The "Court Ruling"

The "court ruling" from the political trial of the unjustly imprisoned CUD leaders and others a couple of days ago has sent a chilling message to Ethiopians that Meles Zenawi is not interested in sitting down with his political opponents to address the political crisis in the country. I suppose Meles feels pretty good about his track record of locking up his political opponents since he has experienced little or no erosion to his hold on political power that he has convinced himself he has total control to do what he pleases.

Since 1991, Meles has incarcerated many of his opponents with impunity. Just take a look at a very short list of his political opponents that he has incarcerated since 1991: Abera Yemaneab, Asrat Woldeyes, Mekonnen Dori, Taye Woldesemayat, Seye Abraha, Abate Kisho, etc... What price did he pay for allowing these compatriots to rot in his jails? Practically nothing!

So Meles figures he can do more of the same with marginal threat to his hold on power, and he calculates that the end result of incarcerating the CUD leaders will be more or less the same. Meles may wish to continue to delude himself that he can continue in this reckless path he is on without consequence, but I believe he has miscalculated this time around and he needs to consult history books to figure out why he is overplaying his hand.

I am afraid the "court ruling" of two days ago has pushed the country further towards the road of violent confrontation. I have and will always advocate peaceful and gradual ways of bringing about changes in Ethiopia because that is the right thing to do and it is good for the country. Unfortunately, the actions that the Meles regime is taking are making non-violent forms of resistance to the repressive regime an unlikely method of bringing about change in Ethiopia while on the other hand emboldening groups who are inclined to pursuing armed struggle against the regime.