Wassy Tesfa

Human rights, women's rights, social and climate justice; loves art & all things that make life worth living. Member of AEPAC.

[Wassy Tesfa @WassyTesfa]

,, @RepKamlagerDove

[The American-Ethiopian Public Affairs Committee @AmericaEthiopia]

“The United States stands ready to deepen ties — but Ethiopia must first act as a stabilizing force that respects freedom and the rule of law.”

AEPAC Statement on Senior Advisor Boulos’s Visit to Ethiopia

The American Ethiopian Public Affairs Committee (AEPAC) and its affiliated organizations welcome the remarks of U.S. Senior Advisor Boulos during his recent visit to Addis Ababa, where he reaffirmed the enduring U.S.–Ethiopia partnership and emphasized Ethiopia’s responsibility to anchor peace and stability in the Horn of Africa — a priority of President Trump.

The Amhara region remains engulfed in a war launched by the Ethiopian government in April 2023, while violence continues to grip Oromia, Afar, Tigray, Ogaden, and other areas. Political repression has led to the detention of parliamentarians, journalists, and activists without due process, according to several international and Ethiopian human rights organizations.

Among them is Christian Tadele, a sitting Member of Parliament, who, according to his family, is suffering from illness in detention and has been denied proper medical treatment. Taye Dendea, former State Minister of Peace, is also among those languishing in prison. His prolonged pre-trial detention and repeated bail denials — reported in 2024–2025 — raise serious concerns of arbitrary detention under international law (ICCPR Art. 9), consistent with Amnesty International’s findings of widespread arbitrary detentions during the same period.

Meanwhile, millions of children remain out of school in war-affected areas, while corruption, economic mismanagement, and diplomatic isolation have deepened national hardship.

For Ethiopia to be a credible partner in U.S.–Ethiopia development, these crises must be addressed. We urge U.S. leadership to:

-Affirm the importance of respecting fundamental freedoms and the rule of law;

-Press the Ethiopian government to immediately stop targeting civilians with drones and heavy weapons;

-Demand humane treatment, medical care, and due process for all politically motivated detainees, including parliamentarians and independent journalists;

-Support efforts to end wars and conflicts;

-Encourage inclusive, genuine dialogue to allow Ethiopians to determine their future.

Only by resolving these challenges can Ethiopia fulfill its potential as a reliable U.S. ally — anchoring regional peace and serving as a model for U.S.–Africa partnership, with American companies participating in fair, transparent, and transformative development.

The American-Ethiopian diaspora stands ready to contribute meaningfully to this vision. Just as diaspora communities played a vital role in rebuilding allied nations after WWII, Ethiopian Americans are prepared to advance U.S.–Ethiopia business ties, promote peace, and support economic transformation.

@WhiteHouse @StateDept @USEmbassyAddis,@US_SrAdvisorAF @UAEthio @UNOSAPG @VP @realDonaldTrump @TheIRD @StateDRL @AsstSecStateAF @richghazal @markdtooley @OrthodoxyNews @indefchristians @RepJohnJames @HouseGOP @RepSaraJacobs @YoungKimCA @RepJimBaird @RepMillsPress @RepGaramendi @IMFNews @JusticeOfficeUS @WorldBank @WorldBankAfrica @StateIRF @USCIRF @IrfSecretariat @Sean_ADFIntl @SenMarcoRubio @RubenGallego @ElissaSlotkin @AndyKimNJ @AdamSchiff @CEXAlsobrooks @CurtisUT,@RepGaramendi,@RepSaraJacobs, @RepJimBaird, @RepYoungKim, @RepMillsPress, @CongresswomanSC

[The American-Ethiopian Public Affairs Committee @AmericaEthiopia]

Denver showed up BIG for Taste of Ethiopia!

Thousands came together at City Park to celebrate culture, unity & pride.
👏 Kudos to Nebiyu Asfaw & Team Denver for another incredible festival!

🔗 🔗
https://t.co/rZFFiz8uny

#TasteOfEthiopia #Denver

[The American-Ethiopian Public Affairs Committee @AmericaEthiopia]

As Ethiopia embarks upon a new year, AEPAC and its affiliated diaspora organizations extend heartfelt wishes for a year marked by PEACE, DIGNITY, and renewal.
We pray for an Ethiopia where no civilian lives in fear of gunfire or drone strikes; where churches, mosques, and sacred institutions are preserved as sanctuaries of faith and unity; and where languages, traditions, and cultural expressions are celebrated as bonds of nationhood rather than exploited as instruments of division.

This new year must be a turning point—an opportunity for Ethiopians to draw upon their proud and ancient history, to cast off the destructive legacies of the past fifty years, and to build a future free from corruption, conflict, and manipulation. May this be the year Ethiopia reclaims its unity, strengthens its sovereignty, and renews its promise to its people.

Equally, let this new year be a moment when the Ethiopian American diaspora speaks with one voice and works collectively to strengthen U.S.–Ethiopia relations—advancing a pro-Ethiopia agenda rooted in business growth, peace, security, human rights, and the rule of law.

መልካም እንቁጣጣሽ

@WhiteHouse, @StateDept, @USEmbassyAddis, @UAEthio, @UNOSAPG, @VP, @realDonaldTrump, @TheIRD, @StateDRL, @AsstSecStateAF, @richghazal, @markdtooley, @OrthodoxyNews, @indefchristians, @RepJohnJames, @housegop, @Repsarajacobs, @YoungKimCA, @RepJimBaird, @RepMillsPress, @RepGaramendi, @IMFNews, @JusticeOfficeUS, @WorldBank, @WorldBankAfrica, @StateIRF, @USCIRF, @IrfSecretariat, @Sean_ADFIntl,@SenMarcoRubio, @RubenGallego, @ElissaSlotkin, @AndyKimNJ,@AdamSchiff, @CEXAlsobrooks,@CurtisUT,@RepGaramendi,@RepSaraJacobs, @RepJimBaird, @RepYoungKim, @RepMillsPress, @CongresswomanSC

[Wassy Tesfa @WassyTesfa]

@ShebaPushStart @Tsedeniya11 @MaedotmEthiopia @Eyosiasthegreat @iyoba4u @HFano4life @ZehabeshaNews Indeed a loss. My heart goes out to their families. 😢

[Sheba - PushStart 🇺🇸🇪🇹🇪🇷🇺🇸 @ShebaPushStart]

It’s impossible to comprehend some tragedies. The only thing certain is that nothing is guaranteed in life. We like to believe that we can ensure the ends by controlling the means, through caution and good judgement, being good citizens, making the right choices. Then someone comes along, a cohabitant in our world who makes a different choice, who is damaged and without control or care, or a victim to impulsive rage or something wicked…it’s unknown the reason why. We can speculate and be angry, we can try to explain the unexplainable. But when it’s done, it’s done…it’s just chilling. And we feel that paralyzing sense of helplessness, a piercing reminder of our lack of control.

We turn to God and lament, pray and grieve, we want to understand.

Live now. Be good now. Be kind now. Repent now. Change your ways now. Love your neighbors now. Honor your parents now. Stop sinning now. Stop hate now. Start caring now, Forgive now. Do as the creator commands, now.

That is all I can make out of this entire mess.💔

Pray for the families🙏🏾

[Wassy Tesfa @WassyTesfa]

@mesfindemissie1 Hitler built the Autobahn in Germany and Mussolini the roads in Ethiopia.

[Wassy Tesfa @WassyTesfa]

The so-called National Dialogue by Abiy Ahmed is a scam. We have been there before, with his call for the same and his ultimate and continual betrayal of the Eth people. Now, he is shaking in his boots, trying to save his Ethno-fascist regime from ultimate doom.

[The American-Ethiopian Public Affairs Committee @AmericaEthiopia]

A Call for Genuine Dialogue

Ethiopia is facing one of the most profound crises in its modern history. Eighteen Ethiopian-American diaspora organizations reaffirm their conviction that only a transparent, independent, and inclusive dialogue process can meaningfully address the country's deeply rooted conflicts.

For further details, please read the attached article.
👇🔗👇🔗
https://t.co/FjkjAppRXb

@WhiteHouse, @StateDept, @USEmbassyAddis, @UAEthio, @UNOSAPG, @VP, @realDonaldTrump, @TheIRD, @StateDRL, @AsstSecStateAF, @richghazal, @markdtooley, @OrthodoxyNews, @indefchristians, @RepJohnJames, @housegop, @Repsarajacobs, @YoungKimCA, @RepJimBaird, @RepMillsPress, @RepGaramendi, @IMFNews, @JusticeOfficeUS, @WorldBank, @WorldBankAfrica, @StateIRF, @USCIRF, @IrfSecretariat, @Sean_ADFIntl,@SenMarcoRubio, @RubenGallego, @ElissaSlotkin, @AndyKimNJ,@AdamSchiff, @CEXAlsobrooks,@CurtisUT,@RepGaramendi,@RepSaraJacobs, @RepJimBaird, @RepYoungKim, @RepMillsPress, @CongresswomanSC

[Dawit @HOAAffairs]

The so-called Ethiopian National Dialogue Commission, dispatched to North America by the Abiy regime, is nothing more than a political façade designed to mask the catastrophic failures of a government that has lost legitimacy inside Ethiopia while antagonizing every neighboring state. In Washington, its engagements have been limited to regime loyalists and cadres, and it is now preparing to extend its reach into Canada. This initiative must be firmly rejected by the Ethio-Canadian Network for Advocacy and Support, as well as by all other Ethiopian associations and civic groups across Canada.

No legitimacy can be accorded to a regime that has presided over the bloodiest chapter in Ethiopia’s modern history. Under Abiy’s rule, hundreds of thousands have perished, millions have been displaced, and entire communities, particularly the Amhara, have endured systematic persecution and targeted massacres. Monks have been murdered in monasteries, journalists imprisoned for speaking truth to power, doctors and teachers left to starve as salaries vanish amidst corruption, and basic institutions dismantled in the name of political expediency. Ethiopia today is not a state engaged in dialogue but a state consumed by impunity, repression, and decay.

True dialogue cannot be staged in hotel conference rooms abroad while the cries of the oppressed echo unanswered at home. Justice, accountability, and human dignity must be restored before any meaningful national conversation can begin. Until then, this Commission is a hollow instrument of propaganda and must be rejected wherever it seeks to gain legitimacy.

@ECNAS_CA @EcnasT @CBCNews @EphremKesis @EmishawEskedar @NeaminZeleke @Tz47387587

[Wassy Tesfa @WassyTesfa]

@HOAAffairs So well articulated. The so-called dialogue commission is a desperate action of a regime on the brinks of collapsing. It will fail in Canada as it did in the US.

[Wassy Tesfa @WassyTesfa]

@jeffpropulsion Geteye, is truly a journalist that was on site reporting events as they happen. He also was a colleague of Tadios Tantu and collaborated on numerous reports and activities. He is someone who needs to be supported. Thank you, @jeffpropulsion, for bringing his cause to light.

[Jeff Pearce @jeffpropulsion]

"Getiye Yalew does more than chronicle the facts in his stories; he offers insights and challenges the thinking of the state.... This kind of journalism summons the heart and provokes the mind to consider new ideas and approaches."
My latest article:
https://t.co/QTaTQtPTwq

[Jeff Pearce @jeffpropulsion]

A special guest column! @WassyTesfa writes about her remarkable great-grandfather, the statesman Afe Negus Tilahun, who served under Lij Iyasu and endured with others detention in Italy's Asinara prison during the Fascist Occupation. Read about it here. 👇
https://t.co/lDBmTghofl

[Wassy Tesfa @WassyTesfa]

@HOAAffairs @jeffpropulsion Thank you, Dawit, indeed wonderfully put. We, the children of our ancestors, should remember what it took to get Ethiopia to where she is.

[Wassy Tesfa @WassyTesfa]

Abiy's millions spent on digital media is doing its work. But the problem is they can not silence everyone all the time. We just have to persist, and we will prevail, continue to address this imbalance with the powers that be. Thank you @MesfinMtegenu

[Mesfin Tegenu @MesfinMtegenu]

Ethiopia's Press Freedom Crisis and YouTube's Role https://t.co/OQKMYhoJ9S

[Wassy Tesfa @WassyTesfa]

The descendents of Ethiopian prisoners in Asinara during the Italian occupation attended 4 days of soul-searching memorial event in Asinara, welcomed by the Mayor and people, where an apology was issued.
https://t.co/ddDUjaWXmu

[The American-Ethiopian Public Affairs Committee @AmericaEthiopia]

NOW AVAILABLE
Watch the Full Recording: AEPAC Youth Virtual Conference 2025

“Youth at the Forefront: Navigating Ethiopia’s Present and Future”

Hosted by dynamic youth advocates Hana Mare-Maru and Alazar Brehanu, and featuring powerful contributions from media personality and patriot Metasebia Ketsela and acclaimed photojournalist Jemal Countess, this impactful conversation explores youth leadership, advocacy, and the vital role young Ethiopians play in shaping the nation's future.

💬 Insightful | 🔍 Thought-Provoking | 🎙 Empowering

📲 Watch now and be part of the change.

👇🔗
https://t.co/e1HeJfKFEx

[The American-Ethiopian Public Affairs Committee @AmericaEthiopia]

Google/YouTube Censorship of Ethiopian Media Is a Threat to Global Free Speech

Google and YouTube have recently terminated several independent Ethiopian news channels—including ESAN TV, Maede Zena, and EVN Media—without clear or transparent justification. These outlets are known for their critical coverage of Ethiopia’s authoritarian government. The removals are part of a broader pattern, with at least 14 diaspora news channels affiliated with the Amhara Media Network and Hello Ethiopia also targeted. This raises serious concerns about platform bias and complicity in state-sponsored censorship.

A Pattern of Suppression

Since its launch in 2024, ESAN TV and similar outlets have faced sustained efforts to silence them—from satellite disruptions to digital takedowns—intensifying after Prime minister Abiy Ahmed’s military campaign in the Amhara region. According to ESAN TV’s recent press release, powerful lobbyists have pressured platforms like YouTube to suppress dissenting voices, causing major operational and financial harm to independent journalism.

Call to Action

These takedowns are not isolated incidents. Reports from Freedom House, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), and others document arrests, harassment, and censorship of journalists affiliated with YouTube-based outlets. Meanwhile, pro-government propaganda channels remain active, often spreading disinformation without consequence.

Global Implications

If YouTube is enabling authoritarian censorship—whether knowingly or not—it sets a dangerous precedent for free speech everywhere. While we welcome Congress’s initial inquiry, prompted by complaints from AEPAC and other advocacy groups, stronger oversight and accountability are urgently needed.

Freedom of speech is a universal right. Tech platforms must not become tools of repression.

🖇 👇🏻
https://t.co/o6brnssadZ

@WhiteHouse, @StateDept, @USEmbassyAddis, @UAEthio, @UNOSAPG, @VP, @realDonaldTrump, @TheIRD, @StateDRL, @AsstSecStateAF, @richghazal, @markdtooley, @OrthodoxyNews, @indefchristians, @RepJohnJames, @housegop, @Repsarajacobs, @YoungKimCA, @RepJimBaird, @RepMillsPress, @RepGaramendi, @IMFNews, @JusticeOfficeUS, @WorldBank, @WorldBankAfrica, @StateIRF, @USCIRF, @IrfSecretariat, @Sean_ADFIntl,@SenMarcoRubio, @RubenGallego, @ElissaSlotkin, @AndyKimNJ,@AdamSchiff, @CEXAlsobrooks,@CurtisUT,@RepGaramendi,@RepSaraJacobs, @RepJimBaird, @RepYoungKim, @RepMillsPress, @CongresswomanSC

[Wassy Tesfa @WassyTesfa]

@AmericaEthiopia @WhiteHouse @StateDept @USEmbassyAddis @UAEthio @UNOSAPG @VP @marcorubio @realDonaldTrump @TheIRD @StateDRL https://t.co/pN5uyC3Wwc

[Ethio-American Development Council (EADC) @EA_DevCouncil]

Wassy Tesfa (@WassyTesfa) of AEPAC delivered a powerful and insightful contribution during the "Addressing the Genocide in Ethiopia" conference hosted by Save Ethiopia. Her remarks highlight the urgency of action and the need for global attention. Watch this important segment.

[Ethio-American Development Council (EADC) @EA_DevCouncil]

Wassy Tesfa (@WassyTesfa) of AEPAC delivered a powerful and insightful contribution during the "Addressing the Genocide in Ethiopia" conference hosted by Save Ethiopia. Her remarks highlight the urgency of action and the need for global attention. Watch this important segment.

[The American-Ethiopian Public Affairs Committee @AmericaEthiopia]

The shock therapy of Trump’s aid cuts and tariffs calls for an ‘Africa First’ response.

Please read the article for details.
🔗🔗👇

https://t.co/P2DhsuliFv

@WhiteHouse, @StateDept, @USEmbassyAddis, @UAEthio, @UNOSAPG, @VP,@marcorubio @realDonaldTrump, @TheIRD, @StateDRL, @AsstSecStateAF, @richghazal, @markdtooley, @OrthodoxyNews, @indefchristians, @RepJohnJames, @housegop, @Repsarajacobs, @YoungKimCA, @RepJimBaird, @RepMillsPress, @RepGaramendi, @IMFNews, @JusticeOfficeUS, @WorldBank, @WorldBankAfrica, @StateIRF, @USCIRF, @IrfSecretariat, @Sean_ADFIntl,@SenMarcoRubio, @RubenGallego, @ElissaSlotkin, @AndyKimNJ,@AdamSchiff, @CEXAlsobrooks,@CurtisUT,@RepGaramendi,@RepSaraJacobs, @RepJimBaird, @RepYoungKim, @RepMillsPress, @CongresswomanSC