A teenage girl attends a protest against the Ethiopian government's displacement of farmers and abuses by security forces and oppression of the voices of opposition. She later watches her brother shot and killed and her father and two other brothers arrested. She is banned from school.
This is just one of many stories emerging from Ethiopia where hundreds of protestors have been killed while tens of thousands more are imprisoned.
Protest against government policy is a democratic right that all citizens of any country should be able to engage in without fearing for their lives or the livelihoods. The state violence in Ethiopia against protestors must stop. The Ethiopian people must be free of state violence and able to express their dissent.
Sign today to stand for Ethiopians' democratic freedoms. By signing today you are sending a message that the world is watching and will not stand idly by while protestors are killed and imprisoned.
Photo Credit: Andrew Heavens, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0, photo cropped
To President Mulatu Teshome,
As someone who cares for the lives and rights of all humans I am deeply concerned about Ethiopia's violent targetting of anti-government protestors.
In any viable democracy the voice of dissent must be given space to exist. Using violent means against someone for their political views is a violation of human rights and weakens any democracy.
These attacks are killing hundreds and imprisoning thousands more and must stop.
I urge you to condemn the violence against the protestors and stop this regime of oppression.
[Your Comment Here]
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
