Reported Egregious Violations of Freedom and Human Rights (Excerpts from State Department Country Report 2006)

Type Violation	Eritrea	Ethiopia
On eExtrajudicial killings	There were no reports that the government or its agents committed any politically motivated killings; however, the government continued to authorize the use of deadly force against anyone resisting or attempting to flee during military searches for deserters and draft evaders, and deaths reportedly occurred during the year	Unlike in the previous year, there were no reports of political killings; however, federal and local police forces committed unlawful killings during the year. On January 23, federal police shot and killed 15 demonstrators and injured 19 others in the East Wallega zone, Guduru District. The shootings occurred during a demonstration by residents against local government forces. No investigation was conducted into the incident.
Disappearances	There were no reports of politically motivated disappearances during the year; however, there were unresolved disappearances from previous years	The politically motivated disappearances of tens of thousands of civilian protestors following the November 2005 political demonstrations persisted into the current reporting period.
Torture, Inhuman and degrading Treatment	The law and unimplemented constitution prohibit torture; however, there were numerous reports that security forces resorted to torture and physical beatings of prisoners, particularly during interrogations. There were credible reports that several individuals, including young men and women rounded up for national service, died following torture or severe beatings by security force	Although the constitution and law prohibit the use of torture and mistreatment, there were numerous credible reports that security officials often beat or mistreated detainees. Opposition political parties reported frequent and systematic abuse of their supporters by police and regional militias.
Prison conditions	Prison conditions for the general prison population were harsh and life threatening. There were reports that prisoners were held in underground cells or in shipping containers with little or no ventilation in extreme temperatures. The shipping containers were reportedly not large enough to allow all those incarcerated to lie down at the same time	Prison and pretrial detention center conditions remained very poor, and overcrowding continued to be a serious problem. Prisoners often were allocated fewer than 21.5 square feet of sleeping space each in a room that could contain up to 200 persons. The daily meal budget was approximately $0.35 (3 birr) per prisoner, and many prisoners had family members deliver food daily or used personal funds to purchase food from local vendors. Prison conditions were unsanitary, and access to medical care was unreliable. There was no budget for prison maintenance
Political Prisoners	There were no confirmed reports of new political prisoners; however, there were numerous reports of persons detained for political reasons	The total number of political prisoners and detainees during the year was estimated to be in the hundreds
Freedom of Speech and Press	The law and unimplemented constitution provide for freedom of speech and of the press; however, the government severely restricted these rights in practice. Citizens did not have the right to criticize their government in public or in private. The private press remained banned, and most independent journalists remained in detention or had fled the country, which effectively prevented any public criticism of the government. The government intimidated remaining journalists into self-censorship.	While the constitution and law provide for freedom of speech and press, the government restricted these rights in practice. The government continued to harass and prosecute journalists, publishers, and editors for publishing allegedly fabricated information and for other violations of the press law. The government continued to control all broadcast media. Private and government journalists routinely practiced self censorship *
Ethnic Discrimination	There were reports of government and societal discrimination against the Kunama, one of nine ethnic groups residing primarily in the west. Societal abuse of Ethiopians occurred, but there were fewer reports of such abuse than in the previous year	Most political parties remained primarily ethnically based. The military remained an ethnically diverse organization; however, Tigrayans dominated the senior officer corps. During the May 2005 elections and subsequent demonstrations there were many reports of Tigrayan or Gambellan troops being used in Addis Ababa and other urban centers where the opposition was strong and where officials did not consider Amhara members of the armed forces sufficiently reliable. There were occasional reports that officials terminated the employment of teachers and other government workers if they were not of the dominant ethnic group in the region.**
Academic Freedom	The government restricted academic freedom; freedom of speech, movement of students, and the right to assemble were not respected in the academic context. The government issued a directive in 2002 reconfiguring the University of Asmara, which effectively shut down the university's undergraduate programs. As a result, prospective students have not been allowed to enroll in the university and instead were directed by the government to attend the Mai Nafhi Technical Institute. During the summer the government transferred most of the university's undergraduate programs to vocational training schools spread throughout the country. Only the medical training programs remained in Asmara. Students finishing high school were not permitted to choose their next course of study and were assigned to specific vocational programs based on their performance on the matriculation exam. A few graduate level programs remained at the university; however, the law school was effectively closed, as new students were not permitted to enroll.	The government restricted academic freedom during the year, maintaining that professors could not espouse political sentiments. Authorities did not permit teachers at any level to deviate from official lesson plans and discouraged political activity and association of any kind on university campuses. Reports continued throughout the year of both uniformed and plainclothes police officers being present on and around university and high school campuses. The government arrested students and teachers during the year. Professors and students were discouraged from taking positions not in accordance with government beliefs or practices. There was a lack of transparency in academic decisions, with numerous complaints from individuals in the academic community of bias based on ethnicity and/or religion. The freedoms of speech, expression, and assembly were frequently restricted on university and high school campuses.

* interestingly the US state department Report forgot to report on the blocking of alternative news websites, blogs and even cell phone text messaging.

** How about this for the ethnic equality being trumpeted until almost the heavens fall

The TPLF, the first Ethiopian government to live in the information age thinks it can hide its rear by talking bad about others.

Now watch another developing story. The kidnapping of the five British embassy staff and their Ethiopian companies is getting a life of its own even after the kidnapped “tourists” are freed.  Meles Zenawi who mouthfully boasts of starting the Tigrean insurgency by robbing a public bank at Axum and the leader of the TPLF who has a record number of kidnapped foreigners in the Horn of Africa is accusing Eritrea of kidnapping and terrorism. It is accusing all freedom fighters who refuse to be subjugated including the OLF and the CUD as terrorists. Remember the fabricated treatise issued a few weeks back about the apprehension of terrorists supposedly supported by Eritrea?  Don’t even ask that the TPLF was also supported by the EPLF and was even given a ride by Shabia to Addis Ababa.  And Mrs. Frazer that astonishing diplomat who has helped turn Mogadishu back to hell after six months of respite from 15 years of hell may say it once more - “the Eritrean government is now effectively controlled by Al Qaeda”, copy pasting what she said about the Somali UICs.  And then Africa will have one of those things she needs badly – another killing field.  Folks read it. The writing is on the wall.

What a curse is Ethiopia in?