Ethiopian Americans say no to double standards

Sun, Feb 12, 2006 20:06 UT
Ethiopian Americans: No to Double Standards
Sunday 12 February 2006.
Ethiopian - Americans for Democracy
Press Release
Feb 12, 2006 (WASHINGTON DC) — Ethiopian Americans for Democracy (EAD) today called on Ambassador Jendayi Frazer, US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, not to apply a double standard when it comes to human rights abuses by the government of Prime Minister Meles Zenawi of Ethiopia.
EAD appealed to the Ambassador to speak up clearly and forcefully against the killings, massive arrests and intimidation of pro-democracy forces. The group also regretted the fact that the Ambassador continues to blame unarmed civilian victims for regime-instigated violence.
EAD said it hoped that the Ambassador’s personal relationship with the regime does not color her policy decisions. It urged Dr. Frazer to distance herself from the regime and to adopt a more balanced approach.
Although the push for democracy is said to be the cornerstone of President Bush’s foreign policy, Dr. Frazer’s action on Ethiopia is contradictory to the declared US policy.
The advocacy group called on the United States to pressure Zenawi to put a stop to the violence and human rights violations.
Some of EAD’s demands include the following: An end to the criminalization of political discourse and activity by the Mr. Zenawi; an end to the use of lethal force against unarmed civilians; the release of all political prisoners; a visit by the Red Cross to all prisons and a full accounting of all those killed and arrested; and independent investigation of all the killings; reform of parliamentary and electoral systems with the full participation of the opposition.
For further information contact: Fax 646 349 1253 ethiodemocracy@yahoo.com
Letter to Dr. Frazer
Ethiopian-Americans for Democracy 350 Third Avenue, # 308 New York, NY 10010 Fax 212 696-9541 ethiodemocracy@yahoo.com February 12, 2006
Dr. Jendayi E. Frazer Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs US Department of State 2201 C. St. NW Washington, D.C 20520
Dear Dr. Frazer,
We are writing to appeal to you to reconsider your continuing support of the government of Prime Minister Meles Zenawi of Ethiopia. We also urge you to speak up clearly and forcefully against the killings and mass arrests and to refrain from blaming the victims of the regime’s violence.
The Department of State and especially the Bureau of African Affairs under your stewardship have regrettably applied a double standard when it comes to human rights violations in Ethiopia.
The security forces of Prime Minister Meles Zenawi have killed upwards of 80 people and jailed perhaps as many as 70,000 in the last six months. Those in jail include the top leadership of the Coalition for Unity and Democracy (CUD), the main opposition party, as well as journalists and civil society leaders. Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and the European Union have documented the violence unleashed by Mr. Zenawi in the wake of the contested May 2005 elections. Where is the outrage? Where is US moral leadership?
Your statements in the last two months, coupled with those of other State Department spokespersons, have further emboldened the regime. The record shows a sad correlation between tacit US approval and massive arrests and killings.
The Prime Minister has become more intransigent and persists with wild and false accusations of violence and "genocide" against almost anyone who challenges his rule or tells the truth. Even reporters for the Voice of America (VOA) — US government employees — have not been spared genocide charges.
While defending a government that wantonly intimidates, maims and kills, you have not had one kind word for the democratic opposition - an opposition that has managed to win the hearts and minds of millions under extremely adverse conditions and in spite of unparalleled violence by the incumbent regime.
We are especially concerned about several factually inaccurate statements you have made since November of 2005, including the following:
The opposition instigated violent demonstrations - in your words, pelting “the police with stones” - presumably triggering the Special Forces to use live ammunition against protestors. The opposition’s intention was the violent overthrow of the government. There are “non-democrats” within the opposition. The Diaspora threatened the opposition not to join parliament and that the opposition is beholden to Diaspora for financial contributions.
These assertions are unwarranted for the following reasons:
• The opposition instigated violent demonstrations — Although the Ethiopian government alleges that the opposition instigated the June and November violence and killings, independent observers such as Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and the European Union and reputable media such as The New York Times, The London Observer and the Israeli Hareetz have extensively reported on the violence unleashed by the government.
• Even Herman Cohen, former Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs and a one-time backer of Meles, stated in a VOA interview that the ruling party might have very likely instigated the violence to crush the opposition. To the dismay of the people of Ethiopia, you chose to disregard the facts on the ground and to echo the government’s version of the story. We would expect the chief architect of US policy on Africa to at least take a neutral and constructive stand by calling for an impartial investigation.
• Did the CUD call for violent demonstrations? — The Coalition for Unity and Democracy (CUD), the main opposition party, did call for Addis Ababans to honk their horns on November 1, 2005, in protest of election irregularities. But CUD clearly discouraged violent demonstrations to deny the government any pretext for cracking down.
• Is it OK to shoot kids who throw stones? We believe it is unacceptable to justify the shooting of demonstrators because they threw stones at the police. Besides, do people not have the right to protest in a democracy? Are the standards different for Africans? Therefore, your assertion that the opposition instigated violent demonstrations is regrettable, unfounded, and a dangerous signal to dictators around the world.
• “Violent overthrow” of the government — On more than one occasion, you have chosen to present as truth Prime Minister Zenawi’s self-serving version of the story. He claims he had to kill and jail people because they wanted to stage an insurrection. The opposition trounced the government at the polls through legal, parliamentary means. It neither had the inclination nor the capability to engage in a violent overthrow of the government. This charge is in the same league as the wild accusation of genocide against VOA staffers. Again, at the very minimum, you could have suspended judgment until further investigation.
• Non-democrats within the opposition — We assume you are referring to opposition members already in jail. The Ethiopian people democratically elected the people you refer to as "non-democrats." We find this remark particularly disconcerting coming from someone of your stature who stated in your confirmation hearing that support for the “spread of political freedom throughout the continent [of Africa]” was among your prime objectives.
• It is the Diaspora’s fault — In 15 years, the Prime Minister and his group have never taken responsibility for their misdeeds. It is always someone else’s fault and the list is very long: Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Ethiopian Human Rights Commission, National Democratic Institution, EU, Ana Gomez, the New York Times, the Associated Press, the Voice of America, Deutsche Welle, the independent press, CUD, UEDF, the Diaspora, etc., etc.
Once again, we ask you not to uncritically blame the Diaspora for problems caused by a greedy, corrupt regime that does not want to relinquish power after 14 -15 long years.
In your February 8, 2006, VOA interview you said opposition leaders were threatened by the Diaspora not to join parliament. You also suggested that the Diaspora was using money to coerce elected parliamentarians. We do not know who you spoke to, but we believe these were misstatements of facts. They are also very serious allegations. So we kindly ask you to come forward with the facts.
In truth, it was the residents of Addis Ababa - who represent a cross-section of the Ethiopian society - and who asked the CUD leaders not to enter parliament at a large town-hall meeting convened for the purpose of determining the voters’ views. When Mr. Zenawi was informed of the outcome of that meeting, he banned the opposition from traveling to the outer regions to ascertain the wishes of the people.
On May 8, 2005, some 2,000,000 people came out in support of the opposition in Addis Ababa alone. It is these multitudes who are the financial backbones of the pro-democracy forces. Why is it so difficult to believe that these same people are willing and able to fund a movement they believe in?
The Ethiopian Diaspora is not one monolithic group. It has many and divergent views. It is a reflection of the diversity of Ethiopian society and as such does not represent any one political party, ethnic group or religion. What unites us, however, is the desire to see our beloved country of origin graduate from being a beggar nation and ruled by a succession of tyrants.
It is simply wrong to malign the Diaspora for the misdeeds of a regime that has managed to run a poor country further to the ground. We would have thought you would appreciate the Diaspora’s continued interest in the democratization of its country of origin.
Lastly, Ethiopians abroad have the know-how and significant capital that could make a difference if encouraged and harnessed properly. The litmus test for confidence in a country’s investment environment is if the Diaspora puts its money in its country of origin. In China and Vietnam, for example, foreign investors came in only after the overseas citizens of those countries heavily invested.
Dear Dr. Frazier,
We are troubled by your close association with the Ethiopian government and its embassy in Washington - including your 2004 presentation that was jointly sponsored by the embassy and a lobbying firm and delivered on embassy grounds. We would like to be reassured that your policy decisions on Ethiopia are not colored by your relationship with the ruling party.
The fate of a nation of 77 million hangs in the balance. We, therefore, urge you to seek out divergent views and to listen to information from sources that are not necessarily endorsed by the government.
We appreciate your effort to “increase the democratic space.” Unfortunately there is not much democratic space left to increase. Prime Minister Zenawi views the opposition as his enemy, not as his competitors.
He has criminalized all political discourse. Accordingly he is out to crush anyone who gets in his way. This disposition did not start just this year. He never tolerated any legitimate opposition. For 15 years, the Tigrai People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) used intimidation, beatings, imprisonment and extra-judicial killings to destroy opponents.
You do not have to take our word on the track record of the regime. Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, Genocide Watch International and your own State Department have extensively documented the violent nature of this regime over the years.
You are in a position to make a difference in the lives of millions of Ethiopians crying out for justice. We, therefore, urge you and the government of the United States not to continue to impose a minority regime and a tyrant who has clearly been rejected by his own people.
We appeal to you to take a non-partisan stand, and to call for:
• An immediate halt to the Prime Minister’s criminalization of all political discourse and activity. • An immediate and unconditional release of all opposition leaders, journalists and the thousands of youth being held in various concentration camps. • A visit by the Red Cross to all prisons and camps as well as a full accounting of all those arrested and killed. • Immediate notification of families of the names and whereabouts of their loved ones along with medical care and food. • An immediate halt to the use of lethal force against unarmed civilians. • An immediate halt to intimidation, arrests and killings. • An independent investigation to the June and November killings. • The lifting of all restrictions against opposition parties and independent media. • The lifting of parliamentary rules that barred any meaningful opposition participation. • The selection of an independent electoral board with the full participation of all opposition parties.
Thank you for your understanding.
Respectfully yours,
Ethiopian- Americans for Democracy
cc: Secretary of State Dr. Condoleezza Rice