Says all political groups should participate
fully in democratic process
The United States is urging restraint
by the government of Ethiopia in dealing with recent public demonstrations
against Prime Minister Meles Zenawi and the ruling Ethiopian People's
Revolutionary Democratic Front, according to a November 2 State Department
statement.
The statement urged the release of political detainees, including opposition supporters recently arrested, and called for fair trials for those detained and for the establishment of an independent commission "to investigate today's public demonstrations and those of June 8," which led to the deaths and injuries of dozens of demonstrators.
Prime Minister Meles and his party won a hotly contested national election in May. Despite strong gains in the polls by opposition parties, final electoral results gave Meles' ruling party control of 60 percent of the parliament. (See related article.)
Violence erupted after weeks of allegations by the opposition the ruling party had intimidated voters and rigged the elections in order to hold onto power in the Horn of Africa nation.
Following is the text of the State Department statement:
(begin text)
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Office of the Spokesman
November 2, 2005
STATEMENT BY SEAN MCCORMACK, SPOKESMAN
Ethiopia: Arrest of Opposition Leaders
We call on all parties to immediately show restraint to step back from the current environment of heightened political tension and call on the Ethiopian government to establish an independent commission to investigate today's public demonstrations and those of June 8 in which dozens of demonstrators were killed. We deplore the use of violence and deliberate attempts to invoke violence in a misguided attempt to resolve political differences. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of those who lost their lives as a result of the senseless violence.
We call on the Ethiopian government to release all political detainees, including the many opposition supporters arrested in recent weeks. Senior opposition leaders arrested today should be treated humanely and, if charged, assured of a just and timely trial before an impartial court of law.
We call on the opposition to refrain from inciting civil disobedience during this time of heightened tension. While the ability to protest peacefully is a legitimate right in a democracy, violent demonstrations pose a substantial threat to public safety and do nothing to advance democracy. The United States believes that the way best forward for Ethiopia is through full participation of all political groups in the democratic process, including for elected members of the opposition to take their seats in Parliament and to assume the administration of the city of Addis Ababa.
(end text)
(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)