
The Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Defense Force (EPRDF) and the Tigray People’s Liberation Force (TPLF) are reinforcing the Command Post instructions and showing their lack of tolerance, neither their belief in liberty and freedom. As they are planning to further control the protests and the demonstrators in Oromia and Amhara. That is why there are putting up the ante and showing no mercy, as the Queerro has demonstrated and people have died over the weekend. That should not be forgotten, that in towns in Oromia, dozens of innocent citizens has died in gunfire from the Republics own guards. The ones supposed to defend them, not kill them!
The First ban of Communication:
“The public should know that these social media posts are illegal and purposely aimed at affecting peaceful activities by terrorizing citizens, it said” (Asrat, 2018). So the Social Media, Twitter, Facebook, WhatsApp and other Social Media sites are now illegal and will be cracked down on. This is like last year, when the shutdown the internet in the regions to stop the diaspora and other activists from spreading the word of the oppression done by the state. This will be in the same fashion, this time as well. However, now this time it is anticipated.
The Second ban of Communication:
“The directives issued by the Command Post prohibit disrupting transport services, free movement of people, service delivery of private and public service institutions as well as closing commercial centers and shops” (Asrat, 2018). This second one is stopping people from closing their shops, deciding that the people cannot close road or bar people from moving around. Like the roadblocks and the stones in the roads are now illegal. This sort of peaceful demonstrations and closing of public space is now illegal. Proving that the state wants to limit the space of demonstrations and to give an outcry of the Queerro and the Amhara. This is in affect stopping the closing the silent ghosts towns and the blockades that both regions has done.
The Third Ban of Communication:
“The State of Emergency also prohibits preparing, printing and distributing writings, displaying signs or publicizing messages that could incite violence via other means of communication”(Asrat, 2018). This is like obligated from the state, this is stopping the youthful messengers of the Queerro and other types of spreading the word. Even if the he-say and she-say will spread the words if the state likes it or not. They are not allowing people to write or spread any writings, any sort of communication. This is just showing how demeaning the state is and how concerned they are.
The Fourth Ban of Communication:
“It also forbids importing or exporting publications and exchanging via mobile cell phone, television, radio, social media and other means of communication without license. It also prohibits disrupting delivery and distribution of basic commodities” (Asrat, 2018). We can really see that even using the phones is illegal to spread the messages, the Short Message Service (SMS) is even illegal. They cannot use the phones and the extended services, which a modern phone contains. They are already not allowed to use Social Media, so the SMS and TV messages, even Radio are showing that all types of content and spreading it is illegal.
Banning disobedience against work:
“Moreover, it also prohibits being absent from work without enough reason, disappearing from work, strike and intentional underperformance as well as harming by any means public, government and private properties” (Asrat, 2018). The public is not allowed to be off work and demonstrate, they have to show-up and is obligated to do so. They just have to be at the office, at the shop, at the mill and whatnot because the Command Post says so.
If you believed anything good would come out of the new State Emergency, this proves how belittling, how disgusting and how far the state takes their powers to silence and oppress their own. These are their own citizens and they have less powers, than what kids has from their parents. It would be like constantly be in the time-out stage, the paternalism, where the TPLF and EPRDF are using all techniques to silence them. Treating the citizens like kids, that is why they are taking away what they see as privileges, like day-offs from work. Having the rights to close their own owned shops, the rights of using the phones, spread information through all sorts of communication, even spread all digital content with their fellow citizens. All of that is forbidden, while they are in time-outs.
It just show how insane and afraid the state is of the message, of the power of the written word and the content that question their authority, because they are afraid that they go from being kids to teens. Who rebels against their parents and doesn’t want to follow, what they see as unfair rules. Its the state who hasn’t seen how the kids has grown, they are having a thinking mind and are justified to their freedoms and liberty. To grow and become their own person, not just having their free minds and liberty. Not being chained because the TPLF believes so.
You know the state has lost their value, lost their purpose and lost their way, when the people cannot communicate and cannot use the ordinary means of passing content between each other. That is so controlling and so outrages, that the TPLF should have a time-out, not the citizens who are losing all privileges. It is insane and showing how little value liberty, freedom and the representation of the oppressed has. They can lose everything so a little elite can have everything. Peace.
Reference
Asrat, Amare – ‘Command Post urges public to carry out normal day-to-day activities, reject social media intimidating posts’ (05.03.2018) link: http://www.fanabc.com/english/index.php/news/item/11485-command-post-urges-public-to-carry-out-normal-day-to-day-activities,-reject-social-media-intimidating-posts









