Two things I wanted to talk about today. One is the media, especially the media from fellow dictatorial countries. The other one is this heart-wrenching message that I saw on the net that I decided to post here.
First what bothers me most these days is what these Chinese government media write (or not write) about Ethiopia. While the rest of the world condemned the massacre of the almost 200 Ethiopian youth by their own government, the Chinese kept on writing articles like “Meles talks about progress and trade”, “The situation in Ethiopia is improving”, etc. Just garbage. The Chinese should realize that if they need respect in Africa and around the world, they will have to stop being selfish and grow up to their responsibility. While Darfur is burning, they salivate for Sudanese oil. While Ethiopia is burning, they talk about a non-existing normaliztion of events and the threat of treason on our opposition leaders. Sure, they are freaking communists when it comes down to it; but they should realize that if they want to keep on selling see $2 shoes to Ethiopia and Africa, they better respect us and stop writing garbage that supports bllod thirsty dictators like the butcher of Addis Ababa – Meles Graziani.
So much for the Chinese. (Below are shown Marshall Rudolfo Graziani and Meles Grazinai – both butchers of Addis Ababa)
The other thing that has bothered me was this article I saw on the Internt posted by NGO worker in Ethiopia. Her description of how Meles Graziani’s soldiers were chasing 9 and 10 year old boys and girls in our own Piazza only to shoot them in daylight and throw their bodies on the streets brought tears of sadnness and complete devstation that I have not experienced since the dark days of the other monster Mengistu. Sure will any of the world media like BBC talk about this? No, the same thing was done by the other Fascist Barbarian Marshall Graziani of Fasicst Italy in its brief 5 year occupation of our beloved city. Did the BBC say anything about it? No, I doubt it. People will tell you how they were hiding and protecting themselves on that massacre day by the older Graziani (Meles Graziani’s cosuin) in Armenian and Greek churches in Piazza. This time, however, almost 60 years from that time, our 7 baby brothers and sisters were shot in beloved Piazza. Was there anyone to protect them? How could Addis Ababa forget this? We will not forget. We will remember who was with us and who helped us.
God bless VOA! God Bless Deutche Welle!
Screw BBC
For a parallel between the Sene Lideta and Hidar Massacre in Ethiopia by Meles Grazinai and Marshall Rudolpho Graziani, please look at what the eminent Ethiopianist Professor Richard Pankhurst wrote a few years.
I work with one of the largest NGOs working with vulnerable children in Ethiopia. I have been deeply troubled and traumatized by recent events in Ethiopia. I have witnessed ruthless killings of minors as young as ten years old.
When stone throwing youths, most of them unemployed angry young men with no political motives other than their own grievances, expressed their frustrations in protests, the armed militia responded by firing live ammunitions indiscriminately into crowds. I have seen with my own eyes when security forces killed and injured at least seven young kids around Piazza who were fleeing for their lives. Eyewitness accounts have confirmed that security forces brutally shot defenseless protesters even in areas where there were no protests. Though the government media reported that the number of people killed in was 42 local residents estimate over 200, which needs to be independently verified.
Some of those killed were street kids whose bodies have been disposed by government troops. The inhuman treatment of innocent people was so widespread that the troops rounded young men from their homes en mass. So far the police have said that they have released nearly 9000 people who were not involved in the riots from harsh concentration camps. The fact that all those people were detained without due process of law shows the extent to which the government is violating basic human rights.
Returnees from the detention centres are claiming that they were held against their wills in appalling conditions and some were apparently tortured. There is also a report that the detainees were shaved off with shared razor blades exposing them to infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS. Beatings and degrading treatment is reportedly rampant in the concentration camps. Detainees are also said to be given a roll of bread a day.
It is estimated that over 10,000 detainees have still been held against their will and without due process of law in degrading and inhuman conditions including in Didesa, a remote military camp, were the weather is harsh and yellow fever is widespread.
I call upon the international community including the International Red Cross, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Save the Children and Unicef to investigate the gross human rights violations and crimes against humanities being perpetrated by the government troops and security forces. I urge the partners of the Ethiopian government especially the European Union, the United States and the United Kingdom to take a firm stand against the authorities who have been killing, torturing, and jailing their critics. I also call upon the Prime Minister of Ethiopia, Mr. Meles Zenawi, to stop behaving ruthlessly and inhumanely against unarmed civilians. May I remind the His Excellency that there is time for expiry of military power and the likelihood of facing justice.
The government of Ethiopia should be held to account to any appalling crimes it is committing against its own vulnerable poor people including the unemployed, orphans, street children and women.
Act now urgently.
Tania Martinet
Relief Worke