Bring Ethiopia’s Zenawi to justice
By Leoul Mekonen
September 10, 2006 — “We took a calculated risk,” said Meles Zenawi when BBC’s “HardTalk” host, Stephen Sackur, confronted him right after the June 2005 massacre in Addis Abeba. Of course, Meles Zenawi has shown the world that he is very good at taking calculated risks when it comes to crushing and subduing opposition movements. During the June and November 2005 peaceful demonstration against election fraud, many detainees mainly students were arrested and taken to different military camps which were used as concentration camps. They were beaten and subjected to different kinds of degrading ill-treatment. Beating protestors and making them crawl with naked knees have been a usual punishment that the so called federal police used against university students repeatedly. Many of the concentration camps like the one in Dedessa (Wollega) are out of sight from the international community and human right organisations. This gave a very good opportunity to commit all kinds of degrading and brutal actions against detainees. Though many of us Ethiopians who live in western countries are lucky for not seeing these brutalities closely, we, nevertheless have been deeply affected by the harsh and rough meted out by the Meles Zenawi armed forces against our brothers, sisters, relatives and friends who were taken to remote detention centres.
Hearing and witnessing torture and extra judicial killings against opposition groups in Ethiopia have always been normal not only for Ethiopians but also for the western world which have often spoken when violations against human rights have been excessive, regrettably very often with a forked-tongue. During the June and November 2005 riots, the reactions of security forces were not limited to torture and illegal detention of protestors. Many who were released from those remote detention camps told that they were shaved by the same razor blade. Many released detainees witnessed that they were shaved by one razor blade and those who protested against it were beaten until they pass out. Shaving the heads of detainees by one razor blade is a very well calculated plan to destroy the most productive and democracy thirsty segment of the population. In a country where the HIV/Aids prevalence is so high, the action can be regarded as a form of biological warfare. Exposing youth protestors to the risk of HIV-virus infection has both long and short-term benefits for Meles Zenawi’s regime. The short-term benefit is that he is able to spread fear among the youth and their families who wish to continue their protests against the election fraud and the atrocities being committed by the special forces of Meles. The long-term benefit is breaking the backbone of society, the young generation, by infecting them with HIV-virus.
The history of dictatorial regimes shows that academics and the youth are always the prime targets of dictators. They are always the first victims to be tortured and/or exterminated. The “Red terror” in the 1970s is a very good example, which depicted how the then Military rulers prolonged their power by massacring the youth who demanded democracy and equality. Thanks to the end of cold war period, in today’s world it will be difficult to massacre thousands and millions of youth who protest against dictators and bad governance. The spreading of the HIV-virus among protesting youths is very easy, albeit indirect; it is a draconian and ruthless method of putting down opposition movements. The recourse to using the HIV-virus as a political weapon will not only help in wiping out the protestors, but will also make it difficult to accuse Meles Zenawi in the future, as we do Sadam Hussein today, of mass murder. This is because he will argue that the detainees might have been infected before their arrest or as a result of the high incidence of unsafe sex among the youth.
Meles Zenawi is aware that upon release the detainees will be so preoccupied with their deteriorating health conditions and the fear and stigma associated with HIV-infection. Traumatising and by so doing endangering the psychological and social wellbeing of the young generation is a well-planned and easy way to prolong power. Taking into consideration the intensity of fear, frustration and anxiety it causes among the youth and their families, such an action is tantamount to psychological warfare. Having been infected by HIV-virus and on the verge of developing AIDS, they cannot even lift up their arms and head from their sick beds, let alone throw stones to express their bitter frustration. Punishing detainees selectively through HIV-infection can be definitely characterised as biological warfare as long as the aim is to attack enemies or opponents by deadly organisms. Meles Zenawi is aware of the fact that these oppressed youths will eventually take up arms and resist his oppressive rule. In his mind weakening the younger and future generation through HIV-infection is an effective measure!
It is the national and sacred duty of all Ethiopians in the Diaspora to work together with progressive forces in the international community to raise charges against Meles Zenawi for biological warfare against the people of Ethiopia. Meles Zenawi’s atrocities against opposition groups in Ethiopia must not go unpunished!
* Leoul Mekonen is Guest lecturer at Oslo University College- Norway. He can be reached at [email protected]