ነዉ።


Russia's President Vladimir Putin looks on during a meeting with journalists in the far eastern city of Vladivostok, August 31, 2013. Putin said on Saturday that it would be utter nonsense for the Syrian government to use chemical weapons when it was winning the war, and urged U.S. President Barack Obama not to attack Syrian forces. REUTERS/Alexei Nikolskyi/RIA Novosti/Kremlin (RUSSIA - Tags: POLITICS HEADSHOT) ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. IT IS DISTRIBUTED, EXACTLY AS RECEIVED BY REUTERS, AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS ፑቲን
ኦላንድ ከሳርኮዚ ሊቢያን መደብደብን ቢወርሱም፥ ከዣክ ሺራክ ግን የኢራቅን መወረር ተቃዉሞ እንጂ የወረራ ጥፋት ዉድቀትን አልወረሱም።ይሕ-ከካሜሩንም ከኦባም ይለያቸዋል።ሶሪያን ለመደብደብ ከካሜሩን በሌላም ጉዳይ ይለያሉ፥ምክር ቤታቸዉን ሳያማክሩ ሌላ ሐገር የሚወር ጦር ቢያንስ ለአራት ወራት ማዝመት ይችላሉ።

ያም ሆኖ የብሪታንያ ምክር ቤት የዘመቻዉን ዕቅድ ዉድቅ ካደረገ በሕዋላ ፓሪሶች ያንድ ሳምንት ፉከራ-ዛቻቸዉን ማቀዝቀዝ ግድ ሆኖባቸዋል።የፈረንሳይ የሐገር ዉስጥ ጉዳይ ሚንስትር ማኑኤል ቫል ትናንት እንዳሉት ደግሞ ፓሪሶች ከእንግዲሕ የዋሽግተኖችን ኮቴ ማዳመጥ ግድ አለባቸዉ።

«አዲስ ምዕራፍ ዉስጥ እንገኛለን።ብሪታንያ ጣልቃ እንዳትገባ የሐገሪቱ ምክር ቤት ከወሰነ በሕዋላ፥ ማክበር የሚገባን አማራጭ አለ።ፕሬዝዳት ባራክ ኦቦማ ምክር ቤታቸዉን ለማማካር መወሰናቸዉን ማክበር አለብን።ላሁኑ ጊዜ አለን።ይሕን ያለንን ጊዜ ጉዳዩ እንዲንቀሳቀስ ልንጠቀምበት ይገባል።»

ፕሬዝዳት ባራክ ኦቦማ-የፕሬዝዳትነትነቱን ሥልጣን ከያዙ ወዲሕ ቀዳሚያቸዉ ፕሬዝዳት ጆርጅ ደብሊዉ ቡሽ ያወደሙትን የሐገራቸዉን ምጣኔ ሐብት ለማሻሻል፥ ያጠፉትን የአሜሪካን ሥም፥ ዝና ክብር ለመመለስ በብዙ ጉዳይ ቃል ገብተዋል።ጥቂቱን እንጠቅስ፥-የእስራኤልና የፍልስጤሞችን ግጭት ዉዝግብ ለማስወገድ ዋሽግተን አይደለም ካይሮ-ድረስ ወርደዉ ቃል ገብተዉ ነበር።ከየሐገሩ ታፍሰዉ ያለፍርድ በርካታ ሰዎች የታሰሩበትን የኹዋንታናሞ ማጎሪያ ጣቢያን በአንድ ዓመት ጊዜ ለመዝጋት ቃል ገብተዉ ነበር።

አምባገነኖች በየሕዝባቸዉ ላይ የሚፈፅሙትን ግፍ እና በደል ማስቆም ባይችሉ እንኳን መስተዳድራቸዉ ከአምባገነኖች ጋር እንደማይተባበር ቃል ገብተዉ ነበር።የዓለም ብቸኛ ልዕለ-ሐያል ሐገራቸዉ አቅም ጉልበት ሐብቷን በዓለም ሠላም ለማስፈን እንድታዉለዉ ለማድረግ እንደሚጥሩ ቃል ገብተዉ ነበር።ኦባማ ለገቡት በጎ ቃል፥ ተስፋ የዓለምን ታላቅ የሠላም ሽልማት ኖቤልን ተሸልበዉበታል።

ከጠቀስናቸዉ መሐል ግን አንዱንም ቃል በከፊል እንኳን ገቢር አላደረጉም።ሶሪያ ላይ በሐሳብ ያሰመሩትን ቀይ-መስመር ለማስከበር የገቡትን ቃል እንደማያጥፉ ግን በቀደም በድጋሚ አረጋግጠዋል።

«ጥንቃቄ ከተሞላበት እሳቤ በሕዋላ ዩናይትድ ስቴትስ በሶሪያ ሥርዓት የተመረጡ ኢላማዎች ላይ ወታደራዊ እርምጃ እንድትወስድ ወስኛለሁ።ይሕ ማብቂያዉ የማይታወቅ ጣልቃ ገብነት አይሆንም።እግራችንን ሶሪያ ምድር አናሳርፍም።ከዚሕ ይልቅ እርምጃችን በጊዜና በመጠን የተወሰነ ነዉ።ይሁንና የአሰድ ሥርዓት ኬሚካዊ ጦር መሳሪያያ በመጠቀሙ ተጠያቂ ማድረግ፥ እንዲሕ አይነት ባሕሪዉን መግታት፥አቅሙን ማዳካም እንደምንችልም እተማመናለሁ።»

ፕሬዝዳት ኦባማ የሚተማመኑበትን እቅዳቸዉ ለማስፈፀም-የሚተማመኑበትን ዘመናይ ጦር ከምርጥ መሳሪያዎቹ ጋር አዝምተዋል።የሶሪያ የቅርብ ወዳጆች ሩሲያ፥ ቻይና እና ኢራን የድብደባዉን ዕቅድና ዘመቻ አጥብቀዉ ይቃወማሉ።የሩሲያዉ ፕሬዝዳት ቭላድሚር ፑቲን ከዚሕም አልፈዉ አሜሪካና የተባባሪዎችዋን አቅድ አጣጥለዉ ነቅፈዉታል።

«እንዲያዉ ተራ ግምት እንኳን ይመስከራል።የሶሪያ መንግሥት ጦር ድል እየተቀዳጀ ነዉ።ባንዳድ አካባቢዎች አማፂያኑን ከቧል።በዚሕ ሁኔታ ለረጅም ጊዜ «የምዕራቡ) ጦር ጣልቃ እንዲገባ ለሚጠይቁት ሐይላት ያሸናፊነት ካርድ መሸለም ፍፁም ትርጉመ-ቢስነት ነዉ።በተለይ የዓለም አቀፉ መርማሪ ቡድን በመተለሰበት ባሁኑ ወቅት እርምጃ ይወሰድ መባሉ ከምንም አይነት ተጠይቅ ጋር አይጣጣምም።ሥለዚሕ በሶሪያዉ ጦርነት ሌሎች ጣልቃ እንዲገቡ ለሚፈልጉ ሐይላት፥ ከዓለም አቀፉ ጠንካራ ሐይል-በተለይ ከአሜሪካ ድጋፍ የሚሹ ወገኖች ጠብ አጫሪነት ብዬ ነዉ የማምነዉ።»

የሰማቸዉ እንጂ-የተቀበላቸዉ ምዕራባዉ ሐይል የለም።የዩናይትድ ስቴትስ ቦምብ ሚሳዬል ሶሪያን የሚያነደዉን ዉጊያ የሚያጋጋምበት ዕለት እየተቆጠረ ነዉ።ሶሪያም ኢራቅን፥ አፍቃኒስታንን፥ ፍልስጤም እስራኤልን፥ ሊቢያን ለመቀየጥ-ትጣደፋለች።ነጋሽ መሐመድ ነኝ ቸር ያሰማን።

ነጋሽ መሐመድ
ተክሌ የኋላ

Ethiopia denies crackdown on Semayawi opposition

Ethiopia denies crackdown on Semayawi opposition

Ethiopian people demonstrate at Meskel Square against what the protesters say is a recent wave of religious extremism, at Meskel Square in the capital Addis Ababa September 1, 2013.  
Some 1,500 people attended the pro-government rally against extremism
Some 100 members of Ethiopia's opposition Semayawi (Blue) party were arrested and some badly beaten over the weekend, the party says.
Party chairman Yilekal Getachew said equipment such as sound systems were confiscated ahead of a rally on Sunday which was banned.
Communication Minister Shimeles Kemal denied there had been a crackdown.
The government said the venue had already been booked by a pro-government group condemning religious extremism.
The governing EPRDF maintains strict control over public life in Ethiopia.
The public protest Semayawi organised in June was the first major demonstration on the streets of Addis Ababa since 2005 when hundreds of protesters were killed in violence.
It was called to demand the release of jailed journalists and activists.
The rally planned for Sunday was to call for political reforms.
Mr Shimeles said that any group which wanted to organise a public protest had to seek a permit.
He said the authorities could not refuse to grant a permit but could insist that the event be held at a different time or place to that requested.
Hailemariam Desalegn took office as prime minister a year ago, following the death of long-time leader Meles Zenawi.
Ethiopia is a US ally against Islamist militants in the region.

 source  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-23936145




OSA Letter to the UN Secretary-General: Killing of Eng. Tesfahun Chemeda is Continuation of Injustices Against Oromo
The following is a letter from the Oromo Studies Association (OSA) on the killing of an Oromo activist, Eng. Tesfahun Chemeda, in the notorious Ethiopian prison known as Qaallittii.

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Gadaa.com
September 1, 2013
His Excellency Mr. Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General
Office of the Secretary General of United Nations
885 Second Avenue  New York, NY 10017, USA
Your Excellency Ki-moon:
I am writing on behalf of the Oromo Studies Association (OSA), a scholarly organization established by Oromo and non-Oromo scholars to promote studies on and relevant to the Oromo people. The Oromo Studies Association is deeply saddened and alarmed by the death of Engineer Tesfahun Chemeda in Ethiopian gulag. The ordeal that finally led to such horrific death of Engineer Chemeda highlights the systematic persecution of the Oromo people in Ethiopia and beyond which OSA and its scholars have documented and published for the last 27 years.
For instance, several papers presented at OSA conferences have shown that, most of the time, Oromos have been targeted for simply advocating for the basic rights of the Oromo people and exercising their constitutional rights.
Engineer Chemeda came first under the radar of the regime when he joined other students and campaigned to help put off the Bale forest fire of 2000. One would have thought that such courageous activism to protect the natural habitat would have earned him admiration. In contrast, concern for the environment and the well being of his people earned him a constant harassment by the security services, a situation that forced him to flee the country in 2004.
After forcing him to flee his homeland, they followed him to the neighbouring country, Kenya, where he sought international protection and was granted refugee status by the UNHCR, and kidnapped him in 2007. Tesfahun and his fellow Oromo Engineer Mesfin Abebe were arrested by the Kenyan security forces on dubious accusation of “crime of terrorism.” Although they were cleared of the terrorism suspicion by the Kenyan Government and the American Bureau of Investigation, and despite having the UNHCR refugee status, Engineers Chemeda and Abebe were handed over to the Ethiopian Government. This is sufficient proof that regional and international powers are not only silent and also complicit in the ongoing gross human rights violations against the Oromo people.
In violation of Ethiopian constitution and international human rights instruments, after being sent to Ethiopia, Engineers Chemeda and Abebe were held in a secret detention facility and tortured without any charge for over a year. Using evidences extorted through a yearlong torture and without adequate legal representation, they were condemned to life imprisonment by “specialized” Ethiopian Bench of Criminal Court.
There is a lot of evidence which indicates that the harsh treatment, under which Engineer Chemeda was kept, continued even after he was tried and sentenced. He was held in solitary confinement for most of the last three years, and denied access to proper healthcare services. Although the specific cause of Engineer Chemeda’s death is unknown, at the moment, the culpable party is not in doubt. Whether he succumbed to the prolonged maltreatment or agents of the regime delivered the final blow, the regime must be held responsible for the loss of this bright young Oromo man.
The killing of Engineer Chemeda is the continuation of injustices that have been committed against the Oromo people for over a century in Ethiopia. OSA condemns the heinous crimes committed against Chameda’s life and the Oromo people with all possible strongest words. OSA would also like to call upon all Oromo people and organizations to make sure that the sufferings and life of Engineer Chemeda is not in vain, but for freedom and liberty of his people.
Respectfully,
Ibrahim Amae Elemo, M.D., M.P.H
President, Oromo Studies Association/Waldaa Qorannoo Oromoo
CC:
President Barack Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20500, USA
Mr. David Cameron
Honorable Prime Minister of the U.K.
10 Downing Street
London, UK
President José Manuel Barroso
President of the European Commission
1049 Brussels, Belgium
Amnesty International
International Secretariat
1 Easton Street
London WC1X 0DW, UK
Amnesty International USA
Penn Plaza
New York, NY 10001, USA
Human Rights Watch
350 Fifth Avenue, 34th Floor
New York, NY 10118-3299, USA
World Bank
1 Dag Hammarskjold Plz #26
New York, NY 10017-2201, USA
International Monetary Fund
700 19th Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20431, USA
International Monetary Fund
1900 Pennsylvania Ave NW
Washington, DC, 20431, USA
United Nations Development Programme
One United Nations Plaza
New York, NY 10017, USA
African Union (AU), previously called Organization of African Unity
The African Union Commission
PO Box 3243
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)
Palais des Nations CH-1211
Geneva 10, Switzerland
Mr. Uhuru Kenyatta
President and Commander in Chief of the Defence Forces of the Republic of Kenya
E-mail: president@statehousekenya.go.ke
Kenya Human Rights Commission
Gitanga Road opp. Valley Arcade Shopping Center
P.O Box 41079-00100
Nairobi, Kenya
Fax: +254-203874997
Email: admin@khrc.or.ke
Ambassador Girma Birru
Special Envoy, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the FDRE
Embassy of Ethiopia
3506 International Drive, NW
Washington, D.C. 20008
Tel: 202-364-1200
Email: ethiopia@ethiopianembassy.org
source  http://gadaa.com

Criticism of Ethiopia African media leaders’ forum is healthy’By LEE MWITI | Monday, September 2  2013 at  14:47

Amadou Mahtar Ba, the African Media Initiative Chief Executive. PHOTO | SALATON NJAU. 
The chief executive officer of the African Media Initiative, Amadou Mahtar Ba, is a man in the eye of a mild storm.
The pan-African organisation’s decision taken last year to hold its annual flagship industry gathering in Addis Ababa has been heavily criticised in the run up to the November event.
The annual African Media Leaders Forum brings together owners and operators of private and independent media in Africa to evaluate the state of the industry.
Critics however charge that Ethiopia’s human rights record is poor, and say that media chiefs should instead seek to boycott the event.
Africa Review spoke to the Senegalese national in Nairobi to find out what is at play.
Do you feel the criticism is warranted?
We have to understand the role of the media in society. Yes there has been strong criticism from some quarters, [but] the decision to hold the summit was agreed on last year in Dakar unanimously, and the AMI board endorsed it. This is because we feel there that as Africans there should be no territory in Africa that the African journalist cannot set foot in, even if they disagree with what is going on in that country.
If you don’t agree with somebody you must go and tell them why you don’t agree with them and have a public debate about it. We are not going to Ethiopia to tell the government oh you are good, or bad. We are going to discuss about media in Africa issues. Within that umbrella we will discuss issues including press freedom.
On the last day we are having a heads of state roundtable, where we will discuss the role and responsibilities of African governments to uphold press freedom and freedom of expression.
I believe it is important to hear what the people say, the critics, but it is also important for the critics to hear what we say so that we have a healthy debate.
What exactly does the African Media Leaders Forum hope to achieve in Addis Ababa?
First and foremost to have all the stakeholders discuss about media in general on the continent, and the role of media and then of course all the issues we have in certain countries including Ethiopia and press freedom and freedom of expression.
We will also have a public debate where it is not controlled, and which is open for anyone to come and say what they feel about the media and press freedom, which hasn’t been happening before.
Secondly, we are bringing in African leaders, the president of the African Development Bank, the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa…to discuss the role of the media, not only in Ethiopia, but also in the continent.
Of course we know and recognise that there are some journalists who are in jail in Ethiopia. Some people say they are not journalists, they are activists, but as far as we are concerned people are in jail for having written something. It is our duty to engage the Ethiopian government on those journalists, and to do it respectfully, in Ethiopia, not sitting in London or New York talking about it.
In a recent editorial you say preparations for the Forum have been with Ethiopian media groups. Observers say these groups are largely pro-establishment and do not represent the independent journalist. What is your reaction to this?
First, the Ethiopia Publishers Association already existed, we didn’t make it up, and so we invited them to our organising committee. They speak for the country’s publishers. Then there is the Media Council, they are not a statutory body, its chair owns a private independent media outlet. It is for others to make their own judgment if they are pro or anti-government, for us as AMI, we go by their credibility. Our duty is to work with them when we come into the country. In all our discussions, no one has said, hold on, they do not represent private media. Let’s try to work in a way that advances the cause of media freedom.
Is AMI a club for publishers with cosy ties to governments?
If you come to the media leaders’ forum, you see those owners and operators, an important constituency because they have a lot of weight in the media landscape. But you also see editors, you also see journalists.
The AMLF is a full member of AMI; we hold our activities together. I think it is okay to criticise, and I am all for debating to make it stronger, but let’s base it on facts. You cannot say oh, AMI is a club of pro-establishment people. Even if it were the case, does it mean all those people are against press freedom and the freedom of expression?
To advance, in all societies, the cause of media freedom you’ve got to involve those who have taken the step to create media houses. That’s what we are trying to do.
There is a lot of chatter around the phrase “constructive engagement” that AMI has used to justify its forum being held in Ethiopia. Would you articulate the context that AMI is using it in the Ethiopian context?
To me in my mind, it means engaging the other party towards a goal or objective which will be helpful to society, helpful to the majority. What it means is go in Ethiopia, talk to the Ethiopian government, civil society, academics, institutions…and tell them at the end of the day, press freedom is important, that making sure this country is open is important.
How we do that is the discussion we ought to have in the quest for a prosperous continent.
AMFL deliberations are structured together around plenary sessions and breakout groups. Does this render the Forum a talking shop?
We were clear at the beginning that we don’t want to be just a talking shop. We discuss issues which cut across the industry. We have a focus on ethics, and the advancement of technology and innovation, and on press freedom. What comes out is you showcase the programmes that you have been doing and how people can benefit from them, an exchange of beneficial initiatives.
Last year in Dakar AMI signed a journalists’ training programme with Turkey. How’s that going?
This year we have already had a group from Senegal, Niger, Gabon already started. If you think about these three countries they are all Francophone countries, but they are also all countries in which a primary of Turkey is the religious issue.
We have groups of five journalists each who are working to benefit from working with them. We may have less reports on it, but this is because when we signed the deal there were 500,700 people in the room, but this is ongoing.
Turkey is the World’s top jailer of journalists. Should AMI really be dealing with such countries?
In March this year, the deputy PM of Turkey, Bulent Aric, who was in Dakar, went to Germany and made the declaration that the government of Turkey has taken the decision to introduce a law to parliament to amend the draconian media laws, and that is happening.
It is important to disagree, but disagree with the person while talking to the person and telling them is what ought to be done. Can AMI take action for that bold action? I hope we can, even if we may not take 100 per cent credit. When we went to Turkey the joint final declaration with the government of Turkey underscores the importance of press freedom.
AMI has been in advanced talks with funders, specifically the AfDB to establish a line of credit for struggling African independent publishers. Where are you now?
That process is going on, the mechanisms have been designed and agreed. We hope that at AMLF this year there will be an announcement. We are working on it very strategically. Funding for the private sector is an issue everywhere, and media comes with certain aspects which are a bit more complex, but it is a core requirement for media development. That is why we are very happy to have the ear of the African Development Bank. We are pushing this very hard.
lmwiti@ke.nationmedia.co.ke