Ethiopia: Unity for Democracy and Justice (UDJ) Statement

If judicial institutions are to cease serving regimes as instruments of oppression in Ethiopia there is no alternative to removing TPLF/EPRDF from power through peaceful and legal means.

A press statement issued by Unity for Democracy and Justice (UDJ)

The court that was handling the case of Andualem Aragie et al has, at its sitting of June 27, 2012, handed down a verdict of guilty on all of the accused. The court has finally put down in writing what Prime Minister Meles has been saying all along in public on the guiltiness of the prisoners. The decision of the court is of no value other than demonstrating, in no uncertain ways, that courts in our country have become devoid of the elements of freedom and independence. The decision has given a further proof to the strong popular conviction that courts would not be free and independent as long as TPLF/EPRDF remains in power.
It is ascertained once more, that the present regime is using judicial institutions as weapons of offense against political activists without shame and with impunity. It also shows clearly the fate of future heroes who dare to struggle for freedom and democracy to prevail in this country. Furthermore, it is clearly demonstrated that TPLF/EPRDF is incapable of tolerance and of handling differences in a civilized manner. This grossly unjust decision shall be remembered as one of the most repulsive and shameful decisions in the history of the rule of the TPLF/EPRDF regime. UDJ believes that the arguments, documents and the witnesses lists of the prosecutors, as well as the defense records of the accused should be preserved as historic records to be re-examined by history under a just system.
TPLF/EPRDF had two objectives when it imprisoned the peaceful activists on September 14, 2011. The first objective was to stifle the popular struggle by imprisoning young activists. The second objective aimed at plunging the youth, the dynamic power behind the struggle, into a state of fear so that they would not be in a position to join hands and push the struggle forward. The elaboration of the court on its decision demonstrate this clearly.
What we see on the ground is that, despite the repression, the people’s struggle is producing young activists in the thousands. The demand for justice, equality, democracy and respect of human rights that young activists like Anduale, Natnael, Eskindir and others have raised is getting ever stronger and surging forward. On the hand, it is becoming more and more obvious that the champions of freedom are growing stronger while the downward journey of the ruling regime is on the acceleration.
Recently, information has leaked indicating that UDJ members are about to be rounded up thrown into the Kaliti jail under the pretext of terrorism charges. What TPLF/EPRDF has failed to understand is this bitter truth: the desire for change deeply rooted in the hearts of the people has reached a stage where it cannot be reversed by repression and imprisonment.
The world has seen many dictatorial regimes but, in the end, they have all fallen a fall of shame. It is becoming more and clearer that, given the repressive path that TPLF/EPRDF is pursuing, its downfall is inevitable.
UDJ/MEDREK, fully aware of the fact that the present regime is creating havoc in our day to day life, is calling upon he people to join the struggle for a common cause. Ethiopians around the world are hereby being called upon to stand behind UDJ/MEDREK in the peaceful and legal struggle that is being waged to bring down the dictatorial regime ruling our country. The International Community also is called upon to realize that it is being used as crutch by the ruling regime and to give support to the struggle for freedom and democracy for which the Ethiopian people are waging.
UDJ/MEDREK is now fully convinced that there is no alternative but to intensify the peaceful and legal struggle to remove from power the narrow-minded and corruption- plagued TPLF/EPRDF regime. Members of UDJ/MEDREK are ready to pay with pride whatever sacrifice is required to push this cause forward.
The sacrifice that is being paid by Andualem et al shall always be remembered in history.
Long live Ethiopia!
Unity for Democracy and Justice (UDJ)
June 28, 2012

Dr. Negasso Gidada, Former President of Ethiopia and curent chairman of Unity for Democeacy and Justice Party needs Emergency Medical Help.

http://andinet.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/News-Paper-No.-48-colour2.pdf

The Government should listen to the pleas of the Prisons of Conscience immediately

The people should follow the measures taken by the government and exert pressure on it

A press statement given by Unity for Democracy and justice Party (UDJ)

The prisoners of conscience at Kaliti Prison are being subjected to violations that threaten their physical and mental well-being. As indicated by a document coming out of Kaliti Prison, the violations against the prisoners are many. For example, their court cases are intentionally delayed and prolonged. Degrading insults are thrown at them and cruel beatings are being perpetrated against them by the prison police and other officials. In disregard of the fact that they are peaceful political prisoners, they are hand-cuffed and made to be seen by the public with the intention of degrading their morale. They are held with hard core criminals in violation of the law that rules that political prisoners should be held separately. They are prevented from being visited by their friends, relatives, religious and legal counselors, again in violation of their constitutional rights. They are denied adequate medical care when they are sick. They are also prevented from reading newspapers and listening to the radio. They are not allowed to take any kind of education and training as are other prisoners. Writings that are products of their labour are confiscated without any explanation.

The prisoners of conscience have made numerous complaints against the violations perpetrated against them and made pleas to relevant bodies, hoping that someone would listen to them but all in vain. Therefore, they are in the process of taking various measures in search of sympathetic ears at home and abroad. One of these measures is a hunger strike. As a result of there being no one that would listen to them, many prisoners of conscience at Kaliti prison have gone on a three-day hunger strike from June 15 to 19, 2012. The number that we have so far of those who are involved in the hunger strike is 11. However, since there is still no one from the government that would listen to their pleas, they have decided to continue the hunger strike indefinitely. According to the information we have, it is said that some of the hunger strikers are getting physically weak.

If the hunger strike continues, we fear that it could cause serious harm on the physical and mental constitution of the prisoners. Therefore, Unity for Democracy and Justice urges the government to ensure that immediate attention is given to the well-being of the physical and mental health of the prisoners of conscience, that the cause behind their hunger strike is addressed urgently and resolved and that the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is allowed to visit the prisoners.
We call upon the Ethiopian people to follow carefully the irresponsible lack of response on the part of government regarding the pleas of the prisoners of conscience and to exert pressure on it to take appropriate measures. We also call upon the International Community to stand on our side in our demand for justice for our prisoners of conscience.

Ethiopian law criminalizes independent telecom use

http://www.cpj.org/2012/06/ethiopian-law-criminalizes-independent-telecom-use.phpNairobi, June 15, 2012--A new law in Ethiopia imposes prison sentences for offenses related to the independent use of telecommunications tools and services, according to local journalists and news reports. The Committee to Protect Journalists is alarmed by broad and vaguely worded provisions of the law, under which journalists could be prosecuted for the methods they use to circumvent government surveillance and censorship.

The House of Peoples' Representatives, where 99 percent of the seats are controlled by the ruling Ethiopian Peoples Revolutionary Democratic Front, passed on May 24 the Telecom Fraud Offenses Proclamation, local newspaper Addis Admas reported. The law purports to "prevent and control telecom fraud," which it described as "a serious threat to national security beyond economic losses," according to a copy of the text obtained by CPJ.
The law allows for a prison sentence of up to eight years and a fine of up to 80,00 birr (US$4,500) for "using or causing the use of any telecommunications network or apparatus to disseminate any terrorizing message" or using telecommunications for an "illegal purpose." What constitutes a "terrorizing message" could be broadly interpreted under the country's far-reaching anti-terrorism law, which criminalizes reporting that the government deems favorable to banned opposition groups and causes.
The law also gives the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology unchecked authority over the import, sale, and possession of telecommunications equipment. Use or possession of equipment without government authorization is punishable by a prison sentence of up to four years and a fine of up to 40,000 birr (US$2,250). The ministry may determine which equipment may be used without a government permit.
The government retains a tight monopoly over telecommunications in Ethiopia, with state-run Ethio Telecom the sole national provider, according to CPJ research. Under the law, methods used by journalists to circumvent state surveillance, interception, or Internet censorship on Ethio Telecom in the course of newsgathering could be interpreted as "obstructing or interfering" with the network--a criminal offense carrying a prison sentence of up to 15 years.
"We condemn the Ethiopian government's systematic effort to control all forms of communications," said CPJ East Africa Consultant Tom Rhodes. "Authorities are obviously deeply threatened by any source of independent information, from critical journalism to sharing of information online."
Ethio Telecom has been losing revenue to Internet-based communication services and popular international calling businesses, according to local reports. Local journalists, however, fear authorities will use the law to curtail cost-effective and secure communications with contacts, including those outside the country, where most dissidents reside. Over the past decade, Ethiopia drove more journalists into exile than any other country, according to CPJ research.
Local journalists say the government has sought to control the use of Internet-based telecom services in recent years, by cracking down on Internet cafés that offered Web-based telecommunications services and requiring them to keep records of the names and addresses of their customers, according to local reports. A student, Yidnek Hail, claimed he was arrested by Ethiopian authorities in December 2011 for showing citizens how to use Skype in an Internet café where he was employed in the capital, Addis Ababa, according to news reports.

Skyping in Ethiopia Could Result in Stiff Jail Term

he Ethiopian government has laid down a harsh new law prohibiting the use of Skype and other VoIP services in the country, threatening jail terms of up to 15 years for anyone who's caught violating it. Whether the Ethiopian government will enforce the law against ordinary citizens is still an unknown.

Ethiopia has passed a draconian new law criminalizing the use of Voice over Internet Protocol services such as Skype or Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) Talk. People who violate the ban will find themselves facing 10-to-15 years in prison. The government has cited national security as a reason, although it is widely assumed that protecting the market share and revenue of the state-owned telecom provider, Ethio Telecom, is also a driver -- if not the main one.

Another assumption is that the government wants to keep a tight grip on its political opponents and hence the ban, Jason Wisdom, CEO of Wisdom Consulting, told TechNewsWorld.

Deep Packet Inspection Put to Ill Use

Ethiopia is among a handful of nations, including China and Iran, that is deploying deep packet inspection technology to spy on its citizens, noted Wisdom.
"DPI will be used to monitor enforcement of this new rule, because it can recognize the ports and channels that are used for VoIP communication," he said.
In general, DPI is a helpful technology when used properly, Wisdom added, largely because it works well to protect corporate networks from intrusions.
In the hands of an extremist government armed with vague laws, though, it can be an effective tool to rein in dissent, he said.
In this case, Ethiopia is using its broadly worded antiterrorism laws to implement this rule, Wisdom observed.
"There are ways to circumvent deep packet inspection monitoring," he explained. "It is a continual cat-and-mouse game between activists and hackers and repressive governments."
However, with a possible 10-to-15 year jail term as punishment in the background, it is questionable whether many people unschooled in hacker technologies will even try.
Whether the Ethiopian government will enforce the law against ordinary citizens is still an unknown.
"I can't see the government wanting to throw the book at a grandmother talking with her grandchild in the United States, for example," said Wisdom.
It is also unlikely the government would want the negative publicity that would surround jailing an international aid worker for a decade because he was using Skype to communicate to the home office in the country -- another possible scenario, given the level of international assistance Ethiopia continues to receive.
Still, the law is on the books, and even if the intent is to limit its application to political dissent, that could quickly change.

Corruption and Ethio Telecom

It is important not to underestimate the symbiotic ties between the government and the country's telecom provider.
It's a "you scratch my back I will scratch yours" relationship, Wisdom said. "The current government has a vested interest in keeping them happy, so I could see it not being too pleased by alternative and competitive forms of communication available in the market."
There are other methods to make low-cost phone calls without violating the country's new ban, , however -- at least they are available for now.
One is provided by the international calling service KeKu, a cross-platform technology app that offers free calls from app to app, along with low-rate calls to landlines and mobile phones. It is active in more than 180 countries and said to be very popular in Ethiopia.
KeKu can still operate despite the new law because it doesn't require an Internet connection on the caller or recipient's part, CEO Manlio Carrelli told TechNewsWorld.
"Our customers are able to talk with their friends and family in Ethiopia because we connect them just like a regular international call, but at a tiny fraction of the cost," Carelli said.
The company gives customers a local number, say in the U.S., for each number in Ethiopia that they call.
"Someone in New York City could obtain a unique local 718 area code number for each of their family members back home," he explained. "The customer's phone company treats this like a local call."
Then, the KeKu technology automatically connects the call to the right international number. --END-- http://www.technewsworld.com/story/75406.html

Jailed Canadian a 'significant irritant' in Ethiopia relations: Baird

OTTAWA - A Canadian citizen languishing in an Ethiopian jail is straining relations between Canada and the east African country.
Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird has been the most high-profile champion for the release of Bashir Makhtar, an Ethiopia-born ethnic Somali who became a Canadian citizen in 1994.
Baird spokesman Rick Roth said Tuesday the minister "has made clear to the highest levels of the Ethiopian government that this case will continue to be a significant irritant in our relations."
Makhtal's family was in Ottawa Tuesday trying to raise awareness about the case they worry has fallen off the federal government's radar.
Roth said Baird has spoken with both Meles Zenawi, the Ethiopian prime minister, and his counterpart Hailemariam Desalegn specifically about his case.
"Unfortunately, the Ethiopian government continues to stand firm on the verdict," Roth said in a statement.
Makhtar, a Toronto IT specialist, was arrested crossing the Kenyan border from Somalia in December 2006 while on a business trip, and illegally rendered to Ethiopia a few weeks later.
He was convicted of three terrorism related offences in 2009 and sentenced to life in prison in an Addis Ababa jail.
Canadian officials say he's innocent and Amnesty International says his trial fell far short of international legal standards.
Said Maktal, Bashir Makhtal's cousin, said he's been informed that the case is complex and difficult to solve.
"I don't understand why it's not easy," he said. "What are we doing wrong?"
While Maktal said he's grateful for Baird's support after the minister took up the case in late 2008, he now wants Prime Minister Stephen Harper to step in directly to help secure his cousin's release.
"Five-and-a-half years - this is too long," he said.