October 29, 2009

Appeal Letter of Dr Getachew Jigi (Chairman of OPC) to European Commission, Parlament, ICC, and Belgium Authorities

Mr. José Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission.

Mr. Hans-Gert Pöttering, President of European Parliament

Mr. Herman Achille Van Rompuy, Prime Minster of Belgium

Mr. Yves Leterme, Foreign Minster of Belgium

Ms. Annemie Turtelboom , Belgium Minister of Internal affairs

Members of European Parliament , Brussels

International Criminal court of Justice, The Hague

Your Excellencies

I am writing to bring to you attention the irresponsible act of the Belgian government in hosting the dictator Meles Zenawi here in Belgium as of 24th of October in – St. Lucas Hospital in Brussels. On behalf of the 86 Million Oromo and other Ethiopian nations, who are suffering under brutal and dictatorial regime of Meles Zenawi, we condemn this act of soft diplomacy and relationship.

This man have killed 10th of thousands of innocent Oromo’s and other nations in Ethiopia . Meles is much more brutal than Omar Al Bashir of Sudan , Sadam Hussein of Iraq and Milosevic of Yugoslavia and Idi Amin Dada of Uganda . The difference is he want to play different card at different time to show as if he is western friendly. He is the most silent killer ever. While we expect him in the Hague , we found out that he is being treated by the doctors of the Royal King, here in Brussels , city of the major European power and human right excellence. This will definitely discourage the struggle for justice and democratic reformation in Africa and else where.

Due to the same person’s act, thousands are suffering in the refugee camps and streets in Europe and all over the world, but he is getting the favor of the democratic nations to enjoy the luxury treatment. What is most upsetting is, millions of Ethiopians are languishing due to lack of medicine and medical care just while we are typing this text.

Last August he was in this hospital for 5 days. Now he come back with 5 body guards with his special advisor, doctor, and food tester ; generally they are 8 gangsters. We protest and firmly oppose this action of Belgian government for such kind of civilian killer, mastermind of state led terrorism, dictator and corrupted gangster. It is also against the good name of Belgium in particular and the West in general.

Today in Ethiopia , there is neither democracy, nor the rule of law. Human rights violations have reached unprecedented level. Even though all peoples in Ethiopia are subjected to harassment, repression, intimidation, and inhuman treatment, it won’t be exaggeration if I say the Oromo’s are suffering the most under the EPRDF regime.

To substantiate this generalization I would like to mention only some of the horrible act of Meles Zenawi government :

Ø Innocent Oromo individuals are being killed in cold blood and denied the honor to get normal burial, some of the dead are left in the forest for hyenas and wild beasts to feast on them. This is what happened in Ciro town in Western Hararge two years ago- the Gara Suufi massacre.

Ø Oromo students who staged for peace protests against the injustice being committed against their people were beaten severely, denied their graduation certificate, dismissed from school and shot dead in school compound; for no crime committed.

Ø There are more than 35, 000 Oromo political prisoners in Ethiopia, most of them were tortured, shot dead or disabled forever in the same prisons

Ø Oromo intellectuals, business men, farmers and civil servants are detained, tortured and humiliated in a way which can be related to systematic eradication of this big nation.

Ø The most shocking tragedy of this regime is that, elected parliamentarians and members of other political parties were subjected to executions and other acts of inhumane treatment. For instance; Mr Adane was an elected member of the Ethiopian parliament representing the Oromo Peoples Congress Party (OPC). A week after the election of may 2005 a police shot and killed Mr Adane in Arsi Negele town.

Ø Oromo refugees in Somali , Sudan , Yemen and Kenya , are under unprecedented suffering after fleeing their land, deported in contrary to international convention, and persecuted for the last 18 years of TPLF regime.

Ø As a way to stay on power, the TPLF regime is putting different ethnic groups against each others almost everywhere in Ethiopia , a land known by tolerance and coexistence for centuries is getting the vise-versal reality

These are few examples of the human rights violation being committed against Oromo and other Ethiopian nations.

Therefore we kindly request you honorable office to up loud our genuine opposition and protest, so as to foster human right value and democratic transformation in Ethiopia .

In the mean time, we would like to draw your attention in support to the call of Genocide watch declaration to bring Meles Zenawi, to the Hague based international Criminal Court of Justice.

With Kindest regards

Getachew Jigi Demekssa ( Dr.)

Chairman of Oromo Parliamentarians Council

C.C

Cliniques universitaires Saint-Luc

Brussels

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