Oromia: Enhanced Master Plan to Continue Committing the Crimes of Genocide

The actions taken were aimed at destroying Oromo farmers or at rendering them extinct.  

~Ermias Legesse, Ethiopia’s exiled EPRDF Minister

August 30, 2014 (Oromo Press) — The announcement of the implementation of the Addis Ababa Master Plan (AAMP) was just an extension of an attempt by EPRDF government at legalizing its plans of ridding the Oromo people from in and around Finfinne by grabbing Oromo land for its party leaders and real estate developers from the Tigrean community. The act of destroying Oromo farmers by taking away their only means of survival—the land—precedes the current master plan by decades.  Ermias Legesse, exiled EPRDF Deputy Minister of Communication Affairs, acknowledged his own complicity in the destruction of 150,000[1] Oromo farmers in the Oromia region immediately adjacent to Finfinne. He testifies that high-level TPLF/EPRDF officials are responsible for planning and coordinating massive land-grab campaigns without any consideration of the people atop the land.  Ermia’s testimony is important because it contains both the actus reus  and dolus specials of the mass evictions[2]:

Once while in a meeting in 1998 (2006, Gregorian),the Ethiopian Prime Minster Meles Zenawi , we (ERPDF wings) used to go to his office every week, said.  Meles led the general party work in Addis Ababa.  We went to his office to set the direction/goal for the year. When a question about how should we continue leading was asked, Meles said something that many people may not believe. ‘Whether we like it or not nationality agenda is dead in Addis Ababa.’  He spoke this word for word. ‘A nationality question in Addis Ababa is the a minority agenda.’ If anyone were to be held accountable for the crimes, everyone of us have a share in it according to our ranks, but mainly Abay Tsehaye is responsible.  The actions taken were aimed at destroying Oromo farmers or at rendering them extinct.  29 rural counties were destroyed in this way.  In each county there are more or less about 1000 families.  About 5000 people live in each Kebele (ganda) and if you multiply 5000 by 30, then the whereabouts of 150,000 farmers is unknown.

Zenawi’s statement “the question of nationality is a dead agenda in Addis Ababa” implies that the Prime Minister planned the genocide of the Oromo in and around Finfinne and others EPRDF officials followed suit with the plan in a more aggressive and formal fashion.

Announcement of the Addis Ababa Master Plan and Massacres and Mass Detentions

AAMP was secretly in the making for at least three years before its official announcement in April 2014.[3]  The government promoted on local semi-independent and state controlled media the sinister plan that already evicted 2 million Oromo farmers and aims at evicting 8-10 million and at dividing Oromia into east and west Oromia as a  benevolent development plan meant to extend social and economic services to surrounding Oromia’s towns and rural districts. Notwithstanding the logical contradiction of claiming to connect Oromia towns and rural aanaalee (districts) to “economic and social” benefits by depopulating the area itself, the plan was met with strong peaceful opposition across universities, schools and high schools in Oromia. Starting with the Ambo massacre that claimed the lives of 47 people in one day[4], Ethiopia’s army and police killed over 200 Oromo students, jailed over 2000 students, maimed and disappeared countless others over a five-month period from April-August 2014.

Sagalee Qeerroo Bilisummaa Oromoo Hagayya 29,2014

Barattooti Oromoo Yuuniversitii Wallaggaa 200 Ta’an Hidhaman, 26 Ammoo Warnaana Wayyaaneen Reebamii 1 Ajjeefamuun FDG Caalaatti Itti Fufsiise.

Posted: Hagayya/August 29, 2014 · Gadaa.com

Hagayya 28, 2014 – Naqamte | Qeerroo.org

Barattooti Oromoo Yuuniversitiilee adda addaa keessatti humnaan walitti qabamanii akka olola Wayyaanee baratan yeroo taasifamuu yaaluun roorroo uumata Oromoo irratti hammaatee jiruu fi gaaffiin hundee qabsoo Oromoo waan hin deebi’iiniif daran diddaa barattootaa jabeessuun guutummaa Oromiyaa keessatti Fincila Diddaa Gabrummaa(FDG) qabsiisee jira.

Haala kanaan Yuuniversitii Wallaggaa keessatti FDG Hagayya 27, 2014 jabaatee itti ooleen baratooti 200 ol hidhamanii tokko waraana Wayyaaneen ajjeefamee 26 ammoo gara malee reebamuu irra darbee qabamanii mana hidhaa magaalaa Naqamtee jiru keessatti ugguramanii jiru. Barttooti 26 haalaan miidhaman kuniin:-

1. Barataa Yaadataa Luuccee,barataa Injineeriingii waggaa 2ffaa.
2. Barataa Addisuu Beekamaa, barataa Injineeriingii waggaa 4ffaa.
3. Barataa Daani’eel Kumarraa, barataa Fayyaa waggaa 3ffaa.
4. Barataa Gammachiis Camadaa, barataa Economics waggaa 2ffaa
5. Barataa Tarreessaa Nagarii, barataa Seeraa waggaa 4ffaa.
6. Barataa Eebbaa Tesfaayee, barataa Accounting waggaa 1ffaa.
7. Barataa Adduunyaa Geetinnet, barataa Injineeriingii waggaa 2ffaa.
8. Barataa Gurmeessaa Bantii, barataa Seeraa waggaa 3ffaa.
9. Barataa Firaa’ol Tuujubaa, barataa, Political Science and Governance waggaa 2ffaa.
10. Barataa Guutamaa Xiiqii, barataa Political Science and Governance waggaa 3ffaa.
11. Barataa Caalchisaa Gammachiis, barataa Seenaa waggaa 3ffaa fa’aa
12. Barataa Baay’isaa Warqinee, barataa Management waggaa 2ffaa.
13. Barataa Tamasgeen Shifarraa, barataa Computer Science waggaa 2ffaa.
14. Barataa Firoomsaa Baalchaa, barataa Injineeriingii waggaa 3ffaa.
15. Barataa Fufaa Qaabataa, barataa Fayyaa waggaa 3ffaa.
16. Barataa Taaddalaa Irranaa, barataa Injineeriingii waggaa 4ffaa.
17. Barataa Yaadanii Mootii, barataa Seeraa waggaa 2ffaa.
18. Barataa Firaa’ol Beqqelee, barataa Management waggaa 1ffaa.
19. Barataa Guddinaa Tulluu, barataa Biology waggaa 3ffaa.
20. Barataa Rabbumaa Jirraa, barataa Geography waggaa 1ffaa.
21. Barataa Guutuu Immaanaa, barataa Seeraa waggaa 4ffaa.
22. Barataa Caalaa Fayyeeraa, barataa Injineeriingii waggaa 4ffaa.
23. Barataa Namarraa Guutaa, barataa Accounting waggaa 2ffaa.
24. Barataa Cimdii Dhufeeraa, barataa Fayyaa waggaa 3ffaa
25. Barataa Siifan Qixxaataa, barataa Economics waggaa 1ffaa.
26. Barataa Dinquu Jaatanii, barataa Journalism waggaa 2ffaa.

Kanneen jedhaman dha.

Galmee hidhamtoota walii gala Qeerroon gama fuula duraatti ni dhiheessa.

ETHIOPIA: Arrests and Detentions of Oromo Students Continued

HRLHA – Press Release

August 27, 2014

While fresh arrests and detentions, kidnappings and disappearances of Oromo nationals have continued in different parts of the regional state of Oromo following the April-May crackdown of peaceful demonstrators, court rulings over the cases of some of the earlier detainees by courts of the regional state are being rejected by political agents of the governing TPLF/EPRDF Party. The renewed violence by government forces against Oromo nationals started particularly following what was termed as “Lenjii Siyaasaa” (literally meaning “political training) that has targeted Oromo Students of higher educational institutions and has been going on in the past two weeks in different parts of Oromia.

Although the agendum for the “Political Training” was said to be “the unity of the country”, it instead has become an opportunity of carrying out further screenings and arrests of students; as around 100 more students have so far been arrested from Ambo University campuses alone and sent to a remote, isolated military camp called Sanqalle, leaving families and friends in fear in regards to the safety and well-being of the students in particular; not to mention the disruption of their studies. The arrests were made following the students’ protest of their confinement into the campuses during this so call “Political Trianing”, and the demand that the killers of their fellow students be brought to justice prior to discussing “unity”. Also, five students of Wallaga University, from among those who were gathered for the same purpose of “Political Training” were kidnapped on the 22^nd of August, 2014 and taken away in a vehicle with plate number 4866 ET; and their whereabouts is not known since then. HRLHA correspondents have also traced another fresh arrest and detention of around 100 Oromo nationals in a small town called Elemo, Doranni District, in Illu Abbabor Zone. It took place on the 14^th of August, 2014; and Waqtole Garbe, Sisay Amana, Tiiqii Supha, Ittana Daggafa, Badiru Basha, Kamal Zaalii, Rashiid Abdu, Zetuna Waaqoo, Daggafa Tolee, Adam Ligdii, Indush Mangistu, Dibbeessa Libaan, and Ofete Jifar were a few among those detainees in Elemo Prison.

More worrisome and frustrating is agents of the federal government’s interference with regional and local judicial systems. More than one hundred students and other Oromo nationals, from among the thousands who were detained following the April-May nationwide protest, have been granted bails in local courts of the regional government of Oromia. These include 64 detainees in Dembi Dollo/Qellem, 10 in Ambo, 40 in Sibu-Sire and Digga District. But, all the court decisions were overruled by political officials representing the federal government. The Dembi Dollo/Qellem detainees in particular were granted bails four times, only to be turned down by political officials all the four rounds. On the other hand, there have been some cases in which prison terms ranging from six months to a year-and-half were imposed on the Oromo detainees, not in courts, but by those representatives of the federal government. Also, some independent lawyers complain that they were threatened by officials from the ruling party; and, as a result, refraining from representing the Oromo detainees. Usual as it has been in the past fifteen or so years, this case of interfering with and disobeying court rulings indicates that the case of these most recent Oromo detainees is purely political.

The Human Rights League of the Horn of Africa (HRLHA) calls upon the Ethiopian Government to refrain from harassing and intimidating students through such extra-judicial means as killings, arrests and detentions, and denials of justice after detention; and instead facilitate conducive teaching-learning environments. HRLHA also calls upon the Ethiopian Government to unconditionally release the detained Oromo students and other nationals; and, as requested by their fellow students, bring to justice the killers of innocent and peaceful protestors during the April-May crackdown.

BACKGROUNDS:

The human rights League of the Horn of Africa (HRLHA) has reported (May 1^st and 13^th, 2014, urgent actions, www.humanrightleague.com) on the heavy-handed crackdown of the Ethiopian Federal Government’s Agazi Special Squad and the resultant extra-judicial killings of 34 (thirty-four) Oromo nationals; and the arrests and detentions of hundreds of others.

Although the brutalities of the armed squad and the resultant fatalities happened to be very high in Ambo Town, the peaceful protests by Oromo students of different universities and faculties have been taking place in April and May in various towns and cities of Oromia including Diredawa and Adama in eatern Oromia, as well as Jimma, Mettu, Naqamte, Gimbi, and Dambidollo in western Oromia.

The Oromo students of universities and colleges in different parts of the regional state of Oromia took to the streets for peaceful demonstrations in protest to the decision passed by the Federal EPRDF/TPLF-led Government to expand the city of Finfinnee/Addis Ababa by uprooting and displacing hundreds of thousands of Oromos from all sorts of livelihoods, and annexing about 36 surrounding towns of Oromia, the ultimate goal of which is claimed to be re-drawing the map of the Oromia Region. The federal annexation plan, which was termed as “The Integrated Development Master Plan”, is said to be covering the towns of Dukem, Gelan, Legetafo, Sendafa, Sululta, Burayu, Holeta, Sebeta, and others, stretching the boundary of Finfinne/Addis Ababa to about 1.1million hectares – an area of 20 times its current size.

Please direct your concerns to:

• His Excellency, Mr. Haila Mariam Dessalegn, Prime Minister of Ethiopia

P.O.Box – 1031 Addis Ababa
Telephone – +251 155 20 44; +251 111 32 41
Fax – +251 155 20 30 , +251 15520

• Office of the President of Oromiya Regional State  

Telephone –   0115510455
    • Office of the Ministry of Justice of Ethiopia
PO Box 1370, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Fax: +251 11 5517775; +251 11 5520874
Email: ministry-justice@telecom.net.et

• UNESCO Headquarters Paris.

7, place de Fontenoy 75352 Paris 07 SP France
1, rue Miollis 75732 Paris Cedex 15 France
General phone:
+33 (0)1 45 68 10 00
www.unesco.org

• United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO)- Africa Department

7 place Fontenoy,75352
Paris 07 SP
France
General phone:
+33 (0)1 45 68 10 00
Website: http://www.unesco.org/new/en/africa-department/

• UNESCO AFRICA RIGIONAL OFFICE

MR.JOSEPH NGU
Director

• UNESCO Office in Abuja

Mail: j.ngu@unesco.org
Tel: +251 11 5445284
Fax: +251 11 5514936

• Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights

United Nations Office at Geneva 1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland Fax: + 41 22 917 9022 (particularly for urgent matters) E-mail: tb-petitions@ohchr.org this e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

• Office of the UNHCR

Telephone: 41 22 739 8111
Fax: 41 22 739 7377
Po Box: 2500
Geneva, Switzerland.

• African Commission on Human and Peoples‘ Rights (ACHPR)

48 Kairaba Avenue, P.O.Box 673, Banjul, The Gambia.
Tel: (220) 4392 962 , 4372070, 4377721 – 23 Fax: (220) 4390 764
E-mail: achpr@achpr.org
 Office of the Commissioner for Human Rights

• Council of Europe

F-67075 Strasbourg Cedex, FRANCE
+ 33 (0)3 88 41 34 21
+ 33 (0)3 90 21 50 53

• U.S. Department of State

Laura Hruby
Ethiopia Desk Officer
U.S. State Department
HrubyLP@state.gov
Tel: (202) 647-6473

• Amnesty International – London

Claire Beston
Claire Beston” <Claire.Beston@amnesty.org>,

• Human Rights Watch

Felix Horne
“Felix Horne” hornef@hrw.org.

Qeerroo Yuunversitii Wallaggaa Hagayya 27 2014 itti fufa FDG

Macha Tulama 50th anniversary Celebration Video highlights

Macha Tulama 50th anniversary Celebration Video highlights

Breaking News : Hagayyaa 20/2014 FDG Marsaa 2ffaan Godina Lixa Shawaa Yuunibarsiitii Amboo Keessatti Goototata dargaggoota Oromoon Qabsiifame

Hagayya 21, 2014 (Qeerroo) — Goototni barattootni Oromoo Lixa Shawaa Yuunibarsiitoota biyyatti garaagaraa irraa baracha turanii boqonnaaf maatii isaani bira utuu jiranii Wayyaaneen maqaa walgaii farra uummata Oromoo ta’ee fi farra qabsoo bilisummaa Oromoo ta’een gaggeessuuf akkuma Yuunibarsiitii Ambootti walitti qabdeen guyyaa haraa saaatii 10:30 irratti akkuma wayyaaneen walitti qabdee Orientation kennuufii eegalteen goototni batattootni Oromoo gaaffii irratti roobsuun Iyyaannoo isaanii kan qabxii 10 of irraa qabu itti kennachuun gaaffii keenyaaf deebiin hanga nuuf kennamutti walgaii wayyaanee waliin hin teenyu, wayyaaneen diina keenya, hirimii keenya kaleessa daaima umrii waggaa 7 hanga manguddoo waggaa 80tti ajjeesa turtan dhiignii ilmaan Oromoo lafa hin qoorree akkamitti walgaii biyyooleessa qopheessuun walitti nu qabuu dandeessan, waraannii haga kana baayatu magaalaa Amboo fi Unibarsiitii Amboo keessa qubsiifamee jiru kun maal nurraa eega. Erga walgaii taee waraanaan dorsifamaa maqaan walgaii jedhu kun maalii? Amma gabaabaattii gaaffii barreeffamaan isinitti dhiyeeffamnne kanaaf deebii nuuf kennaa, Gaaffii mooraa Yuunibarsiitii keessatti baatii Eblaa 11/2014 irraa egaaluun isin gaafachaa turreef deebiin nuuf kennamuu qaba, ilmaan Oromoo sababa gaaffii karaa mirgaa fi dimookiraasii gaaffatneef ajjeefamanii mootummaan EPRDF itti gaafatamuu qaba, barattootni Oromoo hidhaman gaaffii tokko malee hiikamuu qabu, kanneen barnoota irraa Ariiataman gaaffii tokko malee barnootatti deebiuu qabu. Gaaffiin mirga abbaa biyyummaa uummata Oromoo kabajamuu qaba, gaaffiin mirga namoommaa fi dimookiraasii gaafachaa jirru nuuf deebiuu qaba, Master Planiin Finfinnee guutummaatti haqamuu qaba jechuun iyyaannoo iyyannoo isaanii dhiyeeffachuun dhaadannoo fi Walleewwaan warraaqsaan ABO faarfatan.

Barattootni Oromoo Mooraa Yuunibarsiitii Amboo keessatti walitti qabamanii waraanaan eegamaaa jiran kun eraga gaaffii kaachisanii booda wallee warraqsaa fi dhaadannoo dhageesisuun -ABO nuuf dirmadhu, ABO karra nuuf bani,

• baallammii gurrach garbuu WBO beektuu qeerransa muree bira darbuu,
• korma guduruu ABOn leenchuma duruu jechuun Wallee warraaqsaa hedduun ABO hanga halkan keessa saaatii 4:00tti mooraa Yuunibarsiitii Amboo keessa naannauun sirban,
• *Dhaadannoowwaan kanneen akka:
• -Tokkumaa keenyaan harka walqabannee haa kaanu ni falmannaa,
• Ajjeechaan nurraa haadhaabbatu,
• mirgii Oromoo haa kabajamuu, Oromiyaan kan uummata Oromooti,
• -Ajjeechaa dugugginsa sanyii nurratti mootummaan wayyaanee rawwateef itti gaafatamuu qaba,
• ilmaan Oromoo gaaffii nagaa waan gaafatneef hidhaman haa hiikaman,
• Master Planiin Finfinnee haqamuu qaba,
• Mirgi abbaa biyyuummaa uummata keenyaaf haa kabajamuu,
• Mirgootni namommaa fi dimookiraasii haa kabajamaan, kanneen jedhan mooraa yuunibarsiitii Amboo keessa naannauun dhageesisuun FDG marsaa 2ffaa dhoosaan. haala rakkoo networkii ulfaata keessatti sagalee warraaqsaa kana warrabnee waan jirruuf gabaasa kana waliin walqabsiifneera dhaggeffadha, Oromoo bakka jirtanii nuuf dirmadhaa, Yeroon Gamtaan Falmannuu amma taa’anii bara lakka’uun doofummaa fi walaalummadha, Ka’ii Oromoo Ka’ii dhaamsa hoggansa sochii dargaggoota Qeerroo barattoota Oromoo fi koree qindeessitu FDG ti!!

Source: Qeerroo

Kora Gamtaa Miseensoota ABO Amerika Kaabaa kan bara 2014 Murtii Ejjennoo fi Kutannoolee

Hagayyaa 13, 2014

Nutii miseensotni Adda Bilisummaa Oromoo kan USA fi Kanadaa Kora, ABO Amerikaa Kaabaa kan Marsaa  18ffaa bara kana magaalaa Minneapolis, Minnesota keessatti Adoolessa 7 fi 8 godhanneen, dhimmoota ciccimoo Jaarmiyaa, Siyaasaa akkasumas haala idil adunyaa irratti  gad fageenyaan marihannee murtii fi kutannoolee asiin gadi dabarfanne.

1. Tokkummaa Mooraa Adda Bilisummaa Oromoo keessatti amma raawwateef deggersaa guutuu kennaa tokkummaan hojjechuuf murteeffanne. >
2. Tokkoomuun humnoota Adda Bilisummaa Oromoo adaa wal-dhibdee siyaasaa gartuu sadaffaa malee furachuu keessatti boqonnaa haaraa banuu isaatti gamachhuu keenya ibsachaa, humnooti bilisummaa Oromootiif falman kanneen gali walfakkaata qaban hundi fakkeenya kana hordofuun  akkaa mooraa Qabsoo Bilisummaa Oromoo daran cimsan waamicha goonaaf.
3. Jaarmayaa keenya guddisuuf caasaale Adda Bilisummaa Oromoo yoomiyyuu caalatti bakka hundatti jabeessuu fi humneessuuf murteeffatne.
4. WBOn gaachana QBO ta’uun mirkana ta’uu hubatnee, humna waraana keenyaa aynaa fi lakkoopsaan guddisuuf gama keenyaan qabeenya fi dandeetii feesisu gumaachuuf murteeffatne.
5. Kallacha Qabsoo Bilisummaa Oromoo kan ta’e dhaaba keenya ABO bifa hundaan jabeessine galii  keenyaa shaffisiisuuf tinnisa feesisu hunda godhuuf murteeffatne.
6. Fincilli Diddaa Gabrummaa kan Dargaggootaa fi barattoota Oromootiin golee Oromiyaa maratti finiinaa jiru dinqisiifachaa, bifa wal irraa hin citneen akka itti fufuuf deggersa keenya dhamanna; waan nurraa eeggamuus gochuuf qophii tahuu keenya mirkaneesina.
7. Shororkeessuummaa mootummaa Itophiyaa wayyaneen durfamu Ummata Oromoo nagaan hiriira ba’ee gaffi mirgaa gaafate irratti shorarkeesitummaa bifa hidhaa fi ajjeechaan raawwataa jiru gad-jabeessinee balaaleffatna.
8. Ilmaan Oromoo hojii mootummaa keessa jirtaanii fi humna waraanaa Itoophiaa keessa jirtan hundi wayyaaneen diina ummata keessan fixaa jiru  ta’uu hubattani qawwee keessan gara diina Oromootti akka deebistan waamicha lammummaa isiniif goona.
9. Tooftaa rakkashaa motummaan Itoophia/wayyaanee lafaa fi mana daldaluun Ummata keenya biyyoota dhihaa jiraatuu hawatuuf godhaa jiru hubatnee Hawaasni keenya bakka jiru maraa irra kanatti dammaqqee haxxee akkasii keessa akka hin seennef waamicha goonaaf.
10. Imaammatni qircannaa lafaa motummaan Itoophia/Wayyaanee hordoftu Ummataa Oromoo dachee dhaloota isaa irra buqqaasuu irratti waan xiyyeeffateef jecha guutumatti balaaleefachaa, goochaa duguuggaa sanyyi kanaa Hawaasa Adunyaatti saaxiluuf akkasumas badii kana hanqisuuf dachaan akka hojjannu mirkaneesina.
11. Kubbaaniyyootni, mootummootni fi namootni dhuunfaan lafa Ummatni Oromoo  irraa humnaan buqaafamaa jiru, bituun kaznaa Wayyaanee gabisuu if ummata irratti roorroo deemsifamaa jiruuf gumaachaa jiraachuu qofa otuu hin tahini, gurgurtaan akkasi heeraan ala akka tahe rakkoo inni booda fiduu malus tilmaamuun akka irraa dhaabbattan ni akeekkachiisna.
12. Maqaa misoomaatiin Imaammattni magaalaa Finfinne baballisuuf Master Plan jedhamee hojii irra ooluuf labsame Imaammata duguugga sanyii Ummata Oromoo irratti xiyyeeffate waan ta’eef akka hojii irra hin oolle akeekkachiisna.
13. Qabsoon Bilisummaa Oromoo yeroo fedheyyu deggersa Ummata isaa waan barbaaduuf Haawaasni Oromoo biyya alaa jirtaan Qabsoo Bilisummaa ABOn durfamuuf deggersi gootan akka dacha ta’uf dhaamsa lammummaa dabarfatna.
14. Toofta mootummaan wayyanee Ummata keenya wal basaasisuuf maqaa tokko-shan jedhuun wal irratti ijaaraa jirtu, summii sabumma ta’uu isaa fi namoota nagaa walitti naquuf caasaa basaasumma mootumicha jiraachisuuf duwaa kan ijaarame ta’uu hubattanii akka caasichi hin hojjetneetti dammmaqinsaan akka ofiifii walis irraa of qulqulleessuun damaqiisnaan eeggannoo barbaachisu gootan dhaammanna.
15. Tooftaa mootummaan wayyaanee sabaa fi sab-lammoota walitti buusuun umri isaa dheereffatuuf wixxifataa jirtu irratta damaquun Sabaa fi Sab-lammootni Olla Oromoo jirtan hundi akka irratti damaqxanii hariiroo ollummaa nagaa waliin qabdan kabajuun haxxee mootummaan wayyaanee isiniif qopheessite kana keessa akka hin seenne waamicha isiif goona.
16. Hidhaan jimlaa dhiheenya kanaa dargagoota Oromoo 3000 ol ta’an maataa aaduun naanno Afar keessatti ugguree jiruu gocha sanyii duguuggaa waan ta’eef ilmaan Oromoo kun hatattamaan akka gad lakkifaman cimsinee beeysifna.
17. Immaamatnii Barnootaa Wayyaanee Ummata Oromoo qofaatti baasee gad-qabuuf waan tilmaamame ta’un ifaa waan ta’eef Immaammatni Barnoota mootummaa wayyanee Oromiyaa keessatti diriire kun haal-dure tokko male akka ka’u akeekkachiisna.
18. Motummaan Wayyaanee gochaa sanyi duguugii Oromiyaa eessatti gaggeessaa jirtu babal’ifachuun biyyoota olla keessatillee ilmaan Oromoo diddaa gabrummaaf baqatani bahan irratti raawwattu cimsinee balaalleefafanna. Mootummoonni baqatoonni kun itti baqatanii jiraniis mirga baqatummaa sadarkaa adunyatti jiru fi gochaa Wayyaanee mirga dhala namaa biyyoota isaanii keessattillee dhiitaa jirtu kana hubatani akka gargaarsa barbaachisu kennan gaafanna.

Injifatnoo Ummata Oromoof!
Gadaan Gadaa Bilisummaati!

Adoolessa 8, 2014
Mineapolis, Minnesota

Ethiopia’s “Terrorist” Journalists and Bloggers

August 13, 2014, NAIROBI, Kenya (Huffington Post) - A cursory glance at the headlines shows that Ethiopia has one of Africa’s fastest growing economies. But the noise generated by the hyperbolic international media is drowning out the critical voices.

Political opposition is being strangled by the authorities as activists and journalists are arrested and thrown into jail at a dizzying pace.

On April 25 of this year, the Ethiopian government made news by arresting six bloggers and three freelance journalists. Setting a dangerous precedent for other governments in the region and beyond, authorities are now targeting youth online.

The nine writers are facing terrorism-related charges, standing accused of inciting violence through social media. The six bloggers are members of the online collective known as Zone 9. The moniker was chosen to represent the inalienable right to freedom of expression: journalists are often held in the section of Addis Ababa’s Kality prison known as Zone 8.

“The government claims [those detained] are conspiring with foreign non-governmental organizations, human rights groups,” said journalist Araya Getachew. “It also claims that they are also working for banned terrorist organizations trying to overthrow the state. This is totally false.”

State crackdown online

Araya Getachew, 29, along with Mastewal Birhanu, 27, and Fasil Girma, 29, all sought refuge in Kenya following a state crackdown on media in Ethiopia. Some veteran journalists were not so fortunate: Woubshet Taye, Eskinder Nega and Reeyot Alemu have all been recently sentenced under a new media law.

Human Rights Watch is monitoring the situation. HRW stated: “Since Ethiopia’s anti-terrorism law was adopted in 2009, the independent media have been decimated by politically motivated prosecutions under the law. The government has systematically thwarted attempts by journalists to establish new publications.”

Critical blogs and websites are regularly blocked, says HRW. In 2012, even publishers which printed publications that criticized authorities ended up being shut down.

Mastewal was arrested last year alongside his editor for printing editions of the newspaper Feteh. The reason the authorities gave for shutting down the newspaper and arresting Mastewal and his editor was that they published news of the death of former Prime Minister Meles Zenawi before an official government announcement was made.

“The government confiscated and burned all 40,000 copies of the newspaper,” Mastewal says. “I was put in jail and charged. I refused to plea bargain to help convict my editor. I left the country.”

“For me,” says Araya, “there’s no doubt if I were in Ethiopia that I would have been arrested by now. Most bloggers and freelancers there are my friends.”

All three Ethiopian journalists now live in Nairobi, Kenya’s capital. Unlike most Ethiopian emigrants in Kenya, they are political, not economic, refugees.

Mastewal and Araya applied at the UN High Commission for Refugees, or UNHCR, to be resettled in Canada. They still await a response from the Canadian High Commission.

“We made our claim together with UNHCR,” Araya said. “We have file numbers but nobody to call, no contact person at the high commission. They still have not told us when we’ll be leaving for Canada.”

Crusading journalism

Fasil founded a public forum in Ethiopia for journalists to discuss issues of corruption in government. Not long afterwards, he was all but chased out of the country.

“I left Ethiopia two years ago,” he says. “I was doing research with Transparency International. We sent an anti-corruption report to the Ethiopian government for feedback and then the pressure became so intense that I had to leave.”

The Ethiopian and Kenyan governments have recently started working together to combat the spread of terrorism across the region. This cooperation is making Nairobi-based Ethiopian journalists feel uneasy about speaking or writing freely.

“With the Kenyan security forces rounding up refugees,” says Fasil. “I fear deportation. It’s tough to go out and come back safely.”

It is now over 100 days, and counting, since the six Zone 9 bloggers and the three freelance journalists were thrown into Ethiopian prison cells. For Fasil, like most political refugees, life in Kenya is tough. But, unlike Araya and Mastewal, he is not yet ready to give up and head to Canada.

Melbournians Hold a Concert for Oromo Human Rights

(Advocacy for Oromia, 12 August 2014) — The Human Rights Concert for Oromia was held in Ascot Vale, a suburb of Melbourne, Australia, on August 9, 2014.

Bonsen Dhabasa, 10 years old boy who was six months old when his father was arrested; five years old when his mother was imprisoned presented his memoir of persecution account on this Human Rights for Oromia concert in Melbourne.

This is our Human Rights Concert. The people coming together as one and uniting against a common enemy! Corrupt power. We are the voice of the people! This is dedicated to those suffering under suppression and Human Rights Abuses. The people on the ground who are treated like collateral damage by those who have vested interests and no concern for human values or human rights!

Melbourne’s diverse communities came out to support the Oromo people’s struggle for human rights, and oppose the ongoing human rights violations against Oromo students and civilians by the Ethiopian TPLF regime.

The people coming together as one and uniting against a common enemy! Corrupt power. The big message of the day was, “We are the voice of the people!”

This is dedicated to those suffering under suppression and Human Rights Abuses. The people on the ground who are treated like collateral damage by those who have vested interests and no concern for human values or human rights!

Currently, thousands of Oromo students and civilians are languishing in Ethiopian government’s prisons in connection with #OromoProtests, a movement which opposes the Ethiopian TPLF regime’s Master Plan to expand the boundaries of Addis Ababa (Finfinne), and subsequently to dispossess Oromo farmers surrounding Finfinne of their lands, and evict them from their ancestral lands.

Washington DC: PM Hailemariam Desalegn was hiding while his Information Minister, Redwan Hussein, embraced humiliation

August 9, 2014 (Somaliland Press) — This week, more than 90 US companies attended the U.S-African Summit in Washington, DC. During the meeting, President Obama announced that American companies — many with trade assistance from the US Export-Import Bank — are declaring new deals across Africa in clean energy, aviation, banking, and construction. These deals are estimated to be worth more than $14 billion. US Companies such as Black Rock, Coca Cola, GE, and Marriott Hotels are a few of the companies that publicized their interest in the African investments. According to Bloomberg News, there is a five-year, $7 billion Power Africa initiative for six countries — pending approval for US congress based on good governance. Ethiopia is supposed to get a piece of this action.

Obama also announced additional commitment by the private sector. Organizations like The World Bank, and countries like Sweden, pitched in to come up with a combined total of $26 billion to the Power Africa initiative.

But Ethiopia’s prime minister was nowhere to be found.

The bad news started for Hailemariam when Azusa Pacfic University in California withdrew an event honoring him, after a protest was lodged to the university’s administration by Abebe Gelaw and Global Alliance for the Rights of Ethiopians.

Like most the other 40 African leaders, Prime Minster Hailemariam Desalegn Boshe and the first Lady Roman Tesfaye flew into Andrews Air Force base. However, the big mystery this week among the Ethiopians in the Washington DC area is the location of the prime minster of Ethiopia.

Ethiopian activists in DC Metro Area have been searching for him. They even set up a hotline for anyone to report his whereabouts to them. Unlike the other African embassies, there was no official dinner party held so far in the honor of the Prime Minster at the Ethiopian Embassy in Washington DC.

According to a State Department source, the US government had anticipated a major demonstration against Hailemariam and made preparations with local law enforcement agencies expecting thousands of protestors. While other African nations are flying their flags at various hotels they are staying, no Washington area hotel is flying the Ethiopian flag. There is a speculation that he is hiding at a US government guest house, or the Inter-Continental.

On the opening day of the U.S.-Africa Summit, over 1,500 Ethiopians staged a demonstration outside the meeting. Outside the World Bank, they were joined by protesters from Congo, Burundi and other countries.

Two years ago, on May 18, 2012, there was similar protest against the Prime Minster from Ethiopia. The “Arrest Meles Zenawi” demonstration was held outside the Washington Ronald Reagan Center where an Ethiopian activists Abebe Gelaw shouted “Freedom” in room full of US official and three African leaders. On the other side of the street, there were a small group of individuals who show support for Meles. This time there were no pro-government demonstrators for Hailemariam.

Ethiopians activists have forced the government officials who came from Ethiopia to attend the U.S.-Africa Summit into hiding or keep a low profile. A week before the U.S.-Africa Summit was opened, Ethiopians had confronted ruling party officials in Houston and Los Angeles where they tried to hold meetings with potential investors. Hailemariam had canceled his scheduled appearances in both cities. A few days ago, the Minister of Commerce, Kebede Chane, was chased out of Laliebela Ethiopian Restaurant in Washington DC. On Thursday, the Minster of Information, Redwan Hussien, has been confronted by Ethiopian activists at a shopping center in Arlington, Virginia.

Since the abduction of Ethiopian opposition leader Adargachew Tsega, who travels with a British passport, by Ethiopian security agents at Sanna’a International airport in Yemen, the anger against regime has re-intensified.

It was not only the Ethiopia government officials who are trying to keep under the radar. Mohammed Al Amoudi, who is in town for the Summit, did not show his face any where. The Diaspora Investment Forum planned by Zemedneh Negatu of Ernest & Young in Washington DC was also canceled.

As the state terror intensifies against journalists, bloggers, and opposition leaders in Ethiopia, angry and frustrated Ethiopians around the world are hunting down and confronting Ethiopian regime officials who are responsible for the repression.

Source: Somaliland Press

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OMN: Gabaasa Addaa (Hiriira Hawaasa Oromoo Washington DC) Hagayya 1, 2014

The world tweets support for Ethiopia’s bloggers today

The international citizen journalism group Global Voices invites you to join a today’s “worldwide, multilingual tweetathon in support of the ten bloggers and journalists facing terrorism charges in Ethiopia.”

Join Global Voices bloggers for a worldwide, multilingual tweetathon in support of the ten bloggers and journalists facing terrorism charges in Ethiopia.

The Global Voices community and our network of allies are demanding justice for these men and women, all of whom have worked hard to expand spaces for social and political commentary in Ethiopia through blogging and journalism. We believe their arrest is a violation of their universal right to free expression, and that the charges filed against them are unjust. Learn more about their story and the campaign for their release at the Zone9 Trial Tracker blog.

The bloggers’ trial begins on August 4, 2014. Until then, and beyond, they will need all the support they can get. So this Thursday, we as a global community of bloggers, writers, activists, and social media experts will share this message around the world, tweeting in our native languages at community leaders, government and diplomatic officials, and mainstream media to draw public attention to the case.

#FreeZone9Bloggers: A Tweetathon Demanding the Release of Jailed Ethiopian Bloggers 

Six of the detained bloggers in Addis Ababa. Photo used with permission.

Date: Thursday, July 31, 2014

Time: 10am – 2pm — no matter what time zone you’re in!

Hashtag: #FreeZone9Bloggers

Hosts: Nwachukwu Egbunike (@feathersproject), Ndesanjo Macha (@ndesanjo), Ellery Roberts Biddle (@ellerybiddle)

Want to join us this Thursday? Or help spread the word? Add your name and Twitter handle to our community planning sheet.

Sample Tweets:

• .@Zone9ers deserve a fair trial under international standards #FreeZone9Bloggers http://bit.ly/1g65ijg
• Free the @Zone9ers… because blogging is not a crime! #FreeZone9Bloggers http://bit.ly/1g65ijg
• “We blog because we care” #FreeZone9Bloggers http://bit.ly/1g65ijg
• Blogger arrests in #Ethiopia are a violation of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights #FreeZone9Bloggers http://bit.ly/QlzRuG
• Blogger arrests in #Ethiopia violate the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights #FreeZone9Bloggers http://bit.ly/1g1MUNM

Tweet until your fingers hurt and demand justice for the Zone9 bloggers!

Source: Global Voices Advocacy Defending Free Speech Online

#OromoProtests: Oromo Peaceful Protest Rally in Washington, DC- August 01, 2014.

Local EU statement on the situation in Ethiopia

July 31, 2014 (Delegation of the European Union to Ethiopia) – The European Union Delegation issues the following statement in  agreement with the EU Heads of Mission in Ethiopia:

“The EU Delegation is deeply concerned about developments in the case of the ten bloggers and journalists charged under the Anti-Terrorism Proclamation on 18 July, as well as recent arrests of opposition members. It calls on the Ethiopian authorities to ensure that proceedings are carried out according to the Ethiopian Constitution and respecting international and regional human rights standards, in particular granting access to legal counsel and family, as well as the right to apply for bail when applicable, and that the trial is transparent and free from political interference.

The EU Delegation recalls the European External Action Service statement of 6 May 2014 which underlined the importance of enhancing the political space, particularly in view of the elections next year. It calls on the Ethiopian Government to ensure that the Anti-Terrorism Proclamation is not used to curb freedom of expression or association.

The EU Delegation welcomed the additional commitments made by the government of Ethiopia to address areas of human rights concern in the recent Universal Periodic Review process in Geneva and called for early and continuing action to ensure implementation of all of the government’s human rights commitments.”

Source: Delegation of the European Union to Ethiopia