ETHIOPIA: TEACHERS ASSOCIATION SHUT DOWN

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ADDIS ABABA 000335 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR AF/E, DRL FOR SJOSEPH, AND INR/B NAIROBI FOR LABOR OFFICER CJTF-HOA AND CENTCOM FOR POLAD E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/07/2018 TAGS: PHUM KJUS KDEM PGOV ET SUBJECT: ETHIOPIA: TEACHERS ASSOCIATION SHUT DOWN REF: 06 ADDIS 2629 ADDIS ABAB 00000335 001.2 OF 002 Classified By: AMBASSADOR YAMAMOTO FOR REASONS 1.4 (B) and (D). ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: In the latest set-back for civil society in Ethiopia, the independent Ethiopian Teachers, Association (ETA),which claims to represent the bulk of Ethiopia's teachers, has had its doors shut once and for all by the judicial system. On February 7, the Supreme Court ruled that the name and property of the organization is to be handed over to the surrogate, Ethiopian Government (GoE)-backed, teachers' association. The original ETA had been critical of the ruling Ethiopian Peoples' Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) party since it came to power. As opposition political parties grew in Ethiopia, pressure on the ETA increased. Following the student-led post-election violence in 2005, the GoE seemed to have decreasing patience for lack of control in the schools. Today's Supreme Court decision helps to ensure that dissident groups in schools can be more easily identified and formation of anti-GoE organizations less likely, all the while killing one of Ethiopia's most respected organizations. END SUMMARY. -------------- -- LENGTHY LEGAL BATTLE FINALLY COMES TO AN END... -------------- -- ¶2. (SBU) The ETA is one of the oldest and largest civil society or professional organizations in Ethiopia. It was originally formed in 1967 during the reign of Emperor Halie Selessie, and was granted an indefinite registration. However, when the Derg regime was overthrown by the ruling EPRDF, a new ETA was formed by individuals closely aligned with the new government. At that time, the original ETA was instructed to reregister their organization, but told it could not continue to use the ETA name. ¶3. (SBU) Until 1993, the "original" ETA received funding from membership fees automatically withdrawn from member teachers' salaries and placed in bank accounts under the ETA name. After the "new" ETA was formed, the original ETA was prohibited from using the bank accounts, which were turned over to the new ETA. Fees continued to be automatically withdrawn from teachers, salaries, regardless of whether they were members of the new ETA. The original ETA was forced to turn to individual donations from teachers, the Ethiopian diaspora, as well from the international community for financial support. In addition to funding, the headquarters of the original ETA has had most of its offices sealed and property confiscated by the GoE since 1997. ¶4. (SBU) Legal battles between the new and the original ETA over use of the name and for control of ETA property have gone on since 1993. Over the years, the original ETA had received favorable rulings in four consecutive lower court decisions, but the matter was appealed all the way to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court initially sent the case back to the High Court to "reinvestigate" the case, which was subsequently changed and in June 2007 ruled in favor of the new ETA. The original ETA fought back, appealing the case to the Supreme Court yet again. However, on February 7, the Supreme Court dealt what appears to be the death blow to the original ETA, upholding the High Court's decision, ordering the original ETA to cease using the name and to hand over all assets to the new ETA. -------------- ... AND MARKS ANOTHER SUCCESS FOR THE EPRDF -------------- ¶5. (SBU) The original ETA, which estimates its membership to include 117,000 of Ethiopia's 160,000 teachers, has long been seen by the GoE as a political organization and closely aligned with opposition parties. As schools and universities in Ethiopia have historically been hotbeds of political opposition, maintaining control there is critical in keeping unrest in check. Ethiopian teachers regularly receive political indoctrination by local government cadres, at least partially to help counteract the formation of anti-government student groups. ¶6. (SBU) The original ETA has faced harassment by the GoE for many yeas and has had property taken, gatherings broken up ADDIS ABAB 00000335 002.2 OF 002 and members arrested on several occasions (reference Ethiopia's Human Rights Reports). In fact, the group's president, Dr. Taye Wolde Semayat, was one of the defendants in the trial of Coalition for Unity and Democracy (CUD) leaders following the November 2005 unrest. Dr. Taye was tried in absentia (as he is currently in exile in the U.S.) and was found guilty on charges of attempting to overthrow the constitutional order. Other members remain on trial under similar charges. -------------- --- COMMENT: DIVIDE AND CONQUER A LONG TERM STRATEGY -------------- --- ¶7. (C) The Supreme Court's decision on February 7 brings a sad end to one of Ethiopia's most respected organizations. Though Education International representatives indicate that they will continue to recognize the "original" ETA, the ETA's domestic operations will be forced to come to a halt. A large, opposition-focused group of teachers posed an obvious threat to the EPRDF administration from initial stages when it came to office. More recently, much of the widespread unrest in the 2005 post-election period began in schools, and it would appear that the GoE decided that it can ill-afford any revival of that disorder, particularly with the CUD cowed and local elections on the horizon. Though many teachers will be upset with the door finally closing on their beloved organization, the GoE has shown it now has little tolerance for instability in schools and teachers are unlikely to raise any significant problems for them at this point. Meanwhile, the defeated ETA organizers seem more likely to fade into memory than attempt to revive their organization via a new structure. YAMAMOTO