From: Biniam Tekle (biniamt@dehai.org)
Date: Tue May 19 2009 - 08:26:07 EDT
Ethiopia's new climate of fear
Despite the generosity of donor nations, Ethiopia is ruled by an
authoritarian government with virtual impunity
David Dadge
guardian.co.uk,
Tuesday 19 May 2009 08.00 BST
The European Union, United States and other major donors will pump about
$2.5bn (£1.6bn) into Ethiopia this year, a sum that does not even begin to
include the cost of medicines, famine relief and countless other services
provided by non-profit groups in one of the world's most impoverished
countries.
That help is needed, because Ethiopians are prone to malnutrition, disease
and natural calamity. Its burgeoning population far outstrips the country's
ability to feed itself. So desperate is Ethiopia that celebrity causes –
from Bob Geldoff's Live Aid famine-relief concerts to Angelina Jolie and
Brad Pitt's adoption of orphaned babies – supplement what donors cannot
possibly provide.
But for all this generosity, an authoritarian government rules Ethiopia with
virtual impunity. Prime minister Meles Zenawi, in power for 18 years, has
crushed the opposition. His ruling party dominates public institutions.
Worse still, in a vast and predominantly rural country, the prime minister's
underlings control broadcasting and maintain a choke-hold on other media.
Four years ago this month, Zenawi's Ethiopian People's Revolutionary
Democratic Party (EPRDF) suffered its worst loss at the polls since the
former guerrilla overthrew a ruthless, Soviet-backed regime in 1991. Rather
than accept its losses, the EPRDF-run government responded with a brutal
crackdown, claiming outright victory and accusing the opposition of trying
to stage an insurrection.
Security forces attacked peaceful protesters, jailed opposition leaders,
sent thousands of their supporters to gruesome detention camps and accused
independent journalists of treason – a crime punishable by death. Some
journalists and politicians sought asylum in other countries. During several
months of unrest, roughly 200 people were killed. It was a disgraceful snub
for donor nations that had invested time and capital in supporting
Ethiopia's democratic transition.
Many of the journalists and opposition figures were eventually released or
granted clemency, but there has been no letup to the torment. In late April
2009, security forces arrested 40 opposition figures, accusing them of
trying to topple the government.
Meanwhile, the authorities continue their assault on independent media
through capricious licensing rules, interrogations and, on occasion,
revoking the permits of reporters for international broadcasters like the
Voice of America. Leading journalists have been assaulted, the culprits
never found. "There is only fear, not freedom, of expression in Ethiopia,"
says one leading journalist.
Ethiopia's journalists are not entirely innocent. Some newspapers have
stoked the country's ethnic and regional animosities and can be wildly
inaccurate in their reporting. Yet badgering or jailing journalists is no
way to resolve what could be handled through a voluntary media council or
independent ombudsman. Furthermore, the government effort to portray
independent journalists as vicious enemies unfairly condemns the many
Ethiopian reporters and editors who take their responsibilities seriously.
Zenawi has largely escaped sanction from his western allies, in part because
the erudite ex-Marxist had a friendly relationship with the former British
prime minister, Tony Blair, and co-operated closely with the Bush
administration in counter-terrorism efforts in the Horn of Africa.
There has not been total silence. Donald Payne, a leading member of the US
House Committee on Foreign Affairs, and Ana Gomes, a member of the European
Parliament from Portugal and head of the EU's observation team in the 2005
elections, have sought to tie non-humanitarian aid more closely to
Ethiopia's conduct on press freedom and other human rights. Britain and some
other European governments responded to the post-election crackdown by
temporarily withholding aid.
But Ethiopia poses a dilemma for anyone who cares about human rights and
democracy. Cutting off aid could have calamitous humanitarian consequences
for the nation's 80 million people. It could also destabilise a fragile
region, sparking fresh wars with neighbouring Somalia and Eritrea.
Nevertheless, there are ways to pressure Zenawi:
• Donors should deny Ethiopian ministers a seat at diplomatic tables, such
as the coveted spot Zenawi got at the G20 summit in London as head of the
New Partnership for Africa's Development.
• While the Development Assistance Group, created by the EU and other
principal donors to co-ordinate aid projects in Ethiopia, has improved the
efficiency of donor contributions, a vigorous monitoring component is needed
to ensure that international resources do not support policies that are
anathema to human rights values.
• As a leading donor, the EU wields considerable power in Ethiopia and
should be more willing to use it. The EU should aggressively enforce the
Cotonou Agreement, which requires Ethiopia and other nations that receive
European assistance to respect "human rights, democratic principles, and the
rule of law". Cotonou is due for revision in 2010, so now is the time to
develop enforcement mechanisms that establish clear penalties for failing to
uphold human rights and freedom of the press.
• The EU and the US should wield more of their clout at the World Bank and
other international organisations to link development grants to progress on
press freedom and human rights.
The aid that Ethiopia receives from its friends may be a small price to pay
to keep Africa's second largest country from descending into chaos. But
Ethiopia's people deserve more from their government. Press freedom is a
start, not just because it is a fundamental human right, but also because
vigorous media are essential to keeping societies alert to the kinds of
crises that are all too common in Ethiopia.
David Dadge is Director of the Vienna-based International Press Institute,
the global network for free media
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