Is It a News that Ethiopia Finds its Innocent Citizens Guilty?

I was shocked as many of you might have been, when I read the news on the internet about the guilty verdict passed by Meles Zenawi's court on 24 innocent Ethiopians yesterday ( June 27/2012), as if this happened out of blue. What's shocking or saddening more than the news itself is that how all of us become victims of short term memory syndrome. Impunity has been the hallmark of the regime at Arat Kilo ever since its inception; but how we reacted to the "news" ( I don't think this should be considered as a news since it has been done over and over for decades) shows how gullible we are to the actions of Meles Zenawi & Co. For example Amnesty International Wrote this headline on its website: 

Ethiopia: Conviction of government opponents a 'dark day' for freedom of expression

Hmm "dark day" is an understatement as far as Ethiopia's track record of repression of free Press for the past two decades. The regime in Addis has been  harassing, intimidating, imprisoning and forcing Ethiopian journalists in to exiles ever since it took power in 1991; I found Amnesty's usage of the word "dark day" in its statement, as something which overrides previous atrocities of the EPRDF government. For example, one of the convicts and Pen-American honored journalist/blogger Eskinder Nega has been in and out of prison ( seven times) after he came back to Ethiopia from America believing the ruling junta's "promises" to avail freedom of expression back in 1991. 

Here's another statement of by Human Rights Watch which says Ethiopia: Terrorism Law Used To Crush Free Speech  

Haven't we seen for the past two decades Meles & co using "Laws" to legitimize their criminal activities against innocent Ethiopians? Ethiopia's renowned  surgeon Professor Asrat Woldyes and other members of All Amhara People's Organization (AAPO) were charged and convicted in mid 90s by Ethiopia "court" in accordance to the "law". So, yesterday's news from Addis shouldn't be considered as an isolated case; it is just a continuation of such crimes against each and every Ethiopian who has neither political nor economical allegiance with the ruling party in power.   

So, my two cents is that let's not make yesterday's "news" as something a new phenomenon; we've collective responsibilities to expose those buried and unpunished 100s of crimes of Meles Zenawi's government in order to stop the over-due impunity imposed on Ethiopians for the last twenty one years. The dictator and his cronies should be brought to justice; if we keep on doing the same thing, yesterday's news becomes history and business will become as usual for Meles in the years to come. Meles knows that hundreds of condemnations with different wordings wouldn't flinch him from taking hostage of Ethiopian people; it's high time for every one of us to say loud and clear, ENOUGH is ENOUGH and he should join the likes of Ex-Liberian President Charles Taylor.