by Alemayehu G. Mariam
It is time to bury the hatchet and move forward in Ethiopia! Nelson Mandela taught that âIf you want to make peace with your enemy, you have to work with your enemy. Then he becomes your partner.â I would add that your enemy also becomes your friend and your ally. Historically, when warring nations of Native Americans made peace with each other, they would bury their axes (hatchets) into the ground as a symbolic expression of the end of hostilities. I say today is the perfect time for all Ethiopians to bury the hatchet of ethnic division, religious sectarianism, regional conflict and human rights violations. It is the perfect time to shake hands, embrace each other and get our noses to the grindstone to build a new democratic Ethiopia where the rule of law is upheld and human rights and democratic institutions respected.
Today, not tomorrow, is the best time to put an end to historic hatreds and resentments and open a new chapter in Ethiopiaâs history. Today is the best time to unchain ourselves from the burdens of the past, close the wounds that have festered for generations and declare to future generations that we will no longer be prisoners of resentments of the past. Nelson Mandela said that âResentment is like drinking poison and then hoping it will kill your enemies.â Mandela did not drink from the poison of resentment and managed to outlive most of his âenemiesâ and is still alive and kicking at 94. But today there is a lot of resentment going around in Ethiopia and in the Ethiopian Diaspora. There is the quiet and despairing resentment of those who feel wounded and defeated by loss. There is the gloating resentment of those who feel victorious and morally vindicated by the loss of others. Then there is the resentment of those who are indifferent because they just donât care. Today is a great day to say good-bye to historic animosities. Today is a great day to end bitterness, not tomorrow. Reaching out to our adversaries must begin today, not tomorrow. Reconciliation must begin today, not tomorrow. Most importantly, âradical improvements in good governance and democracyâ must begin today, not tomorrow.
Letâs Begin Radical Improvements in Good Governance and Democracy Today
In 2007, the late Meles Zenawi expressed his âhope that [his] legacyâ would be not only âsustained and accelerated development that would pull Ethiopia out of the massive deep povertyâ but also âradical improvements in terms of good governance and democracy.â Today is the day to begin in earnest radical improvements in good governance and democracy. These improvements must begin with the release of all political prisoners, repeal of anti-terrorism, civil society and other oppressive laws and declaration of allegiance to the rule of law.
All political prisoners in Ethiopia must be released. Their situation has been amply documented for years in the reports of the U.S. Government, U.N. agencies and various international human rights organizations. The 2011 U.S. State Department Country Reports on Human Rights Practices in Ethiopia (April 2011) documented âunlawful killings, torture, beating, and abuse and mistreatment of detainees and opposition supporters by security forces, especially special police and local militias, which took aggressive or violent action with evident impunity in numerous instances; poor prison conditions; arbitrary arrest and detention, particularly of suspected sympathizers or members of opposition or insurgent groups; detention without charge and lengthy pretrial detentionâŠâ
In its 2010 World Report-Ethiopia, Human Rights Watch (HRW) concluded that âtorture and ill-treatment have been used by Ethiopiaâs police, military, and other members of the security forces to punish a spectrum of perceived dissenters, including university students, members of the political opposition, and alleged supporters of insurgent groups⊠Secret detention facilities and military barracks are most often used by Ethiopian security forces for such activities.â
A report of the U.N. Committee Against Torture (November 2010) expressed âdeep concerns about numerous, ongoing and consistent allegations concerning the routine use of torture by the police, prison officers and other members of the security forces, as well as the military, in particular against political dissidents and opposition party members, students, alleged terrorist suspects and alleged supporters of insurgent groups such as the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) and the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF). It is concerned about credible reports that such acts frequently occur with the participation, at the instigation or with the consent of commanding officers in police stations, detention centers, federal prisons, military bases and in unofficial or secret places of detention.â
It is difficult to accurately establish the number of political prisoners in Ethiopia. International human rights organizations are not allowed access to political prisoners or to investigate their situation. But various reports provide estimates that vary from several hundreds to tens of thousands. Recent estimates by Genocide Watch peg the number of political prisoners at around one hundred thousand. Political dissidents, critics and opposition leaders continue to be arrested and detained every day. In the past year, an undetermined number of members of the Oromo Federalist Democratic Movement (OFDM) and the Oromo Peopleâs Congress (OPC) have been detained for political reasons. Other opposition parties have reported similar arrests of their members. Alleged members of the Oromo Liberation Front continue to be arrested and detained without charge. In just the past few months, journalists, opposition political leaders and activists, including Andualem Arage, the charismatic vice chairman of the opposition coalition Medrek, Natnael Mekonnen, an official of the Unity for Democracy and Justice Party, the internationally-celebrated journalists Eskinder Nega and Reeyot Alemu, and editor Woubshet Alemu have been sentenced to long prison terms.
Radical improvements in good governance and democracy also require repeal of the so-called âAnti-Terrorism Proclamation No. 652/2009â. Over the past few years, this âlawâ has been used to round up and jail dissidents, journalists and opposition party political leaders as âterrorists.â The law has been condemned by all international human rights organizations. Human Rights Watch criticized the law as âpotent tool for suppressing political opposition and independent criticism of government policy.â The vaguely drafted âanti-terrorism lawâ in fact is not much of a law as it is a velvet gloved iron fist used to smash any opponent of the regime. Speech aimed at âadvancing a political, religious or ideological causeâ and intending to âinfluence the governmentâ, âintimidate the publicâ, âdestabilize or destroy the fundamental political, constitutional, economic or social institutions of the countryâ is classified as âterrorismâ. Making or publishing statements âlikely to be understood as encouraging terrorist actsâ is a punishable offense under the âlawâ. Anyone who provides âmoral support or adviceâ or has any contact with an individual accused of a terrorist act is presumed to be a terrorist supporter. Anyone who âwrites, edits, prints, publishes, publicizes, disseminates, shows, makes to be heard any promotional statements encouraging, supporting or advancing terrorist actsâ is deemed a âterroristâ. A person who âfails to immediately inform or give information or evidence to the policeâ on a neighbor, co-worker or others s/he may suspect of âterrorismâ could face up to 10 years for failure to report. Two or more persons who have contact with a âterrorâ suspect could be charged with conspiracy to commit âterrorismâ.
Under the âanti-terrorismâ law, âThe police may arrest without court warrant any person whom he reasonably suspects to have committed or is committing terrorismâ and hold that person in incommunicado detention. The police can engage in random and âsudden search and seizureâ of the person, place or personal effects of anyone suspected of âterrorismâ. The police can âintercept, install or conduct surveillance on the telephone, fax, radio, internet, electronic, postal, and similar communicationsâ of a person suspected of terrorism. The police can order âany government institution, official, bank, or a private organization or an individualâ to turn over documents, evidence and information on a âterrorâ suspect. A âterrorâ suspect can be held in custody without charge for up to âfour monthsâ. Any âevidenceâ presented by the regimeâs prosecutor against a âterrorâ suspect in âcourtâ is admissible, including âconfessionsâ (extracted by torture), âhearsayâ, âindirect, digital and electronic evidencesâ and âintelligence reports even if the report does not disclose the source or the method it was gathered (including evidence obtained by torture).
As I have previously commented, the âanti-terrorismâ law criminalizes democratic civic existence itself: âThinking is terrorism. Dissent is terrorism. Speaking truth to power is terrorism. Having a conscience is terrorism. Peaceful protest is terrorism. Refusing to sell out oneâs soul is terrorism. Standing up for democracy and human rights is terrorism. Defending the rule of law is terrorism. Peaceful resistance of state terrorism is terrorism. But one must be reasonable about âterrorismâ. Nelson Mandela was jailed for 27 years as a âterroristâ by the Apartheid regime in South Africa. Following his release, he said, âI was called a terrorist yesterday, but when I came out of jail, many people embraced me, including my enemies, and that is what I normally tell other people who say those who are struggling for liberation in their country are terrorists. I tell them that I was also a terrorist yesterday, but, today, I am admired by the very people who said I was one.â The âantiterrorism lawâ must be repealed.
The so-called Charities and Societies Proclamation No. 621/2009 must be repealed. This âlawâ has been severely criticized by all of the major international human rights organizations. Among its draconian elements include prohibitions on foreign non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from engaging in human rights and democratic advocacy activities in Ethiopia including advocacy of gender and religious equality, conflict resolution or justice system and electoral reform. A local NGO that receives more than ten percent of its funding from foreign sources is considered âforeignâ. Since few Ethiopian NGOs are financially self-sufficient, the vast majority depend significantly on foreign sources for their funding. This law has effectively put them out of business. The law allows an administrative body to have final authority over NGO disputes by granting it broad discretion to deny, suspend or revoke the registration of any NGO. Criminal sanctions and fines are also provided for violations of the law exposing NGO officials, members, volunteers and service recipients. Moreover, this law flagrantly violates various sections of the Ethiopian Constitution dealing with freedom of expression, assembly and association as has been pointed out by various human rights organizations.
Ethiopia today stands at the crossroads. It can march forward into democracy by taking confident steps that begin radical improvements in good governance and democracy. Or Ethiopia can continue to slide backwards and deeper into the vortex of dictatorship. Or it can free fall into chaos and strife. The choice is ours to make. There are important lessons to be learned by all. Those in power should be mindful that âmaking peaceful revolution impossible is making violent revolution inevitable.â Others should heed the message of Dr. Martin Luther King who once told the great Harry Belafonte his concerns about racial desegregation and its potential consequences: âI fear, I am integrating my people into a burning house,â wondered Dr. King metaphorically referring to the potential for racial conflict and strife that could result from outlawing discrimination. Belafonte, somewhat taken aback asked Dr. King, âWhat should we do?â Dr. King told him that we should âbecome the firemen [and] not stand by and let the house burn.ââ We all need to be Ethiopian firemen and firewomen and begin âradical improvements in good governance and democracyâ today, not tomorrow!!