By TesfaNews,
It’s been a while since the Meles Zenawi (Chenawi) regime gone extremely wild. After two decades on the helm of the Ethiopian population, Meles Zenawi does not even tolerate the opinion of others including those he has forced them into exile. He wants to be the only person in the country to speak his mind with arrogance and impunity.
His latest stupidity was reflected on the 42 pages dossier he submitted to the VOA and Board of Broadcasting Governers (BBG) officials as evidence to support his complaints against VOA radio. The Voice of America (VOA) has been a target of the tyrannical regime for a couple of years that jams its broadcast frequencies to Ethiopia using Chinese technology.
One of the many terms and conditions he decried on the dossier was a list of names of individuals whom Meles regarded them as “hostile” and “unacceptable”. The blacklist urges the independent VOA radio program to shun these ‘hostile’ individuals from appearing on its program. Else, the jamming will continue regardless of the consequences.
Meles Zenawi’s VOA blacklist provides fresh evidence that clearly shows the intolerance, ignorance and arrogance of the dictator and his cronies who are determined to silence every little voice of dissent.
One of the individuals sited on the blacklist include non- other than Eritrea’s Minister of Information Mr. Ali Abdu.
The irony is that, Ali Abdu is his government’s spokesperson as well, and it is natural for VOA to invite him for interview or clarifications whenever a news material that requires Eritrea’s government response arises. However, he used to expose the Meles regime whenever he got the opportunity and that makes the junta uncomfortable and demands for his total shutdown from the program. This begs one to ask, are these minority rulers in Ethiopia alright in the head?
The following is only a partial list of critics and dissidents whose views are labeled “hostile” and “unacceptable”. It should be noted that the majority of people targeted by the Meles regime in the last 20 years are outspoken critics, commentators, political leaders, human rights activists and journalists.
- Dr. Getachew Metaferia, Professor of Political Science at Maryland University
- Mr. Jawar Mohammed, Political Commentator
- Mr. Abebe Hailu, Representative of the Ethiopian American Council
- Professor Beyene Petros, Member of Medrek’s leadership
- Mr. Hamdi Ali Regae, Commentator
- Professor Paolos Milkeas, Professor of Middle Eastern and African Politics, Concordia University Canada
- Mr. Ali Abdo, Eritrean Minister of Information
- Dr. Beyana Soba, OLF spokesperson
- Mr. Eskinder Nega, Journalist and Publisher, who has been banned from practicing journalism
- Colonel Tsegeye Yimer, Former Army and Police Trainer
- Lieutenant Ayalsew Dessie, Exiled former Army Officer
- Dr. Negasso Gidada, Former president and interim leader of Unity for Democracy and Justice (UDJ)
- Dr. Hailu Araya, Spokesperson of UDJ
- Dr. Kassa Ayalew, Representative of March for Freedom
- Dr. Ahmed Mowen, Professor at Howard University, Washington DC
- Mr. Neamin Zeleke, Political activist
- Professor Getachew Haile, Coordinator of Hidafe Kitet
- Mr. Seye Abraha, UDJ Party
- Mr. Thilo Hoppe, Member of German Parliament (Bundestag)
- Mr. Bekele Gerba, Vice Chair, Oromo Federalist Democratic Movement (OFDM)
- Dr. Merera Gudina, Member of Medrek’s leadership
- Dr. Berhanu Nega, Chair of Ginbot 7
- Mr. Girma Moges, Political Commentator
- Mr. Aklilu Tadesse, Exiled Journalist
- Mr. Alebachew Desalegn, London-based activist
- Ms. Asayesh Tamiru, Member of Human Rights Committee in Germany
- Mr. Tamagn Beyene, Activist and Artiste
- Mr. Dawit Kebede, Managing editor of Awaramba Times
- Isaias Mekuria, Journalist
- Dr. Getachew Begashaw, Professor of Economics at Harper College, USA
- Mr. Solomon Gebreselassie, Water development engineer in Los Angeles, California
