Ethiopian Bloggers in Kangaroo (Monkey) Kourt

TPLF kangaroo (monkey) kourt system.

August 28, 2015

by Alemayehu G. Mariam

Kangaroo/monkey kourt (in)justice T-TPLF style

Last week, young Ethiopian bloggers collectively known as “Zone 9 Bloggers” (named after a cell block  holding political prisoners at  the infamous  Meles Zenawi Kality Prison, a few kilometers outside of the capital) returned to  the kangaroo/monkey  kourt system of the Thugtatorship of the Tigrean People’s Liberation Front (T-TPLF) for  the 33^rd time  since April 2014.

(Ethiopia is the ONLY country in the world where the police arrest and detain a criminal suspect and then go out looking for evidence of wrongdoing for months and even years!)

“America Needs to be Respected Again” on the Red Carpet?

August 28, 2015

by Alemayehu G. Mariam

Donald Trump’s shtick is: “America needs to be respected again because the rest of the world has lost respect for America.”

I don’t care much for The Donald.

But his shtick gnaws away at my mind as I think over the disgraceful “red carpet” treatment President Barack Obama received last month when he visited Ethiopia, the first ever for a sitting American President.

I know the whole red carpet drama is frivolity and vanity and not a big deal in the grand scheme of things; but to the extent that it represents a symbolic gesture of respect for a head of state and his/her nation, it is a big deal.

Ethiopia: Our Need for Unity in Divinity Facing Adversity!

August 18, 2015

by Alemayehu G. Mariam

The Thugtatorship of the Tigrean People’s Liberation Front (T-TPLF) has been pursuing a systematic program of religious persecution and fomenting religious antagonisms in Ethiopia for quite some time.

After the T-TPLF seized power in 1991, it sought to ingratiate itself with the Ethiopian Muslim community by making symbolic gestures of equality and tolerance.

The patronizing outreach to Muslim communities  proved to be a Trojan horse.

The T-TPLF’s hidden agenda was to co-opt and politicize Muslim leaders and institutions for its own sinister political purposes.

Ethiopia: Andargachew Tsige’s Painting Sold $35,000

August 17, 2015

This amazing painting of Andargachew Tsige by Alexis Franklin was auctioned today for $35,000 (US Dollars) in Dallas, TX. Serial bidder Abebe Negatu took it home with a big smile. Thank you Dallas for your enthusiastic support to just cause for freedom. (Abebe Gellaw)

Ethiopia: The Unfair Trial of Muslim Leaders

August 14, 2015

Why It Undermines Counter-terrorism in Ethiopia

by Abadir M. Ibrahim | Addis Standard (Addis Ababa)

Something was awry at a hearing of the High Court of Ethiopia on July 6, 2015. As the much anticipated conviction of Muslim civil society leaders (Abubaker Ahmed and 17 others) was underway, it was clear that this was no ordinary trial.

Security was beefed up, the public gallery was crowded and the atmosphere was tense. A significant amount of time was spent with the court presenting a detailed defense of the government’s policies on counterterrorism and Muslim-state relations. The court also defended the state’s imposition of the Ahbash sect and, in an odd twist, compared the Ahbash sect to Zoroastrianism in Iran. Given how much time was spent on defending the government’s positions, the morning session made it feel as if the Ethiopian state was on trial and not the other way around.

US, EU, UK demand Ethiopia release Andy Tsege

August 10, 2015

Lawmakers from US, EU and UK demand release of death-row Brit in Ethiopia

(Reprieve) – A group of legislators from the US, UK and Europe have demanded the release of a British activist who has been held in a secret Ethiopian prison for over a year.

Andargachew ‘Andy’ Tsege, a prominent figure in the Ethiopian opposition, was abducted at a Yemeni airport in June 2014 and forcibly taken to Ethiopia. He has been held since in a secret location, and has been denied access to a lawyer, his family, proper consular visits and independent medical treatment. Andy was sentenced to death in absentia in 2009 on charges relating to his political activities. Torture of political prisoners in Ethiopia is common, and the UN and human rights organization Reprieve – which is assisting Mr Tsege’s family – have raised concerns that he is being mistreated.