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Expressing views freely have nothing to do with acts of terrorism /Desta Hailu/
One of the threats intimidating the world is terrorism. This heinous act that takes the lives of innocent people doesn’t chose between ethnic, clan, color, social status, or between literate and illiterate, or between wealthy and poor country. It is a heinous act that attacks everything without prejudice.
Today it has come to seem luxurious to dream of a place in the world where terrorism cannot reach or touch. This sinister phenomenon now touches countries from the super power US to Canada, from Iraq to Afghanistan; from Somalia to Kenya; from Uganda to Mali and Ethiopia and the borders of other countries. Although the question ‘what is terrorism?’ may bring different answer, but the definition that describes it as “terrorism is an illegal act that is done to influence a group of people through fear and thereby undertake own objective” can satisfy every country.
As it’s known, terrorism has become huge issue following the destruction and pain it inflicted on our world. In addition to this, the effort to mitigate the threat of terrorism and stop it from its source has also grown in due course of time. Considering the changing behavior of terrorism, it cannot be said that the effort to stop it have been successful.
It is obvious that terrorism; which poses a threat on the lives of innocent people and on peace and development of a country, is an act of cowards. This sinister act that brings wholesale destruction poses an even more threat on developing countries that are trying to get out of poverty, although it has the potency to harm any country.
Especially the poor region of horn of Africa has been vulnerable to this problem, and has been many years now since the region have been victim of terror acts. It will be helpful to look at the phenomenon in two parts considering its complicated engagement in the region’s countries. We find countries in the region that have been victim of the act, and those that have huge contribution on augmenting acts of terror in the region. Eritrea and Somalia takes the lion share when it comes to coordinating, supporting and dispatching terrorist attacks that are carried out on the region’s countries. In contrast, countries like Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda are victim of terrorism. In this regard, east Africa countries that are putting in huge effort to get out of poverty and backwardness especially Ethiopia; which is toiling to make its rapid development sustainable, have been challenged by terrorism at various times – although it could not stop the country. This result is gained through the integrated effort of our people and government.
It has been many years since our country started to be victim of terror attack. The lives of many people have been taken in the past two decades alone through terror attacks carried out by international and local terrorists. From the assassination attempt made on former Egyptian government to the terror threat on people living near border areas and the unsuccessful terror act Al-Qaeda’s east Africa liaison Al-Shabaab tried through its minion can be mentioned as illustrations.
As it is known, peace and stability are important issues when it comes to achieving development and democratic order building process, especially to a developing country like Ethiopia. If there is no peace, it is worthless to talk about development or democracy. This is because there will be no peace or democracy that can come to a country, if there is no lasting peace.
So in order for the development and democratic order building that is initiated in our country to continue successfully, creating a peaceful environment is essential. This is because for Ethiopia it is an issue of bringing rapid development and getting out of poverty and thus an existential issue. Thus, in the process of bringing peace, the country should hamper any activity that is a threat to its national security. As a result to this, Ethiopia has enacted an anti-terror law – like other countries do either directly or indirectly.
The main reason the proclamation was enacted was with an aim to protect the constitution and to stop the act of terrorism through legal ways, as it is an obstacle to our country’s development. However, some neo-liberal extremist and their local minions try to link terrorism with the right to express opinion in order to oppose the proclamation.
This thinking cannot be right in any criteria. The act of killing innocent people and freedom cannot be the same thing in any criteria. Linking a sinister act that kills innocents and destroy properties to a constitutional right cannot be right in any way. Thus, there is no scope where terrorism and the right to express opinion freely can be linked or tied.
As it’s known, the right to express opinion freely is stipulated on article 29 of the FDRE constitution. As per the stipulation, any citizen has an inalienable right to hold and express his or her opinion freely. However, no citizen can stand against to the constitution and laws that are enacted based on the constitution on the cover of expressing opinion freely. I think the neo-liberal extremists should know that any person will be hold accountable for violating the law whether he is a journalist, politician, judge, soldier or sportsmen. They are very serious about upholding the rule of law in their own country.
Let me raise two instances here – the suspected Dr. Merera Gudina and the “journalist” Eskinder Nega. The suspected Dr. Merera Gudina has gone to Europe based on the invitation forwarded to him by the European Union. As any citizen has the constitutional right to move to any place freely, no one can question the travel made by the doctor. The problem rises to the things he did after he arrived in Europe.
First of all, the fact that he met with the leader of the terrorism group Ginbot 7 and held talks will make him accountable to the country’s laws. The second has to do with the fact that he violated the bans that were put on the state of emergency. As I have said it above, any person will be hold accountable for violating the country’s laws. Thus, Dr. Merera was not held accountable for being a politician or for expressing his opinion freely, but because for violating the country’s laws. All in all, as it is not possible to further go on the situation because the case is currently under court, we will see conclusion of the issue once the verdict is passed.
The situation of the “journalist” Eskinder Nega is not different. The court that presided over his case has found him guilty of violating the laws of the country, in his bid to carry out the ‘mission’ given to him by neo-liberal extremists, after weighing on the human and material evidence presented to the court. He is imprisoned not because he expressed his opinion freely or for being a “journalist”, but because he was found guilty of violating the country’s laws like the anti-terror law. The verdict has anything to do with expressing views freely. What we can understand from these two instances is that these individuals want to do anything they want by using their “professions” as cover. As every citizen is equal before the law, the right to violate the law, which is not given to anyone, cannot be given to these two individuals.
First of all, it is not allowed to go after personal political interest by violating the laws in a country that is led by rule and laws. And it is not appropriate to link the issue to expressing opinion freely when the government imprisons individuals in order to uphold the rule of law. In my belief, the fact that neo-liberal extremists are trying to link the anti-terror law to inviolable rights of citizens shows how low they look at that particular right and how they are willing to use in Africa as cover. Thus, it is not hard to see the people that are claimed to have been imprisoned for expressing their views freely are liaisons that carry out the agendas of neo-liberal extremist forces.
