Ethiopian Americans: No to Double Standards

Feb 12, 2006 (WASHINGTON DC) — Ethiopian Americans for Democracy (EAD) today called
on Ambassador Jendayi Frazer, US Assistant Secretary
of State for African Affairs, not to apply a double
standard when it comes to human rights abuses by the
government of Prime Minister Meles Zenawi of Ethiopia.

EAD appealed to the Ambassador to speak up clearly and
forcefully against the killings, massive arrests and
intimidation of pro-democracy forces. The group also
regretted the fact that the Ambassador continues to
blame unarmed civilian victims for regime-instigated
violence.

EAD said it hoped that the Ambassador’s personal
relationship with the regime does not color her policy
decisions. It urged Dr. Frazer to distance herself
from the regime and to adopt a more balanced approach.

Although the push for democracy is said to be the
cornerstone of President Bush’s foreign policy, Dr.
Frazer’s action on Ethiopia is contradictory to the
declared US policy.

The advocacy group called on the United States to
pressure Zenawi to put a stop to the violence and
human rights violations.

Some of EAD’s demands include the following: An end
to the criminalization of political discourse and
activity by the Mr. Zenawi; an end to the use of
lethal force against unarmed civilians; the release of
all political prisoners; a visit by the Red Cross to
all prisons and a full accounting of all those killed
and arrested; and independent investigation of all the
killings; reform of parliamentary and electoral
systems with the full participation of the opposition.

For further information contact:
– Fax 646 349 1253
– [email protected]

Letter to Dr. Frazer

– Ethiopian-Americans for Democracy
– 350 Third Avenue, # 308
– New York, NY 10010
– Fax 212 696-9541
– [email protected]
February 12, 2006

– Dr. Jendayi E. Frazer
– Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs
– US Department of State
– 2201 C. St. NW
– Washington, D.C 20520

Dear Dr. Frazer,

We are writing to appeal to you to reconsider your
continuing support of the government of Prime Minister
Meles Zenawi of Ethiopia. We also urge you to speak
up clearly and forcefully against the killings and
mass arrests and to refrain from blaming the victims
of the regime’s violence.

The Department of State and especially the Bureau of
African Affairs under your stewardship have
regrettably applied a double standard when it comes to
human rights violations in Ethiopia.

The security forces of Prime Minister Meles Zenawi
have killed upwards of 80 people and jailed perhaps as
many as 70,000 in the last six months. Those in jail
include the top leadership of the Coalition for Unity
and Democracy (CUD), the main opposition party, as
well as journalists and civil society leaders.
Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and the
European Union have documented the violence unleashed
by Mr. Zenawi in the wake of the contested May 2005
elections. Where is the outrage? Where is US moral
leadership?

Your statements in the last two months, coupled with
those of other State Department spokespersons, have
further emboldened the regime. The record shows a sad
correlation between tacit US approval and massive
arrests and killings.

The Prime Minister has become more intransigent and
persists with wild and false accusations of violence
and “genocide” against almost anyone who challenges
his rule or tells the truth. Even reporters for the
Voice of America (VOA) — US government employees —
have not been spared genocide charges.

While defending a government that wantonly
intimidates, maims and kills, you have not had one
kind word for the democratic opposition – an
opposition that has managed to win the hearts and
minds of millions under extremely adverse conditions
and in spite of unparalleled violence by the incumbent
regime.

We are especially concerned about several factually
inaccurate statements you have made since November of
2005, including the following:

– The opposition instigated violent demonstrations –
in your words, pelting “the police with stones” –
presumably triggering the Special Forces to use live
ammunition against protestors.
– The opposition’s intention was the violent overthrow
of the government.
– There are “non-democrats” within the opposition.
– The Diaspora threatened the opposition not to join
parliament and that the opposition is beholden to
Diaspora for financial contributions.

These assertions are unwarranted for the following
reasons:

? The opposition instigated violent demonstrations —
Although the Ethiopian government alleges that the
opposition instigated the June and November violence
and killings, independent observers such as Amnesty
International, Human Rights Watch and the European
Union and reputable media such as The New York Times,
The London Observer and the Israeli Hareetz have
extensively reported on the violence unleashed by the
government.

? Even Herman Cohen, former Assistant Secretary of
State for African Affairs and a one-time backer of
Meles, stated in a VOA interview that the ruling party
might have very likely instigated the violence to
crush the opposition. To the dismay of the people of
Ethiopia, you chose to disregard the facts on the
ground and to echo the government’s version of the
story. We would expect the chief architect of US
policy on Africa to at least take a neutral and
constructive stand by calling for an impartial
investigation.

? Did the CUD call for violent demonstrations? — The
Coalition for Unity and Democracy (CUD), the main
opposition party, did call for Addis Ababans to honk
their horns on November 1, 2005, in protest of
election irregularities. But CUD clearly discouraged
violent demonstrations to deny the government any
pretext for cracking down.

? Is it OK to shoot kids who throw stones? We believe
it is unacceptable to justify the shooting of
demonstrators because they threw stones at the police.
Besides, do people not have the right to protest in a
democracy? Are the standards different for Africans?
Therefore, your assertion that the opposition
instigated violent demonstrations is regrettable,
unfounded, and a dangerous signal to dictators around
the world.

? “Violent overthrow” of the government — On more
than one occasion, you have chosen to present as truth
Prime Minister Zenawi’s self-serving version of the
story. He claims he had to kill and jail people
because they wanted to stage an insurrection. The
opposition trounced the government at the polls
through legal, parliamentary means. It neither had the
inclination nor the capability to engage in a violent
overthrow of the government. This charge is in the
same league as the wild accusation of genocide against
VOA staffers. Again, at the very minimum, you could
have suspended judgment until further investigation.

? Non-democrats within the opposition — We assume you
are referring to opposition members already in jail.
The Ethiopian people democratically elected the people
you refer to as “non-democrats.” We find this remark
particularly disconcerting coming from someone of your
stature who stated in your confirmation hearing that
support for the “spread of political freedom
throughout the continent [of Africa]” was among your
prime objectives.

? It is the Diaspora’s fault — In 15 years, the Prime
Minister and his group have never taken responsibility
for their misdeeds. It is always someone else’s fault
and the list is very long: Amnesty International,
Human Rights Watch, Ethiopian Human Rights Commission,
National Democratic Institution, EU, Ana Gomez, the
New York Times, the Associated Press, the Voice of
America, Deutsche Welle, the independent press, CUD,
UEDF, the Diaspora, etc., etc.

Once again, we ask you not to uncritically blame the
Diaspora for problems caused by a greedy, corrupt
regime that does not want to relinquish power after
14 -15 long years.

In your February 8, 2006, VOA interview you said
opposition leaders were threatened by the Diaspora not
to join parliament. You also suggested that the
Diaspora was using money to coerce elected
parliamentarians. We do not know who you spoke to,
but we believe these were misstatements of facts. They
are also very serious allegations. So we kindly ask
you to come forward with the facts.

In truth, it was the residents of Addis Ababa – who
represent a cross-section of the Ethiopian society –
and who asked the CUD leaders not to enter parliament
at a large town-hall meeting convened for the purpose
of determining the voters’ views. When Mr. Zenawi was
informed of the outcome of that meeting, he banned the
opposition from traveling to the outer regions to
ascertain the wishes of the people.

On May 8, 2005, some 2,000,000 people came out in
support of the opposition in Addis Ababa alone. It is
these multitudes who are the financial backbones of
the pro-democracy forces. Why is it so difficult to
believe that these same people are willing and able to
fund a movement they believe in?

The Ethiopian Diaspora is not one monolithic group. It
has many and divergent views. It is a reflection of
the diversity of Ethiopian society and as such does
not represent any one political party, ethnic group or
religion. What unites us, however, is the desire to
see our beloved country of origin graduate from being
a beggar nation and ruled by a succession of tyrants.

It is simply wrong to malign the Diaspora for the
misdeeds of a regime that has managed to run a poor
country further to the ground. We would have thought
you would appreciate the Diaspora’s continued interest
in the democratization of its country of origin.

Lastly, Ethiopians abroad have the know-how and
significant capital that could make a difference if
encouraged and harnessed properly. The litmus test for
confidence in a country’s investment environment is if
the Diaspora puts its money in its country of origin.
In China and Vietnam, for example, foreign investors
came in only after the overseas citizens of those
countries heavily invested.

Dear Dr. Frazier,

We are troubled by your close association with the
Ethiopian government and its embassy in Washington –
including your 2004 presentation that was jointly
sponsored by the embassy and a lobbying firm and
delivered on embassy grounds. We would like to be
reassured that your policy decisions on Ethiopia are
not colored by your relationship with the ruling
party.

The fate of a nation of 77 million hangs in the
balance. We, therefore, urge you to seek out
divergent views and to listen to information from
sources that are not necessarily endorsed by the
government.

We appreciate your effort to “increase the democratic
space.” Unfortunately there is not much democratic
space left to increase. Prime Minister Zenawi views
the opposition as his enemy, not as his competitors.

He has criminalized all political discourse.
Accordingly he is out to crush anyone who gets in his
way. This disposition did not start just this year.
He never tolerated any legitimate opposition. For 15
years, the Tigrai People’s Liberation Front (TPLF)
used intimidation, beatings, imprisonment and
extra-judicial killings to destroy opponents.

You do not have to take our word on the track record
of the regime. Human Rights Watch, Amnesty
International, Genocide Watch International and your
own State Department have extensively documented the
violent nature of this regime over the years.

You are in a position to make a difference in the
lives of millions of Ethiopians crying out for
justice. We, therefore, urge you and the government
of the United States not to continue to impose a
minority regime and a tyrant who has clearly been
rejected by his own people.

We appeal to you to take a non-partisan stand, and to
call for:

? An immediate halt to the Prime Minister’s
criminalization of all political discourse and
activity.
? An immediate and unconditional release of all
opposition leaders, journalists and the thousands of
youth being held in various concentration camps.
? A visit by the Red Cross to all prisons and camps as
well as a full accounting of all those arrested and
killed.
? Immediate notification of families of the names and
whereabouts of their loved ones along with medical
care and food.
? An immediate halt to the use of lethal force against
unarmed civilians.
? An immediate halt to intimidation, arrests and
killings.
? An independent investigation to the June and
November killings.
? The lifting of all restrictions against opposition
parties and independent media.
? The lifting of parliamentary rules that barred any
meaningful opposition participation.
? The selection of an independent electoral board with the full participation of all opposition parties.

Thank you for your understanding.

Respectfully yours,

Ethiopian- Americans for Democracy

cc: Secretary of State Dr. Condoleezza Rice