Joint statement issued by the

July 2001

Ministry of Education 

Dear Minister,

As members of the International Ethiopian University Support Committee, we protest against the present curtailment of general human rights in Ethiopia and call for the immediate release of those AAU studentsdetained without trial. We demand that all necessary arrangements be made to allow the safe return and full rehabilitation of all the students who have fled the country or are now living in hiding.

Furthermore, we urge the Government of Ethiopia and the Ethiopian Ministry of Education to grant Addis Ababa University a new Charter, in order to guaranteethe full academic freedom of this leading institution of research and higher learning in Ethiopia. A new Charter will clarify the position of AAU, enhance its role in national education and training, and help to further develop AAU into an institution with internationally recognized standards. Therefore, we urgently call upon you to allow for a Charter which ensures that AAU will become anautonomous university, dedicated to the pursuit of scientific excellence and intellectual integrity.

We are aware that our colleagues at AAU have already drafted the outline for a new Charter in which they ask for the rights of administrative, financial and judicial independence. These rights are indispensable, but we must insist on rights of election rather than appointment, more responsibility to the senate rather than the board, and full recognition of student rights. The implementation of a Charter which is in full accord with the rules of academic sovereignty will mean a fresh start and a great step forward to overcoming the impact of the traumatic events that affected AAU in the past months.

We, the undersigned committee of concerned international scholars,pledge our full support for such a newly chartered and internationally acceptable AAUand are ready to promote its cause abroad and among all concerned development agencies.

We hope you will understand that we make this appeal because AAU, with its staff and students, is an institution that we have always held in high esteem and feel strongly committed to.

Abbink, Jon (Netherlands) Strecker, Ivo (Chair, Germany)

Chernetsov, Sevir (Russia) Taddia, Irma (Italy)

Clapham, Christopher (Great Britain) Tronvoll, Kjetil (Norway)

Crummey, Donald (Co-Chair, U.S.A.) Tornay, Serge (France)

Kurimoto, Eisei (Japan) Triulzi, Alessandro (Italy)

Levine, Donald (U.S.A.)

Click here to see the full "Present Crisis of Ethiopian Universities" Article

Click here to see a letter by Dr. Vestal about the "Present Crisis of Ethiopian Universities" article