Ethiopian opposition repeats call for strike
Nov 7, 2005 (ADDIS ABABA) — Ethiopia’s main opposition party repeated its call on Monday for a week-long strike over election results it says were rigged, in a move likely to fuel fears for the country’s stability.
At least 42 people were killed in a week of clashes between riot police and opposition supporters apparently heeding a call made last month by the opposition Coalition for Unity and Democracy (CUD) for renewed protests over a May poll.
“This is a continuation of the protest measure we asked our supporters to follow to show the government cheated in the elections,” said a CUD official, who asked not be named.
“We told them (our supporters) to demonstrate peacefully last Monday and to go on strike today on the 7th. They have heard us and the strike has been successful,” he told Reuters.
There was uneasy calm on the streets of Addis Ababa, with little sign of taxis and public transport buses.
The CUD’s appeal came as their lawyers filed a lawsuit on Monday demanding the immediate and unconditional release of opposition leaders arrested on suspicion of inciting the capital’s worst violence in months.
“The CUD leadership, civil society leaders, journalists and other protesters have been detained unlawfully. The law allows us to file a petition to the court to demand their immediate and unconditional release,” said opposition lawyer Kumlachew Chekol representing a group of 20 detainees.
“We are not that optimistic but we want to test the legal system…We want to see to what extent the judiciary can act independently,” he told reporters outside a federal court in Addis Ababa.
Under Ethiopian law, detainees must either be freed or brought before a judge to face charges within 24 hours of being arrested.
Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi said on Saturday an independent commission of inquiry would be set up to investigate political unrest that has raised fears about the stability of sub-Saharan Africa’s second most populous country.
The United States, European Union and African Union have urged both sides in the Horn of Africa’s dominant power to show restraint.
Meles said CUD leaders arrested last week would face court as soon as investigations were complete. He has repeatedly accused the opposition of inciting violence and trying to topple his government.
(Reuters)