January 5, 2014,by Betre Yacob

A mass grave has been discovered in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, containing at least 6 bodies of young men, who may have been executed in the past few years.

The New Proclamation gives absolute power for NISS

Proclamation No. ——– /2013

NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE AND SECURITY SERVICE

RE-ESTABLISHMENT PROCLAMATION

WHERE AS it has become necessary to strengthen the National Intelligence and Security Service so as to protect and defend the sovereignty of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, the constitution and constitutional order; WHEREAS it has become essential to determine the power, duties and accountability of the National Intelligence and Security Service to promote the peace, development, democracy and good governance in the country; WHEREAS it has become necessary to build a modern and strong National Intelligence and Security Service that is loyal and resilient to the constitution and constitutional order of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia and conscious of the national and international objective situations; NOW, THEREFORE, in accordance with sub-articles (1) and (7) of Article 55 of the Constitution of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, it is hereby proclaimed as follows:

Ethiopia: Dark side of Oromo expansions and Menelik conquests: by Abera Tola

Through out history; people have migrated and expanded seeking greener pastures and more land. Globally, most countries have endured and were created thru expansions, wars, assimilation, migration; slavery etc. Even the most developed countries in the world today have dark pasts.

Facebook sued over alleged private message ‘scanning’

January 3, 2014: Facebook is facing a class action lawsuit over allegations that it monitors users’ private messages.

BBC – The lawsuit claims that when users share a link to another website via a private message, Facebook scans it to profile the sender’s web activity.

South Sudan rebels set eyes on capital

January 3, 2014, (AP) – Rebels in South Sudan are forcibly recruiting civilians to march on the capital, the military said, even as representatives of the warring factions gathered in neighboring Ethiopia on Thursday for the start of peace talks.

UN Finds Imprisonment of Ethiopian Journalist Eskinder Nega Arbitrary under International Law and Calls for Immediate Release

WASHINGTON DC – In an opinion released today by Freedom Now, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention found the Government of Ethiopia’s continued detention of independent Ethiopian journalist and blogger Eskinder Nega a violation of international law.

UN panel: Eskinder Nega jailing violates international law

Tom Rhodes/CPJ East Africa Consultant

Authorities in Ethiopia describe Eskinder Nega, a prominent columnist and government critic jailed since September 2011 on vague terrorism charges, as a dangerous individual bent on violent revolution.

However, in an opinion handed down in 2012–publicized only this week by Washington, D.C.-based legal advocacy group Freedom Now–a United Nations panel of five independent experts ruled that Eskinder’s imprisonment came “as a result of his peaceful exercise of the right to freedom of expression.”

Ethiopia ready to censor, crackdown on Internet, radio and TV

ADDIS ABABA: Worries are abounding in Ethiopia that the government is preparing to pass new legislation that would censor almost all forms of media, both traditional and new.

The new draft law is reportedly being prepared by a steering committee constituting the Ethiopian Broadcasting Authority, Ethiopian Ministry of Communications & Information Technology and Information Network Security Agency.

In Aid to Ethiopia, a Costly Trade-Off

A Community consultation on a draft peace accord in Hudet, Somali Region, Ethiopia. Photo Credit: Mercy Corps

The dividing line between developmental assistance and aid that is intended to strengthen human rights and democratic governance is an obscure boundary, yet it has considerable moral and strategic significance. Donor countries must weigh a variety of factors—including security and economic questions and the geopolitical role of the beneficiary country—that often leave democracy and human rights goals on the back burner. Such a ranking of priorities has an immediate negative effect on the ground, and it ultimately represents a costly trade-off in which long-term interests are exchanged for short-term gains.

ESAT News: Over 3000 evictees remain unsheltered

The land is open air and all of the evictees are living unsheltered. According to the residents of the City, the evictees are suffering from the scorching sun in the daytime and chill in the night.