Travel Guide | June 10, 2005 CUD-UEDF Press Statement CUD-UEDF Press Release June 10, 2005 UEDF and CUD have been engaged in good faith to resolve the problems related to the May 15, 2005 election. To this end, we had a meeting on June 7, 2005 with the NEBE Chairman and the EPRDF in the presence of International Observers trying to kick-start the review and investigation process. In this meeting, while there was no unanimity on how to proceed with the review procedures, there was an agreement to pursue this discussion to find a common understanding in order to resolve the impasse and agree on the procedures. We the UEDF and CUD decided to have a meeting to day June 8, 2005 to draft a document that we hope will be agreeable to all parties in order to begin the process of review and investigation. As we were engaged in this constructive endeavor, we are hearing that the Government, using federal police and heavily armed military units, is engaged in massive violations of human rights of its citizens through senseless violence. This murderous act has resulted in killing and wounding large numbers of innocent Addis Ababa citizens including women and underage youth. We are extremely disturbed by this turn of events and demand an immediate end to this violence. Such acts are not only against all international human rights conventions that thecountry is a party to, but it is also in contravention to the basic principles of a democraticprocess that the government claims to achieve through the May 15 national and regionalelections. It is impossible to claim a commitment to a democratic political process while atthe same time being engaged in a deliberate and atrocious violation of basic human rights ofcitizens. Furthermore, the government is shamelessly trying to blame opposition parties for this flagrant violation of human rights by claiming that the opposition is and has been deliberately inciting violence including public protest that supposedly triggered today’s brutality and massacre. The opposition has time and again stated that it would refrain from any acts of legal and peaceful civil disobedience until the review and investigation process is completed and even then only if the process is circumvented by the ruling party by force. To this effect we would like to recall Cud’s press statement on June 7, 2005 which officially dissociated itself from any involvement in the student protest and strike alleged to have been called on June 8 and has actually opposed the strike whoever called it. As any one can see, the responsibility for this atrocity solely lies with the government and the ruling party. We strongly call upon the Ethiopian people and the international community to pressure the government to immediately cease and desist from these illegal and barbaric acts. Such violent actions could only engender further loss of innocent lives and could not possibly solve the election related problems that we are trying to resolve in a civilized manner. Such violence could lead to uncontrollable chaos in the country from which nobody could possibly benefit. We further call upon our members and supporters, wherever they are, to calm down and avoid any situation that could trigger further violence. June 8, 2005 Addis Ababa, Ethiopia ETHIOMEDIA.COM – ETHIOPIA’S PREMIER NEWS AND VIEWS WEBSITE © COPYRIGHT 20001-2003 ETHIOMEDIA.COM. EMAIL: [email protected] 20 killed, many wounded on 3rd day of Ethiopian protests Ethiopian opposition renews non-violence vow