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Ethiopian anti-poverty campaigners freed from prison

Press Release by CIVICUS

After a long two years and five months in prison, the two Ethiopian anti-poverty campaigners Daniel Bekele and Netsanet Demissie were released from prison this afternoon.

“We are thrilled that Daniel and Netsanet have finally been released from prison. It has been a long wait for them and their families, but finally freedom and justice is theirs. The release is a testament to Daniel and Netsanet’s contributions to human rights and poverty eradication in Ethiopia, Africa and around the world, and is a vindication of civil society efforts to confront injustice.” said Kumi Naidoo, Secretary General of CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation and Co-Chair of the Global Call to Action Against Poverty (GCAP), speaking from outside Kaliti Prison in Addis Ababa upon their release.

Daniel and Netsanet, both coordinators of GCAP in Ethiopia, were today released following recent negotiations. While they were acquitted on treason related charges in December 2007, they were found guilty on the lesser charge of “provocation and preparing incitement” and sentenced to two and a half years in prison. If they had served the full sentence, they would have been released in early May 2008.

“It is indeed a wonderful moment for civil society in Ethiopia. Two of the country’s most courageous defenders of human rights and social justice are once again free. Today, their release is being celebrated in the over 100 country coalitions of the Global Call to Action Against Poverty and CIVICUS members in more than 120 countries,” said Irfan Mufti, Campaign Manager of GCAP.

Daniel and Netsanet were the last two remaining detained in the high profile treason trial that originally charged 131 journalists, politicians and civil society leaders on a range of charges from genocide to treason. They were among thousands who were detained following protests accusing the government of rigging the 15 May 2005 parliamentary elections.

Aside from their work with GCAP, Daniel is also head of the policy department at ActionAid International Ethiopia. Netsanet is also the founder of local human rights group Organisation for Social Justice in Ethiopia. Daniel and Netsanet were instrumental in coordinating legitimate election monitoring activities by local civil society organisations during the May 2005 election.

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For more information – CIVICUS: www.civicus.org, GCAP: www.whiteband.org
Julie Middleton, CIVICUS – in South Africa: +27 82 403 6040, [email protected].
Ciara O’Sullivan, GCAP – in Spain: +34679594809, [email protected]

9 thoughts on “Ethiopian anti-poverty campaigners freed from prison

  1. God bless both daniel and Nesaneth for thier huge contribution to bring justice and democracy to thier country. Shame on weyane for keep accusing ethiopians and realesing them with pardons, while weyane memebers should get thier trial sooner or later for the whole crime that thay have done for almost two decades. Again god bless these two heros and shame on weyane supporters.

  2. Congratulations to Daniel and Netsanet and to their families.

    Ethiopia is a lawless country. What happened to these two courageous young people have proven that beyond any doubt. They were thrown to prison for educating civil society and ordinary citizens on how to exercise their democratic rights. By doing that, they were only defending TPLF’s constitution. After their case started in the Kangaroo court (in front of their own Law School classmates as prosecutors and judges), they have again shown how respectful they were to the judicial system and the law of the land by engaging (unlike the other political prisons) in the proceedings. The so called court sentenced them to two and a half year prison term which, given probation, had already been expired.

    But the TPLF egoists were not satisfied with that. No sentence, no court order will have any impact to get oneself from Kaliti. Only admission of guilt and asking for pardon through the intermediaries, so called “elders” will make oneself physically free from the jaws of the ethnic juntas. Like the other political prisoners, Daniel and Netsanet have been forced to submission to the little African furors on top of the court sentence. The objective is clear i.e. deterrence- no one should ever try in the land of TPLF/EPRDF like what CUD had tried, what Daniel and Netsanet have genuienly tried to instill a participatory democracy that could possibly result in power changing hands.

    In Ethiopia, one can organize a political party, participate in election, but dare no plan or wish to taking or even sharing power from the TPLF/EPRDF. Elections are mere requirements of show case for the international financiers.

    One positive outcome of the 2005 election and its aftermath is TPLF/EPRDF has been stripped naked both at the national and international level. No one takes these 21st century little dictators’ claim of democracy, rule of law, arti-burti seriously any more. Let them feed their ego by looking at the “pardon” application from Daniel and Netsanet. In a lawless society it may not matter what ever procedure was followed to get oneself physically free. Tremondous future awaits these two young and intelligent guys. They may leave the country any time like so many others have done. That will be another lose for the country that desparately needs people like them. But it will apparently be seen by the present short-sighted rulers as a victory for their “enemies” are all fleeing the country, choosing to live in exile. What a greedy and ultimately self-destructive strategy!

  3. God is great!!!arrogant weyanes weyanes will pay it for their crime sooner or later.kezih wediya ferashim hone termuse mazore ena shekela metegen be lelawu ethiopians zende ayageguatem. we know them very well now. only our fore-fathers and grond fathers knew them very well. we do not know them before.

  4. We waited patiently, commented harshly about your unjustified imprisonment, and finally we are rewarded, and our reward is your freedom, your coming out of Kaliti prison and joining your families. May the good Lord bless you and your families!

  5. First of all I would like to congratulate Netsanet Demissie, Daniel Bekele and their families.

    Having said that It is important to realize as a nation that EPRDF has been unmasked and none of them can not pretend as a dimocrat leaders who is elected by the people. It is very clear not only before Ethiopians but also before the whole world. I wonder how people like Meles feel when they sit and talk with different leaders around the world. Because they also know that the whole world know what kind of leader they are. They can not pretend any more. Because they are getting the assistance they want from their western leaders does not mean that they have been accepted as a democrat leaders. It is a matter of time before they reap for what they sow.

    God bless Ethiopia.

    Hab.

  6. Thank you Daniel and Netsanet for you showed to the World that the Tyranny can’t any longer hide itself under fake democracy. You have done your best to defend our motherland through your sufferings. Let courage and strength which you showed to have with you on those difficult times, continue to be with you!

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