A lot of discussions have taken place over the past 2 – 3 years about the ongoing degradation of the conditions of life throughout the Horn of Africa. The blame has been constantly put on indifferent or marginal factors, the various warring parts of the Somali Civil War, the Eritrea – Abyssinia conflict, the Islamic Courts of Justice who as ruling power in the Somali South imposed the Islamic Law (Sharia) as principal source of jurisdiction throughout the country.

It is odd how mendacious administrations in Europe and America have no problem to deal with tyrants who govern their realms under Sharia Law, like Abdallah of Saudi Arabia, and are embarrassed to accept representative establishments that intend to implement a more tolerant version of the same law.

Why Sharia is acceptable for the shameless friends of Dick Cheney, the repugnant drug dealers and tyrants of Jordan and Saudi Arabia, but becomes unacceptable when evoked by Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed of Somalia?

The ´Ethiopian´ ´Courts´ of ´Justice´: worse than the Somali Islamic Courts of Justice

If the erratic and deeply loathed Bush administration, and more particularly the indictable Ass. Secretary Jendayi Frazer, have a problem with the Somali Islamic Courts of Justice, it must become clear to all that the entire world has a far greater concern with the appalling and inhuman ´Ethiopian´ ´Courts´ of ´Justice´.

Contrarily with the Somali Islamic Courts of Justice, the ´Ethiopian´ ´Courts´ of ´Justice´ do not apply Sharia, but the Law of the Jungle.

Contrarily with the Somali Islamic Courts of Justice, the ´Ethiopian´ ´Courts´ of ´Justice´ are set up in order to impose measures and criteria of another religion on people belonging to distinct nations and adhering to different religions. In fact the Ogadeni, Afar, and Oromo Muslims, the followers of historical African religions, like many Oromos, the Sidamas, the Shekachos, the Anuak, the Kaffas, the Kambattas, the Hadiyas, the Wolayitas and others, the Christian Oromos, Anuak, Sidamas and others, and the Amhara and Tigray Muslims cannot be subject to criteria, principles and notions of Amhara and Tigray Monophysitic traditions and practices that consist in the foundations of the ´Ethiopian´ ´Law´.

Contrarily with the Somali Islamic Courts of Justice, the ´Ethiopian´ ´Courts´ of ´Justice´ do not involve any notion of fairness, tolerance, equity and impartiality.

Contrarily with the Somali Islamic Courts of Justice, the ´Ethiopian´ ´Courts´ of ´Justice´ turned the motto ´Equal Justice under Law´ to a parody.

And while the Somali Islamic Courts of Justice have been fallaciously represented as terrorists, although they were far more tolerant as regime than the Jordanian, Saudi and Pakistani friends of Dick Cheney, the ´Ethiopian´ ´Courts´ of ´Justice´ are tolerated by the mendacious people around Jendayi Frazer, and kept out of focus by the otherwise informative Washington Post and New York Times.

Contrarily with the Somali Islamic Courts of Justice, the ´Ethiopian´ ´Courts´ of ´Justice´ consist in the most direct, utter, and unequivocal rebuff of the historical words of Chief Justice Melville Fuller, who said in 1891: "By the Fourteenth Amendment the powers of the States in dealing with crime within their borders are not limited, but no State can deprive particular persons or classes of persons of equal and impartial justice under the law".

A most recent case of implementation of the inhuman Abyssinian Law of the Jungle is revealed through a Press Release issued today by the Ogaden Human Rights Committee (OHRC). The unjust and biased decisions of the Abyssinian regional court in occupied Ogaden and the unfair condemnation of two prominent Ogadenis are analytically dewcribed in the text that we publish here integrally. It is quite interesting that one of the two cases was that of an Ogadeni businessman who for the sake of his business had collaborated for many long years with the occupation regime of racist, Neo-Nazi Abyssinia (fallaciously re-baptized as ´Ethiopia´).

And the morale of the story is that in the country of Jendayi Frazer´s criminal friend, Meles Zenawi, even the collaborators are treated in a most discriminatory way as products with expiry date by the heinous, rancorous and vicious Neo-Nazi Amhara and Tigray Abyssinian elites.

This makes clear that the only problem in the Horn of Africa area is the continuation of the existence of ´Ethiopia´; the only possible solution is the liberation of the subjugated and tyrannized nations, and the destruction of the Hell ´Ethiopia´.

Ogaden: Ethiopian Court´s Sentences are Mockery of Justice

Press Release - Ref: OHRC/PRM/0208 - Date: 14th May 2008

On May 12th 2008, Suldan Fowsi Mohamed Ali, a prominent community elder and a peace activist was sentenced to 22 years in prison by an Ethiopian regional court in Jigjiga. On the same date Haji Ibrahim Had, a well-known businessman and financier of an anti- ONLF clan based militia was also sentenced to 16 years in prison by the same court. The two detainees will be transferred to Zuway prison, in Amhara region.

On August 28th 2007, in Jigjiga, Ethiopian security forces and the local police collected Suldan Fowsi Mohamed Ali from his residence in the dead of night. And then he was transferred to an underground military detention in Jigjiga. He was among a number of outspoken critics of the Ethiopian government´s policies in the Ogaden who were arrested before the arrival of the UN fact-finding mission in the region. He has been brought before the regional court several times. Each time, he was taken back to his cell for lack of evidence. (See Ogaden: Ethiopian Government Forces: Massacre, displace and starve out the civilian population with impunity ref: OHRC/AR/07).

Recently, Suldan Fowsi was charged with masterminding of two hand grenade attacks which took place in Dhagaxbuur and Jigjiga, on May 28th 2007 and "collaborating with the bandits", a term Ethiopian authorities frequently use to designate members of ONLF fighters.

Suldan Fowsi was a member of a group of Ogaden elders who were mandated by the Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi to negotiate with the ONLF, on June 29th 2005. It should be noted that he was the mediator who successfully negotiated the release of the Chinese Workers who were taken by ONLF fighters, on 24th April 2007, in the Cobolle Oil exploration field attack.

It is worthwhile to mention that Suldan Fowsi is a cousin of Bashir Ahmed Makhtal, the Canadian citizen who was handed over to the Ethiopian government by Kenya at Mogadishu airport, on January 21st 2007.Since then Bashir is being held incommunicado without charge or trial. (See OHRC´s Press Release Kenya: Illegally arrests and renders Ogaden Somalis to Ethiopian military in Somalia ref: OHRC/PRO/0207).

Suldan Fowsi´s family members and relatives were subjected to constant harassment, intimidation, arbitrary detention and extensive torture. Those who are not in detention went into hiding for fear of their lives.

Haji Ibrahim Had was a sworn enemy of the ONLF. After the killing of his elder brother accidentally by the ONLF, he formed an anti-ONLF militia with the help of the Ethiopian Government. His militia cooperated and collaborated with the Ethiopian Armed Forces to undermine the ONLF. His younger brother was killed in one of the many engagements between his militia and ONLF fighters.

Haji Ibrahim Had was detained in December 2007. He was accused of collaborating with the bandits, facilitating the Cobolle operation and having secret arrangements with the ONLF. He was brought before the regional court, in Jigjiga, on May 07th 2008, and then was taken back to his cell for lack of evidence and witnesses.

The two detainees were maltreated and denied medical care during their detention.

On April 04th 2008, when Mr. Abdi Mohamoud Omar, the head of the Somali Regional State Security and Justice Bureau, verbally attacked Suldan Fowsi Mohamed Ali with a hateful and offensive language, during an interview with VOA Somali Section, Mr. Omar then confirmed Fowsi´s eventual condemnation. Since that day court´s ruling had become a fait accompli.

Suldan Fowsi and Haji Ibrahim Had pleaded not guilty. But regional court´s sentence was 22 and 16 years' imprisonment respectively. They were not informed the particulars of the charges and reasons for their arrest, have not had access to any evidence presented against them, and were not represented by a proper legal counsel.

Hence, they did not receive fair trial in accordance with recognized international standards. On the basis of available information about their cases, the OHRC believes that there was not credible evidence for their conviction, and their trial was a mockery of justice, and considers Suldan Fowsi prisoner of conscience and Haji Ibrahim Had a victim of personal vendetta.

To the best of the Ogaden Human Rights Committee´s knowledge, Suldan Fowsi was not involved in any illegal or violent activity. He was a respectable community elder and peace activist with no political affiliation whatsoever. Haji Ibrahim Had was a notable businessman, an anti-ONLF and an ally of the Ethiopian Government.

The Ogaden Human Rights Committee is concerned about their safety and well-being and opposes their transfer to the notorious Zuway prison. The OHRC condemns the verdict of the Jigjiga Kangaroo Court and demands their unconditional and immediate release.

Read: www.ogadenrights.org

Note
Picture: Ogaden plunged in misery, poverty, starvation and tyranny because of the Tigray and Amhara terrorists and thieves of the criminal tyrant Meles Zenawi