Opinion: When you batter civilians in-front of UN-Offices, what happens in the dark?

Yesterday in Kampala, the Military Police and soldiers was brutalizing journalists and others who came with National Unity Platform (NUP) leader Robert Kyagulanyi and 5 other activists delivering a petition to the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights (OHCHR).

Therefore, the act itself of attacking and dispersing the civilians who was working as journalists. Was all battered and hurt. Injured and even taken to hospitals. This all happen in-front and close to the offices of the United Nations in Kampala. When the security organizations, the army and the ones keeping safety of the public does this there. What will they do when nobodies eyes are looking? What are they capable of doing, when no one knows?

The NTV Uganda reports it like this: “Military Police soldiers badly beat up journalists and some were hospitalized as they covered former presidential candidate, Robert Kyagulanyi Sentamu as he led a team to deliver a petition to the office of UN Human Rights” (NTV Uganda, 18.02.2021).

You cannot make this one up, but a petition written and made because of human rights breaches of state. The state itself breach human rights to assemble and free speech to deliver a case and evidence of human right violations. They battered and was brutal towards the journalists with their cameras and microphones. While they had AK-47s and Sticks to pound the flesh of these people. They also cracked in the front-window of one of the cars of the NUP activists who was a part of the whole delivery of the petition.

It shouldn’t be this hard to just do a request. To just deliver a petition and ask for an investigation, as they have evidence and affidavits of the acts of the state. The state proves the need for independent outside investigators, when they are attacking people for reporting and delivering petitions to the United Nations (UN) or the OHCHR. That shouldn’t be a thing, but it is.

It is just tragic that it has come down to this. The Spokesperson for the army was blaming the journalists and that they were not following SOPs and this and the other. However, she didn’t say anything sincere about the violent behaviour of the soldiers itself. The UPDF is sentencing 7 soldiers for yesterday’s actions. Nevertheless, if this wasn’t caught on tape and in-front the UN. Then these soldiers would have gotten high-fives and been celebrated at the barracks. Because, this state supports these sort of activities. That is why Bobi Wine delivered the petition in the first place. Which is the ironic part of all of this.

It is not shocking that this happens in 2021 in the Republic. This is sadly common actions towards journalists, activists and citizens participating in the political sphere or close to the opposition. Citizens and civilians who participate there could easily meet a brute force, as police officers, security agents and soldiers targeting them. Therefore, yesterday isn’t anything new, but a pattern of acts towards the ones who dare to dissent to the throne.

It is just a further proof of the atrocities and human rights violations by the state. Peace.

National Association of Broadcasters (NAB): NAB Statement on Continuous Assault of Journalists by Security Forces (18.02.2021)

Somalia: Council of Presidential Candidates (CPC) – Press Statement (18.02.2021)

Burma: Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) – Daily Briefing in Relation to the Military Coup (17.02.2021)

Zimbabwe: Movement for Democratic Change – Tsvangirai (MDC-T) – Statement on the Virtual National Standing Committee Meeting (17.02.2021)

Somalia: Gurmad Party – Statement on Peaceful Election Demonstrations Issued by Gurmad Presidential Candidate, Dr. Abdinasir Abdille Mohamed (17.02.2021)

United Nations (UN) in Uganda: United Nations in Uganda received a petition from the National Unity Platform (NUP) on alleged human rights violations (17.02.2021)

Syria: Statement by Mark Cutts, Deputy Regional Humanitarian Coordinator for the Syria Crisis on the killing of a humanitarian worker in northwest Syria, 17 February 2021 (17.02.2021)

Ethiopia: Human Rights League of the Horn of Africa (HRLHA) – HRLHA Strongly Urges the Government of Ethiopia to Resolve the Prisoners’ Demand Soon! (17.02.2021)

Ethiopia: Venable LLP hired to clean Abiy’s tarnished image

It is now reported that the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (FDRE) have hired the lobbying firm Venable LLP to promote Ethiopia in the United States of America (USA). This is not the first time an African Warlord or President with conflicts is hiring lobbyist to “clean-up” their image abroad. It is all done to sway the U.S. Congress and get a favourable tune from the White House. Because, the broken Washington D.C. is for sale and everyone can be bought, apparently.

Venable LLP had 81 clients in 2020 and spent $7,400,000 in lobbying fees for various of causes. The Venable LLP had 44 lobbyist working for them last year.

What is striking is the two fellas that is representing Ethiopia in Washington D.C. is Thomas Quinn and Loren Aho. Open Secrets says Quinn speciality is Taxation by a vast margin and Defence. While Aho have also Defence as speciality. This is not government affairs or foreign affairs, which is where the Ethiopian government needs help to sway public opinion about the war in Tigray and all the other atrocities across the Republic.

On a FARA form filed by Quinn on the 4th February 2021. Quinn is an attorney and a partner in the company. It states that he has three foreign principals his working for as a foreign agent. In his filing, these are: “Embassy of Ethiopia, Embassy of the State of Qatar & Hong Kong Trade Development Council”. This means that works for these others as well. While banking the thousands of dollars per month from Addis Ababa. We can wonder how much Qatar and HKDC is paying him too.

The Ethiopian Embassy is paying Venable LLP US$35,000 per month. When they have a taxation expert and minor lobbyist on his payroll. The company has an outreach and has a big team. Though, the two who is handling this has this history. This is information in the public domain from ProPublica and OpenSecrets. It is not like the American lobbyists isn’t looked into, as a public oversight to their actions and how they influence U.S. Congress.

That Quinn and Aho is hired to this is to whitewash and make Abiy’s government look good in the public eye in the US. It is to get Committee’s to act in favour of Addis Ababa. That is why they have hired these fellows. Where they are trying to sway and swing things in their direction. So, that they are not sanctioned or embargoed in any way. Especially, now that they are going into an election, warfare in Tigray and other lingering conflicts across the Republic.

Prime Minister Abiy has hired these guys to look good. That is the reason. As his team isn’t able to get positive headlines in Western Media and the use of this as a platform to get that. This is why regimes like this uses lobbyists to become “cleansed” from the “bloodstains” abroad. Also, to ensure their leadership and legitimacy across the board. In a manner, which they get vouched for by the International Community.

It is ironic that Abiy does this, as he holds a grip on local-media and accreditation of foreign media houses too. Just give people a pass, if they follows his guidelines and writes his stories. If they don’t, then they are banished from the Republic. Peace.