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ADDIS ABABA, Jun 06 IPS - Despite speculation that the first anti-government protest in eight years, which was held this week in Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa, might signal new levels of political tolerance by the government, leaders of the political party that organised the protest say this cannot be further from the truth. They are still totalitarian dictators who rule this country like control freaks," Yilkal Getnet, chairman of the opposition Blue Party, told IPS at the party's headquarters in Addis Ababa.

Yilkal explained that his party had told the government they would organise a demonstration during the African Union's AU 50th anniversary summit, which took place here from May 25 to 27, if they were not granted permission to hold a protest after the event. You can do whatever you want, you can kill us, you can arrest us, you can take whatever measures you want.

This is our constitutional right, this is the very fundamental right of all Ethiopians," said Yilkal. At the Jun. The Blue Party also demanded the release of journalists , reformation of government policies in order to combat high unemployment and an end to state interference in religious affairs. They also asked the government to pay compensation to communities displaced by development.

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According to rights watchdog Amnesty International's Annual Report , Ethiopia has long "used criminal charges and accusations of terrorism to silence dissent. Large tracts of land were leased to foreign companies, leading to large-scale displacement of local populations. Construction continued on a dam which could affect the lives of half a million people," the report stated.

The fact that this week's protest was allowed to take place without any police interference has left some analysts speculating that it could be the sign of a more lenient stance towards political opposition in this Horn of Africa nation.