20100330

AfricaNews

The Office for Ethiopian Government Communication Affairs (OEGCA) has criticized the recent Human Rights Watch's (HRW) report.

The statement, which labelled HRW as ‘mercenaries of neo-liberal extremist forces’, said that Ethiopia cannot be deterred from pursuing democratic and development path by series of pressures of organizations such as HRW.

OEGCA stated that any attempt intended to rock the nation whenever there is an election and any attempt being made to manipulate the country by mercenaries of neo liberal extremist forces would be futile.

The statement said the government has tried to create an opportunity to the people of the Human Rights Watch to discuss ways of working together for constructive objectives while they were in Addis a few months ago.

Instead of using the opportunity for constructive purpose, the leaders of Human Rights Watch have launched new anti-Ethiopia campaign, the statement said.

In its report released March 24, 2010 Human Rights Watch said that the Ethiopian government is waging a coordinated and sustained attack on political opponents, journalists, and rights activists ahead of the May 23, 2010 elections.

Punishment

The 59-page report, "‘One Hundred Ways of Putting Pressure': Violations of Freedom of Expression and Association in Ethiopia," documents the myriad ways in which the ruling Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) has systematically punished opposition supporters.

Responding to these allegations, the OEGCA said that the government had carried out an investigation concerning the allegation reported by Human Rights Watch saying a massacre of people took place in Ogaden two years ago.

According tonewbusinessethiopia.com the investigation had found that the people who were alleged to have been massacred were alive while the villages which were alleged to have been burnt were not actually burnt. The investigation had also found that those ‘chat’ plantations which were alleged to have been destroyed were also found untouched.

The statement further said the government had made official the results of its investigation in case Human Rights Watch and the likes would refrain from their anti-Ethiopia campaign.

However, the statement said, Human Rights Watch had issued a report under a topic "One Hundred Ways of Putting Pressure: Violations of Freedom of Expression and Association in Ethiopia", which it says shows how the organization is bent on interfering in the internal affairs of Ethiopia.

It further said the fact that the attempt being made by the Human Rights Watch and the likes, whose opportunity of manipulating Ethiopia had been closed following the promulgation of the new Civil Societies and Charities Law, to order federal and regional governments shows that they never refrain from tarnishing the image of Ethiopia.

If the leaders of Human Rights Watch and the likes are truly concerned to issues of human rights, they should have seen the positive sides such as the election code of conduct governing political parties that was adopted following democratic negotiations, and establishment of joint political parties’ council, the statement said.

It also said they should have also appreciated the measure taken to drop the charges of 181 persons in relation with the 2005 post election period violence.

“These parties have also forgotten that the Ethiopian government had pardoned opposition political leaders who were convicted of instigating violence during the 2005 elections and the media access in which opposition political parties had been enjoying at the period, which was made possible by the government,” OEGCA said.