Ethiopia:Dr. Berhanu denies leading alleged coup plot

By MARK SCOLFORO, LEWISBURG, Pa. – An economics professor at a Pennsylvania university said Saturday he supports efforts to spread democracy in his native Ethiopia, but denied backing an alleged coup attempt there that led to the arrests of 35 people by the government.

“I’m very suspicious that there was an attempt at all,” said Berhanu Nega during an interview at his home outside of Lewisburg in north-central Pennsylvania. “This is not a government that has any credibility whatsoever in terms of telling the truth.”


He said he did not know who may have been arrested, and said it could have easily been some sort of overreaction.

“The government, every time, it panics,” he said. “It’s always treason, always acting against the government.”

Berhanu, 51, said he came to the U.S. as a young man in 1980, is married to an American citizen and has two sons. He is an associate professor of economics at nearby Bucknell University, a private liberal-arts school that enrolls about 3,400 undergraduates.

He previously taught at the university from 1990 until 1994, when he returned to Ethiopia to work at Addis Ababa University, according to a profile on the university’s Web site.

In 2005, he became the country’s first elected mayor when he won the mayoral race in Addis Ababa, the nation’s capital. But post-election violence over the election results led the Ethiopian government to shoot 193 protesters and to later jail Berhanu, other opposition leaders and thousands of supporters. Berhanu said the party was not responsible for the violent demonstrations.

The opposition leaders stood trial for nearly two years on charges of challenging the constitutional order — the charge was lessened from treason. The main clique of 38 opposition leaders pleaded guilty and were pardoned in 2007 after appealing to the government.

Berhanu and several other party leaders then left for the U.S., returning to the country in August 2007. He rejoined Bucknell as a visiting international scholar in economics in Spring 2008.

“It became very clear immediately after our release that they will not at all tolerate any opposition, meaningful opposition,” he said.

Berhanu also urged President Obama’s administration to “carefully revisit its policy toward Ethiopia.”

“It is just unseemly for any democratic government such as the United States to have any relationship with it,” he said.

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Associated Press writer Anita Powell in Nairobi, Kenya, contributed to this report.

Ethiopia: EPRDF government claimed to have arrested 35 members of Ginbot7 Movement for Justice, Freedom and Democracy

Ethioguardian(25-04-2009):An EPRDF government,Ethiopia’s ruling dictatorial regime, spokesman says police have arrested 35 members of Ginbot7 Movement for Justice, Freedom and Democracy.According to EPRDF spokesman Ermias Legesse, the group was arrested Friday with weapons, communication equipment, military uniforms and written plans. He says it calls itself the "May 15" or “Ginbot7” group after controversial 2005 elections held on that date.

In another news, Ginbot7, the accused group, dismissed this information saying baseless and far from truth. In a written press release, Ginbot7 said that, this kind of news is released to create confusion and frustration among the army and public. This is a tactic used by EPRDF to get out of the increasing criticisms from its own army and civil servants. In the same press release, Ginbt7 focused on the fact that it is a movement for Justice freedom and democracy with clear vision for Ethiopia’s future.

Ermias said Saturday the group was established by former opposition leader Berhanu Nega. Berhanu was elected mayor of Addis Ababa in 2005 but arrested afterward with more than 100 other opposition politicians and tried for treason. He and the others were freed by a pardon in 2007.
He's now assistant professor of economics at Bucknell University in Lewisberg, Pa., the university's Web site says.
Some texts were taken from AP

Ethiopia: EPRDF government claimed to have arrested 35 members of Ginbot7 Movement for Justice, Freedom and Democracy

Ethioguardian(25-04-2009):An EPRDF government,Ethiopia’s ruling dictatorial regime, spokesman says police have arrested 35 members of Ginbot7 Movement for Justice, Freedom and Democracy.According to EPRDF spokesman Ermias Legesse, the group was arrested Friday with weapons, communication equipment, military uniforms and written plans. He says it calls itself the "May 15" or “Ginbot7” group after controversial 2005 elections held on that date.

In another news, Ginbot7, the accused group, dismissed this information saying baseless and far from truth. In a written press release, Ginbot7 said that, this kind of news is released to create confusion and frustration among the army and public. This is a tactic used by EPRDF to get out of the increasing criticisms from its own army and civil servants. In the same press release, Ginbt7 focused on the fact that it is a movement for Justice freedom and democracy with clear vision for Ethiopia’s future.

Ermias said Saturday the group was established by former opposition leader Berhanu Nega. Berhanu was elected mayor of Addis Ababa in 2005 but arrested afterward with more than 100 other opposition politicians and tried for treason. He and the others were freed by a pardon in 2007.
He's now assistant professor of economics at Bucknell University in Lewisberg, Pa., the university's Web site says.
Some texts were taken from AP

Ethiopia:Mass graves found in ex-Weyane(EPRDF) bases

Somalis have discovered the remains of dead bodies from former Ethiopian army bases and at a soccer stadium in the Somali capital, Mogadishu.

At least 7 mass graves were exhumed on Monday at the vacated Mogadishu soccer stadium. The remains were allegedly of individuals who had gone missing a year ago and apparently later shot by Ethiopian troops during their occupation of Somalia, a Press TV correspondent reported.

Meanwhile, Somali men recovered dead bodies from 4 others graves in the Tawfiq district of northern Mogadishu. Witnesses said the graves contained between 20 and 31 corpses.

In another disclosure, local residents dug up dead bodies from 9 graves at former Ethiopian army bases in Mogadishu's northern Gupta and Yaaqshid districts.

Conflicts in Somalia intensified and unlawful killings of civilians increased after Ethiopian troops entered Somalia at the end of 2006 to help the 'Transitional Federal Government' fight armed opposition groups, some of whom issued from the Union of Islamic Courts, which was controlling the capital Mogadishu and other parts of the country in 2006.

Ethiopian troops withdrew at the end of 2008 and Abdullah Yusuf resigned as President of the TFG, and was replaced by Sheikh Sharif Ahmed, then leader of the opposition Alliance for the Re-Liberation of Somalia- Djibouti (ARS-Djibouti).

Thousands of Ethiopian protest in London

Thousands of Ethiopian protest in LondonAbby Media coverage
Thousands Ethiopians protested during the G20 summit in London against the Ethiopian dictator on Thursday, 2 April 2009. The demonstration, for the first time, got large media coverage by all European media. Most media in Europe were highlighting the human rights abuses perpetrated by Meles Zenawi. The media coverages include: CNN-Video, VOA- Amharic, DW- Amharic.


Big Victory:

Tedla Asfaw - VOA of Addisu Abebe interviewed (April 2) Ato Wondimu Mekonen from London and two gentlemen from Switzerland and Sweden on phone while the condemnation of Meles Zenawi was heard on background by huge crowd of Ethiopians who came from all over Europe.

The rush by TPLF’s Aiga, Ben of “belly first” including www.nazret.com and stick to the one minute video clip of OLF and ONLF and try to ignore the video clip of BBC’s own four minutes video clip is disgusting and non professional, fake journalism.

The millions of Ethiopians back home got the truth through VOA and the TPLF’s TV can show the Gambella and Ogaden butcher dinning with the queen and cheering behind the scene for his financiers. Not hanging the photo of Meles with G20 leaders might be punishable by jail.

The truth of the matter is none of the G20 leaders dare to visit Ethiopia because Ethiopians never welcome those who sided with their tormentors. That was why George Bush never touch the soil of Ethiopia and why Tony Blair was not welcomed by Ethiopians.

There will not be any official visit of Ethiopia by Obama or other respected world leaders because they know very well that any government sponsored welcoming ceremony could easily turn to anti-Meles rally that will shame both the host and the guest.

A tyrant who is despised by his own people will never get any respect in foreign land and when the last day comes no one comes to his rescue either.

We thank you, the thousands who protested today and stand with the millions of Ethiopians.The flags you waved on London street were seen by all including the G20 leaders.