Candlelight Vigil For Jailed Oppostion Leader, Birtukan Mideksa

- Re-imprisoned for life in December 2008,
- In the United Nations list of arbitrary detainees,
- Prisoner of conscience by Amnesty International,
- Become a symbol of democracy,
- Person of The Year by most Ethiopian Prvate Media

Date: Feb 28, 2010
Time: 6:00 PM
Location: The White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave

A leader who always uses democratic process to advance his undemocratic goals.

After nearly two decades in Ethiopia's leadership, Meles Zenawi has proven himself a master of democratic manipulation. He has been using the democratic process to advance undemocratic goals. To mention some of them, he divided the country by ethnicity; arbitrary arrest, killing, torture, imprisonment and harassment of opposition leaders, members and supporters; benefit one ethnicity over other Ethiopian people, incompetent to resolve countries critical problems such as poverty and HIV/AIDS.

Zenawis government was undemocratically elected in 2000; the results were heavily criticized by international observers and denounced by the opposition as fraudulent. The EPRDF also unlawfully elected in the 2005 election returning Zenawi to power. Both the opposition and observers from the European Union and elsewhere stated that the vote did not meet international standards for fair and free elections. Ethiopian police have massacred more than193 protesters.

Since the EPRDF/TPLF came to power in 1991, Ethiopia has conducted at least three “national and regional elections”. In all of these, the ruling party “won” by landslide mainly because it was running by itself and against itself. Because of the many obstacles that are in place, all these elections proved to be extremely restrictive and highly uncontested.

Zenawi, 54 years old, had been giving mixed signals for months that he might retire from office. However, because his party's members 'love him so much' and because they see him as 'irreplaceable', they have 'urged' him to stay in power longer. He is also determined to win 2010 and beyond by any means.

Ethiopian Government is likely to use the same poor tactic in 2010 election. They started their harmful activity by rearresting the prominent leader of the Unity for Democracy and Justice Party, Birtukan Mideksa for the reason that she publicly challenged the conditions and terms of their release from prison. These moves by Ethiopian government was considered by many and Ethiopian political opposition parties as a way forward to block fair and free election and democratic process in the country.

Ethiopian Government wants to use the same old approach again and again. We want the world understand that Ethiopia government cannot rule us by portraying that Ethiopia is enjoying democracy while we do not have any. They can not falsely portraying their image as democrats.

CPJ urges Ethiopia's Zenawi to pursue press reforms

February 16, 2010
His Excellency Meles Zenawi
Prime Minister of the Federal Republic of Ethiopia
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Via facsimile: (251) 11 1552020

Mr. Prime Minister,
We are writing to draw your attention to conditions that undermine press freedom as guaranteed in Article 29 of the Ethiopian Constitution. We would welcome your leadership in furthering reform by working for the repeal of draconian provisions in recent antiterrorism and media legislation. We also call on your administration to abandon practices that obstruct the free flow of information, such as the ruling EPRDF’s absolute control of the government-subsidized and publicly funded national press, the government’s restrictive media regulation and licensing practices, and the state’s censorship of Internet content. Read Full Story≫

UDJ Chairperson Birtukan Mideksa is among those prisoners who are arbitrarily arrest

The United Nations Human Rights Council officially declared UDJ Chairperson Birtukan Mideksa is among those prisoners who are arbitrarily arrest

It is eighteen years now since EPRDF has been in power. Throughout these years, it has never ceased to preach about the rule of law and human rights. However, the preaching and the practice have never gone together. In fact, Ethiopia is known as one of the forefront countries where blatant violations of human rights are perpetrated. Although many examples could be cited, let us take Birtukan’s imprisonment as an example. She has been illegally imprisoned. We repeatedly notified the Addis Ababa City Administration of our wish to hold candle light vigils at the Meskel Square to commemorate our Chairperson’s illegal imprisonment. This is our right enshrined in the Constitution. But the City Administration has repeatedly denied us this right. Article 30 of the Constitution, guaranteeing citizens the right of assembly is repeatedly and blatantly violated. This clearly demonstrates that the EPRDF and one of its arms, the Addis Ababa City Administration, are making a mockery of the Constitution and the rule of law. The mockery does not stop here.
Read Full Story≫