• Text size  | | |
• Email this document
• Printable version

Ethiopia: Whether the Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs advises its missions abroad to gather and provide lists of leaders and organizers of political activists overseas

Information on whether the Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs advises its missions abroad to gather and provide lists of leaders and organizers of political activists overseas could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.

However, an article in The Ethiopian Reporter states that Ethiopian missions abroad are key to implementing the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' "master plan on diaspora engagement" and that the Ethiopian embassy in Ottawa does, among other things, conduct surveys on the diaspora (6 Jan. 2007). The author of this article also adds that many members of the diaspora are suspicious about the motives of the embassies in collecting their personal information, and some have expressed concern that the embassies are only furthering the government's interests (The Ethiopian Reporter 6 Jan. 2007). In addition, the website of the Ethiopian embassy in London posts a registration form for Ethiopians and foreign nationals of Ethiopian origin to fill out in order to be involved in Ethiopia's development (n.d.). The registration form's stated objective is to

identify the full potential and interest of Ethiopians and foreign nationals of Ethiopian origin living abroad and create mechanisms for involving them in the multifaceted development activities so as to benefit themselves and their country of origin (Ethiopia n.d.).

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

References

Ethiopia. N.d. Embassy of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, London. "Ethiopian Embassy – London: Registration Form for Ethiopians and Foreign Nationals of Ethiopian Origin Living Abroad." <http://www.ethioembassy.org.uk/Ethiopian%20Community%20News/Ethiopian%20Community%20News%20Homepage.htm> [Accessed 14 Sept. 2007]

The Ethiopian Reporter. 6 January 2007. Bathseba H. Belai. "Diaspora: Engaging the Ethiopian Diaspora: Role of Embassies". <http://www.ethiopianreporter.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=11151> [Accessed 12 Sept. 2007]

Additional Sources Consulted

Internet sites, including: Addis Voice; Amnesty International; Embassy of Ethiopia in Ottawa; Embassy of Ethiopia in Washington, DC; Ethiomedia; Ethiopian Human Rights Council; Ethiopian Review; European Country of Origin Information Network (ecoi.net); Freedom House; Human Rights Watch (HRW); Kinijit Ethiopia; Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia; Nazret; Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights; Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN); United Kingdom Home Office; United States Department of State; World News Connection (WNC).