A Country That God Forgot

By Yohannes Y
Thick darkness covered the land of Jerusalem while Jesus hung on the cross. And at about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, ''Eli, Eli, lama sabchtani?'' That is to say, ''My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?'' (Matthew 27:46) Why did Jesus feel that his God, His Father, had forsaken him? These days some of us repeat this statement. Why God seems to have forgotten our homeland Ethiopia?

A year after years, month after month and week after week, and everyday seems to deliver one bad news after another and any hope that things will get better soon, is not realistic. The more well-established Meles regime has become, the government institutions of governance getting worse, and human right abuses become rampant. The relationship among our people is ruined, and human right and freedom become only a lip service for the government diplomacy endeavors.

This year Amnesty International Reported

At least 13 newspapers shut down by the government in 2005 were still closed. Independent journalists were reportedly denied licences to operate, although others did receive licences. Serkalem Fasil, Eskinder Nega and Sisay Agena, former publishers of Ethiopia’s largest circulation independent newspapers, who had been detained with CUD members, were denied licences to open two new newspapers.
In February the Supreme Court upheld a decision to dissolve the Ethiopian Teachers Association (ETA) and hand over its assets to a rival union formed by the government, also known as the Ethiopian Teachers Association. This action followed years of harassment and detention of union members. In December the union, under its new name, the National Teachers’ Association, had its application for registration as a professional organization rejected.

On World Press Freedom Day (3 May) Alemayehu Mahtemework, publisher of the monthly Enku, was detained and 10,000 copies of his publication impounded. He was released after five days without charge and copies of the magazine were later returned to him.

In November a Federal High Court judge convicted editor-in chief of the weekly Enbilta, Tsion Girma, of “inciting the public through false rumours” after a reporting mistake. She reportedly paid a fine and was released.

Human right watch Reported

Ethiopia's already-dire human rights record has worsened in recent years. Ethiopian military forces have committed war crimes and crimes against humanity in two conflicts in Ethiopia and in neighboring Somalia, with no meaningful effort to hold those responsible to account.

Federal, regional and local officials have regularly harassed, arbitrarily detained, and subjected to torture critics of the government, and have denounced human rights groups that expose these problems. As a result, there is little independent criticism and political opposition in most of the country. In local elections in April 2008, the ruling party and its allies won more than 99 percent of more than 4 million elected positions, most in uncontested races.

State department reported

Authorities regularly detained persons without warrants and denied access to counsel and family members, particularly in outlying regions. Although the law requires detainees to be informed of the charges against them within 48 hours, this generally was not respected in practice. While there was a functioning bail system, it was not available in murder, treason, and corruption cases. In most cases authorities set bail between $55 and $1,100 (500 to 10,000 birr), which was too costly for most citizens. Police officials did not always respect court orders to release suspects on bail. With court approval persons suspected of serious offenses can be detained for 14 days while police investigate and for additional 14 day periods while the investigation continues. The law prohibits detention in any facilities other than an official detention center; however, there were dozens of unofficial local detention centers used by local government militia and other formal and informal law enforcement entities. The government provided public defenders for detainees unable to afford private legal counsel, but only when their cases went to court. While in pretrial detention, authorities allowed such detainees little or no contact with legal counsel.

So it may take years to Ethiopia to have a real elected government and rebuild people’s sense of freedom, democracy and trust on Ethiopian government. So the question is what can we do?

Once, former American first lady Eleanor Roosevelt said:
“You gain Strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face; you must do the thing which you think you cannot do”

If we Ethiopians are united we can do a miracle.

We must do whatever it takes to stop this brutal dictator, they are not strong but an empty shell, the suffering of Ethiopians are reached to the highest level and peoples who are fighting the narrow nationalist Tigerian golden race expand like wild fire.

How do we support our people’s struggles and suffering?