European parliament warns Ethiopia over opposition crackdown

The European parliament on Friday called for an end to harrassment of opposition groups in Ethiopia and warned of possible aid cuts to the impoverished Horn of Africa nation if it did not stop.
In a statement released here, the Strasbourg-based legislature deplored the government's treatment of the opposition since disputed May elections that EU observers said failed to meet international standards.
The parliament "calls on the Ethiopian government to end the persecution and intimidation of opposition parties and to release immediately thousands of people who were arrested at an opposition demonstration in June," it said.
"If necessary, the European Commission should step up its humanitarian policy towards Ethiopia and adjust its non-humanitarian aid," the statement said.
The European Commission and the member states of the European Union are among Ethiopia's biggest donors, contributing about 490 million dollars (407 million euros) annually. The commission provides about 17 percent of that total.
The statement came as the country's largest opposition group is boycotting parliament to protest alleged massive ruling party fraud in the May 15 polls and irregularities in post-vote investigations into their complaints.
Lawmakers on Tuesday voted to strip the boycotting members of parliament - who want the formation of a national unity government to oversee new elections - of their immunity amid accusations they are trying to foment a coup.
The European parliament said it was concerned about the circumstances behind the boycott and the lifting of parliamentary immunity from prosecution.
The Ethiopian information ministry issued a statement in response accusing the European parliament of relying on a "discredited" report from EU election observers that was part of a "vilification campaign" against the government.
"The Ethiopian government believes that it is high time for the European Union Parliament to honestly assess the objective realities in Ethiopia and refrain from such vilification campaigns which do not in any way contribute to the democratization process in Ethiopia," it said.
Protests against the results of the election turned violent in June when police opened fire on crowds in the capital during demonstrations, killing at least 37 people, and prompting a massive crackdown on the opposition in which thousands were detained.
Official results gave the ruling Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) and its allies 370 of the 547 seats in parliament.
The opposition, which had held only 12 seats before, took 175 seats but insist they won the election outright.
Nearly all of the elected MPs from the largest opposition group, the Coalition for Unity and Democracy (CUD), are boycotting parliament, which opened on Monday.