Opposition calls for general strike as court denies bail again

January 4, 2006

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Prof. Yacob Hailemariam faces genocide charges

At 76, leading human rights activist Prof. Mesfin W. Mariam faces treason charges

ADDIS ABABA – Only yesterday millions of Ethiopians fancied and glorified them as their chosen leaders of tomorrow’s Ethiopia. Today, the elected leaders of Ethiopia are languishing behind bars. From bad to worse, Meles Zenawi’s theatrical industry is in full throttle that the drama around the court on Wednesday was such that the judge had to deny bail rights of the defendants on ground that their charges were serious.

An angry Berhanu Nega, an economist who was the mayor-elect of Addis Ababa before his arrest, shouted inside the court that the court had no authority to try the defendants on fabricated charges. His remarks drew cheers from the packed courtroom but forced the judge to walk out the room in despair. Once again, Ethiopian leaders are escorted back to the prison. Given the fact that Meles Zenawi has virtually no public support in Ethiopia, there is little hope he would loosen his grip on the courts, and set the opposition leaders free.

The BBC said pamphlets calling for a general strike from 9 January have been distributed across the capital, Addis Ababa.

Meanwhile the AFP said presiding judge Adil Ahmed, who last month adjourned the trial on charges that relate to an alleged attempt to overthrow the government after the disputed May 15 election, said the severity of the accusations precluded their release.

Elected leaders Nigist G. Hiwot (L) and Birtukan Mideksa face treason charges

“After examining the arguments on the bail request by the defence and the prosecution, we have reached a decision that since the charges against the defendants could carry a penalty of a minimum of 15 years in jail, we have turned down their request of bail,” Adil ruled. .

Members of the group – who include nearly the entire leadership of the opposition Coalition for Unity and Democracy (CUD) and 22 journalists – on December 28 refused to enter “guilty” or “not guilty” pleas to the charges.

All 131 are accused of “conspiracy to overthrow a constitutional government by force,” while different groups face six additional counts including “treason,” “genocide” and “attacking the political or territorial integrity of the state”.

Charges ‘political’

Defence lawyers have argued that the state has not released any evidence to support its charges, but the prosecutors say the offences – which stem from two rounds of deadly violence that erupted in the capital and other towns in June and November during protests against alleged fraud in the May 15 polls – were too serious to allow the group to be released before trial.

The charges have been denounced as political by the opposition and drawn concern from human rights groups and many foreign donors who fear that the government of Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, once a darling of western lenders, may be backtracking on democratic commitments.

Meles maintains the CUD leadership and its supporters were trying to provoke the violent overthrow of the government through poll protests that have twice sparked clashes in and around the capital, killing at least 85 people in June and November last year.