4 Ethiopians been sued by woyane Eprdef . what a shame
for ruling party members after all the took our money
now they did this.

Email: solomon@yahoo.com

Solomon,

You see there is a clear dicotomy beteen gosip and fact. I have heard of lootings. But, none has come up with concrete evidence.

If these individuals can't prove their allegation and they were behind all the blackmail campaign, it will be a good lesson for everyone.

If they can prove that with hard facts, they will be our heroes.

So, let's wait before rushing to any conclusion.

Ali

Email: alimodi_akrimodi@yahoo.com

City: Addis Ababa

It is going to be interesting, because unlike the court in Ethiopia they can’t control the outcome.

This is a USA court, and it means Meles’s dirty secrets will be reviled to the World. In live TV. We will find out why he hasn’t set up a commission to investigate the killings of innocent people.

I am very sure if they really take them to court, it will revile more than just looted money from the Ethiopian People.

Tensai, we will support you.

THERE IS NO TRUTH IN HOME OF TENSAE RADIO.

The government should ask their deportation to Ethiopia !!! The meles stick is Getting Bigger and bigger by day! now-every body starts to shiver ,behold wait & see. Nobody is gone be safe any more !! No "wanna? syndrome "and Melese zewnawi or zarkawi !!! you ac`nt Hide behind the PC or sleep in the west and poison Ethiopia with unsubstantiated propaganda, today`s wanna be activist , a One time wanna be hero , kiss the Good day and Embrace The confrontation , where ever you live in , what ever your nationality is , it doesn't`t matter , you will be responsible for your stupid action and hate to your fellow Ethiopian ,

By the way i do have respect for Ethiopian review , for his outstanding tolerant to all of us

Meles will not get anywhere because all his officials including his wife are public figure and they can be subject to public scrutiny, ridicules and jest by journalists. Meles wants to used U.S law, well too bad he is following a bad advice from his friend Mr. Almoudi. The difference is that Almoudi is an individual. Meles wife could be compared to supreme case Rev. Jerry Falwell v.s Larry Flint: The First Amendment on Trial where the Reverends mother is insulted and defamed, http://www.sexuality.org/authors/henkin/whfalwel.html the rest of his stupid officials can study Fox vs. Franken Transcript http://alfrankenweb.com/foxcourt.html and many other cases. Even though Mr. Al Franken has ridicules Fox "fair and balanced” and attacked Mr Orielly personality because of his journalistic right and the court threw it aside. This is another mickey mouse story from the Woyane’s hat like the other day’s interview when Meles told the Ethiopian people that America has no independent electoral commission. You journalists and free lance writers should know better how much ridicule President Bush himself has to go through to the extent of questioning his intellect and sanity. Dan rather apologized to keep the integrity of CBS and himself but not for liability to litigation for faulty reporting. Stupid cadres of WOYANE, YOU’RE dancing without any beat. If this is true EPDRF members are more stupid than I thought they were.

We shall also wait to see if Elias Kifle will be next in line to be sued... gud new.

I wonder who is paying the lawyer who has taken up the case. I sure hope that money foreign donors give to feed the hungry is not going to be wasted to "prove" Meles and Co. "right", at best.

If they are suing as individuals, they should foot the legal fees on their own. However, I cannot imagine that. How much money can few Ethiopian officials who legally earn less than $3,000 a year each and leading luxrious life styles in Addis, save over the last ten to fourteen years to afford a US lawyer? It sounds "fuzzy math" to me.

Here is a possible counter-TPLF move by all of the diaspora opposition should come together expose every company that is linked to TPLF coffer and campaign to freeze those accounts.


Silencing the media abroad
Ethiopian free press journalists in exile (Amsterdam)
Aug 9, 2005

As part of its harsh campaign against independent journalists and producers in and outside the country, the EPRDF regime has just announced suing of four Ethiopians in USA for alleged labeling. The EPRDF-controlled media said on 8 august 2005 the accused are Ato Goshu Habte, Ato Yonas Habte, and Ato Dawit Kebede who live in the United States and Ato Lishan Gizaw who resides in Germany.

This is not the first move of the regime in power trying to sue journalists who fled from its brutal attack. Two former independent journalists, who reside in the Netherlands, were also charged with yet another "crime of drug dealers" simply for exposing the imminent danger of the life of journalists in the country. Unsuccessful attempt, however, it was an obvious fabrication of crime to silence the media abroad.
One other example is the recent case of radio-journalist Mirchaw Sinishaw, who was actively campaigning for a demo in the US against Meles' act of terror. Finally he is compelled to close his radio by Sheik Al Amudi allegedly for disseminating defamation

Background
It is unfolded by several international human right and media groups that since the inception of the free press in Ethiopia, dozens of independent journalists and publishers are regularly charged in flimsy indictments of fomenting dissension. The courts sentence journalists to politically prescribed long-term jail time and heavy fines.
Along with the frequent harassment, intimidation, threats of torture and killings, other attacks have been made against the media. The burning down of free press offices, robbing of their office equipments, burn copies of the news papers by armed agents are some of cases in point.
Amnesty international has reported that seven journalists of the free press are killed by TPLF soldiers simply for exposing government corruptions.
According to the New York based committee to protect journalists, one of the most glaring instances of the intensity of the EPRDF-driven persecutions of the free-press journalists is the large number of those who have fled the country in exile to save their lives. The exodus of the 51 journalists manifests the ever-increasing intensity of the ordeals faced by the press in Ethiopia. Although hindered by their exile, these journalists are working from abroad and throwing their human resources together to continue their work toward freedom of expression.
Dawit Kebede
Among the accused, Ato Dawit Kebede is the former publisher and editor-in-chief of the bi-weekly newspaper, Fiameta. He had also served in the EFJA executive committee as head of the public relations. He is one of the 51 journalists who fled their country from persistent persecutions by the incumbent TPLF regime. He had to face more than 15 arbitrary charges and detention for alleged "crimes of defamation" against the government. He had 12 cases pending while he left his country. Along with colleague producers of TENSAE radio, he has continued his work toward freedom of _expression from abroad. The current charge is nothing but the extension of the harassment in Ethiopia.
TENSAE Ethiopia.Inc is a registered organization under the US law. It is governed by its editorial board members. There is no person called Ato Goshu Habte in its board. If the accuser meant Dr. Gashu Habte, he is not chair-person of UEDP-MEDHIN support group in USA. Ato Yonas habte is a brother and has nothing to do with TENSAE radio. Strong enough, Ato Lishan Gizaw is not known by TENSAE radio at all.
Paranoia
After the election-crisis in Ethiopia , various media groups are unfolding that journalists are being used as scapegoats for the country's instability and chaos.
"Beneath a facade of democracy, the government of Meles Zenawi is riddled with taboos," said the Paris based Reporters without Borders. "Once again journalists are paying the price for an unhealthy political climate, under the easy pretext of defamation."
As victims of terror by the Meles regime, two journalists of the US news agency, the Associated Press, photographer Boris Heger and reporter Anthony Mitchell, were arrested together with eight editors of the free-press journalists in the aftermath of the election. The credentials of five journalists working for the Amharic-language services of the German public radio, Deutsche Welle (DW), and the US government's Voice of America (VOA) were revoked. These moves clearly show how paranoid the regime is and it would not be a surprising if it went further to sues the journalists abroad.
A warning message
Although desperate and rhetoric, the lawsuit dream, it is a warning message for all of us to be silent about the crimes of TPLF in its recent election fraud, arrest, and killings of innocent civilians.
It could, instead, be used as backfire against the accuser. It is time for the international community to resist the regime in power. The lawsuit would be a good begin for us in Diaspora to expose the corruption of the TPLF. Using its power, TPLF has amassing billions of Ethiopian funds in the name of privatization. With its 70 illegal companies, the TPLF has stolen multi-billion birr from the poor, the money that was supposed for the development of the country.
We would not allow the accused became accuser. The move would rather awaken us not only compiling and digging a list of the companies abroad that are linked to the TPLF, it shall also be the awakening of the international community to come together, organize and file crimes against humanity perpetrated by the Meles regime.
Furthermore, we have to expose the regime of using the free-press for its diplomatic consumption and to manipulate international donors and financial institutions.
Finally, the nervous and paranoid regimes seem confused with the legal suit. It accused the four Ethiopians of defamation of individuals and at the same time sued them via its ministry of foreign affairs. According to legal analysts, defamation is personal. That means that each individual should have brought his case personally and not via government authority. In this case we wonder if the TPLF is going to use the hard-earned public money for private cases. Let us wait and see.
More information is available on the links below.
http://waltainfo.com/EnNews/2005/Aug/09Aug05/Aug09e3.htm
http://www.TENSAE.com
Contact
Ato Dawit Kebede at 678 437 5597
Dr. Gashu Habte at 202 276 1645

Gorade,

Do you think USA is run by TPLF? You can not do what you are doing in Ethiopia here. This is a country that follows rules.

City: TN

I hope Meles & Bereket are not just bluffing; I honestly hope they make good on their threat to sue the four in a US court. Not just that their case would not go beyond the court clerk's office. More importantly, these myopic fools would create an excellent precedent for so many Ethiopians! If Meles' regime can sue diaspora Ethiopians in a US court, what would prevent so many diaspora from suing Meles and Co. in US courts for torture and many other horendous atrocitie that was inflicted on them by Meles' regime before they fled Ethiopia? What would prevent many diasporic Ethiopians from suing Meles and Co in a US court for all types of crimes, including murder, that the regime has comitted agains their relatives in Ethiopia? And yes, how will Meles, his wife, and all his corrupt officials explain in a US court where they got all the money they have horded in various foreign banks?

It is obvious that these crooks have recognized the power and determination of diaspora Ethiopians and are trying their best to intimidate and terrorize them. They just don't understand that may have worked in Ethiopia cannot work in the US. At some point, these highschool dropouts turned rulers are going to run out of their Latin in a world that is too complex for them to comprehend.

Email: workugebrem@yahoo.com

City: here

Let them sue and get a lesson. Is it ignorance or they think they can cheat the world and go with it. Don't they think that they are responsible and will be sued atleast for the recent incidence, killing innocent people in the day light.
Have they heared about MICHAEL MOOR. You can even do that kind of film in America. Here the leaders, all public officials know that they are public employee and they serve the public. Not like ours grab the public money and act as if the money is inherited. And give the people order what to do, what to say, where to go.

Either way we need to think of how we support these 4 individuals by raising money for a Lawyer. If you didn't hear, they already received a court letter from Meles lawyer in America.

Email: ethiopia_tinur@yahoo.com

City: USA

We need to support these four Ethiopians. Meles need to be stopped. It is unbelievable the abuse of power and money of Meles. He is trying to intimidate and silenced all the Ethiopians around the world. What a reverse psychology. Meles is the one that needs to stand in front of the world court and answer why he gunned down unarmed citizens. I hope the Moderator asks people to donate money and hire international lawyer to get justice and stop this killers. Look if 40,000 of us donate $50.00(fifty dollars) each, we can hire an international lawyer. We mustn’t, shouldn’t forget the parents and the families that have lost their loved ones by Meles’s army.