Premier pledges action on rights abuses

Prime Minister Meles Zenawi has pledged to crack down on human rights abuses such as those which left at least 100 people dead in two separate shooting incidents earlier this year. He said the government would take action against regional officials who may have been implicated in the killings. "Stern measures will be taken against all forms of violations of human rights and tendencies of taking the law into one's own hands, like the incidents witnessed in various parts of the country last year," he said. His call follows a demand by the EU for an open and transparent public inquiry into shootings in Southern Nations and Nationalities and People's Regional State (SNNPRS). "Perpetrators of the incidents in the Southern Nations, Nationalities and People's [Regional] State will in this regard be dealt with seriously based on the rule of law," Meles said. "The necessary measures shall be taken based on the provisions of the constitution, including against regional states, should they choose to protect and defend such criminals." The prime minister also warned that political parties would not be able to hide behind their membership of the ruling Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF). Opposition groups assert that the clashes in Tepi and Awasa [both in the southwest] earlier this year were instigated by members of political groups linked to the ruling coalition. "No group or organisation shall be allowed to use its membership of the EPRDF as a licence to trample upon the rights enshrined in the constitution," Meles went on to declare during the opening of the Council of People’s Representatives last week. He also said "special focus" would be concentrated on resolving clashes between different groups sparked by lack of pasture or border disputes, by means of "prompt intervention" by federal police, who would ensure that law and order were maintained. "The start of the work of the office of the ombudsman and the Human Rights Commission this year, is believed will further contribute to the creation and consolidation of more institutions of democratic rule," he added. Meles also noted that a new controversial media law, expected to be introduced this year, would help the fledgling private press to "flourish" in the country.