Ethiopia: Large protest near US State Department

8 November 2005, WASHINGTON (AP) - Several hundred Ethiopians staged a demonstration Tuesday protesting mistreatment of opposition leaders in their homeland and demanding increased U.S. pressure on the government.

Amid heavy security, the protesters massed in front of the State Department and carried posters denouncing the government of Prime Minister Meles Zenawi and calling on the U.S. government to take decisive action against him.

"Can you see us? Can you hear us?" a protest leader asked, speaking through a microphone. His questions were directed at Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who was in her seventh floor office at the time.

There is a large Ethiopian community in the Washington era, many of whom fled the country after the overthrow of Emperor Haile Selaisse in 1974.

State Department spokesman Adam Ereli said the United States has been working with government and opposition leaders to deal with investigations into election irregularities.

The country has been in periodic turmoil since disputed elections last May 15. Dozens are believed to have been killed in clashes with police.

The State Department said the Ethiopian government was directly responsible for two days of violence last week.

The United States and the European Union have called for the freeing of all political prisoners, access by families and the Red Cross to people in police custody and the release of the detainees' names.

Ereli said the United States is pressing Ethiopia to take steps to guard against future violence. It is also asking opposition groups to avoid actions that provoke violence, he said.