Ethiopia opposition says it was prevented from holding anti-Saudi protest
By Tesfa-Alem Tekle
November 19, 2013 (ADDIS ABABA) – An Ethiopian opposition party, Unity for Democracy and Justice (UDJ), on Tuesday said it was prevented from staging an anti-Saudi protest rally which was scheduled to be held last Sunday.
“We asked for permission to stage a protest rally to condemn the brutal crackdown against Ethiopians in Saudi Arabia however the government wouldn’t allow” UDJ party chairman, Negasso Gidada, told Sudan Tribune.
Negasso Gidada, a former Ethiopian president said his party along with other opposition groups is set to file a protest letter for being prevented from holding the demonstration.
“The government’s decision violates the constitutional rights of citizens to hold peaceful demonstration,” he said.
The opposition leader said much as he has little hope that the government will grant them permission to demonstrate, they still have plans to hold a protest soon.
Negasso accused the Ethiopian government of doing little to protect citizens in Saudi Arabia who are regularly jailed, killed and subjected to different forms of inhuman treatment something he says is a failure on the part of the Ethiopian government to protect both legal and illegal immigrants in the Arab world.
A similar Anti-Saudi protest by residents of Addis Ababa was also blocked by police on Friday.
State officials said the protesters did not have government permission and that their move was illegal.
Following the protest attempts outside the Saudi Embassy in Addis Ababa, police briefly detained over 20 protesters.
Abraham Nebyu, a political analyst told Sudan Tribune that Ethiopia fears such Anti-Saudi protests could harm the strong and historic relationships between Addis Ababa and Riyadh
Following the kingdom’s labor raid against 9 million migrant workers some 23,000 Ethiopians have surrendered to Saudi police seeking to return home.
Since last week some 2,500 Ethiopians have returned home with the help of the Ethiopian government and its embassy in Riyadh.
To rehabilitate the returnees, the government has earmarked 50 million Birr.
(ST)