Ethiopian Christian and Muslim Council in Washington DC

Washington DC, July 25, 2012
Ethiopian Christian and Muslim Council in Washington DC
Press Release
The Ethiopian government is continue to grossly violate fundamental rights of its citizen disregarding its own constitution that unequivocally guarantees these clearly stated citizens’ rights on the constitution. Freedom of Religion, Freedom of speech, freedom of expression and freedom of assembly are basic human rights and are enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It is not for a government whose function is to serve the people to decide for whom freedoms should be allowed and to deprive those who don’t support them their rights of choosing their social and political system of their own free will.

Since 1991 the TPLF regime came to power have been committed enormous crimes against its own citizen some of the very recent aggressions are: On Friday July 13, 2012 the kangaroo court sentenced the deputy leader of the Unity for Democracy and Justice opposition party Andualem Arage , Eskinder Nega prominent blogger, and others to prison terms ranging from eight years to life behind bars for conspiring with rebels to topple the government in jail on vague and politically motivated terrorism charges. The same day, at night by raiding the Awolia and other Mosques arrested hundreds of Muslims, many are believed to have been assaulted and beaten by security forces, and at least four people have been reportedly killed during police crackdown. On Sunday July 15, 2012 although the organizer confirmed the peacefulness of the Muslims and appealed to the police to abstain from any provocation, the police prevented many Ethiopian Muslim who travelled to celebrate Sadaqah (Charity) in Grand Anwar Mosque, and some of them were randomly pulled from public transportation, harassed, intimidated, and thrown to jail. On Thursday July 19, 2012, the Ethiopian government arrested 17 members of a committee from Awaliya Mosque in Addis Ababa and others. Bereket Simon, Communications Minister, said that “Those arrested are people who instigated the violence. They were trying to undermine the constitution under the guise of religion.”
Ethiopian Christian and Muslim Council condemn the kangaroo court sentencing of Andualem Arage, Eskinder Nega, and others to prison terms ranging from eight years to life behind bars for conspiring with rebels to topple the government in jail on vague and politically motivated terrorism charges, and the arrest of 17 Muslim leaders and members of committee from Awali and others by the government on vague politically motivated charge by accusing them instigating violence to undermine the constitution under the guise of religion.

Ethiopian Christian and Muslim Council believe that the current harassment, intimidation, and prison of the Muslim leaders is demonstrating the pursuit of the current regime to intimidate and arrest activists of the movement to prevent its popular implantation, especially when the current process of struggle is continuing for more than eight months, showed the governors that it’s not a passing wave and struggle will stop only when the Ethiopian people constitution rights is respected. Although the depth of the scars left in the collective memory of the Ethiopian people psyche by the current government is very difficult to imagine, the government action to the leaders will not intimidate the people neither it prevented them from continue their struggle to fight for their constitutional rights.
Ethiopian Christian and Muslim Council call for all Ethiopian to hold hand each other to fight to raise in united by narrowing our differences and join hands in hand with united voice to fight for our constitutional rights and to promote human rights, justice, and democracy in our country.
Ethiopian Christian and Muslim Council supported by March4Freedom, and Nejashi Justice Council. March 4 Freedom supports the struggle for democracy and social justice in Ethiopia, and bring the world attention to the gross human rights abuses, tyranny and oppression of Ethiopians under the current brutal government. Nejashi Justice Council is a not-for-profit, independent organization with a mission to promote justice and equality, and raise awareness about human right abuse in Ethiopia.
http://ecadforum.com/blog/ethiopian-christian-and-muslim-council-in-washington-dc/