The picture above shows the Bridge Ato Araya was thrown from. The arrow on the right shows the direction. (The above two pictures show the injuries Ato Araya sustained from the beatings and the fall.) source UNHCR 67 special report .
from the file of the TPLF Crime!!! Getachew Reda
Stop Violating the Human Rights of Journalists!67th Special Report (www.Ethiopiansemay.blogspot.com
www.Ethiopiansemay.blogspot.com
getachre@AOL.com
Dear Ethiopians!
As you have been informed last week the dire situation in New Delhi (India) about the brave senior investigative Etiop journalist Araya Tesfamariam (better known by his pen name “Eyerusalem Araya”), I am great full for the following media who dedicated their page to his situation to explain to the world how the TPLF( The current illegal Ethiopian government) security and their hired thugs in India (New Delhi) tried to kill him one more time to finish him what they started in 2003 in Addis Ababa. These brave Ethiopian media (Ye KurT ken Lijoch!!!!!) are listed below. And deserve thanks and recognition by all Ethiopians who care and feel humanity towards their fellow citizen.
My home boy and my dearest brother Dr. Hailemariam Abebe of Dejen radio (thanks), brother Aschalew of Assimba (I have no words to explain my respect for you), brother Aynalem of Finote (I truly thank from my heart), my sister Mermariwa ( I have a great Ethiopiawinet love and respect for you as always . You always take me to the atmosphere of Ethiopianism when I heard your eloquent and oratorical skill. Thanks again on Araya’s behalf ), and also the person whom I can’t recall his name who broke in to tears on Assimba Pal Talk when he talk and felt Araya’s situation from his heart on Assimba Pal Talk interview with Araya. What a soft Ethiopian classic heart you have brother!!!!! Thanks.
Zehabesha on line magazine- (Thanks brother as always!, )Assimba.Org, Ethiolion.com, Ethiopatriots.com. (we could have not done anything without all you the brothers help!! Indeed a classic Ethiopian souls!) My special thanks to “SOCCEP” (what an amazing job you are doing brothers and sisters of SOCEP all those years!), my hero and my brother Eyasu Alemayouhu (Hama Tuma), and Ato Alebel (thanks so much!!!) and brother Abunie Biru (thanks as always, your Ethiopianism love and sympathy to brother Araya was great- I read your emotion that you emailed it to me, thanks!) also to participants and members of Assimba Pal Talk and Finote radio for inviting Araya and contribute financial support.
Araya told me to thank you on his behalf, until his situation is stable and openly thank all the people who stand on his side on his darkest time. I can’t stop thanking you my braves with the following names. Your financial contribution to Araya is received few days ago. And he told me the following names sent money and he received it. He has difficulties using Email that is why I am passing his massage to all of you. Those of you who contributed and didn’t mention your name here in the list- I will update it any time he send me your names as soon as he received. Please do feel free to email me if you send him money and your name is not listed.
1.Elias Tenker
2.Cherinet Solomon
3.Girma Yilma
4.Hailu Wendie
5. Girmay Solomon
6.Zemedhun Lemma
7.Kassa and Yohannes
8.G. Mekonnen
Thanks all. Those who decline to cooperate and ignore to air his sufferings on their media will be dealt in a special commentary with all the communication that I did exchange with them and their voices, comments, and their pathetic responses for the record. What a shame! What a century!
The following is a “UNHCR special report 67” from UNHCR regarding Journalist Araya Tesfamariam (Eyerusalem Araya) how the Ethiopian government (TPLF/EPRDF) security thugs beaten and thrown him to a cliff/ bridge to die. How brave one can be!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! A true young Ethiopian journalist who is betrayed by the so called “Ethiopian Free Press” here in the Diaspora. Sad indeed!!!!!!!!!
Read more….
Stop Violating the Human Rights of Journalists!
67th Special Report
Introduction
It is to be recalled that EHRCO has issued reports at different times-condemning-he imprisonment and harassment of journalists by government security forces. It has also repeatedly appealed that the illegal acts committed by government security forces on journalists are in clear contravention and violation of the basic human rights of citizens.
Article 29 of the FDRE Constitution stipulates in the following Sub Articles that;
1. Everyone has the right to hold opinions without interference.
2. Everyone has the right to freedom of expression without any interference. This right shall include freedom to seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers, either orally, in writing or in print, in the form of an art, or through any media of his choice.
4. In the interest of the free flow of information, ideas and opinions that are essential to the functioning of a democratic order, the press shall, as an institution, enjoy legal protection to ensure its operational independence and its capacity to entertain diverse opinions.
Moreover, Article 19of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Convention on Civil and Political Rights similarly provide those rights. Nevertheless, in utter disregard of these constitutional and international principles, government forces have recently committed an illegal act against a journalist who works for the Amharic weekly, Ethiop. The details of the human rights violation committed on the journalist are presented as follows:
Ato Araya Tesfa Mariam (the victim) is a resident of Yeka sub-municipality, kebele 06; house number 404.He is 28 years old and is father of a 9-year-old girl. He had been a reporter for The Reporter newspaper from1996-1998. He has been working with the Ethiop newspaper and magazine since2002.
Ato Araya told EHRCO that three men who were wearing the Federal Police uniform had made an attempt on his life. According to him, on 1 October 2003 at about 9:30P.M. he was returning home from work when he saw a car parked at a place where there was no street light. Alerted by the strangeness of the situation, he continued walking to the direction of his home. And when he got close to the car, three men in Federal Police uniform came out of their hiding place in the dark and hit him twice on the head by a ball-pointed iron rod. When he fell to the ground, the men continued to hit him with the iron rod.
While laying on the ground, Ato Araya heard one of the men ordering in Tigrigna, to kill him and the other one responding that he was dead. Then, the attackers went to their car and, put the car's lights on and watched the situation of their victim. Then, they lifted him up, took him to the Abo Bridge and threw him into the riverbed under the bridge. He fell on a rocky ground in the river. The bridge is 5-6 meters high. Afterwards, the three men entered their car and took off. Ato Araya remained unconscious for about half an hour as a result of the injury he sustained by hitting the ground when he was thrown into the river. When he became conscious, he was too weak to be on his feet. He crawled on all fours and managed to reach and knock at the door of a house located on the riverside. The residents of the house opened the door and let Ato Araya in and called his family, as they happen to know him.
The family arrived and reported the situation to Wereda 12 Police Station. The Police reached the area right away and together with the family, took the victim to the MenilikII Hospital at 10:30 P.M.His life
As a result of the assault, Ato Araya:
-Sustained two skull fractures at the front and at the back.
-He cannot move his body because of the injury in his joints.
-Two of his front teeth are broken.
-The injury on his waist he sustained from the fall has created difficulty of movement moving and sleeping on his side. He needs support to get to and get down from bed.
Some residents of the area told an EHRCO investigation team that on the night in question, they had heard a man crying and when they got out of their residences they saw a Federal Police pick up car parked near the Abo River Bridge with its lights on. The EHRCO investigation team was able to observe on the next day a magazine, a newspaper and other papers belonging to Ato Araya spread here and there under the bridge where the victim was said to have been thrown after he had been assaulted.
According to Ato Araya the cause of the attack is related to weekly articles that have been published by Eyerusalem Araya on the Ethiop newspaper under the title," From what I Gathered From the TPLF Village". Ato Araya told EHRCO that he had been subjected to threats and intimidations by government security personnel in connection with those articles. Since last three months, the security men, assuming that he was the author of the said articles, had been putting intense pressure on him to tell them his sources of the information he used to write the articles. He was requested to show up at the kebele office on 13 September2003 at 9:00 a.m.as he was wanted for questioning by people from the security department. Ato Araya did not show up on that day. The kebele chairman had told him later that the security men had waited for hum and left. The summons that requested Ato Araya to appear at the kebele office is still with him.
On 15 September2003, an unidentified man made a telephone call to Ato Araya's residence and ordered him to go to the office of the Tigray Development Association. When he presented himself at the office, he was informed that he is wanted at the security office located on Bole Road. He went there and met a man who took him to a pizzeria around Meskel Flower. Once they took their seats, the man requested Ato Araya to tell him the names of those people who provide him with information for his newspaper articles. The man also promised him that he would be provided with money and job if he stopped writing on the Ethiop newspaper, which he referred to as "our enemy". In the days that followed, there had been repeated personal and telephone messages by these security people requesting Ato Araya to work and cooperate with them. However, Ato Araya had adamantly refused to do so. Then the threats had become dangerous. Ato Araya remembers one of the security men threatening him by saying "…there are people who can make their voices heard for the free press journalists and for Tewelde et al. Who will be there for you if any harm was to be inflicted on you?"
EHRCO is still following up the situation of the journalist.
Conclusion
EHRCO has been monitoring, investigating, issuing and disseminating reports concerning illegal acts committed against freedom of expression as well as the constitutional rights of citizens to gather and disseminate information. It will continue to appeal to government officials and the international community until these attacks on journalists have stopped
Thus, EHRCO once again calls upon government bodies to show their positive stand on the freedom of the press and the rule of law by seeing to it that violations of the rights of journalists are stopped, by bringing the perpetrators to justice and by making sure that the victim gets proper medication attention and compensation. EHRCO also calls upon all those who stand for democracy, peace, the rule of law and respect for human rights to make their respective contributions by writing to the government bodies listed below to give due attention to the matter.
• House of Peoples Representatives
P.O.Box 80001,Fax (252-1) 550900,Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
• House of Federation
P.O.Box 80001,Fax (252-1) 550722,Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
• H.E. Girma Wolde Giorgis,FDRE President
P.O.Box 1030,Fax (252-1) 552020,Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
• H.E.Ato Meles Zenawi,FDRE Prime Minister
P.O.Box 1031,Fax,(252-1)552020,Addis Ababa,Ethiopia
• H.E Ato Harka Haroye,FDRE Minister of Justice
P.O.Box 1370,Fax (251-1) 520874,Addis Ababa,Ethiopia
• Federal Police Commissioner
P.O.Box 199,Fax (251-1) 534253 Addis Ababa,Ethiopia
• Addis Ababa Police Commissioner
P.O.Box 5647, Fax (251-1) 56 01 12 Addis Ababa,Ethiopia
