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“Human rights advocates” that don’t know about human rights /Desta Hailu/
When I first thought about writing this article, what came to mind was the title one of my friends used for his article – Human rights advocates that don’t know anything about human rights. His article focused on bodies that make a living of selling ideologies and take away peoples’ human rights hiding under the guise of human rights advocacy – entities like Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and the likes. They don’t even know very well about human right, the issue they claim to be fighting for. So, I believe the title given at the opening line gives justice to their real identity.
What serves me as evidence for my above statement has to do with the ridiculous statement Human Rights watch issued following European Union delegate recent visit to the ever-growing Addis Ababa and its statement of the desire and commitment to work collaboratively in many sectors with Ethiopia – ‘how can the union say that it will work collaboratively with Ethiopia.’
This neo-liberal extremist group tries to blacken the comprehensive development that is taking place in Ethiopia with bogus human rights violation claims. In fact the group is also a ridiculous ideology demagogue that wants to have a say in the relationship countries and continental bodies strike up with our country.
Truth be told, this group; which is market fundamentalist and wants to forcefully impose extreme neo-liberal doctrine that is sponsored by wealthy men like George Soros, cannot have a say to decide on the relationship countries strike up with other countries. This all shows how much an enemy the group is to our country.
Today, the extremist group that was established to indirectly weaken the socialist camp that used to be led by the former Soviet Union during the cold war under the name ‘Helsinki Watch’ is working as neo-liberal demagogue under a new jersey of “human right advocacy”. It is an ideology profiteer group that is employed by George Soros to issue reports every week and accuse countries that are developing on their own way with human right violations. And it tries to expand extremist brand of neo-liberalism together with its “partners” like ‘CPJ, Amnesty International, Article 19, and Reporters without Borders etc …’ by taking up to 100 million dollars from the wealthy George Soros – by bombarding bogus reports/statements.
It voices an obsolete narrative of ‘no path other than neo-liberalism lead to success’. And it organizes local lackey political parties that follow their ideology on countries that resist this carefully orchestrated bombardment of this narrative. Then it orders these “oppositions” it organizes as “patriots” to topple the government in power. They give full support for local opposition parties to carry out color revolution sitting from abroad. If this sinister act becomes successful, the new government that is setup by these “oppositions” will create a suitable condition for wealthy people like George Soros to do whatever they want to the country and deplete the country’s resource and take it to their own country. It makes millions of dollars from the profit.
However, if this ‘let us rob them’ path becomes unsuccessful and is foiled, then the group opens a smear campaign against the country together with its “partners” so that it can ruin the country’s relation with other countries and force the country not get various support from the countries by issuing bogus statements reports. As this is done through aggressive mode, they have the nerve to give out an order shamelessly ‘why are you working with such and such countries.’ And I think this is the reason why the group greedily issued a funny and ridiculous statement after the European Union made public its desire to work cooperatively with our country.
This human rights “advocacy” group which doesn’t know anything about human rights is a group that is waiting to take away and violate peoples’ human rights. In fact it tries to oppress and violate various peoples’ democratic rights by meddling in the internal affairs of countries and by disregarding the sovereign power of people in their country. A country has its own foreign affairs principles that it uses for its relationship with other countries. The European Union has its own directive it follows when it comes to dealing with other countries. And this directive of the Union cannot be dictated or decided by ideology demagogue groups like ‘Human Rights Watch’. Truth be told, the strategic relation European Union strike up with Ethiopia is based on the interest of its member states, it is not to please the likes of ‘Human Rights Watch’. I don’t think European Union is concerned about the business interest of ideology extremists groups but about the interest of its member states.
It is the union itself that knows and decides what is best and better for itself, not the ideology demagogue. If the group wants to impose its usual ‘I know for you’ mantra on the European Union, I can tell for sure that it is knocking on the wrong door. This extremist group that is knocking on the wrong door must know that the government and people of Ethiopia will not deter from their development path just because of its bogus ‘human rights are violated’ reports it issues. We Ethiopians don’t need foreign forces to tell us what is best for us and what is not.
We will not give away our human and democratic rights to neo-liberal extremist group. The likes of Human Rights Watch cannot chose what kind of politico economic system we will or should be following – and it shouldn’t’ be as it is not appropriate. This ‘we know what is best for you better than yourselves’ thinking of the pseudo human right advocates has ended at the time when the western were scrambling Africa during World War II.
In my belief, these forces were successful in exploiting Africa’s natural resource and manpower 72 years ago during the time when the continent was not aware; and them trying to employ the same antics and tactics to do the same in this time when the continent is moving in a new path is the same as being outdated. And trying this outdated tactic on Ethiopia, a country which has never succumbed to colonialism or foreign powers is hugely disrespectful. And the new Ethiopia and its people are moving towards lasting peace, development and democracy. By choosing a path that works for it, the country is able to be a pride and benchmark of development for Africans. And the westerners know very well about this.
Not only this. They believe that if Ethiopia is able to take few leaps in the comprehensive path it is already moving through for few years, the country will reach the level of the other developed nations in the future. They also understand the role our country plays in ensuring the peace of the region and the role it plays in the continent’s peacekeeping missions. They are also aware that this role of the country has made it to be a nonpermanent member of the United Nations Security Council and serving as a voice of Africa and the world. And nobody knows more than them that this makes the country a benchmark for Africa and the world. They themselves were giving their testament at various times that our country is helping put a hold on the problem of refuge by accepting and hosting African refugees. So, considering all this, which entity doesn’t want to work with such a country? – In my belief, nobody outside the ideology demagogue groups like ‘Human rights Watch’. This is why – the European Union has come to Addis Ababa, to state its desire to work on many sectors with Ethiopia. Human Rights Watch still print report every week opposing this spirit of cooperation and mutual benefit between the two bodies.
It accuses and condemns huge cooperation and collaboration like the one striked up with the European Union, which believes Ethiopia can be become an icon and home to the region and the continent as well – but the group’s effort won’t be successful. Even the group used Anna Gomes, a member of European Parliament who is known for accusing the Ethiopian government, to amplify its bogus claim – however it hasn’t been successful and got no attention. Although the group might come up with its usual bogus ‘human rights are being violated’ campaign in the future, nobody will give it any attention just likes before. Thus, I think the neo-liberal extremist group should be ashamed of itself. All in all, if the group can understand that we Ethiopians will not stop our renaissance path even for second through bombardment of cheap talk, we can consider it the same as the organization understanding the meaning of real human rights advocacy.
