Thursday, October 21, 2010

Eritrea is the Number One Enemy of the Press, worse than Iran and North Korea

Eritreans marched for freedom and broke up with their brothers in 1991. They even went to the extent of creating an Arab identity and other times a multiracial nation because the Italians were there for sixty years). "All seem for nothing" say critics. Now the Canadian Press Watch group has the following on Eritrea:


Report: Rwanda and Syria join NKorea, Myanmar, China and Iran in repressing journalists
By Edith M. Lederer (CP) – 22 hours ago

Rwanda and Syria joined a list of the 10 most repressive countries toward journalists alongside North Korea, Myanmar, China and Iran, according to a global media watchdog which warned Tuesday that the crackdown on reporters in authoritarian countries is worsening.

Reporters Without Borders said press freedom in the 10 countries — including Yemen, Sudan, Turkmenistan and Eritrea — continues to deteriorate.

"It is getting harder to say which is worse than the other," the group said, with all 10 persecuting the media and blocking news and information to their citizens.

The Paris-based organization said Cuba was not in the bottom 10 for the first time since the index was created in 2002, due mainly to the release of 14 journalists and 22 activists over the summer. But it said the political dissidents and journalists still have to deal with censorship and repression by the Communist government on a daily basis.

Reporters Without Borders' annual ranking of press freedom in 178 countries praised six northern European countries — Finland, Iceland, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland — for topping the index since it was created in 2002 and setting an example for respecting journalists and protecting the media from judicial abuse.

But it warned that the European Union risks losing its position as world leader in respecting freedom of the press, noting that while 13 of the EU's 27 members are in the top 20 some of the other 14 are very low in the rankings including Italy at 49, Romania at 52 and Greece and Romania tied at 70.

"The defence of media freedom continues to be a battle — a battle of vigilance in the democracies of old Europe and a battle against oppression and injustice in the totalitarian regimes still scattered across the globe," Reporters Without Borders Secretary-General Jean-Francois Julliard said in the report.

He said the fate of human rights activists, journalists and bloggers "who bravely defend the right to speak out ... is our constant concern."

He reiterated the organization's call for China to release the new Nobel Peace Prize winner, Liu Xiaobao, "the symbol of the pressure for free speech building up in China, which censorship for the time being is still managing to contain."

"And we warn the Chinese authorities against taking a road from which there is no way out," Julliard said.

According to the report, Asia's four Communist regimes are among the 15 lowest-ranked countries with North Korea at 177th place, China at 171, Vietnam at 165 and Laos at 168.

"China, despute its dynamic media and Internet, remains in a low position because of non-stop censorship and repression, notably in Tibet and Xinjiang," it said, while in "hellish totalitarian North Korea" where Kim Jong-il has set up his son's succession "crackdowns have become even harsher."

The 2010 index highlights major differences in press freedom in the four major emerging economies — China, India, Brazil and Russia.

Thanks to favourable legislative changes, Brazil rose 12 places to 58 while India dropped 17 places to 122, mainly due to extreme violence in Kashmir, the report said. In Russia, at 140, "the system remains as tightly controlled as ever, and impunity reigns unchallenged in cases of violence against journalists," it said.

Reporters Without Borders said political violence produced "very troubling tumbles in the rankings."

Thailand lost 23 places and is now at 153 after two journalists were killed and 15 wounded covering the army crackdown on the anti-government "Red Shirt" movement in Bangkok.

The Philippines fell 34 places to 156 following last November's massacre of 30 media workers travelling in an election convoy in southern Maguindanao, allegedly at the hands of the governor's supporters. It was the deadliest single attack on reporters in the world.

Rwanda fell 12 places to 169 following "the closure of leading independent publications, the climate of terror surrounding the presidential election, and Umuvugizi deputy editor Jean-Leonard Rugambage's murder in Kigali," the report said. He was shot dead outside his home hours after the paper published an online article linking Rwandan intelligence to the shooting of a former army chief in South Africa.

"Journalists are fleeing the country because of the repression, in an exodus almost on the scale of Somalia's," Reporters Without Borders said.

In Syria, which dropped eight places to 173, and Yemen, down three places to 170, the report said "press freedom is fast shrinking away" and "arbitrary detentions are still routine, as is the use of torture."

For the fourth straight year Eritrea was at the bottom of the list, at 178.

The report said 30 journalists and four media contributors are being held incommunicado "in the most appalling conditions without any right to trial."

Copyright © 2010 The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

South Sudan Rejects Gaddafi Warning on Independence

BBC NewsAfrica
11 October 2010 Last updated at 05:02 ET

A pro-unity demonstration in Khartoum ended in clashes between supporters and opponents Southern Sudan has rejected Muammar Gaddafi's warning that a vote for independence next year could destabilise the rest of Africa.

Southern Sudan Information Minister Barnaba Marial Benjamin told the BBC that Africa had not broken up when Eritrea gained its independence from Ethiopia in 1993.

He said the people's choice should be respected, however they voted.

Tensions are rising ahead of the referendum due in January.

The vote was part of a 2005 peace deal which ended two decades of conflict between the mainly Muslim and Arab-speaking north and the south, where most people are Christian or follow traditional religions.

'Dangerous'

On Sunday, Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir criticised Southern Sudan's leader Salva Kiir for saying he would vote for independence and warned of the possibility of renewed conflict.

He was speaking at an Arab-African summit League in the Libyan town of Sirte.

Libya's leader told the same meeting that a vote for independence "could become a contagious disease that affects the whole of Africa", with various ethnic and linguistic groups also demanding independence.

"We must recognise that this event is dangerous," Col Gaddafi said.

These comments are in stark contrast to statements Libya's leader made after clashes between rival communities in Nigeria in March.


Then, he suggested that Nigeria should be divided into different states, sparking an angry reaction from Nigeria's government.

BBC East Africa correspondent Will Ross says there is no doubt that there is some unease at the African Union that other efforts at secession could be given a boost should Southern Sudan become independent.

But he says that while Africa's frontiers may have been crudely banded together by colonisers, many of the continent's conflicts are over competition for minerals rather than as a result of unwanted imposed borders.

On Saturday, supporters of independence and unity clashed in Sudan's capital, Khartoum.

There have also been warnings that the necessary preparations for the vote in the oil-rich region have not been made.

A visiting delegation of UN Security Council envoys last week said the timetable for January's vote was extremely tight but "doable".

But the UK's permanent representative to the Security Council, Mark Lyall Grant, told reporters they wanted to see a concerted push to resolve the many "key outstanding issues" before a vote could be held.

Mr Kiir earlier asked the UN delegation to deploy peace-keepers along the border with the north ahead of the referendum.

Between eight and 10 areas along the border, including the Abyei oil fields, are still in dispute and analysts say a clash at any of them could spark off a military confrontation. Both sides have sent troops there.

Comment: Africa's Mad Man, Gadaffi's double Standard...
he was in full support of Eritrea's Independence. Along with Meles Zenawi, Al- Bashir, and Mubarek, Gadaffi was the main facilitator of Eritrea's independence. Little Al Bashir knew that the precedent he put in place would bite him back this time around. "Gadaffi should know that the South and North sudan are bound to be two countries...," that is what the Southerners are telling him. Someone had to tell this big mouth mad man to shut up.

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Birtukan freed! Accorded a hero's welcome

By Eskinder Nega October 6, 2010 Ethiomedia
Birtukan Mideksa, prominent Ethiopian political prisoner, was freed today from almost two years of absurd imprisonment---a blatant abuse of power by the EPRDF, specifically PM Meles Zenawi. She was accorded a hero’s welcome by family, relatives, friends and supporters. A press conference is due in few hours where her terms of release will be detailed.
Here is a synopsis of what had happened since mid- December 2008:
December 10 2008
The public face of the brutal Federal Police is startling. Clean shaven, tall, a little on the bulky side, urbane, and tastefully attired, he is in fact the opposite of the popular caricature of the uncouth and uneducated Federal Police officials. Werkeneh Gebeyehu , Commissioner of the Federal Police and its public face, though real power lie with his deputies, cut an impressive figure behind his desk as he spoke with Birtukan Mideksa on December 10 2008.
“What legal mandate does the Federal Police have in regard to this issue?” inquired Birtukan Mideksa, President of UDJ, an opposition party, after the Commissioner had winded down.
He smiled contemptuously before he answered. But her courage surprised him. This is probably the first time for him to personally experience it.
“This is no academic discourse,” he said, trying his best to deepen his voice. He was really caught off guard. This could hardly been discussed when he was instructed to speak with her by the battle-hardened leaders of the EPRDF. “I think its best if you avoid raising such kind of questions,” he said, almost unconsciously with who-cares-what-the- law-says tenor to his voice.
Werkenh recapped by insisting that the terms of Birtukan’s conditional pardon had been violated in Sweden; where, he alleged, she had publicly denied seeking pardon to get out of prison. He sought a public retraction. Birtukan parted with the Commissioner convinced that the EPRDF was out to frustrate her party’s prospects from the very outset.
December 23 2008
Almost two weeks later, Birtukan was again summoned by Werkeneh, this time courtesy of a warrant, which she demanded, to his lavish office in downtown Addis. It was to be a brief sojourn.
“You have three days to deliver a public retraction of your statement in Sweden to this office. If not, the government will assume that the pardon was secured under false pretense and revoke it,” he told her officiously. There was nothing more either side could say. An ultimatum had been delivered and a time-frame set. Upping the challenge, the demand was publicized on state media that night. The nation held its breath in suspense.
December 26 2008
Three days later, Birtukan responded publicly but ignored the demand to deliver it to Werkeneh’s office. In a brilliant piece she released to the press, she said:
"I have asked forgiveness through the elders by signing on the document dated June 18, 2006 in the spirit of reconciliation the elders championed and to bestow a political end to charges that were politically motivated. This is a fact that I cannot change even if I want to….To present a process that has complex features as a case that followed a normal legal process for asking forgiveness is either foolishness or ignorance….In my opinion, the real reasons behind all these illegal intimidation and warnings have nothing to do with transgressions of the law. The message is clear, and is not only for me but also for all those who are active in the peaceful struggle: A peaceful and law-abiding political struggle can be conducted only within the limits set by the ruling party, not the constitution."(End of quotation)
December 28 2008
What happened on December 28 is brilliantly here detailed by Professor Al Mariam, in a January 5 2010 commentary titled “In defense of Birtukan Mideksa:
That happened last week in Ethiopia. Unity for Democracy and Justice Party (UDJP) President Ms. Bertukan Mideksa was strong-armed, manhandled and whisked away to the infamous Kality prison. In a VOA interview, Professor Mesfin Woldemariam, the aging human rights lion of Ethiopia, gave eyewitness testimony. On December 29, Prof. Mesfin was standing with Pastor Daniel and President Birtukan outside of Pastor Daniel’s office when four unmarked vehicles stormed on the scene. Approximately 10 unidentified armed men (thugs) exited the vehicles and violently grabbed President Birtukan and forcibly dragged her into their vehicle. Professor Mesfin attempted to reason with the abductors explaining that it was unnecessary to rough up President Birtukan as a simple summons would be enough to command her appearance in a court of law. At that point, the crew of thugs tongue-lashed Prof. Mesfin with a torrent of insults. One of the thugs assaulted the nearly 80-year old professor savagely with the butt of his rifle almost knocking him to the ground. Prof. Mesfin suffered blunt force trauma injury to his abdominal area in the unprovoked assault. He was rushed for medical assistance, and reports indicate that he is undergoing extensive tests to determine the extent of his injury. (It is to be remembered that Prof. Mesfin underwent major surgery in India a little over a year ago.) President Birtukan’s driver, Ato Abdurahman Ahmed, was also beaten mercilessly by the thugs.(End of quotation)
Post December 28 2008
Asked abourt Birtukan’s imprisonment, Meles Zenawi, was adamant that she will not be freed. “ It will undermine the process,” he said repeatedly. She had her one chance. Of course no one believed him; not even his steady admirers.
Of the last time he spoke about her in Ethiopia, I wrote:
Posing defiantly before probing journalists after a universally mocked “election victory” , Meles Zenawi,PM, whose party “won” 99.6% of parliamentary seats, spoke about her harshly, but noticeably absent the typical ardor: “This(her release) is a purely legal issue, and it is between her and the law. No one can come between the two. No one. Not opposition parties, not our friends abroad."
Much to the relief of the public,however, long attuned to reading between the lines of its official’s doublespeak, her release is not a “dead issue,” as has been land privatization for the entirety of his party’s existence. And by the dismal standards of the times, when the dominance of the EPRDF is overbearing, this is cause for optimism. There is room for her release short of a revolutionary overhaul.(End of quotation.)
September 22 2010
Meles responds to query about Birtukan's imprisonment at Columbia University. " I wouldn't be surprised if she were to ask for a pardon. And I wouldn't be surprised if the government was to grant it to her," he said.
Few days later, "mediators" leaked news of her imminent release. Family members also quietly confirm her pending release.
October 4 2010
Mediators inform journalists of a planned press conference on October 5 2010. The theme: Bitrtuka's release. It's now semi-official. Less than twenty four hours to go!
October 5 2010
Unnamed government officials confirm her release "There was no bargaining. This is purely a magnanimous act by the government," said one unnamed government official haughtily to local papers.An obvious attempt to dampen the celebratory mood. (Won't work, guys!!! She is a heroine in the eyes of millions! Give it up!!)
Birtukan is finally FREE! Accorded a hero's welcome.
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Copyright 2010 Ethiomedia.com. Email: editor@ethiomedia.com

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

EPRDF Changed Its Old Donkeys and “Replaced Them with the Same Breed!”

Ethiopia reshuffle boosts Meles power: opposition
Tue Oct 5, 2010 4:46pm GMT
By Barry Malone
ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi appointed a new cabinet on Tuesday in a post-election reshuffle that the opposition and analysts said would further cement his position.
Meles, in power since 1991, was sworn in as prime minister by parliament on Monday after a disputed May 23 vote gave his Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) and allies 545 seats in the 547-seat parliament.
A European Union observer mission criticised the election and the United States said it failed to meet international standards. Demands by opposition parties for a rerun were rejected by the Horn of Africa nation's electoral board and by its Supreme Court.
The most high-profile cabinet change was the retirement of Foreign Minister Seyoum Mesfin, who had been in the post for 19 years. He was replaced by former government whip and advisor to the prime minister, Hailemariam Desalegn, seen as a Meles loyalist. Hailemariam will also serve as Deputy Prime Minister.
"They just changed the old horses and replaced them with the same breed," Beyene Petros, spokesman for the biggest opposition party, Medrek, told Reuters. "People like Hailemariam are the 'yes people' who have not shown any independence or creativity. They just follow the party line."
Other senior ministers stepping down include Minister for Trade and Industry Girma Birru and Deputy Prime Minister Addisu Legesse.
"OMNIPRESENT POWER"
The top jobs in the finance, defence, justice, health, education, agriculture and federal affairs ministries are all unchanged. New appointees to other ministries were mostly drawn from the ranks of state ministers and senior officials.
"It seems that Meles now has more or less omnipresent power, as there seems to be no one in cabinet who has the status and experience to challenge him on policy development," Kjetil Tronvoll, Ethiopia analyst at the International Law and Policy Institute, told Reuters.
The Mines and Energy Ministry has been split in two, with Sinkenesh Ejgu heading up the new Mines Ministry in a country being explored for deposits by foreign oil and gas companies, including Africa Oil Corporation.
Diplomats say the full European Union report on the elections will be published in mid-October.
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