(July 2012, By Ben Rawlence)--The EU should be paying more attention to the abusive policies being pursued by Ethiopia's ailing president. The cancellation of a scheduled press conference this week, to
discuss the health of the Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi –
currently in Belgium for treatment – started rumours flying.
Belgians
might be interested to know why Ethiopians are watching events in
Brussels so keenly. Claiming to follow the Chinese model of development – economic growth
first, rights later – is a tempting fig-leaf for despots around the
world eager to justify their suppression of dissent at home.
Ethiopia has praised the Chinese approach while insisting that it conforms to human-rights principles in its own constitution and respects the rule of law. Donors, keen to support Ethiopia's growth and attempts at reducing poverty, have been willing to tolerate its rights abuses in exchange for security partnerships and healthy statistics showing progress on the Millennium Development Goals.
Meanwhile, the Zenawi government has allowed serious human-rights abuses committed by security forces – including war crimes and crimes against humanity – to go unpunished. It has used a raft of repressive legislation to jail critical voices in the media and civil society, shut down or paralyse independent human-rights activity, and send a chilling message to Ethiopian citizens that any step out of line will meet with harsh consequences. Read The original article from European Voice »
Belgians
might be interested to know why Ethiopians are watching events in
Brussels so keenly. Claiming to follow the Chinese model of development – economic growth
first, rights later – is a tempting fig-leaf for despots around the
world eager to justify their suppression of dissent at home.Ethiopia has praised the Chinese approach while insisting that it conforms to human-rights principles in its own constitution and respects the rule of law. Donors, keen to support Ethiopia's growth and attempts at reducing poverty, have been willing to tolerate its rights abuses in exchange for security partnerships and healthy statistics showing progress on the Millennium Development Goals.
Meanwhile, the Zenawi government has allowed serious human-rights abuses committed by security forces – including war crimes and crimes against humanity – to go unpunished. It has used a raft of repressive legislation to jail critical voices in the media and civil society, shut down or paralyse independent human-rights activity, and send a chilling message to Ethiopian citizens that any step out of line will meet with harsh consequences. Read The original article from European Voice »
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