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On Jul. 14 several hundred opposition protestors gathered in northern town of Gondar to and called on the government to stop exploiting the antiterrorism law and release those whom the law has been used to imprison. Credit: William Lloyd-George\/IPS<\/div>\nGONDAR, Ethiopia, Jul 18 2013 (IPS)\u00a0– Since the violent quashing of political protests after the ruling party won Ethiopia\u2019s 2005 elections, this East African nation has seen little in the way of political dissent. That is, until the last few months.<\/p>\n
Since June, the country has witnessed mass protests in three of its major cities. Despite the significance of these protests, observers disagree over how much they signal a rebirth for the country\u2019s opposition movement and the government\u2019s tolerance of it.<\/p>\n
\u201cUntil the recent protests, most had lost faith in the democratisation process and opposition parties,\u201d Hallelujah Lulie, a political analyst from the Ethiopia-based Institute for Security Studies told IPS.<\/p>\n
When the ruling Ethiopian People\u2019s Revolutionary Democratic Front won another term of office in 2005, thousands of protestors took to the streets in protest, as the party has been in power since 1991. It had appeared that the ruling party rigged the vote as many expected the opposition Coalition for Unity and Democracy and the United Ethiopian Democratic Forces to win.<\/p>\n
The crackdown led to the arrest of several opposition party politicians, with many others being forced to flee the country and give up politics.<\/p>\n
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\u201cRecent opposition activities, however, show that people are beginning to recognise the opposition again, which could be a big boost for the domestic opposition parties,\u201d said Hallelujah.<\/p>\n
On Jun. 2 a new opposition group, the Blue Party, organised\u00a0mass protests<\/a>\u00a0in the country\u2019s capital, Addis Ababa.\u00a0Thousands marched down one of the city\u2019s main avenues, calling for the release of political prisoners and journalists and the reform of government policies.<\/p>\n The protest was given permission, and no arrests were made during, before, or after the demonstration, leading some to believe that the government had become more tolerant towards opposition activities.<\/p>\n \u201cWhile there have been no arrests so far, we have credible information that the government is plotting to break up our movement and label us as terrorists. We have seen no change in the government or a willingness to engage in dialogue with us,\u201d Yilkal Getnet, chairman of the Blue Party, told IPS.<\/p>\n Getachew Reda, spokesman for the Ethiopian Prime Minister\u2019s office, told IPS that they would not negotiate with the protestors, as there are proper legal channels to address issues that the opposition politicians\u00a0had not exhausted.<\/p>\n \u201cDespite a lack of response from the government, we believe that the opposition movement will continue to gain momentum and are deeply encouraged by the (recent) protests,\u201d said Yilkal.<\/p>\n On Jul. 14, the major opposition party, the Union for Democracy and Justice (UDJ), organised protests in two major cities, Gondar and Dessie, in north and north-central Ethiopia, respectively. It was part of a campaign \u2018One Million Voices for Freedom\u2019, which sought to get one million signatures on a petition with demands similar to those of the Blue Party.<\/p>\n In Gondar, protestors marched through the capital and called on the government to stop exploiting the anti-terrorism law and release those whom the law has been used to imprison, including political prisoners andjournalists<\/a>. But bad weather and reports of intimidation prior to the march meant that the protestors numbered in the hundreds at most.<\/p>\n \u201cNumbers do not matter right now, it is just very symbolic that the recent protests took place out of Addis, as most the activism is in Addis where it is easier to mobilise supporters,\u201d said Hallelujah. \u201cIt shows that the opposition movement could be on the path to regaining popular recognition and trust again.\u201d<\/p>\n Hallelujah\u00a0believes the protests could be a sign that the opposition is emerging again, he argued that they still face huge challenges that could hinder their chances of success. He said that it is hard for opposition parties to increase their membership freely, to raise funds and even to rent a hall for party meetings.<\/p>\n \u201cThey are still operating in a very tight and unfriendly environment,\u201d said Hallelujah. \u201cWe need legislative change in order for proper liberalisation where opposition groups are free to operate without arrests and other harassment.\u201d<\/p>\n