Open Letter to Deutsche Bank officials

January 10, 2015

Mr Jürgen Hinrich Fitschen
Co-Chairman of Management Board and Co-Chief Executive Officer, Deutsche Bank AG
Taunusanlage 12, Frankfurt am Main, 60325, Germany

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Dear Mr Hinrich Fitschen

The Global alliance for human rights and Justice in Ethiopia have learned that you are one of the underwriters of sovereign bond issued by the repressive regime in Ethiopia, the bond that would mortgage the country itself, with the pretext to finance projects that include electricity generation and sugar cane plantation involving displacement of 500,000 habitants.

Ethiopia a country at the bottom of the UN Human Development Index – 173rd out of 187 nations and cautions about the possibility of political turmoil is already heavily indebted. As of 31st December 2013 this national debt was reported to stand at $11.99 billion and the rulers in power are finding it difficult to service their obligations. We trust that you are already aware of the risk, by the admission of the Ethiopian regime itself, the sovereign bond bears to investors besides the possible disaster it would bring upon the human rights conditions in Ethiopia. (see the Financial Times of London 31/12/2014 “Ethiopia issues unfamiliar investor warning over war and famine” (http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/c8691100-7a07-11e4-8958-00144feabdc0.html#axzz3NKioSfNd).

Ethiopia’s repressive practices include jailing and silencing critics and media, enacting laws to close civil society, undermine human rights activity, and hobbling the political opposition. Only a few days before we celebrate Christmas 2014 scores of Christian parishioners were shot dead in a city north of the Capital for protesting against the grabbing of their historic place of worship by officials of the brutal regime in the name of development.

The brutal regime in Ethiopia has extended its repressive network and engaged in abducting European citizens (British and Norwegian nationals) demanding freedom in their home land and subjects them to daily torture. Human Rights Watch recently reported on a host of other political refugees Abducted by Ethiopian Security forces from neighbouring countries and rendered to Ethiopia for inhuman treatment.

Therefore, we kindly request you to distance yourself from the blood-tainted hands of the Ethiopian regime, and desist from the unethical practice of doing business with the authoritarian regime of Ethiopia.

Yours sincerely,

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