Ethiopian Federal Council Speaker Seeks Political Asylum in AmericaAlmaz Meko, who had been serving as the Speaker of the Ethiopian Federal Council since 1995, is seeking political asylum in the United States, media reported Wednesday.Meko, now in her 40s, reportedly stopped in the United States on transit on her way back to Ethiopia after attending a convention of women parliamentarians in the Caribbean. "Over the last two years, the government have been very harsh on the Oromos because Oromos have been challenging and calling for their rights," Meko was quoted as saying in Washington. Meko was a member of the exiled Oromo Liberation Front, which commands guerrillas who make armed attacks on government forces in some parts of Ethiopia. Meko, a member of the central committee of the ruling coalition, the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front, said the Oromo people were not being democratically represented and accused the Prime Minister's Office of having direct rule over the Oromo People's Democratic Organization -- the party which represents the Oromo population in the coalition government. So far there has been no immediate comment on Meko's statement from the Ethiopian government. |
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