Nearly 3,500 Migrants reportedly died in 2014 alone while crossing the Mediterranean: UNHCR

GENEVA (UNHCR) – The UN refugee agency on Wednesday warned that the international community was losing its focus on saving lives amid confusion among coastal nations and regional blocs over how to respond to the growing number of people making risky sea journeys in search of asylum or migration.

Group  risking their lives to reach Europe from North Africa

With preparations under way for the opening today in Geneva of UNHCR's 2014 High Commissioner's Dialogue – an informal policy discussion forum whose focus this year is "Protection at Sea" – UN High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres said some governments were increasingly seeing keeping foreigners out as being a higher priority than upholding asylum.

"This is a mistake, and precisely the wrong reaction for an era in which record numbers of people are fleeing wars," Guterres said. "Security and immigration management are concerns for any country, but policies must be designed in a way that human lives do not end up becoming collateral damage."

The clandestine nature of these sea crossings makes reliable comparisons with previous years difficult, but available data points to 2014 being a record high. According to estimates from coastal authorities and information from confirmed interdictions and other monitoring, at least 348,000 people have risked such journeys worldwide since the start of January. Historically, a principal driver has been migration, but this year the number of asylum-seekers involved has grown.

Europe, facing conflicts to its south (Libya), east (Ukraine) and south-east (Syria/Iraq) is seeing the largest number of sea arrivals. Although not all are people needing asylum, more than 207,000 people have crossed the Mediterranean since the start of January – almost three times the previous known high of about 70,000 in 2011, when the Libyan civil war was in full swing. For the first time, people from refugee-producing countries (mainly Syria and Eritrea) have in 2014 become a major component in this tragic flow, accounting for almost 50 per cent of the total.

In addition to the Mediterranean, there are at least three other major sea routes in use today both by migrants and people fleeing conflict or persecution. In the Horn of Africa region 82,680 people crossed the Gulf of Aden and Red Sea in the first 11 months of this year en route mainly from Ethiopia and Somalia to Yemen or onwards to Saudi Arabia and the countries of the Persian Gulf.

In Southeast Asia, an estimated 54,000 people have undertaken sea crossings so far in 2014, most of them departing from Bangladesh or Myanmar and heading to Thailand, Malaysia or Indonesia. In the Caribbean, at least 4,775 people are known to have taken to boats in the first 11 months, hoping to flee poverty or in search of asylum.

And many die or fall victim to international organized crime in the process of making these journeys. Worldwide, UNHCR has received information of 4,272 reported deaths this year. This includes 3,419 on the Mediterranean – making it the deadliest route of all. In Southeast Asia, an estimated 540 people have died in their attempts to cross the Bay of Bengal.

In the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, at least 242 lives had been lost by December 8, while in the Caribbean the reported number of dead or missing as of the start of December was 71. People smuggling networks are meanwhile flourishing, operating with impunity in areas of instability or conflict, and profiting from human desperation.

Guterres said that by focusing on isolated elements to a problem that by its nature is multi-layered and transnational – often involving routes that stretch across multiple borders and over thousands of kilometres – governments were finding themselves unable to either stem the flow or stop people dying along the journey.

"You can't stop a person who is fleeing for their life by deterrence, without escalating the dangers even more," said Guterres. "The real root causes have to be addressed, and this means looking at why people are fleeing, what prevents them from seeking asylum by safer means, and what can be done to crack down on the criminal networks that prosper from this, while at the same time protecting their victims. It also means having proper systems to deal with arrivals and distinguish real refugees from those who are not."

This year's High Commissioner's Dialogue gathers representatives of governments, non-governmental organisations, coast guard and, academics as well as representatives from partner international organisations. It is being held in Geneva's Palais des Nations over today and Thursday.

Source: UNHCR

Yemen migrant boat carrying Ethiopians sinks killing 70 : BBC

The irony is that these migrants are from one of the countries who boasts to score 'double-digit growth' consecutively over the last decade. Why would anybody risks her/his precious lives in such a tragic manner says volumes about the real desperation and frustration of these young people back home. This isn't an isolated incident; it becomes a norm now a days. Last month, UN released a report about the ever increasing number of Ethiopian migrants who are crossing red-sea, knowing the risk, to reach Yemen. Are there any explanation from the government and its apologists to clarify these contradictory realities, absolutely NOT! They will blame the desperate migrant who are victims of a system which forced them to make such desperate decisions. My thoughts goes to those who lost their lives and their bereaved families.    

A boat carrying African migrants has sunk off Yemen's western coast, killing 70 people, Yemeni officials say.

The boat, carrying mostly Ethiopian migrants, sank off Yemen's al-Makha port due to strong winds and rough waves, security officials said.

Tens of thousands attempt to cross the Red Sea into Yemen every year, often in rickety, overcrowded vessels. Hundreds have died making the journey.

Yemen is viewed by many migrants as a gateway to the Middle East or Europe.

The latest sinking occurred on Saturday, with reports of the incident emerging on Sunday.

The Red Sea crossing between the Horn of Africa and Yemen is one of the world's major migration routes, BBC Arab affairs editor Alan Johnston says.

Migrants dream of finding jobs and better lives in rich places like Saudi Arabia - but they are in the hands of unscrupulous people smugglers and, too often, never reach the Yemeni shore, our correspondent adds.

In October, the UN refugee agency said that more than 200 people had died at sea in 2014 while attempting to reach Yemen.

"There have been frequent reports of mistreatment, abuse, rape and torture, and the increasingly cruel measures being adopted by smuggling rings seem to account for the increase in deaths at sea," the UN said at the time.

 Source: BBC

We have no asylum-seekers in Ethiopia: Eritrea's U.N. Ambassador

Unaccompanied Eritrean refugee children in Ethiopia

Eritrea’s top diplomat to the United Nations says the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees has committed a “conceptual mistake” in a report, which stated that in the past 37 days more than 6,000 Eritreans had claimed asylum in neighboring Ethiopia.

The U.N. refugee agency said Eritrea’s renewed conscription drive was to blame for the sharp increase in the number of youths fleeing the country.
But Eritrea's U.N. ambassador, Girma Asmerom, dismissed the report as a calculated effort to undermine the government by creating disaffection among its population. He said Eritrean citizens migrate just like other nationals, which he said is a global phenomenon.
“The U.N. has to do its bit of homework, because there are no asylum-seekers in Ethiopia,” said Asmerom. “We do not understand why they are

The Influx of Migrants from Ethiopia to Yemen increased dramatically

"In September - the most recent month for which statistics have been released - the Nairobi-based Regional Mixed Migration Secretariat (RMMS) reported 12,768 arrivals - predominantly from Ethiopia. It was more than double the figure for September 2013 and represented the single largest monthly influx on record."
SANAA, 20 November 2014 (IRIN) - Yemen's security crisis is leading to a rapid expansion in the people smuggling trade, with thousands of migrants from the Horn of Africa desperate to use the country as a gateway to Saudi Arabia.
On 21 September, Houthi rebels - a Zaydi Shiite Muslim group based in the north of the country - seized control of the capital Sana'a after a battle with the army and Sunni Islamists.
Three cabinet overhauls in less than two months and ongoing clashes in many regions have thrown the country into a state of limbo. The UN Security Council and the US also recently complicated matters by imposing sanctions on former President Ali Abdullah Saleh and two senior Houthi military commanders.
While most Yemenis bemoan the chaos, for people smugglers opportunity knocks. Thousands more African migrants seeking to reach Saudi Arabia

The Late Ethiopian Literary Gaint Hailu Gemoraw 'Why I Write? The Basic Motive of My Literary Work'

Hailu Gebereyohannes alias known as in his pen-name Hailu Gemoraw, a renown Ethiopian Poet; Writer; philosopher has passed away at the age of 71 here in Sweden on November 9, 2014. He spent almost of half of his life in exile; first he went to China on scholarship but he was evicted due to research proposal "how anarchism is affecting China's literature". He then sought asylum in Norway but he went to Sweden to finish his Doctoral Studies about China. Norway denied Gemoraw his residency and work permit for being away from the country for more than two years. As a result he was forced to seek asylum in Sweden where he suffered and finally died. It's an honor for me to brought up reading his books and it's very sad that his literary and humanistic contributions have never been recognized or valued. Thank you Gemoraw for opening up my eyes to literature world. I hope, your caring and clean soul finally will rest in peace after such a long long and long suffering. 

As the old "Gibbon's" saying goes " …Encompassed on all sides by the enemies of their religion; the Ethiopians slept near a thousand years, forgetful of the world by whom they were forgotten ", the innocent Ethiopians have been isolated for several centuries from the rest of the world, just to face the brutals of harsh & bitter poverty at the expense of their rich natural resources & the source of world original history.  Due to Her "Geo-political" position situated at the most sensitive zone of the globe, Ethiopia has suffered an immense mass of suppression by outside forces. As a conscious Ethiopian, that is wounded & bleeded from the early age of my Younghood, I don't have any available means to protect my Country from such horrible atrocities except that crying on behalf of Ethiopia and its suffering people.

The whole motive of my writings is based on trying to express their (i.e.Ethiopia & Her people) agony in a literary form. Therefore, the Amharic Poem below is embodied with an actual text that express the soul of my motive – "….to cry aloud the bitter conditions of their miserable life & express their deepest agony on their behalf, — to the whole world in general and to the conscious class of Our People (Ethiopians) in particular as well!!. Their non-stop brutal problems are still missing them now too!!! Thus, my cry through my "PEN" will continue too!! Thank You All!!!

Source: Debteraw

እውቁ ገጣሚ፤ጽሃፊ፤ባለቅኔ፤ ገሞራው ከአርባ ዓመት ስደት በኋላ ዐረፈ

... እንደ ኪሩብ ሁሉ - ክንፍ አካል ቢኖረኝ፣
መች እጠበስ ነበር - በዚህ ዓለም በቃኝ፣
ስላጣሁ ብቻ ነው - መሸሻ መድረሻ
በዚች በሽት ዓለም - የኖርኩ እንደውሻ ...፣"
"... በሥጋዬ ብቻ ውጪ - ሀገር እስካለሁ፣
እወቁልኝ በርግጥ - አልኖርኩም ሞቻለሁ! ...
ኃይሉ (ገሞራው)

በኢትዮጵያ የሥነ-ጽሑፍ ታዋቂ የነበረው ደራሲ፣ ገጣሚና ባለቅኔ ኃይሉ ገብረዮሐንስ (ገሞራው) እሁድ ጥቅምት 30 ቀን 2007 ዓ.ም. (ኖቨምበር 9፣ 2014) በስደት በሚኖርባት ስዊድን ዋና ከተማ ስቶክሆልም በ71 ዓመቱ ከዚህ ዓለም ተለየ። ሥርዓተ ቀብሩ በስዊድን እንደሚፈፀም ታወቀ። 

ከጥንት ጀምሮ ስናየው የኖርነው፡
ሲነድ ሲቃጠል የሚስቅ እሳት ነው። 
ይህንን ስንኝ ለመጀመሪያ ጊዜ ያነበብኩት ስምንት ወይም ዘጠኝ ቢሆነኝ ነው። የኃይሉ ገሞራው  መጽሃፎች የቤታችን መጽሃፍት መደርደሪያ ካጣበቡት መካከል በቅድሚያ ይጠቀሳሉ።  የረከተ መርገም ረቂቅ እንደወረደ፡ በገሞራው ወይም በሌላ አርታኢ በቀይ ብርዕ፡ እርማቶች፡ ከገጽ እስከ ገጽ ተገጥጠውበት ነበር። የኃይሉ ገሞራው መጽሃፍት፡  ከአማርኛ ስነጽሁፍ ጋር አስተዋውቀኛል ብል ማጋነን አይሆንም። ከዘመናት በኋላ እዚህ፡ ስዊድን በስደት በ2004 ዓም የኢትዮጵያ  አዲስ ዓመት አከባበር ላይ ፡  በርቀት፡ ይህን እውቅ ደራሲ ለማየት ችያለሁ። እንዳለመታደል ሆኖ፡ተቀራርበን ለማውጋት አልቻልንም። ባለበት የጤንነት ችግር ምክንያት ዝግጅቱ ሳይፈጸም ወደ ቤቱ ሄደ፡ ከዛ በኋላም ለመገናኘት እድሉ አልተፈጠረም። የኛ ነገር በጅ የያዙት ወርቅ ሆነና እንጂ፡ የኃይሉ ገሞራውን ለትውልድ የሚተላለፍ፡ ወደር የሌለው ትምህርት እና እድሜ የጠገበ የስነጽሁፍ ክህሎት በተለያየ መንገድ ማቆየት በቻልን ነበር። ምን ዋጋ አለው፡ ጅብ ከሄደ ሆነ ነገሩ። ጋሽ ኃይሉ በምድር ለሰባት አስርት ዓመታት በቆየህባቸው ጊዚያት ደስታን የተነፈገችው ንጽሁ ነፍስህ በሰላም ትረፍ።(የጸሃፊው ማስታወሻ)

በአዲስ አበባ እስጢፋኖስ ቤተክርስቲያን አካባቢ በኢትዮጵያ አቆጣጠር በ1935 ዓ.ም. ከእናቱ ከወ/ሮ አመለወርቅ ሀብተወልድ እና ከአባቱ ከመሪጌታ ገብረዮሐንስ ተሰማ የተወለደው ደራሲ፣ ገጣሚና ባለቅኔ ኃይሉ ገብረዮሐንስ (ገሞራው) ትምህርቱን የጀመረው

Nearly 40,000 Eritreans risked their lives to reach Europe by boat only this year: UNHCR

GENEVA, November 14 (UNHCR) – The UN refugee agency on Friday said the number of asylum-seekers in Europe from Eritrea over the first 10 months of this year has risen threefold compared to the same period in 2013. In Ethiopia and Sudan, neighboring Eritrea, the number of Eritrean refugees has also increased sharply.

"So far this year, nearly 37,000 Eritreans have sought refuge in Europe, compared to almost 13,000 during the same period last year. Most asylum requests have been lodged in Sweden, Germany and Switzerland, with the vast majority of the Eritreans having arrived by boat across the Mediterranean," UNHCR spokesman Adrian Edwards told journalists in Geneva.

"Our office in Italy reports that 22 per cent of the people arriving by boat are Eritrean, a total of nearly 34,000 people this year. This makes Eritreans the second

ሰማሁ! እናቴ ሰማሁ! ማትያስ ከተማ (ወለላዬ)

ግጥሙን በድምጽ ለማዳመጥ እዚህ ጋር ይጫኑ ምንጭ፡ ኢትዮጵያ ዛሬ

የማራኪ መጽሄት ባለቤት ጋዜጠኛ ሚሊዮን ሹሩቤ በስደት በሚኖርበት ናይሮቢ ኬንያ ህይወቱ አለፈ

በስደት ላይ ሞት እንዴት ያሳዝናል።  አገሩም ላይ ሳይደላው፡ በስደት ላይ እንደወጣ ለቀረው የሙያ አጋራችን ነፍስህ በሰላም ትረፍ።  የህውሃትን ወከባ እና አፈና አመለጥኩ ሲል በዚህ መልኩ መሞት ግን ህይወት አንዳንዴ ለምን በጣም ብዙ ጊዜ በየዋሃን ላይ እንደምትጨክን ያሳያል። የሚሊዮን ሞት ለቤተሰቡ እና ለሙያ አጋሮቹ ምን ያህል ከባድ እንደሆነ ከራሴ ልምድ አውቀዋለሁ። ወይ ነዶ ስደት ለወሬ አይመችም። ለሚሊዮን ቤተሰቦች፡ወዳጆች እና የሙያ ባልደረቦች መጽናናቱን ይሰጣችሁ ዘንድ ምኞቴን እየገለጽኩ ይህ በስልጣን ላይ ያለው መንግስት ወይ ልብ ይስጠው ወይ ደግሞ መጨረሻውን ያቅርበው፡ አሜን።

ከሞቱ አሟሟቱ ካገሩ በወጣ በወር ከአስር ቀኑ በሞት ያጣነው ጋዜጠኛ ሚሊየን ሹርቤ የመጨረሳዎቹ ቀናት
ጋዜጠኛ ሚሊዮን በመጨረሻዎቹ ሰዓታት….
የሚሊዮን አሟሟት እንዳስረዳችሁ ለጠየቃችሁኝ …
ጋዜጠኛ ሚሊዮን ሹሩቤ በኢትዮጵያ ነጻ ፕሬስ ከ12 አመት በላይ የሰራ ወጣት ጋዜጠኛ “ነበር”፡፡ በነሃሴ ወር ውስጥ በመንግስት ወከባ ህይወቱን ከእስር ለማትረፍ ተሰዶ ወደሀገሩ በሳጥን ለመመለስ እየጠበቀ ያለ ወጣት ኢትዮጵያዊ ጋዜጠኛ…ሚሊዮን፡፡ ተስፋ የነበረው ስደተኛ ጋዜጠኛ የመልካም ባህሪ እና ስብእና ባለቤት የነበረው ሚሊዮን፣ ስለሀገሩ ፍቅር ብዙ መሰናክሎችን ሊጋፈጥ ስደትን መርጦ ባሰበበት ሳይሆን በታሰበለት ሊኖር የተገደደው ሚሊ እንደወጣ በሰው ሀገር ልጄን እህቶቼን ቤተሰቦቼን ሃገሬን እንዳለ በድንገት

Ethiopian Court Sentenced Three Magazine owners in Absentia: RSF

They fled the country before the trial and were convicted in absentia

Ethiopia’s federal supreme court yesterday sentenced three magazine owners in absentia to more than three years in prison on charges of “inciting violent revolts, printing and distributing unfounded rumours and conspiring to unlawfully abolish the constitutional system of the country.”

The three, who fled the country when the prosecution was mooted, are Addis Guday publisher Endalkachew Tesfaye, Lomi publisher Gizaw Taye and Fact publisher Fatuma Nuriya. Their jail terms range from three years and three months to three years and eleven months.

Ethiopia’s justice ministry announced in August that it was bringing criminal charges against these three magazines and three other weeklies – Enqu, Jano and Afro-Times.

“The sentences imposed on these three magazine owners are shocking,” said Cléa Kahn-Sriber, the head of the Reporters Without Borders Africa desk. “The clearly outrageous grounds for their conviction are indicative of how a very authoritarian regime is manipulating the justice system. This type of persecution amounts to banning independent media in Ethiopia altogether.”

The authorities have been stepping up their persecution of news and information providers for the past several months. Six bloggers and three journalists (including an Addis Guday reporter) have been held since April. After repeated postponements, their trial is now scheduled for 15 October.

In June, 18 journalists were fired from Oromia Radio and Television Organization (ORTO), the main state-owned broadcaster in Oromia, Ethiopia’s largest region, for supposedly having “narrow political views.” The dismissal order came from the government.

Ethiopia is ranked 143rd out of 180 countries in the 2014 Reporters Without Borders press freedom index.

Source: RSF

Almost 40,000 Migrants Lost their Lives Crossing Borders/Seas Since 2000: IOM

Mediterranean Sea alone did cost over 22,000 migrants' lives since 2000

It sounds like almost 4 thousand faceless and nameless fellow human-beings had lost their lives unnecessarily every year since 2000 while trying to escape - persecution, killing, or poverty. They were somebody's sisters brothers daughters or sons and now they are just statistics. Unfortunately, thanks to the the rise of anti-migrant right wing parties all over the industrialized world, the death toll of migrants seems to rise even more in the coming years. Every country which tightens its borders and does everything to prevent immigrants from entering its "sovereign land", is a complicit to this human tragedy unfolding everyday from Australia, to the US; from South Africa to Italy; from Saudi-Arabia to Libya.  

Geneva - IOM today (29/9/2014) released “Fatal Journeys: Tracking Lives Lost During Migration,” the world’s most comprehensive tally to date of migrant fatalities across land and sea.

With a count surpassing 40,000 victims since 2000, IOM calls on all the world’s governments to address what it describes as “an epidemic of crime and victimization.”

“Our message is blunt: migrants are dying who need not,” said IOM Director General William Lacy Swing, “It is time to do more than count the number of victims. It is time to

Number of Syrian Kurds fleeing to Turkey nears 140,000: UNHCR

GENEVA. September 23 (UNHCR) – The UN refugee agency on Tuesday said more than 138,000 refugees, mainly ethnic Kurds fleeing militant threats to towns and villages in northern Syria, have crossed into southern Turkey since Friday.

The latest arrivals passed through the two remaining open border points at Yumurtalik and the crossing east of Murstipinar/Akmanak.

UNHCR spokesperson Melissa Fleming said the Turkish authorities had told the refugee agency that they are now managing the entry of refugees through two border points (previously nine) in three phases: security checks in order to maintain the civilian character of asylum; health checks, including measles and polio vaccination for very young children; and registration.

Mobile registration centres, large trucks donated by UNHCR and complete with computers, biometric and photographic equipment, are operating in the border crossing of Yumurtalik and in the yard of a primary school of Namik Kemal, Suruc.

Registration is also being carried out by government officials at a boarding school in Onbirnisan, in Suruc district hosting an estimated 50,000 refugees, as well as the Suruc town center – less than 15 kilometers from the Syrian border.

Once registered, refugees receive an ID card, which provides access to free health care services in Turkish clinics, as well as other aid provided by local municipalities, non-governmental organizations and other aid agencies. The card is a critical document that also shows refugees have the temporary protection of the Turkish government.

"UNHCR field staff are visiting the border areas and areas hosting refugees on a daily basis, assessing urgent needs and coordinating the response among other humanitarian actors," Fleming said.

"Our field staff report the majority of new arrivals are women, children and the elderly, who arrive exhausted having walked several kilometers to safety on a dusty, rough road, with their luggage. Some of the elderly and disabled are carried to safety by relatives, their wheel chairs hopelessly unsuited to the rough terrain," she added.

On arrival, the refugees are given water before being transported to a registration point. The Turkish Red Crescent has set up a medical observation tent for injured refugees and more than 290 Syrians were taken to the Suruc hospital by ambulances over the weekend.

The refugee agency has already provided tens of thousands of relief items – blankets, sleeping mats, jerry cans and plastic sheets – to help in the response, coordinated by the government of Turkey. More aid is on the way.

UNHCR's Fleming said the first in a series of airlifts bringing aid for up to 200,000 people is expected to arrive in Turkey, from Amman, Jordan, on Wednesday afternoon. Another three flights from Amman and Copenhagen are expected to follow later in the week.

Many refugees are sheltering with relatives and friends, while others are staying in schools, wedding halls, mosques or other buildings. The Turkish government has set up two transit centres for 10,000 people each at Suleymansah Park in Mursitpinar and Onbirnisan, in Suruc, with support from UNHCR. The government also continues its work on two new camps already under way – Derik Camp in Mardin and Islahiye camp – also with UNHCR support.
Source: UNHCR

Confessions of the Ex-‘Revo’: Befekadu Hailu

They are still indignant, confident and with unwavering devotion for human rights and the rule of law; the usual suspects, the one and the only ones- Zone9bloggers from the notorious Ethiopian prison still pen, criticize and inspire thousands regardless of the hardship they have to go through on a daily basis. I still couldn't believe this piece was written by someone who is being incarcerated for the crimes he didn't commit. Befqadu and his colleagues are critiquing the brutal and vengeful regime knowing that their shackles on their skinny arms and legs will be fastened harsh for such writings. I think, we are the ones who are in jail; THEY- the unbeatable young, fearless and innocent Ethiopians are sacrificing their lives to free us, AMEN!      

There was a time in my life when I used to think a lot about revolution in Ethiopia. In fact, in 2011 during the so called ‘Arab Spring’ I wrote a rejoinder article when Ethiopian democracy activists (especially those who are based in diaspora) planned a ‘Day of Rage’ using

የቀድሞው “የአብዮት አድናቂ” ኑዛዜ በፍቃዱ ዘ ኃይሉ

ወይ ጥንካሬ፡ ወይ ብስለት፡ ወይ የዓላማ ጽናት እንጂ ሌላ ምንም ሊባል አይችልም፡ይህንን የበፍቄን በሳል እና ትንተና የተሞላበት ደብዳቤ ለሚያነብ ሰው፡ በርግጥ፡ አንድ፡ ባልሰራው ወንጀል ቁምስቅሉን ከሚያይ እስረኛ የተጻፈ ነው ብሎ ለማመን እጅግ ይከብዳል። ዛሬም ይጽፋሉ፡ ይተቻሉ ያላንዳች ፍራቻ፡ ምንም እንኳን እንዲህ ዓይነቱ አልበገር ባይነት ተመርኩዞ በቀለኛውና ጨካኙ መንግስት የነገው ህይወታቸውን እንደሚያጨልመው እና በነዛ ቀጫጭን እጆቻቸው ላይ ያጠለቀውን ካቴና የበለጠ እንደሚያጠብቀው ቢረዱም። የታሰርነው፡ እኛ እንጂ እነሱማ ነጻ ናቸው።  
ርዕሱን  አላስታውሰውም ‘ንጂ እ.ኤ.አ በ2011 Arab Uprising በመባል የሚታወሰውን አብዮትተከትሎ፣ ኢትዮጵያውያን ፌስቡከኞችም (በተለይ ዲያስፖራ የሚገኙ) ግንቦት 20 ላይ (ልክ በኢሕአዴግ የ20ኛ አገዛዝ ዕድሜ)   “Anger day” በሚል በፌስቡክ አብዮትመጥራታቸውን ተቃውሜ አንዲት ጽሑፍ ጽፌ ነበር፡፡ በዓመቱ ደግሞ ‹‹ አብዮት ወረት ነው›› በሚል ርዕስ በፌስቡክ አብዮት ለማስነሳት ፍላጎት ያላቸው በርካቶች እንዳሉ ገልጬ ነገር ግን ይጎድላቸዋል የሚባሉትንነገሮች ዘርዝሬ ጽፌ ነበር፡፡ በነዚህ ሁለት ጽሑፎች ላይ፣ ላዩን አብዮትን የተቃወምኩ ቢመስልም እውነታው ግን ጽሑፎቹ በተጻፉበትወቅት ሕዝቡም፣ ተቃዋሚ ልሂቃኑም፣ ሁኔታዎቹም ለአብዮት ዝግጁ አይደሉም የሚል ዝንባሌ ማሳየቱ ነበር፡፡

ከሌላ ዓመት በኋላደግሞ ‹‹ስለለውጥ›› በሚል ርዕስ ተከታታይ ጽሑፎችን በ‹‹ዞን 9›› ላይ በግል ተነሳሽነት ማስፈር ጀምሬ ነበር፡፡ ጽሑፉን የጀመርኩት ‹‹ኢሕአዴግ ሥልጣኑን በምርጫ ይለቃል?›› በሚል ጥያቄ ነበር፡፡ ‹‹አይለቅም›› የምልባቸውን ምክንያቶች ካስቀመጥኩ በኋላ የለውጥ አማራጭ የምላቸውን (አብዮት፣ሰላማዊ አለመታዘዝ /civil disobedience/ የመሳሰሉትን) በየዘርፉ እየቀነጫጨብኩ ለማሳየት ነበር ዓላማዬ ከዚያም ‹‹የለውጥ ፍርሃት››፣ ‹‹የሥርዓት ለውጥ እና ሃይማኖት››፣ ‹‹የ1966ቱ የኢትዮጵያ አብዮት እና የማኅበራት ሚና›› የሚሉ ርዕሶችን በማንሳት በሐሳቦቹ ላይ በሐቀኝነት ለመከራከር ጥረት አድርጌያለሁ (ከዚህ በላይ አልገፋሁበትም እንጂ)፡፡ በበኩሌ ስለአብዮት በደንብ ያነበብኩትም፣ ያሰብኩትም፣ የጻፍኩትም፣ የተረዳሁትም ያኔ ነበር፡፡ ያኔ በአብዮት ላይ የነበረኝ እምነት ተሸርሽሮ ግማሽ ደርሶ ነበር፡፡ ተንጠፍጥፎ ያለቀው ግን

Over 2,500 people have drowned or gone missing trying to reach Europe: UNHCR

Half of those arriving in Europe by boat are refugees from Syria and Eritrea.

UN High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres and Special Envoy Angelina Jolie visited the naval rescue headquarters in Malta yesterday, on a weekend in which new boat sinkings were being reported off Egypt and Libya claiming more innocent lives. Ms. Jolie and Mr. Guterres met three survivors of one of the tragedies, who had been rescued by a commercial vessel and brought to Malta by the Maltese authorities.

In the Maltese capital Valletta, Ms. Jolie also visited Syrian refugee families who survived a similar devastating boat tragedy last October. They included a couple from Damascus whose three small children perished during the crossing, and a doctor from Aleppo whose wife and three year-old daughter drowned. Half of those arriving in Europe by boat are

Human Traffickers deliberately sunk Migrants boat in Mediterranean sea, killing 500

Migrants being rescued off the Coast of Sicily

About 500 migrants are feared to have drowned after the boat carrying them from Egypt to Malta was apparently deliberately sunk by people-traffickers, an intergovernmental group has said. The news – based on the accounts of two Palestinian survivors – emerged on the same day up to 200 more people were feared dead when another boat heading to Europe capsized off Libya. The Geneva-based International Organisation for Migration (IOM) said there was no independent verification for what happened, mainly because only nine people are believed to have survived. The IOM's account comes from the two Palestinians, who were rescued by another boat and taken to Sicily. If the men's account is correct, by the IOM's tally about 2,900 migrants

Young Iranian asylum seeker died in Australia for medical neglect

Here we go again with another young man's life which was unnecessarily lost due to Australia's cruel policy against refugees and asylum seekers. When he left his country, he was looking for freedom and peace somewhere far away, little he knew he would end up in a notorious detention center which did cost his precious life. Right or left, Australian politicians spent/spending sleepless nights to bar refugees from entering their 'country' which their ancestors looted from Aborigines. Rest in Peace young man! A victim of racist policy.
Twenty four years old Iranian asylum seeker Hamid has been declared brain dead in a Brisbane hospital following his family's decision to switch off his life support. He had been declared ‘brain dead’ after contracting septicaemia from an infection contracted while in offshore detention on Papua New Guinea’s Manus Island, a refugee advocacy group says. Hamid Kehazaei's family decided to donate his organs

Calais : de l’exaspération des habitants au désespoir des migrants

Le nombre de sans-papiers à Calais, dont la très grande majorité souhaite se rendre en Angleterre, a explosé depuis le début de l'année 2014. Une situation qui pousse à bout les habitants et les migrants. France 24 est allé à leur rencontre.

 Elle avait haussé le ton ce weekend, exaspérée par la passivité britannique face au drame migratoire de Calais. Natacha Bouchart, la maire UMP de la ville du nord de la France, a finalement obtenu une réponse. Elle, qui avait demandé l’aide des Britanniques pour endiguer le flux de migrants illégaux a réussi à faire sortir  son voisin du mutisme. Face à la menace de l’édile français de bloquer le port de la ville, le ministre de l’Immigration anglais a proposé, dimanche 7 septembre, d’offrir à Calais les hautes clôtures d’acier qui avaient sécurisé la venue des chefs d’État lors du sommet de l’Otan à Newport. Soit 21 km de grillage de près de trois mètres de hauteur.

Que la proposition de Londres doive être prise au sérieux ou non, la menace lancée par

'Israel 'coercing Eritreans and Sudanese to leave' Human Rights Watch

The Irony is, this country which was founded at the beginning of 20th century by a few Israeli refugees who fled Europe to escape arbitrary detention, killing and inhumane treatment. Fast forward 2014, their descendants are repeating what happened to their parents, grandparents and great grand parents against fellow helpless and defenseless African refugees whose only crime is having a bit of more melanin on their skin. It just breaks my heart what these fellow human-beings have to go through in the Negev desert with no hope neither future. They have to chose the lesser two evils: being detained indefinitely in the "free country" or go back and face persecution, rape, and of course to be a modern day slave in the military camps in the case of Eritreans. Being a refugee is not a choice; these people have left their families, friends, careers and their home country behind, as if this is not enough, they are being treated like criminals is an open racism at its best.   

አንድም የተሰደደ ጋዜጠኛ የለም: ሚኒስትር ዴኤታ ሽመልስ ከማል

ህምም የዛሬን አያድርገው እና አቶ ሽመልስ ከማል ቀደምት ከሚባሉት የግል ጋዜጣ ባለቤቶች እና ጋዜጠኞች ነበሩ። ከስራቸው ጋር 

በተያያዘም ለእስር  ተዳርገው እንደነበር የመመረቂያ ጽሁፌን ለማዘጋጀት ከዛሬ ዓስር ዓመት (አቤት ጊዜው እንዴት ይሮጣልጃል) ኢትዮጵያ  ሄጄ እሳቸው እና ባልደረቦቻቸው እንዲጸድቅ ደፋ ቀና ሲሉለት  የነበረውው የፕሬስ ረቂቅ ህግ በተመለከተ ባደረግኩላቸው ጥናታዊ ቃለመጥይቅ ላይ ገልጸውልኝ ነበር። እነሆ ዛሬ ምኒስትር ሆነው የቀድሞ የሙያ አጋሮቻቸው የነበሩትን ንጽሃን ኢትዮጵያን በህግ ጠለላ ሆነው ግማሹን ለእስር ገሚሱን ደግሞ ለስደት ማጋለጣቸው ሳያንስ እንዲህ ዓይነት ዓይንአውጣ ውሸት በአደባባይ መናገር ግለሰቡ ታማኝነታቸው ሳይማር ያሰተማራቸውን እና ለተመረቁበት የህግ ትምህርት ስነምግባር ሳይሆን ለማን እና ለእነማን እንደሆነ በየጊዜ እያስመሰከሩ ይገኛሉ። ቦ ጊዜ ለሁሉ አይደለም የተባለው፡ ለማንኛውም ለሳምንታዊው አዲስአድማስ ጋዜጣ የሰጡት ቅጥፈት የተሞላበት ቃለምልልስ ይሄን ይመስላል።  

ክስ ያልተመሰረተባቸው ጋዜጦችና መፅሄቶች የሚያትምልን አጣን አሉ
“ማተሚያ ቤቶች አናትምም ማለታው ሊያስመሰግናቸው ይገባል” አቶ ሽመልስ ከማል
ፍትህ ሚኒስቴር በ6 የግል ሚዲያ ተቋማትና ባለቤቶቻቸው ላይ ክስ መመስረቱን ተከትሎ 16 የሚደርሱ

ክሶቼ የቅጣት ጣሪያቸው እስከ ሞት ድረስ ነው። በእስር ላይ የሚገኘው የህግ መምህሩ እና ጦማሪው ዘላለም ክብረት

ብርቅዬው የኢትዮጵያ ልጅ ዘላለም ክብረት እግር ተወርች እየማቀቀ ከሚገኝበት እስርቤት ስለእስሩ፡ስለአሳሪዎቹ እና በኢትዮጵያ ውስጥ ያሉት የህግ አስፈጻሚዎች፡ ተርጓሚዎች (ለመሆኑ ግን ህግ የሚባለው ነገርስ አለ) እና  ሌሎች ባለጊዜዎች የህጎች ሁሉ የበላይ ህግ ነው የሚባለውን ህገመንግስት በመጣስ በእሱ እና በሌሎች በሺህ የሚቆጠሩ ኢትዮጵያውን ወገኖች ላይ የሚፈጽሙትን ለህሊና የሚዘገንን ድርጊት ለሁለተኛ ጊዜ በከተበው ሃያል ብእሩ እነሆ  ብሎናል። ከዘላለም ደብዳቤ ምን ያህል የመንፈስ ጥንካሬ እና ለሰው ልጆች መብት መከበር ያለውን  ተጋድሎ እና  እስርቤት እንኳን ሆኖ  ገዢዎቻችን  የጤፍ ቅንጣት ያህል እንደማይፈራቸው ለመገንዘብ  ይቻላል። ሌላው በጣም  ዘላለምን ልዩ  የሚያደርገው እንደዚያ ባለ አሰቸጋሪ ሁኔታ ላይ ሆኖ የደረሱበትንና እየደረሱበት ያሉትን ኢሰብዓዊ በደሎች እያዋዛ በመጻፍ ለተደራሲ ማቅረብ መቻሉ ነው።   የዘላለም የህግ እና  የሰብዓዊ መብቶች እውቀት በስልጣን ላይ ያለው መንግስት በዜጎቹ ላይ እየፈጸመ ያለውን ቅጥ ያጣ የሰብዓዊ መብት ረገጣ ርቃኑን አውጥቶታል። በዚህም የተነሳ ይህ በቀለኛ  መንግስት ዘላለምን ለወራት እንዲያም ሲል ለዓመታት እንደ እነ እስክንድር ነጋ፡ ርዕዮት ዓለሙ፡ በቀለ ገርባ እና ሌሎችም እንዲማቅቅ  እንደሚፈርድበት ሳይታለም የተፈታ ነው።

በሁለት ሳምንታት ጊዜ ውስጥ ብቻ አስር የግል ጋዜጠኞች አገር ጥለው ተሰደዱ ፡ ዶይቸ ቨሌ

የኢትዮጵያ መንግስት ያስረናል ወይም ሌላ ጠንካራ እርምጃ ይወስድብናል ብለው የሚሰጉ የግል ጋዜጠኞች ሃገሪቱን ጥለው መሰደዳቸውን እንደ ቀጠሉ ነው።ከሳምንት በፊት ለግል መገናኛ ዘዴዎች ይሰሩ የነበሩ ሶስት ጋዜጠኞች ከሃገር ተሰደዋል።በያዝንው ሳምንት ደግሞ ሌሎች ሰባት ጋዜጠኞች ወደ ውጭ ሃገር ተሰደዋል። የጋዜጠኞች መብት ተሟጋቾች እንደሚሉት መንግስት ለትችት ትዕግስት አለመኖሩ፤የአገሪቱ የፍትህ ስርዓት ከፖለቲካ ጋር መደባለቁና ሚዲያን የማያበረታቱ አዋጆችንና ፖሊሲዎችን መኖራቸው ዋንኞቹ ምክንያቶች ናቸው። ባለፉት ጥቂት ወራቶች እንኳ ከግሉ ሚዲያ ብዙ ጋዜጠኞች ሲታሰሩ ወይም ሲሰደዱ ሌሎች የህትመት ውጤቶቻቸውን እንዲዘጉ ተገደዋል። ላለፉት 119 ቀናት በላይ በእስር ላይ የሚገኙት ጦማሪዎችና ጋዜጠኞች የተከሰሱበት ምክንያት እንኳ ፤ተሟጋቾቹ እንደሚሉት፤ከታሰሩበት ቀን ጀምሮ ለ8ኛ ጊዜ እስከ ተቀጠሩበት ድረስ ያለው የፍርድ ሂደት ለብዙ ሚዲያዎች፤የህግ ተንታኞችና ጉዳዩን ለሚከታተሉ አካላት አነጋጋሪ ሆኖ ዘልቋል።የኢትዮጵያ ፍትህ ሚኒስቴር በቅርብ ጊዜ ሎሚ፤እንቁ፤ጃኖ፤ፋክት መጽሄቶችና አፍሮ ታይምስ ጋዜጣ ህገ-መንግስታዊ ስርዓቱን በሃይል ለመናድ የሃሰት ወሬ ነዝተዋል በሚል ከሷቸዋል።ይህንንም ተከትሎ ከሁለቱ መጽሄቶች ውጭ ቁጥራቸው 10 የሚሆኑ የተቀሩት መጽሄቶችና ጋዜጣ ዋና አዘጋጆች አገር ጥለው ተሰደዋል።

የሎሚ መጽሄትና የአፍሮ ታይምስ ጋዜጣ ጠበቃ አቶ ተማም አባ ቡልጉ የክስ ሂደቱን ሲያስረዱ የተከሰሱበት ጭብጥ ህገ-መንግስታዊ ስርዓቱን ለመናድ ነው የሚል ነው። ይህም ከጸረ-ሽብር ህጉ ጋር የተያያዘ የወንጀለኛ መቅጫ ህግ ጋር የተያያዘ ነው።

እነዚህ የሚዲያ ውጤቶች የክስ ወረቀት የደረሳቸው ህትመታቸው ከተዘጋ ወይም እንዳይታተም ከተደረገ ሁለት ሳምንታት በኋላ ሲሆን ህትመቶቹ ላይ የወጡ ጽሁፎችን እንደ ክስ ነጥብ አድርጎ አቃቢ ህግ አንስቷል።እንደ አቶ ተማም አገላለጽ የተጠቀሱት ነጥቦች እውነት የሚያስከስስ አለመሆኑን ተናግረው ለምሳሌ ሎሚ መጽሄት በሰኔ 6/2006 ይዞ በወጣው "በአለም በጨቋኝነቱ አቻ የማይገኝለት የሚዲያ ምህዳር በኢትዮጵያ በሚል ጽሁፍ ነበር።

አቶ ተማም ከ1997 በኋላ የወጡት ህገ ወጥ ህጎች ለምሳሌ የጸረ-ሽብር ህጉ አላስፈላጊ መሆኑን ጠቅሰው እንደምክንያትም የወንጀለኛ መቅጫ ህግ ያሉትን ወንጀሎች ለመቅጣት በቂ መሆኑን ይናገራሉ።

የጋዜጠኞች መብት ተከራካሪው በምህፃሩ ሲፒጄ የምስራቅ አፍሪቃ ዳይሬክተር ሚስተር ቶም ሮድስ በኢትዮጵያ ሁኔታው ከጊዜ ወደ ጊዜ እየተባባሰ መምጣቱንና በእስር ቤት የሚገኙ ጋዜጠኞችም ቁጥር መጨመሩን ይናገራሉ።

ሲፒጄ ትናንት ባወጣው መግለጫ በርካታ ኢትዮጵያውያን ጋዜጠኞች ከመንግስት የሚደርስባቸውን ጫና በመሸሽ ከሃገር ለመሰደድ እየተገደዱ ነው።እዚያው ሃገር ውስጥ ለመቆየት የሞከሩት ደግሞ ለእስራት ይደረጋሉ።ጋዜጠኞቹ ለሚመሰረትባቸው ክስም ሆነ ለሚሰነዘርባቸው ጫና ይህ ነው የሚባል ተጨባጭ ምክንያት የለም እንደ ድርጅቱ መግለጫ።ቶም ሮድስ እንደሚሉት ከ2001 ጀምሮ በነበሩት አምስት አመታት ውስጥ ብቻ ከ 40 በላይ ጋዜጠኞች አገር ጥለው ተሰደዋል።

መርጋ ዮናስ

ነጋሽ መሐመድ

ምንጭ፡ ዶይቸ ቨሌ

መንግስቴ የ 15 እና የ14 ዓመት ልጆችን በአሸባሪነት ጠርጥሮ እንደሚያስርም ለመረዳት ችያለሁ፡፡ ዘላለም ክብረት

‹‹ይድረስ ላንቺ››

ተፃፈ ከስድስተኛ ተከሳሽ

በዘላለም ክብረት

ወዳጄ ልቤ ከቶ እንደምንድን ነሽ? እውን እኔና አንቺ በአለም ስንኖር ሌላ የመገናኛ ዘዴ አጥተን ወደ snail mail እንመላለሳለን ብለሽ አስበሽ ታውቂያለሽ? ለማንኛውም እንዲህ ሆነ፡፡ ጥጋበኛ ሰው ያስቀናኝ ጀምሮልሻል፣ ጥጋበኛ እንዲህ የሚለው ትዝ አለኝ፡፡

‹‹ ….ደብዳቤ ቢጽፉት እንደ ቃል አይሆንም፣

እንገናኝ እና ልንገርሽ ሁሉንም….››

የደላው! ቢያሻው በደብዳቤ፣ ሲፈልግ በአካል እያማረጠ እኮ ነው፡፡ ለእኔ አሁን ባለሁበት ሁኔታ ሁለቱም ቅንጦት ነው (ወይ ደብዳቤው አይደርስሽም ወይም አንቺን ማየቴ ሊገደብ ይችላል)፡፡ ቆይ ትንሽ የጎን ወሬ ላዋራሽና ምክንያቱን እነግርሻለሁ፡፡ ‹‹አንቺ›› ተብለሽ በዚህ ደብዳቤ ስለተጠቀስሽው ‹‹አንቺ››ና ይሄን ደብዳቤ ለሚያነቡ ወዳጆች የዕምነት ክህደት ቃሌን በትንሹ ላስፍር፡፡

እመቤት ሲልቪያ ፓንክረስት የኢትዮጵያ ፍቅረኛ (Ethiopian by choice) ዱቼ ሞሶሎኒ ኢትዮጵያን በወረረ ጊዜ፤ ወራሪው ሃይል በመላው ኢትዮጵያ ‹‹ የኢትዮጵያን ስም እያነሱ መፃፍ ክልክል ነው›› የሚል ያልተፃፈ አዋጅ አውጆ እንደነበር ይነግሩናል፡፡ በዚህም ምክንያት ፀሀፍቱና አዝማሪያኑ ስውር መጠሪያ መጠቀም ስላስፈለጋቸው እስከ ዛሬ ድረስ ተወዳጁ ሕዝባዊ ዘፈን አንቺ ልጅ አንቺ ልጅ እንደ ስውር የፍቅር ዘፈን ተበርክቷል፡፡ በዘፈኑ ‹‹አንቺ ልጅ ›› የተባለችውም ኢትዮጵያ ናት፡፡ እኔስ በዚህ ዘመን ‹ይድረስ ለባለ ታሪኩ›፣ ‹ይድረስ ለባለ ንብረቱ›… እንደሱ የሀዘን ደብዳቤ ርእስ ‹ይድረስ ለኢትዮጵያ › በማለት ፋንታ ‹ይድረስ ለአንቺ› ለማለት ስውር መጠሪያ ተጠቅሜያለሁ? ፤ በፍፁም! ጌቶች እንደሚሉት ሕገ መንግስቱ የመናገር ነፃነቴን ሙሉ ለሙሉ አስከብሮልኛልናi

ቧልቱ ይቆየንና በዚህ ደብዳቤ ርዕስ ዙሪያ ያለማንም አስገዳጅነት የእምነት ክህደት ቃሌን ላስፍር አንቺ የተባለችው ኢትዮጵያ አይደለችም፡፡ ‹አንቺ› የኔዋ ሀቢቢ ግን ባለሽበት ይድረስሽ፡፡ ውዴ እንግዲህ በዚህ ደብዳቤ ያለፈውን

Ethiopian Court Denies Bail to 3 Journalists & 6 #FreeZone9Bloggers: RSF

Reporters Sans Fronetiers (RSF), one of the International Freedom of Expression watchdogs disclosed this today following yesterday's orchestrated trial held in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa. Since the prosecutor couldn't corroborate the fabricated charges against these innocent citizens who did nothing but exercised birthrights, it repeats the two decades tradition by denying bail and adjourning the trial for the 8th times. Here's the details of RSF's reportage about the "hearing".   

Three journalists and six bloggers who have been held for the past five months were denied bail by a federal court in Addis Ababa yesterday after the prosecution argued that article 3 of the 2009 anti-terrorism law, under which they are detained, precludes release on bail.

The defence said article 3’s bail prohibition does not apply because none of them has been individually charged with a specific crime under the anti-terrorism law. The defence also argued that article 3 violates the constitutional guarantee of the right to release on bail.

The three journalists are

"We gave our Confession after being Brutally Treated" Leaked Letter by jailed Zone9 Blogger

Befeqadu Hailu, Zone9 Blogger

First of all I'd like to thank Mahilet Solomon, for her tremendous job in translating this leaked letter by one of the members of Zone 9 bloggers aka Befeqadu Hailu, just a day after it was published. It shows not only her translation skill but also her unparalleled devotion to the freedom of expression, and above all her care for thousands of fellow Ethiopians who are being incarcerated for the crimes they didn't commit. Befqadu also should be commended for penning this very troubling and obvious account under such brutal circumstances where he, other members of Zone 9 bloggers, journalists, opposition party leaders and their followers have to go through everyday and night in present day Ethiopia. What Befqadu wrote is not something new, however it helps to open our eyes about the alarming situation with regard to the human-rights abuses in Ethiopia especially against those under police custody. The Ethiopian government denied and is still denying all these allegations, even though firsthand experiences by the likes of Befqadu and research documents by other human-rights watchdogs reveal these broad-light gross abuses against innocent and unarmed Ethiopians who did nothing but exercised their constitutional and birthrights. I hope, one day all the culprits of these heinous crimes will be brought to justice and eventually innocent victims of this brutal system will be freed. Here's the full excerpt of the English version of Befqadu's leaked letter from one of Ethiopia's notorious prisons called Kilinto.       

"Dear Hyena no need for excuses just eat me” - Ethiopian Proverb By BefeQadu Hailu

Translated by Mahilet Solomon

"So what do you think is your crime?" I was asked by one of my interrogators while I was telling him about what I did as a blogger, an advocate and an activist. Later on, after I was allowed to meet with my "collaborators" according to my prisoners and asked each other, we found out we were all asked this same question “what do you think is your crime”? This describes the overall outcome of our interrogation. Since they couldn’t figure out what our supposed crime was or what law we were suspected of violating, we were asked