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This week
Amnesty International issued its annual report on Ethiopia. It makes
for a sobering read. I may live in Ethiopia, but this report only
reminds me of the multiple layers that exist in everyday Ethiopian
life. Living in Addis, it is easy to forget what transpired in 2005
and 2006. It is even easier to ignore what is clearly still going on
here.
As an
inhabitant of this country, one who loves its people and has been
exposed to so many relationships here, private and professional,
this report has only reaffirmed that few truly ever understand this
country. Reaching that point would itself be a lifelong endeavour.
Ethiopia has a
booming economy, with growth rates that despite varying estimates
all range around or above 10pc. It has boundless resources, one of
the largest armies in Africa, is home to the African Union (AU) and
has a wealth of cultural diversity, all wrapped in an age old pride
of millennia-long history. Its government has engaged the world and
has begun to address so many of the massive challenges in governance
and capacity for a country left behind while the rest of the world
progressed.
Many readers
may resent me for this, or applaud me, but I see this government as
having done wonders for this country. Which is to say that it has
done a lot; not that it has done enough. Despite my love of this
country, I am knowledgeable enough to know the truth of the Amnesty
International report.
The report
talks mainly about human rights, obviously focusing on the failings
of Ethiopia in this regard. When put in short form, one listed after
another, the result is entirely heartbreaking. Actually, it is
disgusting. But it does not mean we should not talk about it. Only
truth will set us free; or so the saying goes; even if truth can be
a scary thing.
Amnesty
International lists Ethiopia for the documented abuses of human
rights in this country, with small allowances for the government's
response or position. It talks of ongoing trials, like the end of
the Derg officials, the trials of opposition members and members of
the press. It also does right by pointing to a slew of arrests and
detentions of ordinary people, suspects in the government's eyes. It
talks of illegitimate detentions, without trial and of prisoners'
torture.
That is not
all, of course. Amnesty International puts names where it can, among
the victims it chooses to defend, and leaves the readers to make up
their minds about the meanings of these human rights violations.
Despite a rather exhaustive list of injustices, the report leaves
any reader with a sense of far more than is not specifically
documented.
The report's
references to female genital mutilation and arrests in the regions
only open the door to questions of the extent of unjust human
suffering in this country. Only two weeks ago, Save the Children - a
global NGO alliance - placed Ethiopia among the 10 worst places on
earth to be a mother, ranking 133rd out of 140 countries. These
statements by interested observers are not to be dismissed. But they
do contrast dramatically with the brandished pride of Ethiopian
successes.
It seems odd
that so little of what we read or hear about actually points a
finger at the obvious disrespect of human rights in this country.
Luckily, there is talk about gender issues and the rights of the
child. Not enough, but some at least. Ethiopians are clearly burying
their heads in the sand, ignoring rights abuses on a massive scale.
Human rights
are those of every single human being, without exception. We can
debate certain fringe controversies related to these, but it is
entirely impossible for anyone to truly disagree with them. The
reason for this is simple. If you oppose human rights for someone
else, then you admit that yours can also be opposed. It is a
slippery slope.
No one wants to
be mistreated. Just fearing that you might be is enough to keep you
permanently suspicious. A country rife with suspicion is one where
motives are questioned and where government becomes an adversary
more than a protector. It certainly does not help business or the
economy. Lacking trust in government when trying to build an
effective state is rather like trying to build a house of bricks
without using cement. It will not stand the test of time.
Amnesty
International is probably not right about all of the information in
its report. But if even a fraction of the information it contains is
accurate, then the Ethiopian state, its judiciary, its police forces
and its decision-makers all have a lot to account for.
It is the
government's sworn responsibility to protect its citizens before
itself. But it is also the opposition's duty to hold the government
to account on any injustices in the country. The media has a role in
reporting all sides of these stories. Civil society exists for the
sole purpose of filling the social gaps left in government
programmes. But citizens hold the ultimate power.
Who is to blame
for Ethiopia's human rights record? Regardless of the answer, there
are many actors that are all failing in their responsibilities to
address continuing abuses.
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