The 33 Parties condemn the actions of the gov’t on Ethiopian Muslims

ESAT News  August 15, 2013

The consortium of the 33 opposition parties in Ethiopia has condemned the actions of the Ethiopian government on Muslim protesters.  In their press release sent to ESAT, the parties have called Ethiopians to oppose the violent actions of the government they described as “an illegal and dictatorial act committed on citizens’ constitutional, human and democratic rights”.

Local and international media, members of the free press and social media do have a professional and national responsibility of saving people from the government’s destructive propaganda that are disseminated to create distrust and division between Muslims and Christians, the parties stated.

The parties called on the government to stop its dictatorial activities, cease using violence against peaceful Muslim protesters, to release members of the Muslim Arbitration Committee and other citizens that have been detained for asking religious freedom, and those responsible for the illegal activities to face justice.

They have also called human rights organizations and the international community to condemn the illegal actions of the government and the baseless propaganda campaign which labels the peaceful struggle as “terrorism”.

The parties said the government’s attempt to resolve the conflict through “plot and violence” could lead the country into an unnecessary road. This can only be averted, they affirmed, when people, undivided by religion, come together and oppose the government’s violent acts.

The parties’ statement came days after Prime Minister Hailemariam Dessalgn said the violent measures of the government against Muslim protesters were proper and would continue.  Hailemariam had also warned that his government will take measures against “political parties that are linked with the Muslim protesters”.

Similarly, the Unity for Democracy and Justice (UDJ) party’s newspaper, Finote Netsanet, said in a statement that the ruling EPRDF has began giving training to its senior members on “how to stop UDJ”. EPRDF has allocated huge sum of money for the training. Finote Netsanet also said that the government has sent a directive to all state media to start a propaganda campaign against UDJ accusing it of working with “terrorists that want to form a Sharia government in Ethiopia”.

As part of this plan, training has started in Kutaber Woreda of South Wello Zone for 200 members of the ruling party that drawn from each Kebele.

The ruling Front has also started training its members in Gonder under the theme of “Health Army”. It is to be recalled that ESAT had reported last year that one of the questions of the trainees was the “jamming of ESAT”.