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Media captionFootage shows a huge protest and a panicked stampede

Fifty-two people were killed and many more injured in Ethiopia's Oromia region during a protest at a religious festival, the government says.

Some died in a stampede after police employed tear gas, rubber bullets and baton charges, witnesses said.

Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn said rioters had caused "pre-planned mayhem" that led people to fall to their deaths in ravines.

He denied reports that the security forces had opened fire.

In a national address on state TV, he praised their "great efforts" to protect the public and blamed "evil forces" for the deaths, vowing to bring to justice those responsible..

Thousands had gathered for the religious festival in Bishoftu, 40km (25 miles) from the capital Addis Ababa.

Some reports said police responded after anti-government protesters threw stones and bottles, but others said demonstrators were entirely peaceful.

An Oromo activist, Jawar Mohamed, was quoted as saying that nearly 300 people had been killed and many more injured. He said troops and a helicopter gunship had opened fire, driving people off a cliff and into a lake.

Image copyrightREUTERS

Image captionSecurity forces said they were responding to protesters throwing bottles and stones

Image copyrightREUTERS

Image captionBut many said the demonstrators were protesting peacefully about political and economic marginalisation

Image copyrightREUTERS

Image captionThe US had already expressed concern about excessive use of force against protesters before Sunday's violence

There has been a series of deadly clashes in Ethiopia in recent months.

People in the Oromia and Amhara regions have complained about political and economic marginalisation.

The US has expressed concern about what it termed the excessive use of force against protesters.

• What is behind wave of protests?
• What do Oromo protests mean for Ethiopian unity?

Crowds at Sunday's Oromo festival, which AP news agency said had attracted two million people, chanted "We need freedom" and "We need justice", witnesses said.

Some participants crossed their wrists above their heads, a gesture that has become a symbol of Oromo protests.

The unrest was sparked last November by a plan to expand the capital into Oromia. This led to fears that farmers from the Oromo ethnic group, the largest in Ethiopia, would be displaced.

The plan was later dropped but protests continued, highlighting issues such as marginalisation and human rights.

Ethiopia: OLF Press Release on Irreecha Massacre

Press Release

Irrecha Massacre of 2016 by TPLF Regime is a day of Infamy for Oromo people

The TPLF has committed genocide against Oromo people by murdering in a broad day light peaceful people who gathered at Bishoftu to Celebrate Irrecha, the Oromo National Thanks Giving Festival celebration on October 2, 2016. The TPLF attacked peaceful people on the ground and from the air by killing hundreds and wounding thousands. At Irrecha, Oromo from all corners of Oromiya dressing their cultural clothes and caring olive branch as sign of peace and prosperity get together to celebrate their national holiday.

The TPLF fascist regime which intoxicated with the blood of innocent Oromo people for the last 25 years, particularly for the last 11 months has ordered its army on the ground and the Helicopter from the air to attack peaceful innocent people who gathered at Hora Arsadi, Bishoftu for national Irrecha Celebration.

The Oromo Liberation Front strongly condemns this callous massacre by the TPLF Regime , and resolute that the TPLF regime will be accountable for the genocide it has committed against Oromo people who came together from all corners of Oromiya to Celebrate and thank their Almighty at Hora Arsadi , Bishoftu, Oromiya.

The murderous regime of TPLF should know that it will not control oromiya and its resources by killing its people. The glorious Oromo people will hunt the TPLF Regime down to make sure that they will pay for all crimes they have committed against Oromo people in particular and Ethiopian peoples in general.

We call upon all Oromo and other political organizations to be united to dismantle The TPLF callous & fascist regime. There remains no moral or legal justification to demand the respect of people’s rights from the regime that used machine guns on the ground and on the air against peace full people. All Ethiopian people should use all means necessary to dismantle the genocidal and murderous TPLF regime and its collaborators.

The OLF will do everything to make sure the TPLF will not get away with all crimes it has been committing against peoples in Ethiopia, and especially the mass murder it has committed against Oromo people at Irrecha National Thanks giving Holiday on October 2, 2016.

Victory to the Oromo People

Oromo Liberation Front

October 2, 2016

Ethiopia Human Rights Abuses Spark U.S. Congressional Action

U.S. Representatives push for legislation targeting Ethiopia after Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch document human rights abuses.

by J. David Thompson | Lima Charlie

A bipartisan group of U.S. Representatives has proposed legislation targeted at the government of Ethiopia, after Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch documented hundreds of cases of alleged human rights abuses.House Resolution 861, titled “Supporting respect for human rights and encouraging inclusive governance in Ethiopia,” was introduced by Reps. Chris Smith (R-NJ), Keith Ellison (D-MN), Al Green (D-TX), Mike Coffman (R-CO), and Eliot Engel (D-NY).

Protesters chant slogans during a demonstration over what they say is unfair distribution of wealth in the country at Meskel Square in Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa, August 6, 2016.
© 2016 Reuters

“It is an abomination when any country tortures its own citizens,” said Rep. Smith, at a September 13th press conference on Capitol Hill. The human rights abuses, waged primarily against the Oromo and Amhara populations, have come to light despite Ethiopian authorities efforts preventing independent screeners from conducting transparent investigations.

The Resolution condemns the killing of peaceful protesters, the arrest and detention of students, journalists, and political leaders, and the stifling of political dissent under the guise of “counterterrorism.”

Ethiopia is a strategic ally of the United States. The country headquarters the 54 nation African Union, and, critical to U.S. interests, assists in counterterrorism efforts against al-Shabab, an Al-Qaeda aligned jihadi terrorist group based in Somalia. Ethiopia is also host to a staggering 750,000 refugees from the war torn region.

In a press statement Rep. Ellison said, “While Ethiopia is an important ally for the United States, continuing to let the Ethiopian government oppress its own people will only further destabilize the region. We must do all we can to ensure that the human rights of all Ethiopians are respected.” Rep. Smith added, “A valuable contributor to global peacekeeping missions, growing unrest in Ethiopia in reaction to human rights violations by the government threaten to destabilize a nation counted on to continue its role on the international scene”.

Resolutions, like the one proposed, tend to be more of an opinion that often do little in themselves because they lack the political leverage to prompt much action. They often fail to hold allied nations to a standard of conduct, as countries and international organizations are hesitant to regulate how other nations behave within their own borders.

The bill expressly calls on the government of Ethiopia to end the use of excessive force by security forces; hold security forces accountable after a full, credible, transparent investigation; release dissidents, activists, and journalists who have been imprisoned for exercising constitutional rights; respect freedom of assembly and freedom of the press; engage with citizens on development; allow the United Nations to conduct independent examinations; repeal certain proclamations limiting inclusive growth; and investigate shootings and a fire on September 3, that killed 23 people at a prison housing high-profile politicians.

Noteworthy, is that the bill also seeks to apply financial and other pressure towards the government, by calling for the Secretary of State to “conduct a review of security assistance to Ethiopia” and “improve transparency” with respect to such assistance, and to “improve oversight and accountability of United States assistance to Ethiopia”.

Oromo and Amhara protesters call for equitable rights, August 6, 2016. REUTERS/Tiksa Negeri

Despite the good intention of the bill, critics highlight that it doesn’t go far enough. Henok Gabisa, a visiting Academic Fellow and faculty member at Washington and Lee University School of Law, stated in a personal interview:

“H.RES.861 is generally a good gesture from the United States Congress. It is very specific in a sense that it points out the consistent and constant patterns of corrosion of civil and economic liberties in the country. It also seems to give scrupulous attention to the marginalized groups who remain on the receiving end of the pain. That is really great. Nonetheless, owing to the mammoth financial aid transported to Ethiopian government by the U.S. under their bilateral security partnership, H. RES. 861 failed to deploy the political leverage of the [United States Government], and as a result it is nowhere nearer to fulfilling the goal it promises. In fact, Resolutions by merit are just declaratory statements or positions of a government. They may not be considered law in a positivist school of law. Yet again, H.RES.861 has no teeth to bite those who fail to comply the soft obligations it enumerated under the last sections 3-6.”

Experts give the bill a 32% chance of getting past the Foreign Affairs Committee and a 29% chance of being agreed to completely. Comparatively, from 2013-2015, 46% of simple resolutions made it past committee.

In a country of over 86 million, Oromos and Amharas constitute the two largest ethnic groups, combining for over 61% of the population. Yet, they are the most politically marginalized and economically disenfranchised. In 2015 Ethiopia’s ruling party, the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front, won every seat in parliament despite little ethnic diversity. The EPRDF has remained in power since the overthrow of Ethiopia’s military government in 1991.

Lima Charlie News, by J. David Thompson

J David Thompson (US Army) is a Juris Doctor candidate at Washington & Lee University School of Law focusing on International Human Rights Law. He is a Veterans in Global Leadership Fellow, and brings experience on human rights, international relations, strengthening civil society, refugee issues, interagency collaboration, and countering violent extremism. Prior to Washington & Lee, he served in the US Army as a Military Police officer and Special Operations Civil Affairs with multiple deployments to Afghanistan and one to Jordan—receiving a Bronze Star amongst other decorations. In Jordan, David worked at the US Embassy in countering violent extremism, strengthening civil society, and refugee response with other United States Government organizations, the United Nations, and various non-governmental organizations.

Ethiopia’s Killing Fields and “Silent Genocide”

Only Ethiopia’s traditional enemies benefit

by Aklog Birara (Dr)

The UN International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance (ICPPED) was singed on December 2006 and became effective on December 23, 2010. This important legal instrument is part of the body of international human rights laws that mitigate state initiated and state-sponsored actors from abusing peaceful citizens. “The International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance (ICPPED) is an international human rights instrument of the United Nations and intended to prevent forced disappearance defined in international law, crimes against humanity.”  As of the end of July 2016, 96 states have signed the convention and 52 have ratified it.

What is the content of this convention? Article 2 states the purpose clearly. “For the purposes of this Convention “enforced disappearance” is considered to be the arrest, detention, abduction or any other form of deprivation of liberty by agents of the State or by persons or groups of persons acting with the authorization, support or acquiescence of the State, followed by a refusal to acknowledge the deprivation of liberty or by concealment of the fate or whereabouts of the disappeared person, which place such a person outside the protection of the law.”

Welcoming the Ethiopian New Year, one of the holiest seasons for Ethiopians the artist Yehunie Belay sang a moving, thrilling and patriotic song, Seken Bel (literally be serene and thoughtful) calling for the end of “brothers killing brothers.” It takes sane, collected and thoughtful people to recognize the importance of this song. It takes a world view that embraces everyone’s humanity, identity and dignity. Above all, it takes a government leadership that values human life over material possession, greed and an insatiable preoccupation to steal, plunder and remove all human obstacles in achieving and maintaining these privileges.

The purpose of this article is to argue that the TPLF is culpable (liable) not only for killings, maiming, torture and imprisonment of thousands; it isequally accountable for the “enforced disappearances” of thousands of Amhara, Oromo, Annuak, Somali, Konso and other Ethiopians. I have argued numerous times that “enforced disappearances” constitute the largest segment of ethnic cleansing and “silent genocide.” Ask yourself why the TPLF Agazi and its agents go house to house and arrest thousands of young people? Where does the TPLF take these people and what does it do with them? When a mother in the Amhara region asked the whereabouts of her only child, she was told by Agazi personnel they did not know. She was told to ask the “local authorities.” It is this kind of trickery the TPLF uses in all disappearance cases. They used the same trickery when asked about ethnic cleansing and genocide of the Amhara in the 1990s when the distinguished Professor and renowned physician Dr. Asrat Woldeyes responded and saved the lives of hundreds of thousands of Amhara. In Gambella, authorities rejected accountability for the massacre of more than 400 Annuak. History recalls that Meles and his cronies blamed the CUPD for the massacres, arrests and disappearances following the flawed elections in 2005. Most recently, they refused to acknowledge that 5,000 Oromo were arrested and or “enforced to disappear.”  To date, 11,000 Amhara youth have been arrested and their whereabouts is unknown. Denial is the DNA of the TPLF and its supporters.

In Bahir Dar, where the TPLF is on a witch hunt, its agents hauled thousands of young people; and when asked told parents that they were being sent to military and education camps. Forget rehabilitation and education camps. The TPLF leadership is incapable of learning and changing itself and its cohorts let alone teaching anyone anything worthwhile. It is alleged that many young people arrested in Bahir Dar were subjected to “injections.” Are these injections to calm young people as if they are lions or Rhino being sent to the zoo? No, it is to make them incapable of thinking and fighting back. It is to incapacitate them for the rest of their lives. Imagine the enormous social, economic, psychological and other costs to their parents, spouses, brothers, sisters and other relatives. Imagine the cost to Ethiopia as a country! Imagine too the intent to decapitalize the Amhara and the Oromo nationality. The TPLF builds prisons as if they are factories!

Systemic Displacement and “enforced disappearances” are institutionalized

The TPLF is systematic and deliberate in its targeted program of displacement, marginalization and disappearances. For the Amhara population, it is a matter of survival. Research shows before and after it took power, the TPLF “killed, maimed, imprisoned and “enforced disappearances” in the Wolkait-Tegede and other areas of the Gondar region. It reconfigured Gojjam diminishing its size and enabling the expanded Tigrean state to envelope and strangulate Gondar and Gojjam. Its primary objective was and still is to displace and annex lands and incorporate them into Greater Tigray extending its border to the Sudan. At this pace of annexation, there won’t be sufficient land for the Amhara population. Nor will there be a robust succeeding generation. This is among the root causes of the current popular resistance. The annexation of lands around Adds Ababa follows the same model. It displaces Oromo farmers to make room for the newly rich Tigrean elite and its cohort of supporters.

Land grab is a new and aggressive wave of subjugating powerless Amhara, Oromo and others and ensuring the supremacy and longevity of the Tigrean elite. Forget the façade of equality of nations, nationalities and peoples. The decimation of the indigenous people of the Omo valley is illustrative of greed gone mad. According to the Voice of America, TPLF forces attacked the indigenous population of the Konso, recognized by UNESCO as unique. The lands belong to them. For the past 5 days, the TPLF’s Special Forces, including the notorious Agazi, “killed many people, burned several homes and entire villages, displaced thousands and ‘enforced’ unknown numbers of disappearances.” Young men fled the scene due to fear of being killed, arrested and tortured. There is no argument that the TPLF and its champions place a premium on physical property and diminished worth on human life. For the past 25 years, the TPLF and its cohorts used Ethiopia as their private ATM, extracting billions of dollars to enrich the few while the vast majority of Ethiopians starve; and hundreds of thousands leave their homes in search of opportunities abroad. The regime is not only greedy; it is also inhumane. The regime or its agents burn prisons such as Kilinto and kill political prisoners trying to save their lives. How more cruel can a regime be? A guard at the scene said “he saw wholesale massacre.” This is crime against humanity.

The regime believes that it can solve social, political and economic crimes by killing victims rather than by overhauling the entire system that is the root cause of the problem.

It is time to ask them why victims would allow this suffocating environment to persist! The notion that the TPLF is capable of subjugating, killing, maiming, arresting and causing to enforce the disappearances of an estimated 40 million Amhara (throughout Ethiopia) and Oromo whose numbers are greater than the Amhara population is absurd. It is impossible. Equally, unless the Oromo and Amhara choose to remain divided, suspicious of one another and perceive one another as inimical rather than amical, it is no longer feasible for the TPLF to govern Ethiopia. One cannot govern people who refuse to be governed regardless of the military might one can deploy. Ethiopia is too big for that! The Ethiopian people are fiercely independent for that!

As I have suggested before numerous times, the best option is a political transition that involves all stake-holders. The TPLF must recognize that it has placed the entire Tigrean population at risk. Equally, Tigreans must come out of their cocoons and join their Oromo, Konso, Annuak, Somali, Amhara and other sisters and brothers as they struggle for freedom, justice, genuine equality and democracy.

In summary, the TPLF leadership is legally responsible and accountable for “enforced disappearances.” It behooves this clan to heed to Yehunie Belay’s incredible song that calls for “serenity,” composure and statesmanship rather than a display of the arrogance of power and of brinkmanship.  Killing innocent people and “enforcing disappearances” of thousands of youth is a losing proposition!!!

Long Live Ethiopia! Long Live Unity in Diversity!

Ethiopia: A systematic massacre of Amhara in Metemma

Yesterday, after Tigray People Liberation Front (TPLF) regime declared war through the current Prime Minster Hailemariam Dessalegn to suppress the freedom movement of Amhara people in particular and the Ethiopians in general, a systematic massacre of Amhara in Metemma has happened and still the blood shade is worsening. Fully armed TPLF junta fighters called ‘Agazi’ jointly with the Sudanese fighters made the massive killings. The Sudanese fighters have dressed the same cloth as to Agazi’s. But the survived local people simply identified them with their identity. Such barbaric act of TPLF has been made by cutting any communication channels, including telephone and internet. Today, horrific images taken by the survivors are coming up via social media (Figure 1). The question is why TPLF is doing such systematic massacre in Metemma area at this point?

According to the local people, the regime has been doing its very best to change the Metemma area demography into Tigre people dominated so that to easily annex the area to Tigrai Region as to Welkait Tegede. The people of Welkait Tegede have been forced to be administered by Tigrai Regional Authority despite their strong objection since TPLF took power 25 years ago. This is mainly to expand the Tigrai Region towards to the fertile land of Amhara Region.

The area is suitable for various export commodities. Tigrai Region has no suitable land for these activities. To facilitate the annexation, the TPLF regime was teaching high school students as if Metemma is not part of Amhara Region (Figure 2). The ongoing massive killings seems that the TPLF junta’s hopelessness and to try their very best to make the Ethnic cleaning on Amhara before they leave the central government office. Sources are indicating that they made retreat back to Tigray Region if the resistance continues with the current momentum. They already started to move important resources from the center to Mekele. In the meantime, the regime is preparing to make similar massive killings to other parts of Amhara region and Oromia, where strong resistance is happening. All such action is to secure one minority ethnic group superiority by massive suppressing’s and killings other Ethiopians.

Before declaring the war, the TPLF regime was evacuating Tigrai people from some towns of Amhara, including Gondar. Additionally, they made a fake propaganda as if the peaceful Tigrai people were targeted and aired the news via Al Jazeera. Similar evacuation is expected in the coming days in other parts of Ethiopia.

Though these systematic massacres are happening international media outlets give deaf ear! We hope they will be soon in the side of Ethiopians effort and journey towards freedom and democracy.

በኢትዮጵያ ያለው ሕገ መንግሥታዊ ሥርዓት ነውን? ክፍል ሁለት

በክፍል አንድ አንድን ሥርዓት ህገ መንግሥታዊ ሊያሰኙት የሚበቁ በርካታ ጉዳዮችን ትተን በህገ መንግስቱ ላይም የሚነሱ ክርክሮችን አቆይተን ህገ መንግስቱ ባለው መልኩ እንኳን የማይከበር አንዳንድ አንቀጾቹም እስከመኖራቸው የማይታወቁ መሆኑ ብቻውን ሥርዓቱን ሕገ መንግሥተዊ ሊያሰኘው እንደማይችል ጠቅሻላሁ፡፡ ለዚህ መከራከሪያ ይሆናሉ ያልኳቸውን  ጭብጦችም  በማንሳት ከህገ መንግስቱ አንቀጾች የተወሰኑትን በማስረጃነት ለማቅረብ ነበር  የተሰናበትኩት፡፡

ህገ መንግሥቱ ከያዛቸው 106 አንቀጾች  ውስጥ መከበር  የተነፈጋቸውና እስከመኖራቸው የማይታወቁት  ሚዛን ይደፋሉ፡፡ በተለይ  ደግሞ በምእራፍ ሶስት የተገለጹት   መሰረታዊ መብቶችና ነጸነቶች  የተጻፉት ህገ መንግሥቱን አማላይ ለማድረግ ብቻ ነው፡፡  ጥቂቱን በቅደም ተከተል እንያቸው።

አንቀጽ 11 የመንግሥትና የሃይማኖት መለያየት፣

አንቀጽ “11/3 መንግሥት በኃይማኖት ጣልቃ አይገባም ሃይማኖትም በመንግስት ጉዳይ ጣልቃ አይገባም፣” ይላል፡፡ ጥያቄ ላስቀድም፤ዜጎች በመንግስት ታጣቂዎች ሲጨፈጨፉ የሀይማኖት አባቶች ግድያውንና ገዳዮችን ማውገዝ ቀርቶ ግድያ ይቁም ብለው ድምጻቸውን ቢያሰሙ በመንግሥት ጉዳይ ጣልቃ መግባት ይባላል? ከሆነስ የመብት ጥያቄ የሚያነሱ ዜጎችን አውግዞ የመንግስትን ግድያ በመደገፍ ርምጃው ተጠናክሮ ይቀጥል ብሎ መግለጫ ማውጣት መንግስት ከጣልቃ ገብነት በዘለለ እየተቆጣጠራቸው መሆኑን አያሳይም?

የመንግሥትን በሃይማኖት ጣልቃ ገብነት ለማሳየት ብዙ ማስረጃዎች መዘርዘር ይቻላል፡፡ በዘመነ ወያኔ ለኢትዮጵያ ኦርቶዶክስ ቤተ ክርስቲያን ሁለት ጳጳሶች ተሾመዋል፡፡ አቡነ ጳውሎስ ከአሜሪካ፣ አቡነ ማትያስ ከእስራኤል ተጠርተው፡፡ሁለቱም ደግሞ ትግረኛ ተናጋሪዎች ናቸው፡፡ ይህ የሆነው እንደ ጀነራሎችና ቁልፍ የምኒስትር ቦታዎች ከሌላው የኢትዮጵያ ክፍል ለሊቀ ጳጳስነት የሚመጥን ሰው ባለመገኘቱ ይሆን! አይደለም፣ አባ ደፋር አቦይ ስብሀት አቡነ ጳውሎስ ሞተው የጳጳስ ምርጫ ዝግጅት ሲደረግ  የምንፈልገው ጳጳስ ካልተሾመ እኛ ትግራይ ላይ የራሳችንን ጳጳስ እንሾማለን በማለት የተናገሩት ነው እውነቱ፡፡

የሙስሊሙንም ብንመለከት፣ ህገ መንግሥቱን አምነውና ተማምነው የሃይማኖት ነጻነት ጥያቄ ያቀረቡ ዜጎችን አሸባሪ ብሎ ማሰር፤የእምነቱ አባቶችን ምርጫ በቀበሌ ጽ/ቤት ማካሄድ፣ ዜጎች ያልፈቀዱትን  አስተምህሮ እንዲቀበሉ ማስገደድ ወዘተ፣ታይቷል፡፡ በሌሎች እምነቶችም እንዲህ ጎልቶ ባይወጣም ነጻ አለመሆናቸውን ከድርጊቶቻቸው መረዳት ይቻላል፡፡ በመሆኑም በሁሉም ሀይማኖቶች ውስጥ የሚታየው  የመንግስትን በሃይማኖት ጣልቃ መግባት ብቻ ሳይሆን ሙሉ በሙሉ የተቆጣጠራቸው መሆኑን ነው ፡፡

አንቀጽ 16 የአካል ደህንነት መብት፣

“ማንኛውም ሰው በአካሉ ላይ ጉዳት እንዳይደርስበት የመጠበቅ መብት አለው፤ ” ይህ አንቀጽ በግልጽ የሚያሳየው በሀገሪቱ ውስጥ ነዋሪ የሆነ ዜጋም ሆነ አልሆነ በማንም፣ በምንም፣ መቼምና በማናቸውም ቦታ ጉዳት እንዳይደርስበት የመንግሥት ጥበቃ አንደሚያገኝ ነው፡፡  በሀገራችን እየሆነ ያለው ግን ከዚህ በተቃራኒ ጥበቃ እንዲያደርግ ግዴታ የተጣለበት መንግሥት ጉዳት  አድራሽ መሆኑ ነው፡፡   ይህ ህገ ድርጊት  ከላይ ከተጠቀሰው በተጨማሪ የሚከተለውን በአንቀጽ 18/1 የተደነገገውንም የሚጥስ ነው፡፡

አንቀጽ 18 ኢሰብአዊ አያያዝ ስለመከልከሉ፤

“18/.1 ማንኛውም ሰው ጭካኔ ከተሞላበት ኢሰብአዊ ከሆነ ወይንም ክብሩን ከሚያዋርድ አያያዝ ወይም ቅጣት የመጠበቅ መብት አለው፤ ” ሰሞኑን በማህበራዊ መገናኛ የተሰራጩት የግድያና የደብደባ ምስሎች ብቻ ለዚህ በቂ ማስረጃዎች ይሆናሉ፡፡ እናክል ከተባለም በማእከላዊ ምርመራና በየእስር ቤቶች በዜጎች ላይ (በተለይ በፖለቲካ አስረኞች ላይ) የሚፈጸሙ ኢ-ሰብአዊ ድርጊቶች ይጠቀሳሉ፡፡ ኢሰብአዊ ድርጊት ተፈጸመብን የሚል አቤቱታ የሚቀርብላቸው ፍርድ ቤቶች ሰምቶ ዝም ባይ መሆናቸውም ተጨማሪ ማስረጃ ይሆናል፡፡ እነዚህ ድርጊቶች አይደለም ህገ መንግሥታዊ ሥርዓት መንግስት የሚባል ተቋም እንኳ የለሌበት ባለሥልጣኖች ያሻቸውን የሚሰሩበት  ሥርዓት ነው የሚመስለው፡፡

አንቀጽ 20 የተከሰሱ ሰዎች መብት

“20/3 በፍርድ ሂደት ባሉበት ግዜ በተከሰሱበት ወንጀል እንደ ጥፋተኛ ያለመቆጠር በምስክርነት እንዲቀርቡም ያለመገደድ መብት አላቸው፤” ይሄ አንቀጽ እስከመኖሩም የሚታወቅ አይመስለኝም፡፡ዜጎች ወንጀል ተፈብርኮላቸው ተይዘው ገና ማእከላዊ ሳይደርሱ  ባለሥልጣናት በመገናኛ ብዙኃን ብቅ እያሉ ወንጀለኞችን በቁጥጥር ስር አውለናል ይላሉ፡፡  ፈጸሙዋቸው የሚሉዋቸውን የፈጠራ የወንጀል አይነቶች በመዘርዘርም በቂ መረጃና ማስረጃ አለን በማለት ይፎክራሉ፤ ነገሩ በዚህ ብቻ ሳያበቃ ዶክመንተሪ ፊልም  ተቀነባብሮ በኢቲቭ ይተላለፋል፡፡ በዚህ ሁኔታ ታሳሪዎቹ ገና ሳይከሰሱ ጉዳያቸው ፍርድ ቤት ሳይቀርብ  ከተያዙበት ቅጽበት  ጀምሮ ጥፋተኛ ይባላሉ፤ ፍርድ ቤቱም ይህንኑ ያጸድቃል፡፡ ታዲያ ይህን የሚያደርጉ ባለሥልጣኖች የሕገ መንግሥቱ አንቀጽ 20/3 ድንጋጌን ያውቃሉ ማለት እንደምን ይቻላል?

አንቀጽ 25 የእኩልነት መብት፤

“ሁሉም ሰዎች በህግ ፊት እኩል ናቸው፣ በመካከላቸውም ማንኛውም አይነት ልዩነት ሳይደረግ በህግ እኩል ጥበቃ ይደረግላቸዋል፤ በዚህ ረገድ በዘር፣በብሔር፤ ብሔረሰብ፤በቀለም፣በጾታ፣በቋንቋ በኃይማኖት፣ በፖለቲካ፣ በማህበራዊ አመጣጥ፣ በሀብት፣ በትውልድ ወይም በሌላ አቋም ምክንያት ልዩነት ሳይደረግ ሰዎች ሁሉ እኩልና ተጨባጭ ዋስትና የማግኘት መብት አላቸው፡፡ ”ይሄ ተግባራዊ ስላለመሆኑ ለማስረዳት መሞከር ለቀባሪው ማርዳት ይሆናል፡፡

አንቀጽ 39 የብሔር ብሔረሰቦችና ሕዝቦች መብት፣

“39/.3 ማንኛውም የኢትዮጵያ ብሔር ብሔረሰብ ሕዝብ ራሱን የማስተዳደር መብት አለው፡፡ ይህ መብት ብሔር፣ ብሔረሰቡ ሕዝቡ በሰፈረበት መልክዓምድር ራሱን የሚያስተዳድርበት መንግሥታዊ ተቋማት የማቋቋም እንዲሁም በክልልና በፌዴራል አስተዳደሮች ውስጥ ሚዛናዊ ውክልና የማግኘት መብትን ያጠቃልላል፡፡” ሚዛናዊ ውክልና ያገኛል የሚለውን ብቻ እንኳን ለይተን ብናይ ይህ አንቀጽ አስታዋሽ የለሽ መሆኑን ነው የምንረዳው፡፡ሚዛናዊ ሲባል ቁጥር ብቻ አይደለም፣ይህን ያህል ሚኒስትር ከዚህኛው ብሔረሰብ አለ ማለትም ሚዛናዊ የሚለውን አያሟላም፡፡ የክልል መስተዳድር ማቋቋምም ብቻውን ራስን የማስተዳደር መብትን አያጎናጽፍም፣

አንቀጽ 46 የፌዴራል ክልሎች፤

“46/.1 ክልሎች የሚዋቀሩት በሕዝብ አሰፋፈር ፣ ቋንቋ፣ ማንነት እና ፈቃድ ላይ በመመስረት ነው፣” ፈቃድ የምትለው ቃል ባለቤት የላትም፤ሆን ተብሎ ወይንስ ተዘንግቶ? ማነው ፈቃጁ? በምን መንገድስ ነው የሚፈቅደው ? ጥያቄው እንዳለ ሆኖ አሁን ያለው የፌዴራል አዋቃቀር ሲከናወን  በዚህ አንቀጽ የተገለጹት የሕዝብ አሰፋፈር ማንነትና ፈቃድ እስከነመኖራቸውም ተዘንግተው ቋንቋ ብቸኛ መስፈርት ተደርጓል፡፡ ደቡብ ክልል ሲታይ ደግሞ ይሄም አልሰራም፣ በአንድ ሀገር ሁለት አይነት የፌዴራል አወቃቀር፡፡

አንቀጽ 50 ስለ ሥልጣናት አወቃቀር፣

“50./ 8 የፌዴራል መንግስትና የክልሎች ሥልጣን በዚህ ሕገ መንግሥት ተወስኗል፡፡ ለፌዴራል መንግሥቱ የተሰጠው ሥልጣን በክልሎች መከበር አለበት፣ለክልሎች የተሰጠው ሥልጣን በፌዴራል መንግሥት መከበር አለበት፡፡ ”ክልሎች ይህን አንቀጽ የሚጥሱበት አቅምም ነጻነትም የላቸውም፡፡ የፌዴራል መንግሥቱ ግን የክልሎችን ሥልጣን ማክበር አይደለም ከትግራይ ክልል በስተቀር በሌሎቹ ክልሎች ያሻውን ነው የሚያደርገው፡፡ የየክልሎቹን ባለሥልጣናት በቀጥታም ሆነ በተዘዋዋሪ የሚሾም የሚሽረውም እሱ በመሆኑ የክልሎች ሥልጣን ከወረቀት ያለፈ አይደለም፡፡

በዚህ አድራጎቱም የሚተላለፈው በህገ መንግሥቱ የሰፈረውን የክልሎች ሥልጣን ብቻ ሳይሆን ለፌዴራል መንግሥት የተሰጠውንም ሥልጣን ነው፡፡ ለዚህ ደግሞ አሁን እየሆነ ያለ ተጨባጭ ማረጃ ላቅርብ፡፡ አንቀጽ 51 በንኡስ አንቀጽ 14 ላይ  “ከክልል አቅም በላይ የሆነ የጸጥታ መደፍረስ ሲያጋጥም በክልል መስተዳደር ጥያቄ መሰረት የሀገሪቱን የመከላከያ ሀይል ያሰማራል፣” በማለት ለፌዴራል መንግሥቱ ሥልጣን ይሰጣል፡፡ ነገር ግን በወረዳ በሚገኙ ትምህርት ቤቶች የሚማሩ ህጻናት  ሰልፍ ወጡ ሲባል እንኳን የሚዘምተውና የሚገድለው የመከላከያ ሀይሉ ነው፡፡ ጸጥታ ሳይደፈርስ ክልሉ ከአቅሜ በላይ ነው ብሎ ሳይጠይቅ፡፡

ይህ ደግሞ ሌሎች የህገ መንግሥቱን አንቀጾች በተጨማሪነት የሚጥስ ተግባር ነው፡፡ የህገ መንግስቱ  አንቀጽ52/2/ሰ “ የክልሉን የፖሊስ ኃይል ያደራጃል፣ ይመራል፣ የክልሉን ሰላምና ጸጥታ ያስጠብቃል፤”በማለት ሥልጣን የሰጠው ለክልል መስተዳድሩ ሆኖ ኮሽ ባለ ቁጥር መከላከያ ማዝመት የክልሎችን ሥልጣን መጣስ የፌዴራል መንግሥቱንም የሥልጣን ገደብ አለማክበር ነው፡፡ የዚህ  አድራጎት  ህገ ወጥነት በህገ መንግስቱ አንቀጽ 87/3  የሰፈረውን “የመከላከያ ሰራዊት የሀገሪቱን ሉአላዊነት ከመጠብቅ በተጨማሪ በዚህ ህገ መንግሥት መሰረት በአስቸኳይ ግዜ አዋጅ የሚሰጡትን ተግባሮች ያከናውናል ፣”የሚለውንም የሚጨምር ነው፡፡ላለፉት ስምንት ወራት በኦሮምያ በቅርቡ በአማራ የተሰማራው የመከላከያ ሀይል በፌዴራል መንግሥቱ ማን አለብኝነት እንጂ  ወይ ክልሎቹ ጠይቀው ወይ የአስቸኳይ ግዜ ታውጆ አይደለም፡፡

ስለ መከላከያ ካነሳሁ አይቀር አንድ አንቀጽ ላክል፡፡ አንቀጽ  87/1 “የሀገሪቱ የመከላከያ ሰራዊት የብሔሮች፣ የብሔረሰቦችና የሕዝቦችን ሚዛናዊ ተዋጽኦ ያካተተ ይሆናል፡” ይላል፡፡ሚዛናዊ ሲባል በአዛዥነቱም በታዛዥነቱም ቦታ ነው፡፡ሕገ መንግሥት ጥሳችሁ ጀነራል እናንተ ብቻ ሆናችሁ ሲባሉ በትግሉ ወቅት ልምድ ያካበትን ስለሆነ ምንትስ ምንትስ እያሉ የሚያሰሙት ጩኸት ይህን አንቀጽ ላለማክበር ምክንያት ሊሆን አይችልም፡፡ በመጀመሪያው ክፍል በጠቀስኩት አንቀጽ 9/1 ሕገ መንግሥቱ የሀገሪቱ የበላይ ሕግ ነው፣ማንኛውም ሕግ ልማዳዊ አሰራር እንዲሁም የመንግሥት አካል ወይም ባለሥልጣን  ውሳኔ ከዚህ ሕገ መንግሥት ጋር የሚቃረን ከሆነ ተፈጻሚነት አይኖረውም” ተብሎ የተደነገገው አክባሪ ቀርቶ አስታዋሽ አላገኘም እንጂ አንዲህ አይነቱ የማን አህሎኝነት ድርጊት እንዳይኖር ነበር፡፡

አንቀጽ 89 ኢኮኖሚ ነክ ዓላማዎች፤

“89/2 መንግሥት የኢትዮጵያውያንን የኢኮኖሚ ሁኔታዎች ለማሻሻል እኩል እድል  እንዲኖራቸው ለማድረግ ሀብት ፍትሀዊ በሆነ መንገድ የሚከፋፈልበትን ሁኔታ የማመቻቸት ግዴት አለበት፤” ጽድቁ ቀርቶ በወጉ በኮነነኝ የሚያስብል አንቀጽ ነው፡፡ የተጠቀሰው ሁሉ ቀርቶ ዝርፊያው በቆመ፡፡

“89/5 መንግሥት መሬትንና የተፈጥሮ ሀብትን በሕዝብ ሰም በይዞታው ሥር በማድረግ ለህዝቡ የጋራ ጥቅምና እድገት እንዲውሉ የማድረግ ኃላፊነት አለበት፤” ከዚህ አንቀጽ ተግባራዊ የሆነው መንግስት በይዞታው ስር ማድረጉ ብቻ ነው፡፡  መሬታቸውን የሚቀሙት  ዜጎች ተጎጂዎች ናቸው፡፡ አካባቢውም ሆነ አጠቃላይ ሀገሪቱ የሚያገኙት ጥቅም የለም፡፡ ተጠቃሚዎቹ በዝምድና ተሰባስበው፣ በጋብቻ ተሳስረው በፖለቲካ አስተሳሰብ አንድ ዓላማ ይዘው ሀገሪቱን እየገዙ ያሉት ጥቂት በጣም ጥቂት ሰዎች ናው፡፡

አንቀጽ 102 ምርጫ ቦርድ

“102/1 በፌዴራልና በክልል የምርጫ ክልሎች ነጻና ትክክለኛ ምርጫ በገለልተኝነት እንዲካሄድ ከማንኛውም ተጽእኖ ነጻ የሆነ ብሔራዊ የምርጫ ቦርድ ይቋቋማል፤” ህገ መንግሥቱ ይህን ቢልም የነበረውና አሁንም ያለው ምርጫ ቦርድ ምን እንደሆነ የሚታወቅ ነው፡፡ወያኔ ያለ ምርጫ የሥልጣን ቡራኬ እንደማያገኝ፤በህገ መንግሥቱ በተደነገገው መሰረት ነጻ ምርጫ ቦርድ ቢቋቋም ደግሞ እያሸነፈ ሥልጣኑን ማስቀጠል እንደማይችል ስለሚያውቅ ፣የሚያዘውን ምርጫ ቦርድ አቋቋሞ በየአምስት ዓመቱ ምርጫ እያካሄደ ሥልጣኑን ያድሳል፡፡

ወያኔ ህገ መንግሥቱን አክብሮ ነጻ ምርጫ አስፈጻሚ  ማቋቋም ቀርቶ ምርጫ ቦርድ በነጻነት የሚሰራ ተቋም ሆኖ ይደራጅ ብሎ መጠየቅን ሕገ መንግሥታዊውን ሥርዓት በኃይል ለማፍረስ መንቀሳቀስ ነው ብሎ ይወነጅላል፡፡ ለዚህ ደግሞ የቅንጅቶችን የክስ ፋይል ማየት ይቻላል፡፡

ብዙ መጥቀስ ቢቻልም ህገ መንግሥቱ እየተከበረ ላለመሆኑና አንዳንዶቹ አንቀጾቹም ጭራሽ ከነመኖራቸው የማይታወቁ ስለመሆናቸው የቀረቡት በቂ ማሳያ ይመስሉኛል፡፡ በመሆኑም ህገ መንግሥታዊ ሊያሰኙት የሚችሉት ሌሎች መመዘኛዎች ቀርተው ራሱ ለራሱ አንዲመቸው አድርጎ የጻፈውንና በሻው መንገድ ያጸደቀውን ህገ መንግሥት የማያከብር መንግስት ያቋቋመው ሥርዓት  ሕገ መንግሥታዊ ሥርዓት ሊባል አይበቃም፡፡ ስለሆነም ትግሉ ወያኔ እንደሚለው ህገ መንግሥታዊ ሥርዓት የማፍረስ ሳይሆን የአገዛዝ ሥርዓትን አስወግዶ ህገ መንግሥታዊ ሥርዓትን የመትከል ነው፡፡

- See more at: http://ecadforum.com/Amharic/archives/16843/#sthash.JUf7Hwml.dpuf

(Al Jazeera)— Dozens of people have been killed in a new wave of anti-government protests in the Ethiopian city of Bahir Dar.

Two of the countries biggest ethnic groups in the states of Oromia and Amhara are leading the protests.

Amnesty International says 30 people were killed in the wider Amhara region and another 67 died in violence in Oromia in central western Ethiopia.

Oromo rights activist Hassen Hussein told Al Jazeera that the demonstrations could get more violent.