July 14, 2012

SOCEPP Canada unequivocally condemns the sentencing of politicians, journalists, human rights advocates and the Assault on Muslims and their place of worship!

On july 13, 2012, the TPLF/EPRDF controlled Federal High Court in Addis Ababa has sentenced 24 Ethiopians on a trumped-up charge of “terrorism plot”. Victims of this latest assault on human rights include: – a prominent opposition leader – Andualem Arage, an award-winning blogger and journalist: Eskinder Nega, and exiled journalists like Abebe Belew and Abebe Gelaw, and a human rights advocate: Obang Metho and others

It must be known that this latest travesty is yet another feeble attempt on the part of the regime known for its notoriety to silence the opposition and all other voices that are critical of its 21-year brutal rule.

Having witnessed the power of the popular call for freedom and the costly change that transpired in North Africa, crumbling the powers that be in the process, one would hope that the TPLF/EPRDF-regime would be wise-advised as to take lessons and reflect on its two decades of political arrogance. This has now become a far cry for all and sundry: its supporters who are now being frustrated and have started voicing their concerns and its own internal political functioning – which now seems to be building a steam of internal partition. Add to that the latest assault on religious freedom aggravating the two major religious denominations: the Ethiopian Orthodox and the Ethiopian Muslims.

We unequivocally condemn the sentencing of the 24 individuals as well as the regime’s latest assault on the life and property of Muslims and their place of worship: the Awelia Mosque, on the night of July 13^h, 2012.

We demand that:

1)      The government of Canada takes strong actions by demanding the regime in Ethiopia to immediately release these prisoners of conscience.

2)      Condemn the persecution of Muslims who are justly opposing the importation and imposition of a sect of Islam from elsewhere,

3)      End the harassment of the Orthodox Christians who are justly protecting their places of worship like the “Waldba” Monastery – the latest target of the so-called economic development – an activity that has been selling the nation piece by piece to foreign interests in the Middle East and South-East Asia, and

4)      The government of Canada immediately freezes all non-human security-related funding to the government in Ethiopia.

We also call upon all Canadian human rights groups to condemn such acts of violence against all in Ethiopia.

SOCEPP Canada