Ethiopia: Oromo oppositions accuse intelligence service, federal police of “defamation”

December 2, 2008 (ADDIS ABABA) — The Oromo Federalist Democratic Movement (OFDM) and the Oromo People’s Congress (OPC) in a joint statement said that the National Information Security Service (NISS) and the Federal Police have launched wide defamatory campaign against them and called up on them to stop immediately.

Both parties are legally registered parties with many elected members of parliament. The NISS and the Federal Police have no right to engage in a defamatory campaign to legal parties that respect the constitutional order and strive towards building a democratic order a joint statement said.

The joint statement comes after The Joint Anti-terror Taskforce of the National Intelligence and Security Service and the Federal Police last week called up on both parties to evict those members of their parties who it said are engaged in dismantling the national constitution by creating links with “terror” group like the outlawed Oromo Liberation Front (OLF).

In a press statement it released last week the Taskforce said the OPC and OFDM have the constitutional obligation to evict those members who are engaged in terrorist activities as they have promised to the public to safeguard the constitution.

It further said some of the members of the two parties have been engaged in subversive activities by promoting the cause of the terrorist group operating under the name of OLF.

But the two parties refuting the joint statement given by the NISS and the Federal Police, they said if a party is guilty of having members who have deserted the country, it is another party that should have bore the blame

They also reaffirmed that their means of achieving their political goals is only through a peaceful and legal way.

Both opposition parties also accused Ethiopian television of airing the NISS and Federal Police joint statement without considering the legal ramifications since it violates provisions in the political parties’ proclamation as well as the constitution which protects people from defamation.

According to intelligence service, federal police those members of the OFDM, who had parliamentary seats previously, and who joined now the OLF include, Getahcew Jigi, Abiot Kebede, Sarah Mamo and Getachew Amenti.

And those members of the OFDM, who were found to have been engaged in terrorist activities by the court of justice, are Gudeta Shube, Ashenafi Adugna, Ethiopia Temesgen Ayansa.

Recently, OFDM Secretary-General Bekele Jirata was arrested by the Federal Police on charges alleged links to terror groups.

The Federal Police Crime Investigation Unit told the Federal First Instance Court on Monday that it has testimonies that prove that the accused has been recruiting and training terrorists.

(ST)