The US Based “Human Rights Watch” Should be

Vehemently Condemned

Adal Isaw

May 24, 2010

The US based “Human Rights Watch” is describing the very peaceful and flawless Ethiopian democratic election of May 23, 2010, the result of “months of repression,” in which the incumbent governing Front, EPRDF, “pressured, intimidated and threatened Ethiopian voters.” This group doesn’t know how to mince its words even after watching 32 million peaceful Ethiopians, forming a queue hours before the polling stations are opened—to vote for what they observe, understand and rationalize intelligently. A group, the existence of which is presumably to observe the integrity of human rights is now engaged in undermining the decorum, intelligence, resoluteness of Ethiopians to democratically vote for their liking.

This US based “human Rights Watch” is blind from a politically-induced wound to its “watching eyes.” It sees the confidence, civility, and alacrity of 32 million Ethiopian voters as a reflection of cowardice, produced with few “months of repression.” Its brazen insult of Ethiopians as malleable human spirits, degradable by the will and action of few of its own governing children is something with roots—a root that historically holds a stereotype about Africans not conducting themselves civilly. I presume, the US based “Human Wrights Watch” was mesmerized out of its mind, after seeing 32 million Ethiopians conducting themselves in ways the West doubts that Africans can.

This US based “Human Rights Watch” is nothing more than the echo of a political world-view of the extreme element, which is now almost cleared to the dustbin of history by Ethiopian voters. No wonder this group only sees the expression of “a repressed behavior” but not the passion that brought out the 32 million civil and decorous Ethiopian voters. By so seeing, it proves to us Ethiopians that this group is likely the politically-cloned half brother of ICG that augured the demise of Ethiopia in a political firestorm.

It is to be remembered that on September 4, 2009, ICG (International Crisis Group) had a press release, in which the first paragraph of its Executive Summary reads as follows: “The Ethiopian Peoples’ Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF), led by its chairman and prime minister, Meles Zenawi, has radically reformed Ethiopia’s political system. The regime transformed the hitherto centralized state into the Federal Democratic Republic and also redefined citizenship, politics and identity on ethnic grounds. The intent was to create a more prosperous, just and representative state for its entire people. Yet, despite continued economic growth and promised democratization, there is growing discontent with the EPRDF’s ethnically defined state and rigid grip on power and fears of continued inter-ethnic conflict. The international community should take Ethiopia’s governance problems much more seriously and adopt a more principled position towards the government. Without genuine multi-party democracy, the tensions and pressures in Ethiopia’s polities will only grow, greatly increasing the possibility of a violent eruption that would destabilize the country and region.”

It was hard then to imagine how a think tank group spells the same words of a political opposition view verbatim and calls it a field-based study that the international community should “…adopt a more principled position towards the [Ethiopian] government…” The very fact that this said study repeated the political complaints of the opposition’s view wholly made it unbelievable then and it stands as such for ever.

Today and right after a very peaceful and flawless Ethiopian democratic election, we Ethiopians are being forced to observe history repeating itself. Instead of ICG, this time, the US based “Human Rights Watch” is aggressively engaged in miring, defaming and undermining a world class Ethiopian democratic election as the product of “months of repression.” It is a must that we Ethiopians vehemently condemn this US based “Human Rights Watch,” for irresponsibly mischaracterizing the commendable collective effort of the Ethiopian people. This group, much like ICG, is blubbering for the wrong reason vying for the interest of those with a known and documented political complaints. This US based group is aggressively pursuing the same political complaints of the opposing political groups verbatim, and its political wish is perfectly in line with what the opposing groups are hoping to bring forth.

The aggressive political advocacy of this US based group is nothing more than part of a coordinated political assault, to pressure what is otherwise a sovereign government, to change its political and economic policy to date. Self-interested business groups, governments who would like to create ambient business environment for their multinational corporations as well as some of the opposition groups in Ethiopia, are vying for a fundamental change contrary to what Ethiopia is arduously working for. What is clearly hindering this opposing political endeavor from taking hold in Ethiopia is EPRDF powered by the majority of the Ethiopian people. And it is understandable then why groups such as ICG and this US based “Human Rights Watch” are engaged in arm-twisting and undermining the legitimacy of EPRDF and the will of the Ethiopian people. They simply want their economic and political ways to prevail in Ethiopia and nothing less. This reckless, irresponsible, and lawless aggressive political pandering should therefore be stopped. And, we Ethiopians should start by vehemently condemning this US based “Human Rights Watch,” for irresponsibly mischaracterizing the peaceful and flawless Ethiopian democratic election of May 23, 2010.

Beloved Ethiopia will inevitably prevail!!!