In December 2006, Shimeles Capitone, 50, went to Germany for a business trip where an Ethiopian family hosted him. When he returned back, the family asked him to deliver 300 Euros to their relative in Addis. Shimeles courteously agreed, never knowing that it would be a pretext for the government to put him in one of the most degrading jails in the world.
Two days before Christmas, Shimeles was on his way to deliver the money to the recipient when he was pulled over and arrested by federal policemen. Alongside him in the car was his mechanic. Shimeles had planned to get his car fixed after delivering the money. The police officers told both men that they were in custody and searched the car where they found CDs of religious songs. Shimeles who works at the Lufthansa is, according to his colleagues, a devoted protestant.
His family had looked for him for days and presumed he might have died. He suffers from serious diabetes. It was only after a friend spotted the car parked outside of Mae'kelawi that they thought he might be alive. The federal police later confirmed that they had him in custody with the mechanic. The mechanic was released two weeks after the arrest.
Subsequent searches of Shimele's house by the police turned no incriminating evidence. Therefore, when they brought him before the ad hoc remand court near the Mexico Square, police accused him of transferring money from Europe to a clandestine cell in Ethiopia. The 300 Euros was presented as proof. Court attendants said that his bulged eye and fractured nose were visible signs that he was abused. This blogger's sources at Mae'kelawi alleged that he was tortured.
Shimeles is part of the group of people who have been accused of attempting to instigate unlawful armed struggle and dissension in the country. Most of them have been tortured. Fasika Tafa is one of them. He was arrested on the same day as Shimeles while he was dropping his daughter at the Gibson Academy. Police presented as evidence the 160,000 birr that was transferred via the Hibret bank in his name. They claimed the money was transferred to him for clandestine activities. At the time of the arrest, he didn't receive the money. His name was found on the money transfer list of the bank, the ad hoc remand court was told by Police. Fasika, however, insisted that he had been receiving money from his family abroad for business purposes for many years and this wasn't an exception.
Friday, February 09, 2007
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- SOS: Cry of help from brothers in torture chamber
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- The Economist's sword on Meles
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14 comments:
Thanks for the update EZ!
Looks like Woyanie is grabbing at a straw. It also possible that the performance evaluation of the Federal Police is somehow tied to the number of arrests and brutalization each one logs. The brutal unscrupulous the member, the more the pay raise and advancement in the hierarchy.
I wish there was a way of listing the names of the most brutal federal and secret service abusers for judgment day. As I live and breath JUDGEMENT day will happen sooner or later.
To Woyanes and their supporters:
The cry of the woman's blood whom you killed in front of her children while dragging her husband to your torture chamber,the suffering of the imprisoned pregnant woman whom you incarcerated with her unborn child,the pain and suffering of those of God's children whom you are torturing day and night at your torture chambers "meakelawi and etc" and so many of yours untold crimes have been reached in the heaven from where the one and only almighty God is looking at you.
Repent!!! Now!!! At this moment!!!
thank you zagols
Where is Justice???
i guess the case like this:-
the type of business fasika running may be the same with one of woyane cadre buisness.
poor fasika!?
how dare you are?Dont you know this is a crime againest nation excersise of law?
&
Shimelis ,working in Lufthansa which is an international company ;so the client handling procedure may not allow him to make a favor to the woyanes buisness.once or twice he grappled.
aha
so?so this is treason dissention excersice of ... or genocide whatever mentioned in the criminal code can fit to him As long as lumps of kemals are paid to interprate law.
so wode maekelawi!
By the way anyone who has been around cargo terminals for an hour will notice how these cadres work unlawfully.
Dont ask me about Customs procedures.
Believe it or not ;every woyane cadre has been vested with the power to jail anyone to maekelawi who dare to grapple on their greedy track .
ohuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu.
oh God You see all these.where are You?
A day in cargo terminal
It is not but two monthes ago, i went to cargo terminal to check the arrival of a shipped good.for a little debate that worth not to mention here,i was jailed on the guards cabin at the gate of the cargo terminals for two hours.
Ofcourse as a client i and the jailer are the same for the airlines.
these mafias...
What in heaven is happening in Ethiopia. These people must have lost thier mind. And they will eventually pay for it.
Wow EZ You are realy the true source of true news I know the above story for fact and I have nothing to add. Keep it up. They have no where to hide.
Andenet from Arbaminch.
I am against all the illegal imprisonments. But it just seems that Ethio-Zagol wants to paint Ethiopia as some Militaristic society where you can't even walk around without getting arrested. I AM JUST PUZZLED AS TO WHY I DO NOT HEAR ANY COMPLAINTS FROM 99% OF ETHIOPIANS WHO GO HOME AND RETURN TO THE U.S. LET US BE FRANK. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME A FRIEND OF YOURS WENT TO ETHIOPIA AND HAD A PROBLEM WITH THE LAW. I KNOW OF NO ONE. NOT ONE. IN FACT, MOST SAY GO AND VISIT, IT IS WONDERFUL. IT JUST CONTRADICTS WHAT SHE IS WRITING ABOUT THE ATMOSHPERE IN ETHIOPIA.
To the anonymous above-
You don't hear complaints from 99% of Ethiopians because:
1. They don't have access to the Internet
2. If and when they do complain they are arrested, tortured and brutalized so that no one hears them
3. The treatment of individuals visiting Ethiopia for a couple of weeks by the authorities is not the best yardstick to measure the freedom of our people, and if you think it is, then I say to you it is very self serving
4. You are not listening or if you are, perhaps you are tuned to the wrong channel
How can people who visit Ethiopia for fun tell about the very bad human rights situation in that country? Most people go there and spend all the nights in Bole and Kazanchis night clubs, and spend the day sleeping. For God's sake how come they know bout whats going on in the country?
Again, With all due respect, most people go to Ethiopia for 3 months at a time. They go everywhere and observe all events. If you are telling me that the government does not target them cause they are just party folks, that I can buy. But to extend it to not knowing what is going on is rather self serving. I am not even refuting that bad things happen. They do. What I am refuting is the extreme nature of her description. It is an Ethiopian thing I think. When u dislike something you gotta go all the way and forget about conveying a more balanced approach. She paints a picture of Adids as if it is a nazi state. And yet, well u know the rest.
Go to hell!!!!
There is serious human rights violation in Ethiopia today. The only abuse we hear are abuses that are reported and thet people did not die of, the other serious abuses we DO NOT hear where the people die and no body tells their stories are huge in number.
It is unfortunate that there are people questioning the truth of the abuses in the comfort their house living in a democratic nation. TPLF under the name 'eprdf' is killing our people daily. In a week at least 5-Real-Patriotic Ethiopians die with bullets fired from the guns of TPLF. When they get busted they say they killed an agitator and distabilizer, but the truth of the matter is that the people getting killed are normal people that are hard working Real-Patriotic Ethiopians. They demanded freedom and democratic principles to be upheld in Ethiopia, instead of listening to their call to better the democratci processes, they are killed by TPLF ethnic hegemony groups occupying our country.
They have the nerve to say they believe in Democracy and the donor countries continue to believe the lie. Even the donors countries fail to see the real meaning of Democracy. We have been killed by paranoid minority regime who is an enemy of the people. If all Ethiopians converge their force together, it would only take us few hours to remove this money sucking sons of whores in no time.
TPLF and their supporters are very small minority in number, all we have to do is get some guns from themselves and use it against them. I tell you, the fact is they are there, they are killing our kids. Its time to let them feel their own medicine. Let them cry for their kids like we have been crying for our kids.
Guilty as charged. I am in the comfort of my home in one of the most stable western nations on the planet. Guilty as charged. Am I to assume that you are on top of a tree with your laptop and an Ak-47 on one hand. Shooting at those "Weyane" kids that you are salivating to murder. You are a true-real-Patriotic Ethiopian! Your words. As you indicated, 5 real-patriotic Ethiopian die everyday. How many none-real unpatriotic Ethiopians die everyday? Let me tell you. THOUSANDS OF UNPATRIOTIC ETHIOPIANS DIE EVERYDAY. OF STARVATION, DISEASE)(AIDS), CHILD ABUSE, ESPECIALLY FEMALE CHILD ABUSE, HOW ABOUT WOMEN BEING RAPED BY UNCIVILIZED MEN, HOW ABOUT THOSE WHO DIE AFTER THEY GIVE BIRTH, DUE TO POVERTY. The real tragedy my real-patriotic Ethiopian is, well, "PATRIOTIC"-ETHIOPIANS LIKE YOURSELF.
^^^
|||
THIS IS FOR YOU LEBA WOYANE ABOVE, YOU TRY TO MAKE IT LOOK THAT EVERYONE IN ETHIOPIA IS HAPPY AND UNAFFECTED, AND ALL THE HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSE WE JHEAR ARE NOTHING BUT STORIES FABRICATED. WELL READ REAL-ETHIOPIAN TELLING THEIR STORY YOU TPLF PIG!
-----------------------------------------------
thank you zagols
Where is Justice???
i guess the case like this:-
the type of business fasika running may be the same with one of woyane cadre buisness.
poor fasika!?
how dare you are?Dont you know this is a crime againest nation excersise of law?
&
Shimelis ,working in Lufthansa which is an international company ;so the client handling procedure may not allow him to make a favor to the woyanes buisness.once or twice he grappled.
aha
so?so this is treason dissention excersice of ... or genocide whatever mentioned in the criminal code can fit to him As long as lumps of kemals are paid to interprate law.
so wode maekelawi!
By the way anyone who has been around cargo terminals for an hour will notice how these cadres work unlawfully.
Dont ask me about Customs procedures.
Believe it or not ;every woyane cadre has been vested with the power to jail anyone to maekelawi who dare to grapple on their greedy track .
ohuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu.
oh God You see all these.where are You?
A day in cargo terminal
It is not but two monthes ago, i went to cargo terminal to check the arrival of a shipped good.for a little debate that worth not to mention here,i was jailed on the guards cabin at the gate of the cargo terminals for two hours.
Ofcourse as a client i and the jailer are the same for the airlines.
these mafias...
This is a continuation of the past.In that first one I shared my view of the importance of knowing our enemy and the need to work together with Tigrian of Ethiopian origion.
It is long over due that all of us be awakend from the state of stupor we are in and collectively respond to the most flagrant human right offender regime, that has increasingly becom a menace for our very survival.Time is ticking away;the hand of Melese had been streached long.He had snached our people and there is no end to his bully.If the situation is bad in the day light of Addis ;how grime would it be in the twilight of the far off places.Those of us who are here this is what I belive we need to be busy doing.Leave the notion that the U.S ,under the present circumstances,will be peace broker between the people and the government.The U.S government is too busy implimenting the new American century blue print funneld to it by the globalist elite and it's pariah the councile of foreign relations.That is why the world is rampant with regimes that grossly violate the rights of their citizins.While it is posible,in many cases ,for this nations to have been signatory of the Geneva convention,often,they go unchecked.In some cases they are even invited to join the most favord nation status- trade prtenership with U.S.Coming to our own concern,well mening of our own people ,for over a year and half now have been taking the street and the White House lawn hoping to see peacefull solution to our problem.Personally ,under the present condition,I see no hope on the horizone.It is far better we prostrate our selves,for the cause of our people,before the HEAVENLY KING than to do the same to the creaturs of our own equal only to find that they share not our pain,and at the end of the day we go haome dis appointed and hurt because our expectation have not been met.Has not been this our common experience? For to long we have been patiently waiting for peace to have its chance,and sincerly hoped only negotiatons will bee solution.In this sense we must continue to hope and see the out come of this upcoming trial.It is every ones hope their release and only their freedom will relieve our uncertainity and anxiety and heal our wounds because many people believe there is room to peacefully work out the problem.Having said this,depending which way the dice may fall,we need to be prepared for the alternative.Thus far,the five top guards ,who sway absolute power,have showen no clue of a rational appproach to the problem they have orginated to begin with.The longer we sit by and watch ,as far off spectators,and continue to believe that some how down the road there will be a change of mind inside the secret circle of these men (a setteld attitude in the disperssion,well knowen and positively read by this men)we might as well accept their free reign to have its course un abated.This smply put is sucidal.So, after this upcoming event what will be our excuse unless we are content to use patience as a front.Some concered citizens in the past,through their writings have shad some light about what is now commonly referred "the great contro vercy"that took shape inside E.P.L.F-T.P.L.F prior to their seizure of power.If this was not alarming enough,one still wonders whether there is not a controversy this time surrounding the current attitude.It appears that when someone make mention of standingup there will be a barrage of counter areguments concerning this ,no doubt often from the enemy coump . .The one thing we need to know is this :our people can not continue to be held hostages in their own neck of the wood. We have to open our eyes to see this.When our patient runs out we must stand as fortified walls and say thus far and no more.This was the case with our for-fathers why would it be different now?Specially,when we know the path we followed this far produced no meaning full result.Only when we put aside our settled indifference and assume a posture of active resistance we will see marked reasults both in attitude and and in the score board.We have to tread through this path to see tangible outcome.Then when we start to move this direction there will be the obvious:some obstacles to overcome ahead,some loss there,and a moment of victory here.We must not shred by the mere mention of this things that are necessarilly associated with the nature of resistance.Before long we will discover that the rulling faction is but an isolated and dispised entity that is rived with anxiety because it senses that a dark clod is gathering over its head.As a reasult,its preoccuption lately has been no less than shuffeling and restructuring of its personnel,its public relations all time low and the economic disparity wersening by the day it simply has no answer for the existing poletical and social problems.Undoubtedly,we will be flanked by the people. Down this road we will eventually acheive meaning full gains:a bargaining chip in our court,we have to do this no one will do it for us.Then and only then we can ,reasonably, expect the U.S to let go its tie with this regime and cut a deal to negotiate directly with the people.Other factors that may contribute to the resistance.First, some people raise question about E.P.P.F's attachment with that malignant state.This is a ligitmate in house concern that deserves closed door session of mending.One hopes through this process common sense will prevail and the matter be resolved in favor of self reliance.It is important we move this direction so that all wil be in the same page for it to enjoy full suport.If some are alarmed that the prospect of severing ties will lead to endangerment,take heart!The much needed material and other support can easily be secured from that other state most Ethiopians are familiar with. Second,we may persuade A.F.D to take center stage.Here,I want to point out this .This organization need to be broad enough to embrace the many existing groups.Forinstance,Tigrians who have been instrumental in exposing the present regiem and those who have showen inclination to build Ethiopia in the lines of its founders need to be included.We can push through A.F.D to build a national army so that we can stand up to the challenges of our time.It can,successfully,be done if we put public interest above other.In the age of globalization where many of the leading industrialized nations are forming regional market alliences,for controle of resources and are in the processe of discussing the poisble removal of intra- border barrerrs to expedite this undetaking.It is heart aching to see we in the ZAMBI land of Africa seem to be regressing back ward to our bush.Bear in mind!no one is chasing us to march that direction; we seem to be moving on our accord.As one expert puts it bluntly,"Many clouds upon our vision are of our making: social and cultural biases,psychological preferences, and mental limitations(universal mode of thought not just human stupidity)" Gold,S.J.It must be this existing coundition that permits the adversary to continue to roam free while the people suffer great loss.Public openion heavily weighs on this-that our problem among us be solved through dialogue and negotation.I have no taste to that common epithet which often comes (frome those who are against the people) in the form of "You are not in harms way ;You just want others to do it for you".
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