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Hiriira Magalaa Seattle, WA keessatti Degersa Baratoota Oromootiif

Deggersa Hiriira Nagaa Barattoota Oromoo Biyya Keessaa Fincila Diddaa Gabrummaa Mullisaa Jiraniif Seattle keessatti Ta’e. Hiriira kana kan qindeesse Waldaa Hawaasa Oromoo Seattle dha.

Jiraatootni fi barattoon magaalaa Seattle keessaa baayyinaa gara 150 ta’an waltajjii Oromootti ( Oromo Center) deemuun hawaasa Oromoo achitti hiriiraaf qopha’anii isaan eegaa turnitti dabalamuun achirraa gara Federal Building deemaniiru. Karaa irra adeeman maratti dhaadannoo adda addaa afaan Inglizii fi Oromoon dhageessisaa turaniiru. Dhaadannoo isaan dhageessisaa turan keessa:

Oromiyaan kan Oromoo ti!
Fincila barattoota Oromoon Oromiyaa keessatti deemaa jiru ni deeggarra!
Oromiyaan ni bilisoomti!
Meles is the tryant!
There is no democracy in Ethiopia!

Jechaa xalayaa qophaa’ee Senatorota lamaan; Maria Cantwell fi Maria Cantwell kanneeniru. Xalayaan kunis armaan gadi jira.

To: Senator Maria Cantwell
2988 Jackson Federal Building
915 Second Avenue
Suite 3206
Seattle,WA 98174
206-220-6400

Dear Senator Maria Cantwell,

We, members of Oromo Community in Seattle once again writing this letter to bring to your attention the need for urgent action to avoid a potentially catastrophic conflict in Ethiopia. As you must be aware, the security situation has significantly deteriorated aince the flawed elections on 15 May. As has been widely reported over the month, the Oromo people are engaged in a nation-wide protest against the Ethiopian repressive government. Ethiopian police and military troops have killed scores of protesters and imprisoned thousands of others. If the current crisis is not resolved through a comprehensive peace process involving all stakeholders, additional hives would be put at risk by civil unrest that could escalate into armed confrontation.

Since 1991, EPRDF has repeatedly claimed to be committed to democracy and reform, but in reality it has governed the country ruthlessly. Earler this year, Human Rights Watch documented in detail the EPRDF’s harsh treatment of people in Gambella and Oromia and its determination to keep both regions politically marginalized. While the May elections allowed some Ethiopians to demonstrate their support for opposition parties, as both Human Rights Watch and the European Union monitoring team reported, the majority of citizens in Oromia never had a real opportunity to express their democratic choices.

According to the findings of many experts, the Oromo are among the most dissatisfied in Ethiopia. Their dissatisfaction is fueling a rising tide of protest across Oromia, but these protests, which have been relatively peaceful, have been largely ignored by the international community. Instead, the media and others have focused only on the election-related clashes that have occurred in Addis Ababa. Given the mood of anger and despair in the countryside, there is a real danger that attempts by government security forces could spark a confrontation that would plunge the entire country into crisis.

The current unrest must be understood as a cry for real democracy and freeom. Today, neither exists in Ethiopia. The only way to guarantee peace and avoid further unrest that could deteriorate into total chaos is to devise a mechanism by which all stakeholders can freely participate in the political process and to guarantee the political freedom, economic security and human rights of all of Ethiopia’s diverse peoples.

Dear Senator,

The continuation of human rights violation in Ethiopia had been partly possible because the international community had chosen to turn a blind eye to what is happening in Ethiopia. We are convinced that at this crucial moment, your leadership, and the active engagement of the United States, could mean the difference between life and death for many Oromo students and general public as well as the troubled Horn of Africa region.

We appeal to you in influencing the United States government to exert pressure on Ethiopian government to:

• Halt attack against peaceful protesters in Oromia and address their demands peacefully.
• Release all political detainees and create an independent internationally supervised body to investigate and prosecute those responsible for human rights violations.
• Lift ban against Macha and Tulama Association and release its leaders.
• Guarantee the fundamental human rights of all the people in Ethiopia.
• Honour its public pronouncements and enter into talks with the OLF without preconditions.
• Convene an all-parties’ conference to deliberate on and remove all obstacles to genuine democratization and create the conditions for a peaceful resolution of the legitimate demands of all the peoples for freedom, democracy and development.
• To condemn unequivocally this latest wave of acts of genocide unleashed on our people in general and on the students, teachers and civic leaders in particular.

Sincerely,

Oromo Community in Seattle
December 21, 2005