We protest the G-20 inviting Meles Zenawi, the dictator of Ethiopia, to attend the G-20 meetings as the so-called representative for Africa. Meles Zenawi and the current Ethiopian regime have been responsible for unspeakable atrocities against masses of innocent civilians in many parts of Ethiopia, including genocide. But the international community allows him to operate with impunity because the regime is seen as a staunch ally in the “war on terror”.  We strongly believe that he should not be graced and honoured by an appearance in such a high-level meeting in the United States, leave alone as “Africa’s voice”. Africa deserves better! 

Africa has several well-governed democracies with respectable leaders, who could have been invited to speak on behalf of Africa at the G-20 summit. Africa’s democratic leaders include the governments of Ghana, Mali, South Africa, Senegal, Botswana, and several others. It is then all the more dishonourable and morally wrong to have selected a dictator with the blood of thousands of innocent Africans’ blood on his hands, to speak as “Africa’s voice” at the G-20 meetings!

The major powers in the G-20 such as the United States and the UK, which have aided and abetted the dictatorial rule by Meles Zenawi with huge sums of unaccounted for donor aid, should instead do more to help end the dictatorship and genocide in Ethiopia.

If it is the policy of the G-20 leaders to support the advancement of economic freedom in Ethiopia as well as other African countries, they should play a leading role in fostering stability, democracy, and economic development in Africa.

The ruling Ethiopian dictator has been holding power since almost 20 years and is  responsible for ethnic conflicts that claimed countless lives, brutal suppression,  mass killings,  disappearances, detentions, political persecutions of opposition and civic, free press journalists, are threatening the progress and thereby affecting the interests of United States and Ethiopia.

Since coming to power, the regime’s atrocities and grave human right violations are well documented by the US State Department and human rights report, United States Home Land Security’s National Counter Terrorism Center and several internationally respected media and independent observers.

We ask you leaders in the G-20 and the rest of the world, to do more to help Africans end the crisis in Ethiopia. We recommend the:

• G 20 makes human rights central to any relations with the Government of Ethiopia.

• G 20  must restrict any financial assistance not to be spent in ways that help support the authoritarian regime in Ethiopia.

• G 20 must demand the immediate and unconditional release all prisoners of conscience detained in Ethiopia, including Mrs Birtukan Medeksaa (Chairwomen to Unity and Democracy J), human rights defenders and independent journalists.

• G 20 must ask that Ethiopian rulers recognize and respect the right to freedom of speech, assembly, association and press and international and regional human rights treaties to which Ethiopia is party.

Acknowledging the obvious fact that the success in our interest in any part of the world is dependent upon promotion of human rights and democracy, we urge you to support the above demands and recommendations and take a stand to support over 80 million of Ethiopians!

For more information on the March for Freedom, please see the website at: www.march4freedom.org