Statement
Stop Harassments and Intimidations!
17 April, 2009 | Arena Tigray for Democracy and Sovereignty
It has been a daily invocation of the EPRDF that the upcoming election
would be “free, fair and democratic”. It sometimes says it will also be
peaceful. However the practices on the ground are quite the contrary.
The ruling party has intensified its harassments and intimidations on the
genuine opposition parties throughout the country. Several opposition
parties had been airing their concern on the gross abuse of human and
political rights perpetrated on their members; though the ruling party
dismissed their claims as baseless and mere fabrications. The prime
minister himself, in his recent interview, has reiterated that the
accusations of the opposition are baseless. Our party Arena Tigray for
Democracy and Sovereignty (Arena) had been silent in exposing the
harassments and intimidations perpetrated on our rank and file party
members and the leadership hoping that there would be improvements
on the side of the ruling party. As the situation is deteriorating day in
day out we have been forced to make the harassments and intimidations
public on case by case basis.
It was exciting news for the public that Arena had opened offices in
two important centers of Tigray i.e. Shire Endassellasie and Tembien
Abi Adi. These areas are known for their strong resistance against the
rule of the Derg. Shire is, in the meantime, the birth place of the TPLF.
These areas are known not only for their strong resistance against the
Derg but also against the unjust rule of the TPLF.
Tembien are continuing to show their grievances and resistances
against the misrule of the TPLF. Shire has also been the center of
resistance to the misrule of the TPLF. The desire by the ruling party to
cede Badme and its environs to Shabea was strongly resisted by the
people of Shire and hence the plan of handing over the sovereign
territory was frustrated. The public in general and the youth in
particular have been resisting the unjust rule of the TPLF and had
expressed their dismay in public meetings blatantly. Since then these
areas have been labeled as potential hotbeds of the opposition by the
TPLF. They had been identified with the opposition even before the
formation of Arena; and as such the ruling party was suspicious of
them.
The worst features of the ruling party are being revealed after the
formation and opening of the offices of Arena in these vicinities. In a
very short moment harassments and intimidations have become
rampant. These cases have been strongly evident in particular in our
office in Shire. The following are the harassments and intimidations
perpetrated on our party in Shire.
Those are some of the harassments and intimidations perpetrated on
our party in Shire Endassellasie. Similar smear campaigns and
harassments against us are undertaken in other parts of Tigray, too. An
intimidated land lord in Mekele who has rented his building for our
office has asked us to move out for fear of pressure from the ruling
party and three land lords in Abi Adi had broken their contracts of
renting buildings after they had been told to do so by the local cadres.
The stories are endless.
Despite the rhetoric of the ruling party that there is enough political
space for free and fair elections in the upcoming elections things are
deteriorating on the ground. Panicked ruling party and its cadres are
resolved to stay in power for the next generation by denying free and
fair elections that are stipulated in the constitution and are the standards
of any democratic system. Bedsides, they seem resolved to grossly
deny the fundamental human and democratic rights of citizens. Time
shall tell how the process is going to wind up.
Stop Harassments and Intimidations!
17 April, 2009 | Arena Tigray for Democracy and Sovereignty
It has been a daily invocation of the EPRDF that the upcoming election
would be “free, fair and democratic”. It sometimes says it will also be
peaceful. However the practices on the ground are quite the contrary.
The ruling party has intensified its harassments and intimidations on the
genuine opposition parties throughout the country. Several opposition
parties had been airing their concern on the gross abuse of human and
political rights perpetrated on their members; though the ruling party
dismissed their claims as baseless and mere fabrications. The prime
minister himself, in his recent interview, has reiterated that the
accusations of the opposition are baseless. Our party Arena Tigray for
Democracy and Sovereignty (Arena) had been silent in exposing the
harassments and intimidations perpetrated on our rank and file party
members and the leadership hoping that there would be improvements
on the side of the ruling party. As the situation is deteriorating day in
day out we have been forced to make the harassments and intimidations
public on case by case basis.
It was exciting news for the public that Arena had opened offices in
two important centers of Tigray i.e. Shire Endassellasie and Tembien
Abi Adi. These areas are known for their strong resistance against the
rule of the Derg. Shire is, in the meantime, the birth place of the TPLF.
These areas are known not only for their strong resistance against the
Derg but also against the unjust rule of the TPLF.
It was a recent history that
the people of Abi Adi
defiantly demonstrated
against the TPLF’s rule
demanding several economic
and political rights. Their
strong resistance ended with
the disbandment of the local
council and several
harassments on the
inhabitants.
Tembien are continuing to show their grievances and resistances
against the misrule of the TPLF. Shire has also been the center of
resistance to the misrule of the TPLF. The desire by the ruling party to
cede Badme and its environs to Shabea was strongly resisted by the
people of Shire and hence the plan of handing over the sovereign
territory was frustrated. The public in general and the youth in
particular have been resisting the unjust rule of the TPLF and had
expressed their dismay in public meetings blatantly. Since then these
areas have been labeled as potential hotbeds of the opposition by the
TPLF. They had been identified with the opposition even before the
formation of Arena; and as such the ruling party was suspicious of
them.
The worst features of the ruling party are being revealed after the
formation and opening of the offices of Arena in these vicinities. In a
very short moment harassments and intimidations have become
rampant. These cases have been strongly evident in particular in our
office in Shire. The following are the harassments and intimidations
perpetrated on our party in Shire.
- 1. Right after the opening of the Arena office in Shire Enda
Sellassie a meeting of the civil servants was conducted by the
TPLF cadres and they were incited to oppose our party. They
were told that a Tigrigna speaking anti-Tigerean Kinijit have
opened an office in the cradle of the TPLF and it was shame on
them. We take this as a recipe for incitement to harass our
members and to attack our office there. Despite TPLF’s
agitations some civil servants strongly opposed the view and
outspokenly told them it was the constitutional right of every
political party to organize and mobilize the public. They also
rightfully told them that it is up to the public to judge whether a
certain party is anti-Tigrean or not. The plan of the TPLF to
incite the civil servants was foiled right at the meeting; but later
those who spoke their minds were labeled agents of Arena..
They are now telling us in secret that they are being harassed
and intimidated.
2 Last week the lock of our office was broken and there
was an attempt to break into our office. In the meantime our
posters were damaged. It is incumbent upon the government to
protect the security of our office and our members but we are
witnessing the contrary.
3 The land lord who rented his house to Arena’s office is
being pressurized to breach his contract. And we have been
informed that it has become very difficult for him to resist the
pressure and have to breach his contract though we had agreed
to rent it for a longer period.
4 The head of the office, who is working voluntarily, has
been lured several times that if he were to quit his service he
will be rewarded employment with a fat salary. His parents and
relatives have also been harassed and were ordered to put
pressure on him to quit his service.
5 Successive meetings of the public and civil servants
conducted by the cadres are underway in the town. The themes
of the meetings are quite offensive and unconstitutional. They
try to blackmail individual members of Arena and the party as
whole as anti-peace, anti-development and anti-Tigrean.
Those are some of the harassments and intimidations perpetrated on
our party in Shire Endassellasie. Similar smear campaigns and
harassments against us are undertaken in other parts of Tigray, too. An
intimidated land lord in Mekele who has rented his building for our
office has asked us to move out for fear of pressure from the ruling
party and three land lords in Abi Adi had broken their contracts of
renting buildings after they had been told to do so by the local cadres.
The stories are endless.
Despite the rhetoric of the ruling party that there is enough political
space for free and fair elections in the upcoming elections things are
deteriorating on the ground. Panicked ruling party and its cadres are
resolved to stay in power for the next generation by denying free and
fair elections that are stipulated in the constitution and are the standards
of any democratic system. Bedsides, they seem resolved to grossly
deny the fundamental human and democratic rights of citizens. Time
shall tell how the process is going to wind up.
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