?thiopien: Brutale Staatsgewalt als Antwort auf friedliche Proteste

Samstag, den 19. November 2005 um 21:02 Uhr

Addis Abeba (epo). - Fast genau fünf Monate nach den blutig niedergeschlagenem Protesten im Juni 2005 schiessen die regimetreuen Spezialtruppen von Staatschef Meles Zenawi wieder auf unbewaffnete Demonstranten. Es stehe zu befürchten, dass die Gewalt weiter eskaliert und sich im gesamten Land ausbreitet, berichten äthiopische Quellen. Deutliche Proteste oder konkrete Sanktionen von Entwicklungshilfe-Geberländern wie den USA oder Deutschland lassen auf sich warten. Ein enger äthiopischer Vertrauter eines epo-Mitarbeiters hat jetzt Augenzeugenberichte aus Addis Abeba an die Redaktion übermittelt.

 

Unser Augenzeuge berichtet - aus oppositioneller Sicht - über die gewaltsame Niederschlagung von Protesten durch die Zentralregierung unter Premierminister Meles Zenawi, der als Rebellenführer nach dem Sturz des kommunistischen Diktators Mengistu  Haile Mariam durch die Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) im Mai 1991 in das Amt des Staatschefs einer Übergangsregierung kam und aus den ersten Mehrparteienwahlen im Jahr 1995 als Sieger hervor ging.

HINTERGRUND DER PROTESTE

Nach den offiziellen Ergebnissen der Wahlen vom Mai 2005 blieb Zenawis Koalition EPRDF Regierungspartei. Opposition und internationale Beobachter sprachen von massiver Wahlmanipulation, Zenawi verhängte ein einmonatiges Demonstrationsverbot und übernahm die Kontrolle der Sicherheitskräfte. Bei Protesten im Mai und Juni kamen nach offizieller Lesart mindestens 36 Menschen ums Leben, die Opposition sprach von wesentlich mehr Opfern. Tausende Regimekritiker und mutmaßliche Anhänger des Oppositionsbündnisses Koalition für Einheit und Demokratie (CUD) wurden in einem Militärlager südlich von Addis interniert. Die meisten wurden auf internationalen Druck später wieder freigelassen.

Der einstige Marxist-Leninist Zenawi bekennt sich seit den 90er Jahren zu freier Marktwirtschaft und repräsentativer Demokratie und stützt seine Macht in erster Linie auf die "Tigrinische Volksbefreiungsfront" (TPLF), die dominierende Partei der Regierungskoalition. Die Opposition wirft ihm vor, sich durch die Behinderung oppositioneller Parteien, die Kontrolle über die Presse und Folter in Polizei- und Gefängniszellen an der Macht zu halten.

Die Militärausgaben belaufen sich auf mehr als fünf Prozent des Bruttoinlandsproduktes, während lediglich 1,4% des BIP für die öffentliche Gesundheit zur Verfügung stehen. Mehr als ein Viertel der Bevölkerung gilt als arm, die Lebenserwartung beträgt bei Männern 41 Jahre und bei Frauen 43 Jahre. Die zu weiten Teilen von ausländischer Entwicklungshilfe abhängige Regierung ist unfähig, die regelmäßig wiederkehrenden Hungersnöte zu verhindern, aber in der Lage, wegen Streitigkeiten über den Grenzverlauf Krieg gegen den im Mai 1993 in die Unabhängigkeit entlassenen Nachbarstaat Eritrea zu führen.

 

Derzeit spitzt sich der von 1998 bis 2000 blutig ausgetragene Konflikt erneut zu, beide Länder haben Truppen und schweres Militärgerät in die Grenzregion verlegt. Die Blauhelm-Soldaten der "United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea" (UNMEE) überwachen einen fragilen Frieden, nachdem Äthiopien im Oktober 2003 den Schiedspruch der Unabhängigen Grenzkommission in Den Haag ablehnte.

Deutschland könnte als einer der größten Entwicklungshilfe-Geber und wichtigster Handelspartner (fast 20% Anteil an den äthiopischen Exporten) Einfluss auf die Menschenrechtspolitik der äthiopischen Regierung nehmen, scheint aufgrund geostrategischer Überlegungen aber äußerste Zurückhaltung zu üben.

Das Informationsministerium wirft der oppositionellen Koalition für Einheit und Demokratie (CUD) vor, die Proteste ausgelöst zu haben, und drohte am 3. November mit der Verhaftung der Führer der Ethiopian Free Press Journalists' Association (EFJA), der sie vorwirft, der CUD nahe zu stehen. Seither halten sich viele Journalisten aus Furcht vor Verfolgung versteckt.

AUGENZEUGENBERICHT AUS ADDIS ABEBA

Addis Ababa, 03 Nov 2005 13:40

My good friend.

Yesterday more than 23 innocent people were killed and more than 200 wounded in Addis Ababa alone. These figures are collected from our hospital sources and it is for sure there are a lot of dead people taken to the Army and Police force hospitals where nobody have access to enter. I myself witnessed that the police force hospital was very busy the whole day bringing in those who are shot. I could have used my digital camera but it was very dangerous and I could get killed easily for using it.

Then I drove towards Piassa where the protest was very strong and observed that men and women were fighting with bare hands with the heavily armed TPLF forces. Then Tanks and heavy machine guns were moving toward Merkato area where a lot of casualties were observed and then I drove toward Saris area where a lot of fighting took place and I observed burned police vehicles.

It looks very scary to move around but also it is cowardness to sit at home while children and women are fighting the criminals. Yesterday the savages killed one seven-year-old boy while he was playing and also they killed one lady while arresting her husband. The security forces came to her house to arrest her husband because he is a supporter of CUD and she begged them not to take him, but the blood thirsty TPLF soldier gave her two bullets in the chest in front of her husband and she became quiet for ever.

Two days ago the security forces told the people in Merkato area not to read newspapers from the free press and started to collect the newspapers by force and the violence broke out due to these crazy security forces. Every protest was peaceful, but TPLF leaders were looking for scapegoats to pin all their crimes on to. They got CUD leader Professor Mesfin W/Mariam, a known scholar who is 73 years old, by arresting him from his bed. He is sick and has been in bed for the past three months, but the merciless security forces pulled him out of his bed and threw him into jail anyway. I can tell you a lot of sad stories but it is meaningless unless they reach those who fight for justice.

The evil minded TPLF leaders are giving orders to their special forces to shoot anybody who protests against them and they blame the opposition party leaders for the violence they created. Why do they put all blame on the opposition party leaders, particularly on the CUD? The answer is simple, because the TPLF leaders were severely beaten and exposed during the May 15th election campaign by the opposition party leaders. The Ethiopian people are aware of the criminal acts of these bloodsuckers and did not vote for the TPLF leaders and their puppets. Knowing that they are rejected by the people, the TPLF claimed that they are the winner of the May 15th election (the election was on May 15 and the very next morning they announced that they had won).

The past 15 years the TPLF leaders traded by the name of democracy, formed fake opposition parties and cheated the donor countries, making them believe that there is true democracy in Ethiopia. They wanted to play the same drama in the May 15th election and invited the EU to observe the election and to convince the world that the election was "free and fair".

But the EU observer team exposed them and gave a true report that the ruling party rigged the election. The so-called PM went mad about the EU report and started attacking the EU observer team leader Mrs.Anna Gomes (by the way she is really a hero for the Ethiopian people for getting the truth out and unmasking the fake democracy).

It was very surprising that Meles Zenawi wrote to the Ethiopian Herald (TPLF owned newspaper) 19 pages of accusations on Anna Gomes because she reported the truth. The TPLF owned mass media all reported that the CUD promised Anna Gomes a 20% commission from their income and that is why she took sides with the CUD. Not even little children can believe such stories.

The TPLF leaders were very busy for the past three months to get acceptance from the international community as the real winners of the election. After forming the fake parliament, they announced that all opposition party members who were elected as Members of Parliament have no more immunity and they will be jailed for treason.

The TPLF security forces fabricated evidence (for example the security forces can put weapons in the houses of the opposition leaders and their supporters and take them to prison for having illegal weapon) to arrest the CUD leaders. Now they almost succeeded to arrest all of the CUD leadership and are accusing them of the violence and the killings of the innocent.

Zwei Tote Demonstranten in Addis Abeba

The TPLF leaders have big business empires and have accumulated many millions of dollars in foreign banks. They have business partners like the multi Billionaire Sheik Alamoudi who makes a lot of business transaction with them. There are a lot of businessmen who are favored by the TPLF leaders and pretend to be part of a so-called free market.

After knowing that they lost the election in Addis, the TPLF representative Arkebe Equibay illegally sold the whole urban land in Addis Ababa reserved for the coming 20 years within one month.

Nobody listens to the USA or Canada or the EU countries if they keep on singing about democracy while their money is used by the dictators to kill the innocents in front of their eyes.

The only thing coming out of the mouth of the diplomats in Addis is "very bad" but no condemnation of the killings, as far as I know. I do not know how long it will take them to open their mouths to oppose the killings of children and women by the barbaric soldiers of TPLF.

But sooner or later justice will be done and the criminals will face trial for what they did. All free press journalists were arrested and there are no free newspaper allowed except TPLF sponsored newspaper like "The Reporter" and "IFTIN". Hopefully we can stay in contact in the coming days.

Addis Ababa, 03 Nov 2005 15:43

My friend, thanks for your support in exposing the TPLF fascists to the world. The TPLF security forces kept on gunning down innocent civilians on the street. It was witnessed that these brainless robots drag down the youths from their house to the street and order them to kneel down and then they shoot them on the head.

More than two hundred people were killed in the past four days. Now there is protest in Debrezeit area some 45KM from Addis.

Yesterday two mothers were killed while looking for their children and a father with his son shot dead in Arbaminch.


Addis Abeba, 9 Nov 2005 05:19

Good friend, hello to you.

Today Addis Ababa looks stable. The shops were forced to be open by the security forces and those who resisted opening their shops were considered as criminals and have no right to trade in the future. All the city taxis were ordered to start their work and those who resisted will be punished and their licenses will be banned.

The Fascist government of Ethiopia declared that all the free press journalists and CUD leaders are criminals and announced their names as wanted by the security forces. The names and the photographs of these people who are opposing the mass killing and torture carried out by the merciless fascist TPLF soldiers were broadcasted on state-controlled TV and radio. The mass arrest youths still continues and there are more than fifteen thousand kidnapped from Addis alone.

The rumor is that the TPLF leaders may force them into military training and send them to the front line to fight the Eritrean soldiers. It is for sure there will be war between Ethiopia and Eritrea in the near future and UNMEE was not able to control the situation at the border area. Once the US government welcomed and praised Meles Zenawi of Ethiopia and Isayas Afeworki of Eritrea as the young democrats of East Africa: today the two leaders are nothing more than dictators, engaging everybody in a meaningless war that already has killed more than 70 thousand on both side. Now these monsters are ready for another round of war to divert the attention of the people to the border conflict and to blame one another for the deep crisis they caused in their countries.

Here the TPLF leaders are boasting about their success with the German government on economic cooperation and how Germany is satisfied by the leadership of Meles Zenawi. His recent visit to Germany is the top news every hour by all media controlled by the TPLF and it is really a big shame for the German leaders to dine with the murderous Meles Zenawi who massacred a lot of innocents as he was toasting his wine glass with the German officials.

The physical killing on the street seems to have stopped but they continue to kill everybody physchologically. Who is feeling for us, who will stand by our struggle for democracy?

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For latest updates please refer to the following links: 

» www.kinijit.org
» www.ethiomedia.com

In case you want to see the killings in picture go to this web:
» www.ethioindex.com/images/killingsofNov1.html

in epo:
» Augenzeugenbericht vom 21. Juni 2005

Foto: The bodies of two young men killed after clashes between police and youths lie at a morgue in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa, November 1, 2005