Ethiopian protest in SA

Johannesburg - Ethiopian refugees living in South Africa protested on Wednesday against the detention of opposition leaders back home at the Pan African Parliament (PAP) in Midrand.

They also protested against "the non-democratic government of Prime Minister Meles Zenawi".

Among the placards waved was one that read: "Supporting tyrants is supporting terrorism."

Organiser Messai Mamo said that after elections a year ago this week, Zenawi had declared a state of emergency after the opposition Coalition for Unity and Democracy Party had won all the parliamentary seats for the capital, Addis Ababa.

It also won all the seats on the city council, read a statement, handed over to a PAP representative.

"When results continued to come in that the opposition was doing well in most urban areas outside Addis Ababa as well, the ruling party could not wait any longer and face defeat - it sent out cadres to rural areas to stop vote counting, to intimidate opposition activists and supporters and ultimately to rig the election," the statement read.

Mamo said the protesters hoped to highlight to PAP the human rights violations and put pressure on Addis Ababa for the release of imprisoned journalists and opposition leaders

source news24