Author Archive

Over the past decade, hundreds of thousands of Ethiopians have voted with their feet to escape one of the most ruthless and brutal dictatorships in Africa. According to Ethiopia’s “Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs”, approximately  200,000 women sought employment abroad in 2012, the vast majority of them in the Middle East.  Many of these

  For Ethiopians, November is a month which shall live in infamy In November 2013, Ethiopians in Saudi Arabia are facing unspeakable horrors. For the past few years, there has been systematic persecution of Ethiopians living, working and seeking refuge in Saudi Arabia. Even Ethiopians practicing their faith in the complete privacy of their homes

  “Government announces temporary ban on traveling abroad for work” Last week the “Ministry of Foreign Affairs” of the ruling regime in Ethiopia announced: In an effort to curb the rising tide of abuse and exploitation of Ethiopian migrants, [there will be]  a temporary freeze on citizens traveling abroad for employment. The temporary ban has been

The Shame of a Nation In my seventh commentary on corruption in Ethiopia this year, I focus on the mining sector. For other commentaries on the subject, visit my blog site at “Al Mariam’s Commentaries”. I continue to offer commentaries on corruption in Ethiopia to keep public attention sharply focused on the structural nature of

The trashing of constitutional rights   The Ethiopian Constitution guarantees, “Persons arrested have the right to remain silent. Persons arrested shall not be compelled to make confessions or admissions which could be used in evidence against them. Any evidence obtained under coercion shall not be admissible.” (Article 19(2)(5).) In reality, this guarantee is not worth