June 30, 2015
President Barack Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500
Mr. President,
Your office has recently announced that you will travel to Ethiopia for bilateral meetings with the Government of Ethiopia and with the leadership of the African Union in an efforts to work with the countries and citizens of sub-Saharan Africa to accelerate economic growth, strengthen democratic institutions, and improve security. I welcome the intent of your visit to my country. However, I am deeply concerned by what kind of message your visit will send to the people of Ethiopia.
Mr. President, You have done us all black people proud when you become the first black president of the most powerful nation in the planet. During your first visit to Africa, you raised high hope in every aspiring young Africans when you reaffirmed your commitment to fight tyranny by sying “…No country is going to create wealth if its leaders exploit the economy to enrich themselves or if police can be bought off by drug traffickers. ….No person wants to live in a society where the rule of law gives way to the rule of brutality and bribery. That is not democracy, that is tyranny, even if occasionally you sprinkle an election in there. And now is the time for that style of governance to end.” You were unequivocal in your support for human right and freedoms, and I write to you today to ensure that these ideas play a major role in your decision to visit Ethiopia.
Mr. President, I am addressing you as concerned citizen, as a young women, forced to see her country become a place governed by fear. Fear of imprisonment, fear of torture, fear of death, fear of losing friends, family, property or means of livelihood, fear of isolation, and fear of failure. I regret telling you this but your planned visit to Ethiopia, if not handled correctly, will reverse your promise to fight dictatorship and tyranny across the world.
It is public knowledge that the minority lead government of Ethiopia is extraordinarily repressive. The government uses repressive laws to constrain civil society and independent media, and target individuals with politically motivated prosecutions. More journalists and activists have been prosecuted through the country’s infamous Anti-terrorism proclamation than actual terrorists. The result of the recent election in which the ruling party won 100 % of seats in parliamentary is the manifestation the government’s growing political repression.
Mr. President, citizens of Ethiopia and our country have extraordinary potential. With unshackled voices, we can build a prosperous country and bring stability and peace to the region. We have the potential to be a model to the entire continent of Africa. What we need today is space for tolerance, plurality, and honest dialogue, the foundations of a democratic process that the repression against activists and journalist seek to undermine. Our three thousand years of history shows that Ethiopian’s will never accept living under tyranny and never back down for dictatorship. If the current situation in the country does not improve, conflict in Ethiopia is not a question of if, it is when. The danger for another civil war is looming large over the horizons of Ethiopia. I hope you can agree with me that it is important to have a stable Ethiopia in rather disturbed region. Thus, I request for your strong leadership and commitment to prevent another conflict from happening.
Thus far, the government of Ethiopia has been reporting your upcoming visit as a recognition of the country’s progress in all fronts. They have openly advertised the visit as a seal of approval from Washington to continue their way of governance.
I urge you to reconsider your decision and what message it will send to millions of oppressed people in the country and millions others across the continent. I respectfully request you to cancel the visit and make unmistakably clear that the US will not support such right violations. However, if you chose to go through with your visit, I urge you to take the opportunity to correct irresponsible statements given by different U.S. officials regarding democracy and human rights in Ethiopia and ask for immediate release of all political prisoners. I also encourage you to seek a meeting with family and friends of members of imprisoned peaceful human rights activists and opposition party leaders.
Thank you very much for your time and for your attention to this important issue.
Sincere regards,
Rahma Said
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
