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Human Rights “Protection” or “Violation”

By Belay Maru
Tigrai Onlne November 29, 2013

The fundamentalist institution that is always using occasions to damage Ethiopia’s positive image don’t seem to end its anti Ethiopia ideology. Rather it may pose a question –“does this fundamentalist neo liberal institution got mad?”  The institution made it a custom that to spread its false literature about the country showing its crocodile’s tears saying Ethiopians are suffering. May be their drama may have a genre of short story or a novel depending on its depth and breadth of  the ink and paper of its ally that is given an assignment to defame our country.

In order to make this negative visions true, it I think  that they are praying to George Soros ‘ oh Almighty if we don’t disrupt the fast development activities  and economic paths, we will give you back the money you gave us with double interests and we will help the neoliberals that will make your visions true.” This is because his periodic reports monthly, with in two or three months or yearly show his subtle intentions. The institution which was using the “cover reason”  respect for human rights, has been playing its subtle neoliberal  ideological  game since the Helenski’s and recently come up with their made up stories of World Human Rights Watch Report 2013. Their report contains their common and obvious bogus stories that they were known for it. In fact it like putting the old wine in the old sack and has no intentions of at least doing in a new way.

With the report, that Human Right Watch is claiming as it is a result of their studies, has surprisingly tried  to obliterate the image of the country even by providing imaginative pictures even though it won’t be successful like it was never been. They have also used inappropriate study methods by writing a report without asking for confirmation to the concerned body (the major actor of the report, the  Ethiopian government), presenting a document without witnessing the discussed issues and by including information which is not credible with the aim to satisfy its own interest for its malevolence ideological motives.

Although it is clear that the main objective of Human Rights Watch is ideological complain on the question “why do countries come out of the neoliberal political economic philosophies?” and to weaken Ethiopia’s continues economic development, as a citizen I think it is appropriate to give a response for the unreliable reports in two ways. First, by describing the fabricated points made and second by looking on what a scientific report should fulfill.

It is mentioned in the conjured report of the fundamentalist institution as there is no freedom of expression, the right to organization and association, jailing of journalists and party members because of the anti terrorism proclamation and the intrusion of the police in the demonstrations made in Addis Ababa and Oromia by Muslim communities including torture and imprisoning them, the forced resettlement activities on 1.5 million Ethiopians and closure of human rights organizations.

This fundamentalist neoliberal’s mischiefs didn’t stop here. It had also condemned donor countries for not taking any measures to improve the quality of human rights and their approval of 2012’s world bank and other organizations common strategy without considering the most important human rights and good governance. It had also pretended as if it felt pity for Ethiopians and showed its usual crocodile tears. What could we call this paradox?

Let’s look what this anti Ethiopia group had blindly released and how much of it is out of factuality. The statement that was said by the western based institution about the absence of freedom of expression, the right to organize and association is not accurate. Rather we found them legitimized, considered, working and guaranteed in the constitution. If there were no freedom of expression, presses will not perform their tasks freely let alone the existence of many private presses which are the fruits of the system. In addition there would be no freedom of press and access to information proclamation which was ratified to help journalists work freely.

We have a number of publications out in the market though we are young in building democratic system in the country.  The freedom of mass media and access to information proclamation which was ratified based on the constitution also protects journalists in a way that any journalist should not be jailed before a court decisions and is contributing in creating journalists who are working by following basic journalistic principles.

As a result of this there is no journalist who is imprisoned because of the article he or she writes. However, human rights watch is not interested to include the views of the government and had produced a report without credible information and is continuing to spread their fictitious stories saying “somebody is jailed”.

The right to organize and association which the human rights watch claims as if there is no any is legitimized and guaranteed by the constitution. Additionally the 79 political parties that are working distinctively, in front, in union/unity being recognized by the National Electoral board are seen as if they don’t exist. Or these parties should take on street rebellion so that the human rights watch could grant them recognition? This is really surprising!

What the civil societies and NGOs running based on the laws of the country may seem to George Soros? In fact the fundamentalist neoliberal is only interested in creating organizations that are registered in the name of civil societies and freely engage in the politics of our country. This was what Mr Daniel Bekele was trying to do in 1997 as a head of CRDA but covertly working for the fundamentalist human rights watch and currently got a chance of being appointed as Africa’s Director for the organization as a reward.

However, if he is again interested to do like the previous time,I think he has to understand that the case is finished with the Ethiopian Charities and civil society organization  proclamation  as the right is only given only to Ethiopians. Actually if the fundamentalist group is interested or wished to see yesterday’s environment, I think it would be like expecting a fruit from the open sky.

The other thing that human rights watch report had indicated was  that their illusion that  the Ethiopian Anti terrorism proclamation  has created problems over journalists and political party members. Truly speaking, Ethiopia has ratified a terrorism proclamation like many countries did to protect their national security from terrorists and that is not for the reasons that the human rights watch is claiming as it is to keep the governments political agenda.

And I don’t think that politicians and civil societies will miss the point that proclamations won’t be prepared based on specific professions and is the anti terrorism law is not prepared to target only specific group of individuals. Therefore one should know that the proclamation works for any suspect from any profession from a journalist to priest  or merchant or a farmer etc…as long as a person is suspected of terrorism, he wouldn’t escape if he is from any profession.

In fact, the deep intention of Soros is clear. It is simply to say that those journalists who are accused and currently in jail because of the anti terrorism law are innocent and he wants to involve directly in the court system of a country. Yesterday, I remember reading a report from Nairobi by Laticia Bedar, a researcher about the list of journalists who are currently in jail because of terrorism. And I said “Let they enjoy their bogus at the time.” It is like an activity of a fool  who don’t have any task and is always interested in doing something trash. As the institution is jobless, they always want to have a say on something and are continuously obsessing us with same thing.

It is true that there are some journalists who are suspected with practicing terrorism in the name of journalism. However, the organ who took the cases of these men is law_ not the government as the fundamentalist group is claiming. People like Eskindir Nega, Reeyot Alemu, Wubshet Taye, Andualem Arage and others are proved guilty by the court and are found in prison. But, we don’t understand with what capacity of Prophecy or wizard knowledge as the human rights is telling they are innocent and as the government did wrong in imprisoning them.

The institution also continued its concern for the main proponent of Wahbism and editor of “Muslim Affairs” magazine Mr Yoseph Getachew. In short it is possible to say that the fundamentalist institution seems to have felt pity for the suspects in its report which is a fired bullet for ideological war against Ethiopia.

Here I would like to share to my dear readers about the true reality of those people like Eskindir Nega that human rights watch had used to make its report tasty. As it is known Eskindir Nega was cooperating with the Union for Democratic Party members who were thinking of overthrowing the constitution and the established democratic system and was ordered for two years in prison. It was also remembered that Eskindir and his counterparts had requested the government with letter for cancelation by promising they wouldn’t involve again in such type of anti public activities. The government had accepted their proposals expecting that they would learn from their mistakes.

However, the reality they did was the reverse. Instead of learning from their mistakes, they rather continued their activity of provoking conflict and activities of terrorism. They were tirelessly working to make their plots true especially after the 97 election and after they released from prison as we could remember. I don’t think that people know that he is unprofessional, partial and rebellious journalist. He doesn’t want to see the change and development of this country, full of envy and prejudice.

However, the man didn’t want to show up to the people that he was as such negative  politician. Rather he preferred to be called by his made up identity and name as a journalist, analyst and blogger.

The reality is that the profession of journalism asks him to be objective and free from the ocean of prejudice and biased politics that he is in. A journalist works for the public good and shouldn’t lead to turmoil and uprising the people who are peacefully people who are working. The profession of journalism firmly opposes hiding the truth which is what he is known for. Therefore, without owning at least one of the many professional ethics of journalism he can’t possibly call himself as he is a journalist.

So what I believe (what I feel Ethiopians must know) about Eskindir Nega is that he is not a journalist, an analyst or a blogger. And I don’t think that we have to move far to bring evidence for this. This is because what he is writing in every occasion he gets using his name or pen names which were fictional stories and pessimist narratives were worth mentioning. As a result he proved guilty over the cases he was suspected and is currently in jail.

In fact comparing to the ideological campaign that human rights watch have in Ethiopia, it is no surprise that the institution pretends as it felts sorrow because it is crying with its allies in directly for itself. The other deception provided by human rights watch report was about the Islamic religion followers’ demonstrations and the intrusion, imprisonment and torturing by the police. The report said nothing about when and where it was done away from using it for damaging the good image of the country. This is because it is a made up story or gained from an uninformed source.

In any way it is difficult to mention anything about what the security forces did on demonstrations except carrying out their routine activities. What could be said if the security forces keeping the opposition demonstrators or supporting demonstrators are knowingly misinterpreted by the fundamentalist institution? Nothing! And such type of misinformed judgments only shows the anti Ethiopian stand of this institution.

The other common artificial story included in the report was about the forced resettlement and displacement of 1.5 million people. As you my dear readers might know there has been no forced resettlement program that was undertaken by the government. Although the neoliberal institution said that   1.5 million are displaces and resettled, they have no evidence for it because they didn’t mention about the when, where, and how they undertook their study. Therefore, a study that doesn’t tell how they measured the 1.5 million people is nothing but incorrect information that was used to damage the image of the country.

Thinking that there would have a developmental democratic  state which strives for  making its people become middle income may put the same public to a situation where they can’t work is not expected from a normally thinking society except the fundamentalist human rights watch. As we all know our government comes from the womb of public and works for the public. So, this type of government cannot go against the public with any of the human rights watches criteria since it is not its original characteristics.

It is also an assured fact by international organizations that the government is securing the benefits of every society at every level out of the increasing economic development. The fundamentalist institution should know that it is shame to condemn a government that is having such achievements for the sake of political gains. By the way it is also enough to see what the development agent countries (DAG) that just moved to the  Gambela where the resettlement is going on and assured that the allegations by the fundamentalist institution had no  ground though the group wasn’t happy with their  finding. The institution hadn’t stopped nagging the donor countries and the international organizations in an aim to stop any donation to Ethiopia. Therefore, the shouting by the shameful study made by human rights watch is nothing different from meaningless barking.

The other thing that makes the study by human rights watch shameful is its method of study. It is totally out of scientific method undertaking a research. When a study is done we should care on the objectivity of the sources, localness of the method, laws of the country and other related things be considered. The study was undertaken by institution studying the treatment of human rights (though I don’t know who permit this study) didn’t considered the above realities and is clearly seen that the political involvement clearly observable in the research. It also have doubts over the objectivity of the respondents, didn’t based on the appropriate examples  and disregards the countries laws.

Expecting this would happen, Mr Daniel Bekele has played a prevention game speaking to the VOA  “as they did the study based on other study and took witnesses both in Ethiopia and out of Ethiopia by asking their families and law consultants on the phone.

Look unintentionally Mr Daniel is telling us that the study is not theirs and may be their sources of information are enemies of Ethiopia and people who are under the surge of law. If a study says “somebody told me” even without specifically mentioning and if he believes his idea without questioning the aim of the study will be simply to attack the government. I don’t think that the biblical saying “blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed” is not found in the regulation of Human rights watch. From experience, it had been seen that the fundamental institution had a habit of attacking developmental states and believe  in biblical sayings for its evil activities saying “though I don’t know the issue I’m right”.

Why we lie guys? The fact that the study of the neoliberal institution is a matter of existence and not matter of human being or violation of human rights and they know it that we know it. Personally Mr Daniel Bekele is nothing but a trash. Dear readers you may say why? It is because what we heard from him intentionally or as a slip of tongue about the activities of his company. We know that human rights watch is the main actor of neoliberal political economy ideology.

Therefore, by looking the intentions that human rights watch is creating on obstacles in the economic and development process of  Ethiopia, one can answer to the question “human rights protection or violation?”as Human Right violation. Human rights watch should not say like this  simply because Ethiopia is thinking of developing using its own ways. And at least an institution that is thinking as if established for protecting human rights should help the development efforts of the people instead of shrinking their activities for the sake of spreading ideological propaganda in what so ever situation or ideology the country is in. Therefore, the institution has to know that what they were doing is not protection of human rights, it is rather it was violation. The institution and Human Rights are two different world ideas.