West Does Not Have Right to Intervene in Internal Affairs of Ethiopia: Canadian Int'l Criminal Law Expert

Addis Ababa December 21/2021/ENA/ Powerful countries and institutions, including the US or EU countries cannot interfere in the internal affairs of Ethiopia or try to impose a change in the government or a policy, the Canadian international criminal law expert John Philpot said.

In an exclusive interview with ENA, Philpot said doing so is immoral and illegal.

“The West does not have the right to intervene in the internal affairs of Ethiopia. It's up to your country, right or wrong, to make decisions; and you cannot say it will cut off all your economic lifeline if you don't do what we want,” he stressed.

Moreover, the Canadian criminal law expert noted that the powerful media and the powerful countries, particularly the US and Britain and other powerful countries, know what is happening in Ethiopia. 

“But they want the TPLF to win, and to do that they have to use human rights discourse to overturn your elected government; and they know what they are doing. They have a double standard. They don't care about human rights really. Because maybe they don't think that the TPLF can win completely. Well then they would like to weaken your government,” Philpot elaborated.

Asked about the decision of some countries, including the US, repeatedly urging their citizens to leave Addis Ababa, Philpot said the advice were “apparently not true.”

“I think they were creating a fear that the TPLF was taking power when it was not true,” he said, adding they don't care because they are waging a war on your country. 

According to him, “the war has different aspects. It’s not like the direct war on Iraq and Libya. But they are doing more on you (Ethiopia). Modern wars have different aspects and everyone is a little different.”

One aspect is military, either by a small invasion or by insurgents. In the case of Ethiopia, it is the TPLF; in Syria there were different groups of Muslim extremists, depending on which country was supporting them.

The second aspect of the war is media, he stated. In other words, they have to demonize your elected leader, who has I think credibility in your country. They want to say that this man is not fit to run the country because he commits genocide against Tigrayans, which is very likely intrusive in my understanding.

The expert further elaborated that the third part is economic. They want to pressure your country under sanctions in order to hobble it, weaken it, and make it unable to survive.

So these are the challenges which your country is facing, Philpot said.

In sum, “a hybrid war is being waged on your country. There are others like Western economic interests that never cared about Africans; all they want are bigger profits and control.” 

Moreover, the expert pointed out that the sanctions the US government has imposed against Ethiopia and other developing nations are in contrast to international laws.

He further revealed that the United States does not like sovereign independent countries that  deal with other economic powerhouses like China and Russia because the US loses control over Africa, over Ethiopia and related countries.  

Philpot cited different countries, including Iran, Zimbabwe, Venezuela, Syria, Lebanon, and North Korea, that are suffering greatly as a result of the US sanctions.

“Let's hope that the US doesn't apply its sanctions. And we don't hope, we have to put all the pressure on so that they will not apply the sanctions because if the world doesn't react then sanctions will ensue in my opinion,” he stressed.

“We in 'Sanctions Kill' are supporting Ethiopia in its fight against sanctions imposed by the United States,” the expert added.

Philpot is presently working with the organization called “Sanctions Kill,” which is fighting sanctions imposed by the US principle and some European countries.