Ginbot 7 is an Ethiopian opposition political organization founded by Berhanu Nega.
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According to their mission statement, Ginbot 7's goal is "the realization of a national political system in which government power and political authority is assumed through peaceful and democratic process based on the free will and choice of citizens of the country." According to The New Yorker in 2014, Ginbot 7 are " an exiled pro-democracy party that the Ethiopian government labelled a terrorist group in 2011, under a vague and widely condemned proclamation."
Ginbot 7 means "15 May", the date of the Ethiopian general election, 2005, which was "marred by protests over alleged fraud that led to the deaths of about 200 people."
Members, past and present
Coup or smear?
On 24 April 2009, the Ethiopian government claimed, through the Ethiopian News Agency, that it had foiled a coup attempt led by members of Ginbot 7 to overthrow the government. Ginbot 7 described the allegation that it had attempted a coup as a "baseless accusation" that fitted a pattern of distraction and scapegoating by the government.