Campaign for justice and freedom: part 1

The organized protests of Ethiopians against the injustices of the EPRDF government around the world are very encouraging. This, I believe, is a first step but we need to continue making the plight of our people known to the outisde world by peaceful protests and letter writing campaigns to our elected representatives supported by evidence when possible. The journey to a democratic Ethiopia will be a long and hard one, but we should do what we can wherever we are to make the end of the journey nearer. Today, I share a letter I wrote to the White House regarding the current crisis in Ethiopia. We need to persuade all to the cause of democracy in Ethiopia.

Dear President Bush,

I am an American of Ethiopian descent and am very concerned by the brutal oppression of peaceful demonstrators by the government of Ethiopia. As a donor country to Ethiopia and an advocate for liberty and justice, I urge you to use your influence to let the Prime Minister of Ethiopia know that such actions are not tolerated. I am encouraged by what you said during your second inaugural address:

"America will not pretend that jailed dissidents prefer their chains, or that women welcome humiliation and servitude, or that any human being aspires to live at the mercy of bullies. We will encourage reform in other governments by making clear that success in our relations will require the decent treatment of their own people.

America's belief in human dignity will guide our policies. Yet rights must be more than the grudging concessions of dictators. They are secured by free dissent and the participation of the governed. In the long run, there is no justice without freedom, and there can be no human rights without human liberty. "

Dear President Bush, the Ethiopian government led by the Prime Minster's party (EPRDF) has been crushing dissent in everyway to keep itself in power. In an election that the opposition contested in good faith, he declared his party a winner even before the counting was over. Now, the opposition is expressing it's dissatisfaction with peaceful civil disobedience. Instead of addressing the concerns of the opposition the government has taken measures disproportionate to the situation as it has done before with little consequence from donor countries such as ours.

The Ethiopian people, for the last 14 years, have been living at the mercy of bullies and they want to be free of bullying and be governed by their freely elected representatives. It is my hope that our government does demand that the support of the United States of America to Ethiopia's leaders depends on the decent treatment of the Ethiopian people.

Thank you very much.