Support Ethiopian Asylum Seeker in Norway

The Honorable Jens Stoltenberg, Prime Mister

The Royal Kingdom of Norway

Akersgata 42,

Popsboks 8001 Dep 0030 Oslo, Norway.

Dear Prime Minister:

We are writing to you, on behalf of over 1,000 Ethiopians who are seeking asylum in Norway due to nearly certain persecution and risk to their life should they returns to Ethiopia. We Ethiopians living all over the world appreciate that, you value dearly the issues of human rights, justice, democracy, freedom of opinion and freedom of expression. Above all Norway, to whom you are the Prime Minister not only a signatory of the Geneva Convention, but also a country that awards a Noble Peace Prize to those who stood for peace, justice and freedom. We praised the Norwegian Nobel committee for awarding the Nobel Peace Prize to imprisoned Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo despite China’s displeasure.

As peace and freedom loving Ethiopians, however, we are troubled and horrified to learn that your Government has rejected unjustly and unfairly application for political asylum to over 1,000 Ethiopians political asylum seekers. We also found that about 100 of them including the elderly, pregnant women and infants, seeking refugee at Oslo Cathedral Church are on huger strike since February 7, 2011. As such we have learned that:

1. Application for political asylum of Ethiopians is treated unjustly unfairly and collectively, rather than treating on an individual basis, i.e. on a case by case basis.

2. Those, whose application being rejected are law abiding Ethiopian political refugees lived, worked and paid taxes ranging from 18 months to 12 years.

3. Included in the rejection process, are those children born in Norway, the country they only know and belong to.

4. The reasoning given by your government for the rejection is as such – that there is an economic boom, freedom and justice in Ethiopia, and hence genuine political asylum seekers being considered as an economic refugee.

5. Your government assumes that the return to Ethiopia a few members of the ruling regime party presumes that there is freedom and democracy in Ethiopia. However, fails to prove the existence of democracy, freedom and justice in Ethiopia.

Your Honorable Prime Minister

Most of these Ethiopians have played a vital role in exposing the crimes and misdeeds of the current tyrannical regime in Ethiopia; they will definitely face imprisonment, torture or being killed should they return to Ethiopia. The Ethiopian dictatorial regime led by Mr. Meles Zenawi, as described by Helen Epstein in her article Cruel Ethiopia published on The New York Review Books dated April 21, 2010 noted that “there are two Prime Minister Meles Zenawi; one a clubbable, charming African who gives moving speeches at elite forums about terrorism and poverty, and the other is a dictator whose totalitarianism dates back to the cold war days”. The State Department of the USA on its 2010 report also noted “that the Meles government is engaged in killings, tortures, arbitrary arrest, and restriction of freedom of movement, assembly and mistreatment of detainees”. The Human Rights Watch on its December 17, 2010 issue stated “that the government of Ethiopia uses development aid for state repression by way of routinely discriminating against people viewed as political opposition supporters”. The aid your government provides the Meles regime as such being used to suppress political dissent by conditioning access to essential services on support for the ruling party led Mr. Meles Zenawi.

The regime of Meles Zenawi that should and will brought to face justice at the International Criminal Court (ICC), ever since it grabbed power committed and is responsible: (1) for the death of 193 innocent Ethiopians after the 2005 general election, (2) for the genocide of over 450 Anuaks in 2003, (3) for the massacre of 70 Sidamas in Sidamo (4) for the killing of thousands of Ogaden Somalis (5) for killing, torture and disappearance of thousands of Oromos and Amharas, and last not least (6) for the death by starvation the citizens of Ethiopia for the last 20 years.

The above being the true deeds of the despotic regime of Meles Zenawi, the unjust and unfair treatment of Ethiopian political asylum seekers in Norway is not only a violation justice, fairness and human rights, but also condemning them to torture and death.

We therefore appeal to you, to review and correct the unjust, discriminatory and unfair asylum granting policy, specially, towards Ethiopians. We asked for assistance from you to allow them to have access to a fair asylum process. We also urges the Norwegian government to honor its obligations under international law, and in particular the Refugee Convention, by providing these Ethiopians with a fair asylum process and ensuring that they are not returned to Ethiopia and the risk of torture or other ill-treatment. We hope that you offered them a protection. We strongly urge you to accept their case for asylum.

We demand a righteous due process on case by case basis when granting an asylum. If your government declines Ethiopian asylum seekers be part of the Norwegian society and contribute their best to Norway, therefore, Your Honorable Prime Minister must provide them protection and a work permit until the United Nation Higher Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) arranges a third country to move to.