Students held for poll protest

2005-06-06 21:22

Addis Ababa - Police surrounded the country's largest university on Monday and arrested hundreds of students who defied a government ban and protested against the results of Ethiopia's disputed legislative elections.

Police charged into crowds at Addis Ababa University to grab protesters and beat others with batons during the first public protest against the May 15 elections.

The army's special forces troops stood by, armed with assault rifles and rocket-propelled grenades. Riot police with tear gas and a water cannon also stood by as regular police quelled the demonstration.

Demonstrations had been banned since election day, when the capital police were put under the control of Prime Minister Meles Zenawi.

Meles's authoritarian regime

Meles's party retained control of parliament according to official election results that had not yet been ratified, but opposition parties alleged there was widespread election fraud.

The elections had been seen as a test of Meles's commitment to reform his sometimes authoritarian regime.

Before questions surfaced about the count, European Union observers had called the campaign and voting "the most genuinely competitive elections the country has experienced".

Police detained an estimated 500 protesters. Minister of Information Bereket Simon said they arrested between 200 and 300 protesters who were barring students from entering the university on Monday.

'Cops fire tear gas at students'

Simon was also a spokesperson for the ruling Ethiopia People's Revolutionary Front.

Hundreds of police had sealed main roads leading into the capital's university.

Clashes spread to other city campuses later on Monday, and police fired tear gas at students at a teacher's college.

The capital's university campuses had about 20 000 students.

The ruling party spokesperson said the main opposition, Coalition for Unity and Democracy, was behind the protests.

Simon said: "They have been preaching violence and now they are instigating it. The responsibility for what has happened falls on their shoulders", adding that authorities were considering taking legal action against the party.

Ruling party 'to use protests'

Berhanu Nega, vice-chairman of the Coalition for Unity and Democracy, denied the charges, saying the party had urged students to hold off protests.

Berhanu said: "Our worry is that the ruling party will use these protests as an excuse to crackdown and resort to force."

Berhanu said the party was getting reports that protests also happened in Awassa, southern Ethiopia and Gonder, in the north.

Bereket said not a single police officer or student had been injured, but pictures taken by an Associated Press photographer and others showed officers hitting students with the butts of assault rifles, and bloodstains on the ground.

Electoral chief Kemal Bedri said on Monday, Ethiopia's political parties were challenging the results of 55% of the races.

- AP