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Activists deplore China’s role in Ethiopia
Washington DC. (AV)– A coalition of Ethiopian American civic and human
rights activists have condemned Chinese government’s destructive interference in Ethiopia. In a statement issued by a coalition of Ethiopian rights groups that are behind a planned protest rally at the Chinese embassy in Washington DC on Thursday, they criticised the complicity of China in enabling the rogue regime of Meles Zenawi to block websites, jam radio and TV broadcasts to Ethiopia.
“These technologies provided by the Chinese are being used against several independent radio stations including the Amharic services of the Voice of America and Deutsche Welle,” the statement said. The groups further noted that the latest victim of the rogue regime’s airwaves piracy was the newly launched and popular Ethiopian Satellite Television (ESAT.
“China is supporting a rogue regime in Ethiopia against the interests of the people of Ethiopia and Ethiopian-Americans. By providing military technology, radio and satellite television jamming technologies, the government of China has played a role in the suppression of liberty and basic human rights in Ethiopia,” the statement said.
The groups called on the Chinese government to immediately stop its support for the rogue regime that has been suppressing the basic liberties of the people of Ethiopia.
[Following is the full text of the statement ]
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Stop supporting state-sponsored terrorism in Ethiopia
On Thursday, the 5th of August, 2010, Ethiopian Americans residing in the greater Washington DC area will hold a protest demonstration at the Chinese Embassy located on 3505 International Place, NW Washington, DC, starting from 10:00 AM in the morning. China is supporting a rogue regime in Ethiopia against the interests of the people of Ethiopia and Ethiopian-Americans. By providing military technology, radio and satellite television jamming technologies, the government of China has played a role in the suppression of liberty and basic human rights in Ethiopia. These technologies provided by the Chinese are being used against several independent radio stations including the Amharic services of the Voice of America and Deutsche Welle. The latest victim of the rogue regime’s airwaves piracy is the newly launched and popular Ethiopian Satellite Television (ESAT).
China has also provided technology and technical experts to the ethnocentric dictatorship of Meles Zenawi so that it can engage in blocking websites that are critical of the regime’s policies and filtering e-mail messages of citizens. We understand that Chinese assistance to the tyrannical regime in Ethiopia also poses a threat to U.S. national security by destabilizing Ethiopia and entire Horn of Africa sub-region.
Instead of defending the Ethiopian people in their call for freedom and democracy, due to growing economic interest in Africa, China is colluding with totalitarian regimes that suppress their citizens’ rights and the quest for liberty and democracy in Africa. Instead of empowering Ethiopians in Ethiopia, China is engaged in an exploitative relationship in numerous of its projects throughout Ethiopia in a bid to quench its voracious appetite for strategic resources and cheaper labor in Africa. China is exploiting Ethiopia’s natural resources and hampering the Ethiopian people’s inalienable rights for liberty, justice, and democracy. Chinese firms have been engaged in bribing and corrupting Ethiopian officials.
By supporting the Meles Zenawi regime, China is banking on profiting from the triumph of tyranny over liberty and democracy for the people of Ethiopia, as it is doing in much of Africa.
China has a terrible human rights record at home and supports human rights violations abroad. It is time for China to stop supporting war criminals like Meles Zenawi, who has been suppressing basic liberties of the Ethiopian people. It is time for China to reassess its dealings with rogue regimes like that of Meles Zenawi of Ethiopia and other African dictators.
We, Ethiopians and Ethiopians Americans, demand that the Chinese government immediately
1. Cease its support for Meles Zenawi’s ethnocentric regime;
2. Cease arming and supplying Meles Zenawi’s minority ethnic dominated military;
3. Cease its support for tyranny in Ethiopia/Africa
4. Cease its support to Meles Zenawi’s regime in jamming the Voice of America,
Deutsche Welle, and Ethiopian Satellite Television (ESAT);
5. Respect the human rights of the Ethiopian people, Ethiopian workers employed in Chinese owned projects in accordance with accordance labor and environmental standards as well as the Universal Declaration of Human rights.
6. Stop bribing and corrupting Ethiopian officials to get no bid
contracts from the government and dumping their low quality and often dangerous products.
A Coalition of Ethiopian American and Ethiopian Political and Civic Organizations and media groups.
Contact e-mail and Website: www.March4Freedom.org
Tel: 703-896-6166 202-386-3037
We have had relationships with the West and the US for more than a century. The progress our country has achieved during a decade with the cooperation with China is tremendouse. China has lent trillions of dollars to the US to overcome it´s financial cricise!!!! The "undemocratic" China has supported the "democratic" US. You guys are Ethioamericans.
What I do not understand about those who support the regime in Ethiopia and want us to believe that they love what is going on there, is that why don't they go live in Ethiopia? The proof of the pudding is in the eating! So, please go back and show us the way — let us see how much you like it…. Hypocrites!
Solomon,
I am sure you don't live in Ethiopia. You would not have been able to read and comment on this website, because this and the likes of these websites are blocked with the help of China. Most of the roads and buildings you see in Africa were built by European colonialists, does that mean they should have been left alone because they built roads and buildings? Were the brave Africans who fought fascists who built roads and buildings off of their lands lunatics?
if weyane reformed and promote ethiopias interest what is the problem. what most ethiopians want to see is the end result and the future not the past. if you talk about the past eprp did a lot of bad things against ethiopia when they were rebels. tamagn himself was singing while holding mengistus hands which is socked with blood of my brother and friends. there are many things i accuse this government of and they definitely have to change but i dont get angry when they change and take steps in the right direction like they are doing with nile and other issuess that includes taking loan from china to build the multibillion dollar project, as many do.
the slogan should be "good but we need more". remember democracy and good governance need a solid economic development to stand on.
…
Hailu,
What do you think China is doing in Africa? read and comeback with an educated answer, because the answer is everywhere. I was not calling TPLF a colonizer, because they are Ethiopians who have obsession with power and money, for that they have done, are doing and will do everything to keep themselves in power. The foreign colonialists did the same thing, a dictator is a dictator, foreign or home grown, no respect for human lives what so ever. We see buildings and roads built in Ethiopia today by China, just like Italy built roads and buildings. All major roads and landmark buildings in Ethiopia and Eritrea is built by Italy. This is a fact.
nuna
according to you ethiopia have been colonized all its life. if that is the case how did haileselassie or menelik who are considered as a leading amara colonizers by 40% of ethiopians managed to rule and remain revered by the likes of me and you. and how do you feel about the developments these leaders achieved for ethiopia now they were colonizers. they say those who live in a glass house should not throw rocks. the current rulers are no less or more colonizers than their predecessors.
by the way this kind of hateful and racist comment is one of the reasons i say those who condemn this government are way worse and dangerous than them!
I agree with Nuna
When I was having a baby I said if it is a girl I was going to call her Nunu no wonder why that name
came to me I love what you are saying Nuna even thought Nuna is a bit diffirent than Nunu.
How your own country matters. We get shitted on just being out side of our country some time.
I believe USA and UK do more harm than the Chinese government in destroying the country. They have been supporting Meles’s government in all aspects for the past 20 years. These two countries are essentially propping up and running a puppet government that is working day in and out to annihilate the country and its people. Though the Chinese government is also doing its part we should see the gravity of the interference in perspective. USA and UK are playing a huge role in precipitating the current political mess in Ethiopia today. We seem to ignore them nowadays perhaps fooled by the crocodile tears they shed in the name of democracy and human rights. We should wake up and see all our enemies