More British torture by proxy

Another day, another case of British spies being complicit in the torture of one of their own citizens:

Britain’s intelligence and security agencies are facing claims that they were complicit in the brutal torture of a British man secretly detained in an African prison.

Ali Adorus, a security guard from east London, was subjected to electrocution, hooding and beatings during his 18 month imprisonment in Ethiopia, according to allegations made against Ethiopia and Britain to the United Nations High Commission.

Before leaving Britain to visit family in Ethiopia in 2012, Mr Adorus had complained that he had been targeted by the Metropolitan Police and the Security Service, MI5, over alleged links to Islamic extremism.

Now his lawyers say that some information contained in a false confession, which he claims was beaten out of him in an Ethiopian prison, could only have been provided by “British intelligence”. It is the latest case in which Britain has been accused of complicity in the torture of UK nationals and residents.

There's a consistent pattern of behaviour here of British spies providing information which gets people tortured, or even providing questions for the torturers to ask for them. And despite repeated government denials and assurances that they don't do this, it just keeps happening. The only conclusion we can draw is that those denials and assurances are lies, and that the spies are continuing to ignore the law and their supposed political masters.

There is an obvious answer to this: prosecution. Build a case for conspiracy to torture, drag the spies into court, and jail them if found guilty. The fact that the British government refuses to do this speaks volumes about its (lack of) good faith.

Double standards

For the past five years, the Sudanese regime has been waging a war against its own people in Darfur. Tactics have included the indiscriminate murder of civilians, collective punishment, burning of villages, rape, ethnic cleansing, and the use of starvation as a weapon. In response, Sudan has been isolated from the international community. It has been subjected to international sanctions, and its leaders have been indicted by the International Criminal Court.

For the past two years, the Ethiopian government has been waging a war against its own people in Ogaden. Tactics have included the indiscriminate murder of civilians, collective punishment, burning of villages, rape, ethnic cleansing, and the use of starvation as a weapon. In response, the international community has turned a blind eye and remained silent. The Ethiopian regime continues to receive almost US$2 billion of aid a year.

What's the difference here? A major one is that the Ethiopian government is a major ally in the US's war on terror, and acting as its proxy in Somalia. And for that, the US and its allies will forgive a lot. Even an ongoing crime against humanity.

So much for Ethiopian "democracy"

Two years ago, fixed elections in Ethiopia led to a series of violent public protests, in which government forces massacred almost 200 people. Now, 38 senior opposition leaders have been convicted on charges ranging from armed rebellion to "outrages against the constitution" for supposedly instigating the protests. Some of them could face the death penalty, for nothing more than speaking out against an increasingly authoritarian and brutal government.

So much for Ethiopian "democracy".

A small victory in Ethiopia

Last year, in the wake of a fixed election and violent public protests, the Ethiopian government arrested 131 journalists, opposition leaders and activists and charged them with (among other things) treason and genocide. Now, the most laughable of those charges have been thrown out, and 25 of the accused freed from prison. It's a small victory for human rights, but by no means the whole battle: 85 people are still imprisoned awaiting trial on trumped-up charges of "attempting to overthrow the government through an armed struggle" and "crimes against the constitution". If convicted, they could face life imprisonment or even execution, for nothing more than speaking out against an increasingly undemocratic government.

There's more abou this, including posts from Ethiopian bloggers, on Global Voices.

In Ethiopia, opposition is treason

Earlier in the year, the Ethiopian government held a fixed election in which they naturally won a clear majority. This led to an opposition boycott of Parliament, and eventually to violent public protests in which 46 people were killed. Now, the Ethiopian government has charged 131 opposition leaders, journalists and aid workers with treason, conspiracy and genocide for their role in the protests.

This would be funny, if it wasn't so serious. Genocide? Why not just charge them with "bigmay, sodomy, and fnord" and be done with it? But the charge carries the death penalty, as does treason, and the laying of such ridiculous charges clearly shows that the government doesn't give a damn about truth or credibility. Instead, they simply want their political opponents out of the way - permanantly.

It is one thing to prosecute people for incitement to riot. It is quite another to equate opposition to the government with treason and seek to punish politicians for contesting an election and demanding that democracy be upheld. Ethiopia deserves to become a pariah for this. Unfortunately, I don't see too many countries speaking up about it.