Ethiopian Action for Unity and Democracy

Tegbar will give 1 point for each of the Kinjit 8 points peace proposal that the opposition parties, particularly UDJ, successfully accomplish, and 0 point for those that they fail to deliver. We will publish the Score Card every month.

For the of Month June 2008 the Score is 0 out of 8.

Tegbar hopes that UDJ will perform better next month. Below is the result.

Kinjit’s 8 Points Score 0 or 1

1. The Restructuring of the Election Board into an Independent body;

Score: 0

2. Freedom of and access to All Media;

Score: 0

3. Independent legal system (free from Woyanne party control);

Score: 0

4. An Independent Commission to investigate the killings of innocent Ethiopians;

Score: 0

5. Non-involvement of armed forces or police in political affairs;

Score: 0

6. Reinstatement of Parliamentary procedures and Governance of Addis Ababa in accordance with the verdict of the people;

Score: 0

7. Release of all political prisoners;

Score: 0

8. Independent commission or body to adjudicate the above.

Score: 0

Total Score: 0

We urge all Ethiopians with conscience to boycott the following ESFNA events:
1) All soccer daily matches and events at the stadium
2) The closing ceremony on Saturday, July 5

Don’t feast on the blood our our people back home. Boycott the ESFNA events in Washington DC this week.

Who do you stand with?

Tegbar (Ethiopian Democratic Action League) was formed in 1997 with a simple mission: To give voice to the thousands of political prisoners who languish in jail. Since that time we have created international awareness for the plight of political prisoners by staging protest rallies, peaceful civil disobedience, vigils, town hall meetings, and family events in several cities around the world. On the 25th anniversary of the Ethiopian Sports Federation in North America (ESFNA) in Washington DC, we ask you all to join us and give your voice to the millions of Ethiopians who are languishing under Meles Zenawi’s brutal dictatorship by boycotting all events sponsored by ESFNA.

ESFNA has recently announced it has received a donation of USD$300,000 from Woyanne businessman Sheik Al Amoudi. By accepting the donation from the Woyanne sheik, ESFNA has made a clear choice to align itself with an individual who is a key supporter of Meles Zenawi’s regime.

The connection between Meles Zenawi’s terrorist regime and the Sheik include, among many things, that they are being represented in the U.S. by the law firm DLA Piper. This is the same law firm that had represented Woyanne in a recent European Union parliamentary hearing on the political crisis in Ethiopia. Al Amoudi is a major business partner of the Meles crime family. Ethiopian resources, such as gold, are being mined and smuggled out of the country by Al Amoudi’s private planes without the knowledge of even the Meles regime’s own Ministry of Mines. Al Amoudi has also corrupting influence on the Ethiopian society, particularly the youth, through his public drunkenness, having sexual relationship with multiple partners other than his wives, turning thousands of desperately poor Ethiopian teenage girls into sex toys for his business partners, friends, and bodyguards, using his ill-gotten money to buy Ethiopian artists, athletes and prominent citizens NOT to speak out against the fascist regime, etc. Al Amoudi is a lowlife corrupt businessman, on top of the fact that he is a key financier of Meles Zenawi’s killing machine. He is not a role model for Ethiopians by any standard.

It is not secret to ESFNA officials that Meles Zenawi’s regime is currently increasing its military budget, spending millions on lobbyists, giving away Ethiopia’s land to Sudan, committing gross human rights violations in and outside Ethiopia, while subjugating, brutalizing, terrorizing and starving millions of Ethiopians and Somalis. Acceptance of Al Amoudi’s donation is an endorsement of Woyanne’s crime on the people of Ethiopia by ESFNA. As clear as ESFNA’s choice to stand with the Woyanne terrorist regime, so must our choice be in standing with the millions of our oppressed people.

Taking a stand takes courage. It’s not always the easiest choice, but one that speaks volumes about what is most important to a person/organization. ESFNA could have accepted the donation and made a contribution for the exact amount to the Red Cross or other NGOs working to feed millions of our people who are currently facing starvation. They could have declined and encouraged the Sheik to contribute the money to address the famine in Ethiopia that is caused by the mismanagement of Ethiopia’s resources by the Meles regime. But that would have taken courage. The decision to accept the money shows the presence of obscene greed within ESFNA.

In the 2005 elections, millions of Ethiopians took a stand. Months leading up to that historical day, they came out in large numbers to show a desire for new leadership. When the time to vote came, they came out 26 million strong to stand up and vote for change. Their voices would, however, be muzzled. When they stood up after the election and protested vote stealing, Woyane’s special forces showered them with bullets killing and injuring thousands. Let us take this opportunity to stand for them.

A few years back, Teddy Afro took a stand. In a sold out event at the Sheraton Hotel in Addis Ababa, he was told by Al Amoudi’s henchmen not to perform one of his songs criticizing Meles Zenawi’s dictatorship. The Sheik was not going to allow Teddy to criticize his friend and partner that night, no, not in his house. As his fans waited in suspense, Teddy Afro had to make a decision — he chose not to compromise his principle. As he currently languishes in prison, let us stand for him.

Tegbar is calling for the boycott of all events organized by the ESFNA. What we are NOT, however, calling for is the boycott of independent activities, such as concerts and conferences. A good number of hardworking merchants have paid money to ESFNA to provide goods and services and they should be supported. There are also many events including concerts and parties that are not sponsored by ESFNA that we can attend and enjoy.

Don’t embrace ESFNA’s choice by purchasing tickets to attend a concert or a soccer match it has organized. Instead, let us all stand up and be a voice to the voiceless.

Stop the Struggle, Join the Fight!
Tegbar.org

STATEMENT FROM TEGBAR
June 16, 2007

In his interview with Ethiopian Current Affairs on Sunday, June 15, Ethiopia’s most distinguished human rights activist Prof. Mesfin Woldemariam has made some assertions that Tegbar for Unity and Democracy (Tegbar) respectfully disagrees with.

Issue 1: Prof. Mesfin said: “Ethiopians have not yet started the ‘peaceful struggle’.”

Following the 2005 elections, Woyanne had rounded up 80,000 Kinijit supporters and detained them in Nazi-type, disease-infested concentration camps. Thousands were brutalized and killed. All of Kinijit’s top leaders were thrown in jail. What more does the professor wants from the people of Ethiopia after he and the other Kinijit leaders had abandoned the struggle when they were led to jail without making any contingency plan on how the struggle can continue in their absence? The people of Ethiopia did not fail to struggle or to follow their leaders. It is Prof. Mesfin and colleagues who failed to lead. Now after tens of thousands of Ethiopians paid all that sacrifice, many of them with their lives, the professor tells us that the “peaceful struggle did not start yet.” Tegbar rejects that assertions.

Issue 2: Prof. Mesfin said: “Woyane canceling the recent UDJ meeting in Addis Ababa was a victory for Ethiopians.”

The professor, while failing to acknowledge the huge sacrifices being paid by the people of Ethiopia, now tries to tell us that getting dispersed by two police officers without any argument or semblance of resistance is a victory. What the professor and his colleagues at UDJ are currently engaged in is not peaceful struggle. It is submission to tyranny.

The professor also said in the same interview: “The fact that Woyanne prevented the UDJ meeting from taking place over the weekend will expose it to the world.”

We found this statement to be less than convincing because every one knows about Woyanne’s crimes against the people of Ethiopia and Somalia. Two policemen illegally and arbitrarily dispersing 400 delegates of an opposition party without any hint of resistance exposes the weakness of UDJ’s leadership more than it exposes Woyanne’s lawlessness. Because the world has already witnessed Woyanne as it engaged in mass murder of civilians, including recent satellite photos that show entire villages burned down by Woyanne troops. How much more Woyanne can be exposed?

Issue 3: Prof. Mesfin tried to explain that 400 people taking orders from two Woyanne security agents to shut down their meeting is “Ethiopiawi Chewanet.”

Our forefathers who fought tooth and nail to keep Ethiopia, the oldest independent nation in the world, must be rolling in their graves to hear such a statement from a senior leader of an opposition party.

Issue 4: Prof. Mesfin said: “People and organizations that don’t participate or only follow the peaceful and non-resistance path come from the neftegna culture.”

The professor is telling us that self-defense is a “neftegna culture.” By his definition, OLF, ONLF and other freedom fighters are “neftegnoch.” We disagree. It is a natural right for people to defend themselves against tyranny using any means available to them.

Issue 5: Prof. Mesfin said: “Ethiopia’s feudal culture is an obstacle to the process of fighting Woyanne.”

We find this statement to be off base since a large portion of Ethiopia’s population is under 40 and has not lived through the feudal regimes of the past. In addition, it is this young demographic group that is paying the most sacrifice in the fight against Woyanne.

The professor further explained that organizations that don’t participate or only follow the peaceful or non-resistance path want to take Ethiopia back to the old feudal governance.

One should then ask the professor the following questions: Is self-defense feudalism? Are freedom fighters such as OLF, EPPF, ONLF, TPDM and Genbot 7 fighting to bring feudalism back?

According to Prof. Mesfin, the reason freedom fighters in Ethiopia are chasing Woyanne from all corners is because they want to bring feudalism back. Not because Woyannes are massacring Ethiopians; Not because Woyanne is stealing from Ethiopia’s children and making them hungry to then turning around and use them to beg from its masters.

As much as we respect Prof. Mesfin, we strongly disagree with a series of statements he has made during his interview on Sunday denigrating the sacrifices of Ethiopia’s freedom fighters. The professor can continue with his non-resistance, but when he goes out of his way to label those who are paying sacrifices with their lives as fuedals and neftegnas, we are obligated by our conscience to speak up.

We urge the professor to focus his criticism on Meles Zenawi’s terrorist regime, not the freedom fighters who are fighting to liberate our country from it.

Stop the struggle! Join the fight!
Tegbar

Statement from Tegbar.org

Lack of organization and the absence of competent and qualified political leaders who can organize and lead the struggle for freedom in Ethiopia have contributed to prolonging Woyanne’s rule. Today it is becoming more clear who is responsible for the multitude of political crises facing our country and who is capable of leading Ethiopians to freedom.

One of the main causes of lack of strong political organizations is the old-style politicians. These are individuals who like to be in the spotlights, who like to be seen on stages (usually embarrassing themselves), who claim to be highly educated, but in reality have the analytical skills and leadership abilities of a 1st grader. They even have shown themselves to be dumber than the Dedebit educated Woyannes.

The coward and reactionary wing of EPRPs, and the dumb and foolish remnants of the now defunct AEUP are good examples of old style politicians. These old clowns cannot and will not have a place in the future of Ethiopian politics. These individuals are stuck in the 1960-70s politics and now are rightfully called old-style politicians.

We Ethiopians should not let our hearts be troubled. We have a new generation of leadership that is replacing the failed and bankrupt old style organizations. EPPF, OLF, Genbot 7, ONLF and TPDM are emerging as potent forces that are capable of bringing change in Ethiopia.

When the world is against Ethiopia and supporting Woyanne, a new generation of leaders with clear goals and ideas are making Woyanne sleepless. Thanks to new strategies that are being deployed by these leaders, Woyanne, despite Western and Chinese backing, is today weaker than it has ever been.

Currently, Woyanne is fighting wars within Ethiopia from all corners. It is forced to go into Somalia to prove that it is a loyal servant of the U.S. It is giving away Ethiopian land just to stay in power. It is begging for mercy from Eritrea with its top officials openly saying that they will die for Eritrea before their own ‘beloved’ Tigray region.

In order to defeat the Woyanne regime and liberate our country, freedom fighters such as Ginbot 7, EPPF, OLF, TPDM, ONLF and others need to continue cleansing themselves from the old style politicians.

We at Tegbar for the first time in a long time are encouraged with the progress we are seeing in the fight for freedom in our country.

It is now clear who is who. Let us take a moment to reflect on the past and join the movement for freedom.

Out with the old and In with the New style of leadership

Stop the Struggle! Join the Fight

Tegbar.org