(ANAASO) February 24, 2009 - Olaria Mosseti, the special envoy of the European Union leadership met with Andinet/UDJ leaders Dr. Yacob Hailemariam and Temesgen Zewde to look in to ways of securing Birtukan Mideksa. The two sides deliberated on the illegal imprisonment and inhuman treatment of Birtukan. The chairwoman of the main opposition political party (Andinet/UDJ) in Ethiopia was arbitrarily arrested on December 29, 2008 and has been in solitary confinement at the notorious Kaliti Prison since then. The UDJ leaders expressed their grave concern on the limited pressure from the European Union and called up on the organization for meaningful and effective measures.
Special Envoy Olaria Mosseti promised to conduct a multi-faceted approach to secure the release of Ms. Birtukan. The Special Envoy raised the importance of coordinating efforts with the American government. Olaria indicated that the Ethiopian government is set to report human rights condition at the Geneva based Human Rights Commission this coming April. The EU representative underlined that the Ethiopian government is expected to send a representative and give answers to the human rights violations reported in Ethiopia. It is worthwhile to remember that the Meles Zenawi regime refused to send a delegate to a similar invitation in a previous year when they knew the EU election observer mission chief in the 2005 controversial Ethiopian Election, Ana Gomes, was scheduled to be one of the speakers. To the embarrassment of the regime, the Ethiopian Foreign Minister blatantly accused the Honorable Ana Gomes of working to topple down his government. It is to be seen if the regime is going to apply the same lame excuse.
Local Non-Governmental human rights organizations and international human rights savvy organizations like Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International repeatedly accused the Ethiopian government for gross human rights violations, crimes against humanity and war crimes.
አንድነት ሰሜን አሜሪካ የድጋፍ ድርጅቶች ማሕበር
ANDINET NORTH AMERICA ASSOCIATION OF SUPPORT ORGANIZATIONS (ANAASO)
1334 9th Street, NW. Suite # 1 Washington DC. 20001.
Tel: (202) 462 0556 Fax: (202) 462 0557 Email: info@andinetusa.org
February 24th, 2009 at 4:45 am
The effort should include the release of all political prisoners in Ethiopia.There are thousands of political prisoners in Ethiopia who have been held in covert as well as overt prisons spread across the country. W/T Birtukan has apparently denied the presence of so many prisoners in her testimony in the united States in which she said that there are only 100 such prisoners. Her move towards affirming her loyalty to the TPLF started then when she hid or minimize all the atrocious crimes of Meles Zenawi against the people of Ethiopia. In a country where tens of thousands of political prisoners are held and the language of the prisons has become Oromiffa, W/T Birtukan and her UDJP partners tried to cover up the crimes of Meles Zenawi. Meles Zenawi needs loyal opposition parties like the UDJP which does not pose any threat to him and just participates in his sham elections. Meles Zenawi has arrested W/T Birtukan to win her sympathy and support among some gullible or naive Ethiopians who do not understand the many tactics he uses to stay in power. Meles Zenawi is polishing and renewing W/T Birtukan for sale to the Ethiopian public as a best commodity so that he can neutralize and weaken the genuine anti-TPLF opposition in the country. Meles Zenawi has to do all he can to nurture and strengthen a loyal opposition party like the UDJP which has also received the blessing of the United States envoy or ambassador in Ethiopia. The United States has chosen the UDJP as a reliable partner to promote its long term objective of keeping Meles Zenawi in power. The UDJP is one of the assets and tools of Meles Zenawi who is using loyal opposition groups who do not have any national vision other than taking part in his sham elections and legitimizing his ethnic dictatorship in ther country. It is therefore important for all Ethiopians to sort out the fake from the genuine and boycott the economic and political institutions of Meles Zenawi including his coming sham elections.
February 24th, 2009 at 6:13 am
Amanuel Dechasa,
Birtukan might have said that and this can atmost be said imprecise and ambiguous. But, I assure you that she was never referring to all prisoners in Ethiopia, or she has not been using ‘political prisoners’ in the right sense of the term. If so she can be asked about it and confirm what she really meant. You and others the likes of you are trying to blow up such misundertanding and play your dirty political game. There is no any reason on earth that can make me suspect Birtukan is Woyanne’s instrument.
February 24th, 2009 at 9:18 am
amanuel desasa gate A LIFE. becouse of a peson dedeb like you woyane govren us 18 years.just dont talk rubish do what you have to do with your hailu the gung or OLF. leave birtukan alone. i am tired of ye buna wore.
February 24th, 2009 at 9:32 am
It is true that when W/T Birtukan testified she was asked about the number of political prisoners in Ethiopia. Her answer was definite and she put the number at 100. Later on some concerned persons raised this issue in another public meeting she addressed and she responded to it by saying that we should not always focus on blaming and tarnishing the image of our regime or government. She had been referring to the illegitimate regime of Meles Zenawi as our government in all of her public adddressings I had followed. However, what has angered and disappointed most was her political flirtation with the die-hard members and supporters of the TPLF. While it is known that these TPLF thugs have excluded themselves from all of the Ethiopian democratic forces and fori for their own political reasons. However, she apologized to them on behalf of the former Kinijit blaming the self exclusion on some of its activists and supporters. By doing so, she excluded and marginalized the mainstream political force or the majortity for the apparent reason of pleasing the TPLF and expressing her loyalty to the regime of Meles Zeanwi. Her futile attempt to catch fish in the waters of the TPLF turned out to be utter failure. Her unwarranted apology to the TPLF camp can not be considered as a gesture of good will or reconciliation since it has contributed to weakening the strong opposition movement which was emerging to challenge Meles Zenawi and unseat him. That is why many Ethiopians are sceptical or wary of her party the UDJP when it comes to the issue of presenting a genuine and democratic opposition to the rule of the TPLF.
February 24th, 2009 at 9:36 am
This is a non starter. Dr. Yakob will never work and does not want Birtukan to be released. The clique within Andinet that he and Gizachew are leading has essentially collaborated in her imprisonment and it will be very preposterous they will advocate her release. They will of course seem interested, for it makes good politics.
In reality they want her to be removed from the political center so that they can proceed with their agenda.
February 24th, 2009 at 11:59 am
Hanna,
Wha’s their agenda?
February 24th, 2009 at 12:02 pm
Amanuel,
You seem to be all over the place with your conspiracy theory. At least have the grips to be consistent with whatever crazy idea you are trying to tell us. On one hand you said Woyane keeps Birtukan in prison because they want her to win the next election and replace Meles. On the ther hand, you are telling us US officials support Birtukan so that they can keep Meles in power. You are simply absurd. You can’t even put your nonsense in a sensible way.
As to her testimony, I simply laughed at you. It is understandable, however, given your incoherent approach to issues, you may have missed the question that was put forward to her by the congress people. The question was that how many people who were arrested in relation to the 2005 election were still in prison. She appropriately answered the question. You can not sit in front of US congress and make up stories. It goes to your crediblity and becomes counter productive…she would be discredited and her statements become irrelevant. The other point I would like you to remember is that testifying in front of THE most powerful men and women on this earth is not as easy as you might think. You probably freak out going to your job interviews. Therefore, considering the magnitude of what she has done in testifying before the US Congress, I thought she had done amazing job.
As the only woman major politcal party leader, her imprisonment by woyane tyranny is a blow to democracy in Ethiopia and women’s progress in Africa. We have to remind the world that her imprisonment has a larger implication for human rights beyond Ethiopia.
We will get her out of the woyane dungeon, and we will eventually free our people. Ethiopia Shall Be Free.
February 24th, 2009 at 12:31 pm
AMANUEL DECHASSA YOU ARE AN OLD GANGSTER WHO IS TRYING TO PLAY YOUR DIRTY AND BACKWARD POLITICS AT THE COST OF OUR HEROIN (AU SANSU CHI ) OF ETHIOPIA WE NEED EVERY ETHIOPIAN TO BE FREE FROM WOYANNE TORTURE CAMP BUT OUR PRIORITY GOES ALWAYS FOR OUR BELOVED LEADERS
February 24th, 2009 at 12:56 pm
What the UDJP supporters of UDJP do not fathom is the deceptive, subversive and diversionary politics that is going on for the last 18 years and now by UDJP and Ginbot 7. Both are the products of the master plan of TPLF and EPLF. The unlawful imprisonment of W/t Birtukan is a diversionary tactic to divert media attention from the pull out of the army from Somalia, to undermine the peaceful struggle by AEUP and provide visibility of UDJP leadership, visibility in the western governments to augument their campaign for 2010 election as instrument to the newly formed coalition of loyalist opposition leaders and the likes of Seye Abraha and Gebru Asrat of Tigrai Harena. UDJP is a tool to for TPLF to maintain power in its present form or its alternative of of Tgrai Harena with the loyalist oppositions as another teletafi parties, similar to the existing teletafi parties of TPLF, serving as EPRDF, umbrella to the politbuero. These party and the recent coalition is being fanned by Ethiomedia, Abugidainfo and the likes with the diaspora supporters falling perhaps into four catagories: those implicated with current regime, those TPLF supporters seeking the lesser of two evils maintaining the status quo, those who look at their self interest ahead of the national interest and the “mehal sefaris” and the oblivious Ethiopians in the diasporara about the national interest and the plight of the Ethiopians at home.
UDJP is three years old, conceived in prison and started its media campaign during its K-5 tour in US led by W/t Birtukan and European Tour led by Dr. Yacob and subsequent tours in US and Europe to galvanize their supporters in diaspora and confer with the western leaders perhaps to seek support as credible and formidable alternative to the current regime via media attention by VOA, Ethiomedia and Abugidainfo to the exclusion of the hardliners engaged in genuine peaceful struggle.
These are the intrigues of the politics in Ethiopia, that is deceptive, sbversive and diversionary from the national goals of peace, freedom (economic, political), territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ethiopia to focus on pesonality than the plight of Ethiopia and Ethiopians, a diversionary tactic at work.
The realities on the ground in Ethiopia is to the contrary. The Ethiopians know the leaders engaged in peaceful struggle. With the help of congress in US and EU parliamentary engaged in legislative process to reverse the course of foreign policy towards human right abuses, freedom and democracy, a democracy established through free and fair election with implementation of 8-point conditions.
February 24th, 2009 at 1:34 pm
The fact that the UDJP is positioning itself as a loyal opposition party preparing to take part in Meles elections is known to every body who closely monitor and follow Ethiopian politics. The leaders of the party including ato Temesgen Zewdie are are just handpicked and self appointed pro-TPLF politicians who have betrayed the Ethiopian people and struggle to serve the weyannes. The west specifically the Americans have discovered the opportunistic and pro-weyanne nature of the party and have groomed it to be the right company for their puppet Meles Zenawi. Now the political picture in Ethiopia is clearing and people are realizing the true nature of the UDJP and its partners who are working with the TPLF.
February 24th, 2009 at 3:16 pm
Do anyone of you felt hopful because an envoy said something. Don’t ecpect anything from these people they are ‘barking dogs’ they don’t bite. Ethiopia has to be freed by its own children.
Ethiopia Lezelalem Tinur
February 24th, 2009 at 6:02 pm
It is interesting that so many comments are being made by people hiding themselves in an Oromo or other non-Amahara ethnic group names. This is clear for anyone to see. So the objective is not to realy decieve but to create an impression that anti-woyanne groups are shouting in the name of non-Amhara ethnic group. This is the new version of Woyanes old trick of dividing his opponents, making some of them feel losers and the others winners. We will soon see Woyanes shedding their usual corocodile tears, wailing mouth to ear saying ‘look the Amharans are trying to fool you, to use you’.
No more cheating this time, you have run out of your dirty tricks now. Face the reality.
February 25th, 2009 at 8:52 am
I had been expecting the UDJP to call or organize domestic strikes or protests to demand the release of W/T Birtukan Mideksa. As I had read, the party has promised and declared its intenstion to organize a public rally or gathering to demand her release. This same party claims to be the legal heir to the former Kinijit but is not showing any thing in action to convince many of its critics and the public. The former Kinijit raised significant national and democratic issues which were meant to advance democracy, human riights and the rule of law. The UDJP seems to have dumped the points of Kinijit and is making behind the door dealings to take part in Meles Zenawi`s fake elections. The disagreement within the party (as reported by Awramba times) over its recent move to join groups who have been the pillars of Meles Zenawi`s ethnic dictatorship in the past 18 years are to be expected. Some of the leaders of the UDJP like ato Temesgen Zewdie and Dr. Yacob Hailemariam have a favorable orientation to the weyanne regime. Dr. Yacob had been handpicked and asked by the weyanne regime to work as a prosecutor against the officials of the derge regime. The weyannes choose any person for any official responsibility or task after having evaluated and studied the person`s favorable orientation or view towards them. Besides, this gentle man has come back home to to invest and make money. As long as I know his poultry business is thriving. It is really difficult to accept the view that one can be be part of the genuine oppositon and run profitable businesses under the weyanne controlled Ethiopia. In one palk session at ECADF, one lady asked Dr. Berhanu Nega how he can be credible with his leadership role in genbot7 when his wife is running big business in Ethiopia. An apparently irritated Dr. Berhanu staggered and stumbled in his response to this critical question.
This is all to say that we should clearly and seriously examine and scrutinize the backgrounds,connections (past or present) interests and motives of all politicians before we endorse and support them.
February 25th, 2009 at 12:21 pm
Most of you guys on this forum are as ridiculous as the I have been kidnapped by the UFOs. Woyane enjoys this kind of lunatic talks. It is even difficult to have an intellectual discussion with people who make up conspiracy theories 24/7. For those of you who are working for a genuine political progress in Ethiopia, please, ignore these/// and keep on marching towards the freedom we want as Ethiopians.
February 25th, 2009 at 3:24 pm
እንደጠበቁት አንድ ሴት ብርቱካን ብቻዋን አለመሳሪያ ወያኔንና ቡችሎቹን እንቅልፍ ነስተአቸዋለች:: ነጻ አውጪ ነን የሚሉትንም ታንጫጫቸዋለች ይህ ነች መሪነት ማለት::
የወያኔ ቡችላዎች በራሳቸው ተስፋ በመቁረጣቸው ወያኔ አድርገዋት ሰው እንዲጠላት ይሞክራሉ:: ይህ የሚሳየው ምን ያህል የበከቱና በራሳቸው የማይተማመኑ መሆናቸውን ነው:: አንዲት ወጣት ኢትዮጵያዊ የምታስለቅሳቸው ወያኔዎች ሆኑ ሌሎች ምን ይሻላቸዋል? ለቆሙለትም እንኳን መሆን አቅጧቸው መግቢያ መውጫው ጠፍቶባቸዋል አንዲት ወጣት መሪን ሲያንቓሽሹ ስለራሳቸው ጥሩነት ሳይሆን ስለሷ ሲያወሩ እንደሚባለው ቁጭ ብለው ቢሸኑ ይሻላቸዋል::
ወንድ ነን እያሉ የሚፎክሩ ወንበዴዎች ሁሉ ቀሚስ ለበሱ; እንደ ቡርቱካን አስር ቢመጡ ምን ይሻላቸው ይሆን? ወያኔና ቡችሎቹ አልቆላቸዋል ያላቸው እድል መግደል ወይ እጅ መሰጠት ነው:: መግደል ስለመረጡ ግዚያቸው ሲደርስ ቀሚስ እያለበሱ ወደ እስር ቤት:: ይህ ሁሉ ወያኔ ቀሚስ ሲለብስ ማየት አይቀሬ::
እዚህ ላላቹህ ወያኔዎች ማንነታችሁን መደበቃችሁ ቀሚስ እንደመልበስ ይቆጠራል ምነው ጀግና ነን የምትሉ ሁሉ የት ጠፋ? ፉከራችሁ ሁሉ ቀረ በኦሮሞ ስም ተደበቃችሁ; ሰው ፊት መቅረብም አፈራችሁ::ተስፋችሁ ተደብቆ ወገን ማጋጨት ብቻ ሆነ:: ነጻ አውጪ ነን ያላችሁት ሁሉ ነጻ የሚያወጣችሁ ፍለጋ ገባችሁ::
ቡርትካን ብቻዋን ይሄንን ሁሉ አገር ሻጭ ወንበዴ ታንጫጫው? ታስፈራራው? ታሸናው? ወንድ ማለት ይሄ ነው
February 25th, 2009 at 4:57 pm
)))))))))))))))))))))))))))SHAMEFUL((((((((((((((((((((((((((((
Shame on you,Mr Zenawi.We don’t know how many days will it take,but we want to assure you that we believe 100% Bertukan will be free and she will be our modern Prime minister.
The so called “government” needs to release all political(not + criminal) prisoners, specially Bertukan Midek-without any precondition.We know
Dr Yakob or other party members were trying their best,but not good enough.At least she must be legally in prison instead of in one room.I hope they can understand how it is dangerous to be alone and we know they have the right to ask such minor rights.I don’t blame our enemies,because they are enemy.
I want to say something whatever justification they have for their secret mission SHAME ON YOU!!! Bertukan Midekssa still she is in prison
ALONE,Why???????????It is shameful!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
February 25th, 2009 at 6:17 pm
WOYANNES LAST BULLET IS CONCENTRATING ON AN ETHNIC ON AMHARA ALL PEN NAMES AS IF THEY ARE OROMOS OR GURAGES AND ELSE LIKE SLUM KING NAILS IT ON THE HEAD DONT GIVE NO ANSWERS FOR THESE PRIMITIVES OTHRWISE OUR HOLY STRUGGLE COMES DOWN TO INKA SELAMTIA AND JUNGLE LIKE PLAY
February 25th, 2009 at 7:01 pm
Are you people seriously concerned about w/t Bertukan? I do not have anything against her as an Ethiopian. But the lady is in cahoots with the likes of Ghebru Asrat to create a non effective party that could never hope to challenge the EPRDF let alone remove it from power! Wake up guys; she and her newly formed party (parties) are no different than the Weyane who is sitting pretty right now making a laughing stock of all of us! Don’t you get it? Believe me, if all we have is people like Bertukan to take us to the Promised Land, we may be here for rude awakening if and when we wake up that is!
February 27th, 2009 at 6:25 am
To insure that the regime of the crimefamily of Meles Naziawi to continue to survive,this dispecable criminal regime has continued to imprisioned national heroes and has murdered citizens accross the country since the invasion.
The invaders came into Ethiopia via invasion and murdered a lot of Ethiopians and looted huge resources and enriched themselves beyond their devlish and weird dream. The invaders launched wars against Ethiopians and invested hugley in crime and used a lot of bullets to kill citizens accross the country;though,they continued their engagement in the lengthy battle,they were not able to win the war;clearly and obviously,the criminals will lose the war and will be captured to face the peoples’ suprime court and will receive hot and sour punishment tantamount to the crime that they committed since invasion.
Since they have never been accepted by Ethiopians accross the country the only wild option they had and still have is to imprision national heroes of the country.As it has been recorded well and still kept alive,they lost the 2005 election to Ethiopians and went on murder spree to kill the national struggle that they found out earlier harder and harder to defeat millions of Ethiopians who have been actively participating in defending the country and national heroes.
Millions of Ethiopians are and will continue to be mighty fortress to the unique leader,the respected Ms. Birtukan Medeksa and fight tooth and nail against the invaders until Ethiopia is completely free.
God will always bless the country and Ms.Birtukan Medeksa.Those weak agents of the enemy shall be lick their wound and sip their shame from the fragile cup that has been held in the stealing hands of the crimefamily.
February 27th, 2009 at 11:07 am
“የአህያ ባል, ከጅብ አያስጥል” ይባላል. እኛ ተባብረን ምድረግ የምንችለውን እንሞክር.
አንድ ተልከስካሽ ወያኔ እንኩዋን ማፈን እንዴት ያቅተን? ቅርርቶ ብቻ!
February 27th, 2009 at 3:36 pm
Atuba Dolla’s premise in his syllogism did not not reach a valid conclusion. First of all UDJP is a collaborator /loyalist opposition to TPLF and a part of the coalition Medrek of Gebru Asrat of Tigrai Harena, as Chairman, the other side of the same coin with TPLF and loyalist opposition parties of lame duck parliamentarians.
Secondly, thousands not millions in the diaspora, not in Ethiopia might serve not as fortress but fight tooth and nail to get her out of jail in connection with major media and foreign dignitaries. This is not to condone her unlawful arrest for speaking her mind, but all the hoopla is part of the master plan to give this party leadership visibility, vis avis other diversionary tactics. This party is a tool of the current regime as a political model of sustaining TPLF and/or replacing TPLF with the likes of Seye Abraha and Gebru Asrat of Tigrai Harena.
It is Dejuvu all over again. This party has no agenda using the Ethiopians as a fortress to fight tooth and nail with TPLF in the form of peaceful struggle in terms of 8-points conditions being met before election. They are just gearing up for election in 2010. If they win as coalition of like minded politicians, maintaining the status quo, and if there will a transfer of power through the ballot box, then there will a government with the alterego of TPLF and with them as a new teletafi parties with everthing remainig the same.
If they loose they win a reasonable amount of seats, while leaving the national issues unresolved with some stability acceptable to western governments. The political economic control still under TPLF as two party system left and right wing TPLF, with no chance to resolve scessionist and ethnocentric politics of divide and rule; where states are divided into six major ethnic groups instead of eighty ethnic groups to be exact, rather than 14-15 previous provinces as federated states, where development takes place according to ecological zones crossing state boundries and territitorial integrity maintained by a sovereign central governmenment of Ethiopia, with reinstatment of national security and military forces to protect the nation against foreign agression.
February 27th, 2009 at 4:03 pm
what is wrong with us? how come we dont have agood and legitimate organization which can mobelize people to their freedom we are crying for nothing let us stand behind EPPF woyane got togo guys let us do some