Ethiopia: Opposition Political Parties Rant Over Recent Crackdown

In a recent crackdown, police arrested four opposition political party members and leaders, and members of the parties they belong to have expressed concern about the situation and demand the immediate release of the detainees. Getachew Redda, advisor to the Prime Minister told The Reporter that the individuals were arrested due to their connections with terrorist organizations and said it was unrelated to the upcoming national election, which will be conducted next year.

Photo: allAfrica

Addis Ababa (file photo): Opposition parties in Ethiopia have protested the arrest of four of their members.

"Their involvement in the terrorist organization is the major reason for their arrest," he stated.

Four of the detained opposition political party members and leaders are head of public relations affairs of Unity for Democracy and Justice Party (UDJ), and vice chairman of organizational affairs of the party Habtamu Ayalew and Daniel Shibeshi respectively, Blue Party's National Council Deputy Chairperson, Yeshiwas Assefa, and Arena Tigray Party's Executive Committee member Abraha Desta.

Kidane Yirgu, head of Arena Addis Ababa branch said to The Reporter "Abraha has not appeared before a court of law and the party understood that he came to Addis Ababa on Thursday afternoon around 5:30."

"Though the party is ready to get him a lawyer it is difficult to communicate with him and the party has not received any official information about his whereabouts, however, some other people have informed the members of the party that Abraha is in Addis Ababa," Kidane added Regarding the charges the government stated, Kidane told The Reporter that "Abraha is a peaceful person and believes in a non-violent and peaceful struggle, therefore the charge that the government stated has got nothing to do with him."

Arena also thinks the regime change should come peacefully and does not support any armed struggle to change the system, however we can't say a certain group is a terrorist or not but we don't believe in an armed struggle, he further added. On the other hand, the Blue Party condemned the current crackdown of then political figures and the situation of the country and said, "we cannot tolerate TPLF/EPRDF's [Tigrayan People's Liberation Front/Ethiopian Peoples' Revolutionary Democratic Front] state of terror." Yilikal Getnet (Eng.) president of Blue Party also told The Reporter, "Members of the party and his family members are not allowed to visit him, and his constitutional right to appear before court within 48 hours has been deprived."

He said "their arrest boldly hints that the regime's final days in power are counted and change is inevitable in the near future and hence the party demands the immediate release of the detainees and as well advocates the regime to stop the state of terror."

Sileshi Feysa, deputy chairperson and head of election affairs of Blue Party on his part told The Reporter, "though we don't believe in the struggle approach of Ginbot 7, the party still doesn't accept the labeling made by the ruling party that they are a terrorist group."

He further added that the party is engaged in a peaceful and non-violent political struggle and thus did not support any movements that aren't peaceful. The Unity for Democracy and Justice Party (UDJ) also expressed its concerns about the current crackdown and stated the situation as a measure taken by the ruling party to control the upcoming election and demands the immediate release of the detainees.

Engineer Gizachew Shiferaw, president of UDJ said that UDJ believes in a peaceful and non-violent struggle and that the party has no connections with organizations that engage themselves in an armed struggle.

In relation to whether UDJ regards Ginbot 7 as a terrorist organization or not, he told The Reporter, "we don't have a mandate to do so therefore I don't want to say anything about it."

Moreover, the All Ethiopian Union Party (AEUP) and UDJ merger joint committee also condemns the arrest and said arresting political leaders would not stop the process of merging by citing that Habtamu Ayalew was the head of the merging committee that comprised 10 members from both parties.

Source: AllAfrica

Ethiopian Airlines seeking stop-over in Dublin

Ethiopian Airlines seeking stop-over in Dublin

• 
• 
• 

Addis Ababa, 14 July 2014 (WIC) - The Government has taken the first step towards a deal with Ethiopian Airlines that would allow the carrier to stop at Dublin airport to collect passengers while en route to Los Angeles.

Ethiopian’s chief executive Tewolde Gebremariam recently confirmed that the airline – Africa’s largest – is considering launching a service from Addis Ababa to Los Angeles that would use Dublin as a stopover and has already secured rights from the aviation regulator.

A spokesman for the Department of Transport confirmed at the weekend that its staff have “initialled” a bi-lateral agreement with the Ethiopian authorities as a first step to allowing the airline to fly into Dublin airport but the Minister has yet sign off on the deal.

He added that the airline had yet to apply for so-called “fifth-freedom rights” which would entitle it to collect passengers at the Irish airport and fly them on to Los Angeles. (irishtimes.com)

Customs agents prohibited from freight forwarding

Customs agents prohibited from freight forwarding

By Muluken Yewondwossen

Monday, 14 July 2014 06:07

View Comments The Maritime Affairs Authority (MAA), a maritime operation supervisory organization, has excluded customs clearing agents from being involved in forwarding operations with the goal of halting the traditional operation system, Capital learnt. The authority has ordered the customs clearing agents to engage only in services stipulated in a 2004 Customs Clearing Agents Regulation, sources said. According to experts, agents who have a license for customs clearing were also working in the freight forwarding business, which also has its own laws and procedures. Under the new rules that MAA disclosed this week, the customs clearing agents will not be able to work in the forwarding business. The country’s law stated that customs clearing agents are only allowed to work in customs issues inside the country and cannot be involved in international transportation activity. The Customs Clearing Agents regulation issued in 2004 stated that  ‘Customs Clearing Agent’ means a person authorized to deal with the customs, for and on behalf of another person, to carry out customs formalities related with the importation, exportation and in general with the movement and storage of such goods within the customs territory of Ethiopia. The regulation also indicated that ‘Customs Formalities’ means any customs operations carried out in connection with importation, exportation or transit of goods from the time of arrival at the customs port until released from the customs control. However there was a growing trend, until a week ago, for agents with a customs clearing license to get involved in the forwarding process from the port of Djibouti or other similar facilities to import their customer’s cargo. “The previous trend was very wrong and it is the right decision taken by the authority to exclude the stated type of agents from the forwarding business,” experts stated. It was unclear how the customs clearing agents were able to simultaneously get involved in the freight forwarding business. Because there are different criteria needed to transport cargo from international ports; for instance the agent must open a letter of credit  to settle the payments in the third country (Djibouti) and only freight forwarding agents are allowed to open a letter of credit “But customs clearing agents were carrying out this business previously,” an expert said. Individuals who are involved in the freight forwarding business that Capital interviewed said that it is the right decision taken by the authority, because their business was affected by the involvement of the customs clearing agents. Since the authority declared the new system the business community engaged in the customs clearance claims they have discontinued freight forwarding. MAA was established in 2007 in accordance to the proclamation No. 549/2007, but it began operating in November, 2008. The authority is accountable to the Ministry of Transport and is engaged in expanding the maritime sector with a modern system. Ethiopia, which is the most populated nation in world without a seaport, is mainly using the port facilities at Djibouti which is rapidly expanding the number of ports and services to meet the growing cargo of east African landlocked countries, Ethiopia and South Sudan. Capital’s efforts to get details about the issue from Mekonnen Abera the director general of the authority, on Friday July 11, were unsuccessful.

Ethiopia PM Hailemariam defends Andargachew Tsege arrest

Jump media player

Media player help

Out of media player. Press enter to return or tab to continue.

Ethiopian leader Hailemariam Desalegn: "If you have any connection with terrorists don't think that the Ethiopian government will let you [go] free"

Continue reading the main story

Related Stories

• Ethiopia profile
• Ethiopia death sentences for plot
• Jailed bloggers spark Ethiopia trend

Ethiopia had a moral obligation to arrest the opposition leader who was controversially extradited from Yemen last month, Ethiopian leader Hailemariam Desalegn has told the BBC.

"Andargachew Tsege is a Trojan horse for the Eritrean government to destabilise this country," he said.
He was sentenced to death in 2009 while in exile for plotting a coup.
Foreign governments could express their concern, but the man would be dealt with according to the law, the PM said.

Andargachew Tsege, a UK national, leads the banned Ginbot 7 movement

Andargachew, a UK national, is secretary-general of Ethiopia's banned Ginbot 7 movement.
The group says Andargachew was on his way from the United Arab Emirates to Eritrea when he was detained at Sanaa airport on 24 June.
Ethiopia and Eritrea are long-time rivals and the neighbours fought a bitter border war between 1998 -2000, which left some 100,000 people dead.
'Caught red-handed' Earlier this week, the British Foreign Office said it had raised its "deep concerns" with both Ethiopia and Yemen over Andargachew's extradition and had requested reassurances that the death penalty, imposed in absentia, would not be carried out.

Prime Minister Hailemariam rejected concerns about Andargachew's treatment.

Continue reading the main story

“Start Quote

If you have any connection with terrorists don't think that the Ethiopian government will let you [go] free”

Hailemariam Desalegn Ethiopia's prime minister

He said his trial and that of several other Ginbot 7 leaders in 2009 - who were charged with planning to assassinate government officials - was "fair".

"His stooges were there, who were sent to destabilise and bomb this country - they were captured red-handed with their bombs and their detonating elements," he told the BBC's Focus on Africa programme.
Asked if the death penalty would be carried out now that Andargachew was in custody, the prime minister replied: "I cannot say this now."
Mr Hailemariam said Ethiopia was a young democracy and opposition parties were allowed to operate, but terrorism would not be tolerated.
"If you ask me to tolerate in the name of democracy those who are engaging [in] destabilising the country and acting as a terrorist and using guns to change government, then you are wrong," he said.
The prime minister also denied that Ethiopia was heavy handed in applying anti-terror laws.
The country has faced criticism from donors for jailing its critics - and most recently some of the country's leading bloggers.
Mr Hailemariam, who became prime minister in September 2012 following the death of long-time leader Meles Zenawi, said no matter people's professions, those found to be linked to "terrorist groups" would be dealt with.
"If you have any connection with terrorists don't think that the Ethiopian government will let you [go] free," he said.
Ginbot 7 (15 May) was named after the date of the 2005 elections, which were marred by protests over alleged fraud that led to the deaths of about 200 people.

Ethiopia urged to protect opposition leader

By Associated Press July 7

KAMPALA, Uganda — Human Rights Watch says an exiled Ethiopian opposition leader who was recently deported from Yemen to Ethiopia is at risk of abuses including torture.

In a statement Monday, the rights group urged Ethiopia’s government to ensure the safety of Andargachew Tsige, the secretary-general of a banned Ethiopian opposition group called Ginbot 7.

Andargachew was convicted and sentenced to death in absentia in separate trials in Ethiopia in 2009 and 2012, but Human Rights Watch says he should be given a fair trial.

Yemeni authorities arrested him last month while he was in transit on a flight from Dubai to Eritrea and then deported him to Ethiopia.

Human Rights Watch said last year that Ethiopian authorities torture members of opposition groups and journalists detained in the capital, Addis Ababa.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: Washington Post