Bucknell University professor can't return to Ethiopia

He denies any role in coup attempt

By Tricia Pursell
The Daily Item

LEWISBURG -- Bucknell University economics professor Berhanu Nega knows the Ethiopian government would imprison him if he were to return to his homeland.

But his dream for democracy in the African nation of 81 million people has not died. He continues to be an outspoken supporter of opposition leaders.
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Meles Dismisses Calls for UN Investigation of Rights Abuses

By James Butty - Washington, DC (15 April 2009) The Ethiopian Human Rights Commission says Prime Minister Meles Zenawi’s government has designed good governance programs aimed at respect and protection for human rights. Commissioner Kassa Gebrehiwot reportedly said the commission has been striving to raise public awareness about human rights through the use of the mass media.

He spoke Monday in Addis Ababa during a seminar on the role of members of parliament in the respect and protection of human rights.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Meles Zenawi’s government is denying allegations it committed human rights abuses against the Anuaks in the Gambella region of western Ethiopia and ethic Somalis in the Ogaden. In a letter, the organization “Genocide Watch” has asked the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to investigate the alleged crimes which it said fit the definition of genocide.

Woindimu Asamnew, spokesman for the Ethiopian Embassy in Washington told VOA his government considers the allegations as lies.

“We don’t take seriously their allegations and fabrications. They are totally unfounded, fabricated lies,” he said.

In his letter to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Genocide Watch President Gregory Stanton said Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi and others in his government were probably aware that they too could one day be brought before the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity.

Asamnew said the Ethiopian government does not take such comments seriously. He also said there was no need for an independent outside investigation as was being requested by Genocide Watch.

“We don’t take this kind of idea seriously. We have a parliament; they do take care of these kinds of issues. There is no any need of inviting international body for this purpose because of unfounded allegations. An outside investigation is unnecessary and unacceptable,” Asamnew said.

Genocide Watch said the atrocities allegedly committed in Gambella against the Anuaks in 2005 fit the definitions of genocide and crimes against humanity. But Asamnew said the allegations are false.

“We have investigated the matter and taken corrective measures, otherwise this kind of exaggerated and unfounded lies are not taken seriously by our government,” he said.

He also denied Genocide Watch’s claims of a “culture of impunity” within the Ethiopian government.

“What I’m saying is that any individual can say whatever he wants, but alleging something and the realities on the ground are totally different matter,” Asamnew said.

Ethiopia was supposed to help America in the war on terror. But it's only made matters worse.

By Jonathan Tepperman | NEWSWEEK
Published Apr 11, 2009
From the magazine issue dated Apr 20, 2009

Few people outside Ethiopia have ever heard of Birtukan Mideksa. And that's just how the government wants it. Since December, Birtukan has been kept in solitary confinement, one of hundreds of political prisoners there . Her apparent crime? Organizing a democratic challenge to the increasingly iron-fisted rule of Prime Minister Meles Zenawi. more

“It might take time but Zenawi faces justice” Dr. Gregory

In an interview with the Voice of America and Deutsche Welle Amharic services, president of Genocide Watch, Dr Gregory Stanton said that his appeal to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to investigate genocide in Ethiopia had received sincere attention. “It might take time but Meles Zenawi will face justice for sure,” Says Dr. Gregory. Listen to his interviews in Amharic, [VOA] [DW] and [Addisdimts FF to 1h 14 min]

Ethiopia: Dictator appoints wife CEO of largest business chain

ADDIS ABABA (Ethiomedia) - Azeb Mesfin, the wife of anti-Ethiopian tyrant Meles Zenawi, is poised to taking over the largest business conglomerate that controls 60 percent of the Ethiopian economy, a source reported on Monday. more

Ethiopia - World Bank disputes gov't Growth Forecast

Ethiopian government is saying the country's GDP is expected to expand by 11.2% for the current fiscal year, but the International Monetary Fund (IMF) thinks that projection number is too rosy and it cuts the projection by half. Earlier this month, Sukhwinder Singh, IMF resident representative for Ethiopia, said that the Fund’s 2009 GDP growth forecast for Ethiopia stood at 6.5 percent, contrary to the government’s 11.2 percent projection. Now The Daily Monitor is reporting that, the World Bank agrees with IMF's forecast. Here is what was reported by The Monitor, "The World Bank team here believes that the IMF's is more realistic than the government's forecast for the reason that investment in the country seems to be slowing" the Bank's Country Director for Ethiopia Kenichi Ohashi told journalists at a round table discussion attended by visiting World Bank Director for International Affairs, Grace Ssempala.