By Barry Malone - Feb 4, 2009 –ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - A leading Ethiopian opposition politician was freed on bail on Wednesday after he was jailed last November after the government accused him of working with rebels, his party said.
Bekele Jirate, 54, a top official with the Oromo Federalist Democratic Movement (OFDM), was accused by the authorities of working “hand-in-glove” with insurgents like the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF).
“I am very happy because not only is he important for our party, he is innocent,” OFDM leader Bulcha Demeksa told Reuters. He said no date had been set for Bekele’s trial. The OFDM said another leading opposition politician remains in solitary confinement.
The OLF is one of several rebel groups in the Horn of Africa nation and has been fighting for independence for the southern Oromo region since 1993.
Opposition groups accuse Prime Minister Meles Zenawi’s government of harassment, and the OFDM says the security forces have jailed hundreds of ethnic Oromos in recent months. The government denies it.
Bulcha called for the immediate release of Birtukan Mideksa, a former judge who heads the newly created Unity for Democracy and Justice party. She has been in solitary confinement since December and went on hunger strike for 13 days last month.
Regional analysts consider the 34-year-old to be the country’s foremost opposition figure.
“She has been jailed because she is a very strong and serious contender to Prime Minister Meles,” Bulcha said.
Birtukan was first jailed after elections in 2005 ended in street violence that killed 199 civilians. She was pardoned in 2007 after she agreed, along with other opposition leaders, to take responsibility for the unrest.
She was rearrested after refusing to retract a speech made in Sweden last year in which she denied she was involved in the talks that led to her release.
The OFDM accused the government of intimidation as voters went to the polls last April for the first time since the 2005 bloodshed. It said almost all its nominees for the local elections had been threatened and forced to pull out of the race. Ethiopia will hold parliamentary elections next year.
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February 4th, 2009 at 5:39 pm
Dictators jail and release people at will. Do not be surprised if one day Meles says release Birtukan Mideksa as well. He is the judge, the jury and the prosecutor. All-in-one.
Please Melese learn from the Americans. We envy democracy. We envy the government who puts people in jail for the crimes the committed not for expressing their opinions. Mind you, the Meles government will put people in jail to serve life time for lying not under the oath but in public though the most lying people on earth are Bereket and Meles .
February 4th, 2009 at 5:55 pm
Bekele out Birtukan in.
No matter how long they want to keep Birtukan Mediksa prisoned, the upside is that she is likely to emerge relatively unscathed from the whole affair of physical incarceration and molar intimidation. Her temporary suffering might count as a victory for the hardliners in the TPLF camp, but less so among the Ethiopian opposition groups and her grassroots supporters, that desperate need a reputable persona to rally the millions more Ethiopians. The irony is, the more they push her buttons the more she seems determined and willing to use her suffering and popularity, as political capital for rallying the vast majority of the Ethiopian people and as well, unite the fragmented opposition under a common umbrella. If her party and other opposition groups are not smart enough to manipulate this situation, then what good does all this suffering do her any good in the first place?
February 4th, 2009 at 6:40 pm
Hotpant Birtukan, rumours are she is pregnant by one of the jail guards. Hailu Shawel must be laughing because she said she was refused him even a kiss
February 4th, 2009 at 6:47 pm
Ato Bekele is bailed out, probably because of some strong warnings issued from the obama envoy who has recenly been in addis. Guess what, Ms. Birtukan could be next inline.
Woyane and its top tigray chiefs are now recognized as being an increasinly brutal dictators by the otherwise reluctant western media and politicians. The pressure is on woyane now. Its time to relax and watch woyane bow down to the “almighty west”!
February 5th, 2009 at 2:55 am
Aboma Mitiku,
What you said is correct. The Law is Meles himself.
Are you the real Aboma? I knew Aboma many years ago in Addis. Aboma was Student Movement activist and dynamic orator.
February 5th, 2009 at 4:24 am
ወያኔ ዳኝነት አለ ለማለት ነው? እንሳቅ እናልቅስ? ውነትም ማበድ ነው የቀረው; ወያኔ ህግ ቢያውቅ ኖሮ እስረኛውን ሁሉ ፈቶ እራሱን ነው ማሰር ያለበት::
ለነገሩ እስር ቤት ነው ያለው ተደብቆ መሪ ነኝ የሚል ወያኔ ውጪ አገር እንጂ አገሩ ውስጥ እስረኛ ነው:: ደጅም ውጭም ወያኔ እስረኛ ነው::
February 5th, 2009 at 4:24 am
ወያኔ ዳኝነት አለ ለማለት ነው? እንሳቅ እናልቅስ? ውነትም ማበድ ነው የቀረው; ወያኔ ህግ ቢያውቅ ኖሮ እስረኛውን ሁሉ ፈቶ እራሱን ነው ማሰር ያለበት::
ለነገሩ እስር ቤት ነው ያለው ተደብቆ መሪ ነኝ የሚል ወያኔ ውጪ አገር እንጂ አገሩ ውስጥ እስረኛ ነው:: ደጅም ውጭም ወያኔ እስረኛ ነው::
February 5th, 2009 at 5:52 am
TO:
dama978
You are stupid idiot. A willful person like you look at our sisters and daughter only for sex. Our beloved sisters & daughters will be a vital player on the struggle to oust those evils dictators and moron like you.
God Bless Ethiopia
GO BIRTUKAN, GO G7, GO ALL TRUE ETHIOPIANS.
February 5th, 2009 at 6:51 am
Aboma Mitiku! You are waiting Dove chick from snake’s Egg or you are in deep sleep trying to advice the dictator brutal Stalinist weyane Leader.
Meles or Leges Zenawi is the main brutal weyane ordered to killed innocent Ethiopian during 2005 poll election demonstrators. we must send him to Haig(Netherlands).
February 5th, 2009 at 7:14 am
ኦቦማ ምትኩ! እርስዎ ከእባብ እንቁላል ርግብ እንደሚጥብቁ falk ያሉት እውነት ነው:: ወያነዎች በብሔር የእከሌ ግንባር እያሉ እየከፋፈሉ የሚያደርሱትን ጥፋት እያዩ ከአሜሪካ ቢማር የሚለው አባባል የሚያስገርም ነው:: ወያነዎች በኢትዮጵያውያን ላይ ምንም ደንታ የለላችው መሆናችውን ለ18 አመታት አይተነዋል:: የኢትዮጵያ ህዝብ ትግስቱን ጭርሶ በቃኝ ሃገር ስትበታተንና ስብናችን እየተነካ እየተገደልን እየታሰርን በወያነ ጭካኝ አገዛዝ ከምሰቃይ ብሎ ወያነን በሁሉም የትግል ስልት እየታገለ ነውና “ኦቦማ ምትኩ” የግንቦት7ትን የትግል ስልት ቢቀላቀሉ የሃገርዎን ህዝብና ድንበር ከዚህ ሁሉ ስቃይ ያድናሉ ብዬ አምናለሁ:: አለበለዚያ እንደተለመደው ወያነ እነርሱ ይጭሁ ይጽፉ እያለ ይሳለቅብናል አሊያም ጭካነውና የግፍ አገዛዙ ይቀጥላል እየቀጥለም ነው::
February 5th, 2009 at 11:43 am
Ground breaking, top Ethiopian government secret will be destributed to you all, just give me your email address and post it here under this article, you do not have to tell me who you are. After your read these six pages exclusive top government secret your life will never be the same.
February 5th, 2009 at 12:10 pm
Mr./Ms. Expose,
What is the nature of the secret ? Can i directelly email you instead of …………….
February 12th, 2009 at 8:36 am
we r the making polishing material of buffing etc