The Free Birtukan and all Political Prisoners taskforce announces a major milestone in its effort to free Ms. Birtukan Mideksa and all political prisoners. The taskforce will officially launch its operations on Sunday, June 28, 2009 in a major public event to be hosted at the Washington Marriott in Washington DC. In addition to the residents of the Washington metro area, the event will be attended by various civic organizations, human rights advocacy groups, women’s organizations, and humanitarian support groups. Among the scheduled activities for the event are speeches and discussions by invited guests as well as a documentary film about the treatment of political prisoners in Ethiopia in general and that of Ms Birtukan Mideksa in particular.
On this day, the taskforce will also officially launch its website, freebirtukan.org. The taskforce recognizes that the web site will be instrumental in bringing people together for common action against the unjust incarceration of prisoner of conscience Birtukan Mideksa and all political prisoners in Ethiopia. In addition, the web site will provide information about Birtukan Mideksa, her legal status, the facts surrounding her re-imprisonment, and the Ethiopian government’s record on human rights and the abuse of political prisoners.
The website will be an indispensible tool to mobilize a grassroots campaign for the immediate and unconditional release of UDJ Chairwoman Birtukan Mideksa and other political prisoners who are currently suffering at the hands of the tyrant regime. This website is also designed to play a key role in communicating urgent and crucial information, align resources with all pro-democracy opposition parties and civic organizations, Link/Connect our resources globally, and organize worldwide rallies to bring about the release of all political prisoners who are currently incarcerated by the tyrant regime.
We are sharing the new website link, freebirtukan.org, so that you could post the link on your website, distribute it to your email list, or announce it on the radio to your readers or listeners.
Your assistance, feedback, and contribution to this cause are greatly appreciated.
Date: Sunday, June 28, 2009
Time: 2:30 PM
Location: Washington Marriott, 1221 22nd St NW, Washington, DC 20037
Free Birtukan Mideksa and All Political Prisoners Taskforce
www.freebirtukan.org
8 thoughts on “Free Birtukan Taskforce formed”
Hallo my country fellowmen,
Really it is a fantastic and timely ideas to bring world’s attention to our endless and stupid political games against humanity! In my opinion a unified efforts will make a difference toward our ultimate and final destination of respecting humanity before anything else. So putting all our new efforts in line with so many good started genuine and comprehensive strategies for removing dictatorial leadership from Ethiopia forever will add up our positivity and will avoid unwanted conflicting ideas among genuine Ethiopians.
Good luck and long live for those who have been committing themselves for Freedom, Justice and Democracy!
Woyane is the 21-century Apartheid existing only in Ethiopia. As apartheid was abolished after lots of sacrifices have been paid, the woyane apartheid will never go away without all sorts of sacrifices are paid in many ways. Yes, Mandela and many others were in prison/hard labor in a cold and isolated islands fore decades. At last they became free and because of them their people also got freedom.
We have to see Birtukan as our symbol fighting woyane against its apartheid policy. We don’t need to concentrate only for freedom. As long as this Tribalist Apartheid woyane is still there, her freedom will not have guarantee. Many more will continue subjecting to prison, killing and count loss woyanes crimes against humanity. Yes, she must be free now. But woyane the cancer must be eliminated. As long as they are there, there will be no freedom.
Apartheid in SA and woyane in Ethiopia.
Woyane policies are the exact copies from Apartheidn South Africa. These are few examples.
Population Registration Act, Act No 30 of 1950
Led to the creation of a national register in which every person’s race was recorded. A Race Classification Board took the final decision on what a person’s race was in disputed cases
-Woyane is implementing the Apartheid race policy in South Africa with Ethnicity policy in Ethiopia.
Group Areas Act, Act No 41 of 1950
forced physical separation between races by creating different residential areas for different races. Led to forced removals of people living in “wrong” areas, for example Coloureds living in District Six in Cape Town.
-Yes, woyane is implementing an apartheid policy with Kilil created illegally and wrongly by them.
Bantu Authorities Act, Act No 68 of 1951
Provided for the establishment of black homelands and regional authorities and, with the aim of creating greater self-government in the homelands, abolished the Native Representative Council.
-This is the woyane kilil Agenda going on in Ethiopia.
Natives Laws Amendment Act of 1952
Narrowed the definition of the category of blacks who had the right of permanent residence in towns. Section 10 limited this to those who’d been born in a town and had lived there continuously for not less than 15 years, or who had been employed there continuously for at least 15 years, or who had worked continuously for the same employer for at least 10 years.
-This is what is going on in the woyane Kilil. They are implementing an apartheid policy saying Natives and non Natives in Kilils level. If you are not a native, you are like an Immigrant who have no right as citizens in own country. Among the other, they cannot hold office related to the Kilil.
Promotion of Bantu Self-Government Act, Act No 46 of 1959
Classified black people into eight ethnic groups. Each group had a Commissioner-General who was tasked to develop a homeland for each, which would be allowed to govern itself independently without white intervention
-If you search more about the South African Apartheid policy, you would discover almost all woyane policies being the direct copies from it. Who is advising them? The English? I wonder.
Good work! We have to stand together to fight this diabolic regime.
we, ethiopian will come after you soon
all ethiopian must unite against weyane TPLF.
G7 & OLF good start.
we are comming after you.
http://www.eppfonline.org/
http://www.ginbot7.org/
Many things can be done; one important thing we can do is exposing Woyane’s cadres where ever we live. They are criminals in their own right. The cadres must be exposed for the world to see, we have to follow them to their grave until they pay for their crime.
In our town we know two who we are following, in due time their picture will be posted all over with the list of their activities. Others we heard who amassed stole money in another city we are working with another group to follow them
Hi, thanks for those of you who setup this website and organize this event. I have been thinking about setting up a website dedicated to her but it is too late. I will be doing everything that I can to contribute for this novel cause. I believe this will have a big impact on her release as it will pressure TPLF as freetaye.org did.
One final question that I have is how can those of us who do not live closer to DC area participate for this cause?
Zero chance for Birtukan Mideksa to remain in Qaliti Jail!
The international genuine interest to free Birtukan Mideksa from her solitary confinement is gathering momentum, and the effect of this force will, undoubtedly, pulverize the iron gates of Qaliti Jail.
This overwhelming force, like the angel of God that “struck Peter on the side and woke him up” while in jail, bound with two chains, and said to him ‘Quick, get up!’ will also urge on Birtukan Mideksa to wake up, put on her clothes and shoos, and follow the force.
Knocked out and left unconscious by this international force, the Tegarues’ guards at Qaliti Jail will know nothing what has happened at the jail until the next day, and by then they have recovered their consciousnesses but to no avail to find any prisoner in that dark jail; then they will have no other choice but to commit suicide, and, unlike Paul, Birtukan Mideksa is not going to say to each prisoner guard, “Don’t harm yourself!’ “We are all here,” because all the prisoners are completely out and the Qaliti Jail is empty. Since Birtukan Mideksa has been badly mistreated by the prison guards, she will remain silent and let them perish by what they have done to all political prisoners.
Sooner or later, Birtukan Mideksa will be free and will join her mother Wizero Almaz GebreEgziabher, and her only daughter Hale Mideksa with the help of the international Community and with the relentless effort of the Free Birtukan Task Force (FBTF). This means Meles will not turn down the request by the international community and by the FBTF to immediately release Birtukan Mideksa without any condition.
We all know, however, Meles has been a shrewd politician ever ruled Ethiopia, and before he agrees to release Birtukan Mideksa from her jail, he may bring two conditions salutary to him. Condition one is that she can be released from jail if she agrees that she would not run for any political office for one year, and condition two is that the international community should ask Washington to give the Woyanne government about $100,000,000 to protect Ethiopia and the American interest in the Horn country against any terrorist attacks. Unless these two conditions are met, the Woyanne regime may not let Birtukan Mideksa and the other political prisoners go free.
Then What?
Well, the international community and the FBTF must contravene the two unjustified conditions Meles has brought forward to guard the 2010 election from being opened to the Birtukan’s political party. As a result when Meles becomes serious about his two conditions, the international community and the FBTF must also be serious about galvanizing the civilized nations to invalidate the outcome of the 2010 election. Without doubt, action of this kind will impel Meles Seitanawi (Zenawi) to soften his position and finally abandon the two unrealistic conditions.
Fortunately free from her confinement, seeing the sun again, and chatting with her friends, Ms. Birtukan Mideksa may not risk her life to stay in Ethiopia and run for political office unless the Woyanne government provides her adequate protection, adequate security guards paid by the Woyanne government because she is, as Meles may not be, the servant of the Ethiopian people.
The international community and the FBTF must impose one condition on Meles that he must guarantee the safety of Birtukan Mideksa while she is in Addis Ababa and in many other cities, towns, and villages of Ethiopia for any reasons, political or just for visiting her friends. Of course, Meles may not abide by or respect such condition unless his demands, whatever they may be, are fulfilled.
Let us say for a moment that Meles accepts all the conditions the international community and the FBTF imposes upon him, is Birtukan Mideksa determined and willing to run for the 2010 election without considering the time and the financial factors that will confront her? To tell the truth, the time is too short, and, perhaps, she may not have enough money too for the campaign, and if she runs, undermining all the odds against her, is she going to run for the office of the PM? What about Hailu Shawel, Professor Mesfin Woldemariam, and Dr. Birhanu Nega? Are they for her or against her?
It seems to me that the opposition party is in political disarray; there must be a political coherence among, and a strong nexus between, the various political opposition parties before someone enters the race in 2010, and such political disorderliness benefits no one but Meles Seitanawi. Are all these mushrooming Ethiopian political organizations talking the same language and aiming to accomplish one goal – to have a democratically elected government that could run the country according to the rule of law?
If we fail to come up together as one voice before the 2010 election approaches, then we have no other choices except to boycott the election. Of course such desperate action of ours will be interpreted as a weakness by our common enemy Meles Seitanawi.
To avoid any hangdog expressions from our faces, we have to insist our leaders to unite us, put our media force, money, energy, dedication, and willingness to work together, and if there are some people among us who aspire for the highest political office, let them come forward with clear visions for their country, and we are ready to follow them with all our hearts and prayers.
However, before we aspire for the highest office, we have to remember one important fact that has been put aside by many African leaders and especially by the dictatorial Woyanne government. “Not so with you,” said Jesus. “Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant….” (Matthew 20:26)
Meles Seitanawi has been the master, not the servant, of eighty-million people for eighteen years. Any Ethiopian politician who wants to be the leader of the Ethiopian people must be their servant, not their master. I’m sure Birtukan Mideksa or Dr. Birhanu Nega will be qualified to be the servant of the Ethiopian people.
It is a very good objective; but would there be any possibility of achieving this objective before ousting the dictatorship? I think the time is too short. We need to come together as soon as possible in order to determine the post-Woyane fate of the nation; where Birtukan and other political prisoners can enjoy their freedom. What sense does it make if we get Brtikuan and others released, but lose on the main cause of their suffering? Why should we feel like Woyane will stay for more than a year? We must stand with G7 and OLF; and push them to take effective action to get rid of the dictatorship, and avoid the possibility of a terrible power vacuum that may be created with the collapse of Woyane. I would like to suggest a rally urging G7 and OLF to work together.
God Bless Ethiopia
Elias
Thank you for posting this. I really appreciate it. It is quite symbolic.
Thanks again.