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Birtukan Mideksa freed

Posted on , Updated on by EthiopianReview.com

Ethiopian Review sources in Addis Ababa are reporting that opposition leader Birtukan Mideksa has been released today.

Birtukan was thrown in jail by the ethnic apartheid {www:junta} in Ethiopia almost 2 years ago, Dec. 29, 2010.

Birtukan left Kality jail at 11:15 AM local time today. She was greeted by family members, friends, and hundreds of supporters who were waiting for her outside the prison.

After learning the news of her release, Ethiopian civic, political and media groups in the Diaspora held a meeting and issued a statement condemning the Woyanne junta for illegally arresting her in the first place. They also expressed through the statement their demand for the release of all the other prisoners of conscience who are languishing in prisons throughout the country (full text).

Reuters’ Barry Malone reports:

Ethiopia[‘s ruling junta] released the country’s most {www:prominent} opposition leader from jail on Wednesday, four months after the government’s landslide win in elections criticised by Western powers. Birtukan Mideksa, a former judge, is the leader of Ethiopia’s biggest opposition party, the Unity for Democracy and Justice.

She left a prison in the capital Addis Ababa in a car with her daughter and mother, a Reuters witness said. Supporters said she was going to her home.

Critics of the government say she was jailed because she was the main threat to the ruling Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) at the May 23 election.

48 thoughts on “Birtukan Mideksa freed”

  2. vini,vidi,vici. congradulations!!!!

    Thanks Ato Elias to supply us this joyful news.
    Thanks to god. Thanks to all that enable her release.
    One thing came to my mind: they released her early morning to avoid the assembly of huge crowd to accompany via her home in the city of Addis Abeba.

    Welcome home W/t Birr-tu-Can !

  7. ውድ ብርቱካን እንኩአን በሰላም ለቤትሽ አበቃሽ !

    መላ ሰላም ወዳዶች እንኩአን ደሰ አላችሁ፡፡ እውነት ሁሌም አሸናፊ ናት፡፡

    መለስ ብርቱካንን ያሰረ መስሎት እራሱ ማሰሩን ለመረዳት ሁለት አመት ፈጀበት፡፡

    የት ሄደ ያ ሁሉ የመለስ ትረካና ፉከራ ?

  10. thank you for the good news Elias and congratulation to Birtukan and her family.

    there are another 80 million Ethiopians need to be from the ethnofashist woyanne we are not going to fool by rag tag zenawi any more no more childish political game !

  12. Birtikan is a genuine hero, a woman of courage and conviction. She is my Taytu .She is one of a kind and she always inspires me to do something for the people of Ethiopia. Her release from prion is one of the greatest news I have ever heard since I came here.

    Thanaks for good news Elias.
    Thanks Ethiopian review.

  15. 1.)Weyane will infer by releasing her that its a true democratic government.
    2) Weyanwe also trying to take the oxygen out so that we will be losing a unifying cause to rally against the regime.
    It is a calculating game by him and his western backer who will simply seat on this undemocratic unjust chair until we give up.
    Never let them sleep, we will wake them up. Never say thank you to this pathetic generosity, she shouldn’t be arrested in the first place.
    I hope palatine like struggle dose not come to Ethiopia.

  18. The happiness goes mainly for her mom and child. For the rest of us, this is a victory for woyanne than Birtukan. She was thrown in jail to pave the way for Meles’s “99% win” and released to facilitate the begging of money from the west for his “dream plan for Ethiopia in the next 5 years”. He wants more money to beg for and he knew that prolonged Birtukan’s incarceration will potentially dry up foreign resources to be begged and looted by his gangs. King Meles won the “election” and now wins in Birtukan’s release immmediately after the “cabinet” was sworn in by removing the pain from his achelles hill. Dictators are blessed with absolute power and this is one of its manifestation. I don’t understand why grown up and educated people like professor Yishak fall for such trick!! I think they have a reason beyond our knowledge for doing this: may be money, or foreign gov’t agencies push. Time will tell!!!

  21. Here is how it is going to play out:

    TPLF is already spreading the rumor that she appologised tot hem.

    Whether that is true or false, we should never react to this. It is a game they are playing so that someone will hook on to this and start trouble.

    Instead of reacting, let us be proactive.

    Let us do a FUND RAISING and send her as much money as possible from Europe, Australia, America and if possible from Arab countries.

    This is the only way we can outplay the tyrant. If we send her lots of money, we can win this one big time. If we just sit our asses here and react to what is surely going to be a propoganda campaign by Meles Zenawi, it is almost guranteed this great news will be turned into bad.

    LET US DO FUNDRAISING PEOPLE! LET US GET IT DONE THROUGH CHURCHS AND RESTUARANTS. SEND THE POOR WOMAN MONEY SHE NEEDS.

  23. NesanetEthiopia:

    She will be perfectly fine except she won’t have enough money to deal with life because she was unjustly sent to jail by Tyrant for his sick games.

    Ethiopians, we all know most of us demonstrated and put pressure, and we should be proud of that. But we need to send this woman money. IT IS VERY VERY important we do this. We need to hold fund raising. PLEASE tell your church leaders, restaurants and school mates, work mates to get together, get organized and do fund raising. BE VERY CAREFUL this will not be hijacked by TPLF. Be transparent about it and let us send her as much money as possible.

  24. Glory to the Almighty God, Lady Liberty will join us in the larger prison which Ethiopia is under tyrant Meles.

    I cogratulate Hale Mideksa and W/o Almaz as well as her Sister Eyerusalem and her close relatives who have endured Birtuka’s ordeal.

    I pledge my utmost support to Lady Truth to the end of my life.

    Thank you ER

  25. God bless Ethiopians and her friends,

    the impossible is now possible. Whatever they say about the release condition , Birtukan is fredom fighter. She and her old mother and her doughter are heros of our mother land. basta!!!!!!!

    Ethiopia has stretched her hands to God +++

    Amen

  26. Birtukan had languished in jail under inhumane condition from Nov. 2005 – July 2007, and again from Dec. 2008 until this month. Both times her arrest was a criminal act and a violation of the regime’s own constitution, further proving that there is no rule of law in Ethiopia under the Meles regime.

  27. I am glad her unjustified captivity is over, but most of the Ethiopian people whom she loves still remain in captivity. I hope her release from the jail is unconditional and without any promises she has to do for the criminal Meles Seitanawi. Once she is free, I am eagerly waiting what her future plans for Ethiopia will be; I suggest she leave the country and join the Ethiopian Freedom Fighters somewhere in the wilderness of Ethiopia. Her freedom from prison is a great joy for all of us Ethiopians, especially for her daughter and elderly mother and for all her close friends. My sincere gratitude goes to those supper journalists like Elias Kifle who worked hard in advocating that her imprisonment was against the rule of law and that she must be released from the Kaliti jail and released she is.

  28. Birtukan is my definition of a hero. A hero is someone who is brave and strong, mentally or physically, and often puts other people before themselves. She fights for what she believes in and doesn’t back down in the face of obstacles.
    Birtukan is mentally strong and capable of explaining her views clearly. She has made rebelling against an unjust system a lifelong goal, and she has accepted the responsibility with grace.
    She should be important to everyone because she is a powerful leader; and fighting for a better Ethiopia.
    To all of us congratulation! For the re-birth of Tayetu. Fighting for democracy will continue.

  29. Burtukaan Baga Waaqayyo kanaan si ga’e.

    A little but a wise advice. Come out with all your supports you can join OLF and G7 a soon as possible. Please do not be fooled again with of the impossible idea of free weapon struggle in Ethiopia. Let alone you the politician, by now all Ethiopian people know that it is immpossible to defeat that rigime without gun. Be smart, be strong. We those who are in OLF and G7 are waiting for you. The road is now alomost open in the west, east, north and south.
    Congra.

  30. Hail Bertukan! Hail the chief!

    They tried to break your spirit but you stood fast and firm with the vast majority of Ethiopians behind you. They mocked you and tried to scare you and frighten you with solitary confinement and lack of medical assistance. But you did not flinch.

    Finally it was Meles Zenawi who blinked. Because you had faith in God and in the Ethiopian people at home and abroad. God bless you and keep you as you work for the unity of our people and for freedom and democracy in our country.

    Thank you Elias, Professor Al Mariam, Mrs. Ana Gomes, and many others for all your tireless campaign to force Meles to free Bertukan who is like Mandela for millions of Ethiopians.

    It is indeed a happy day.

  32. Thanks Elias, great reporting!
    What a relief and a joeys moment for Birtukan, her precious daughter, her loving mother and for millions of Ethiopians that have been praying, advocating for her release. My special thanks to Ms. Ana Gomez, Professor Alemayehu and the likes of them that worked hard to let Birtukan’s story known around the world and made sure that Birtukan stayed in our hearts. As the family of Birtukan and millions of her supporters rejoicing the release of her, let us now do all our best to help the other political prisoners, teachers, journalists and the thousands that were picked up and thrown in jail to be released and unite them with their families. There are hundreds of thousands parents, wives, children, brothers and sisters living with agony everyday because their loved ones have been locked up for no reason and some even tortured.
    Again—AS WE CELEBRATE AND REJOICE THE RELEASE OF BIRTUKAN, PLEASE LET US REMEMBER AND DO SOMETHING ABOUT THE INNOCENT ETHIOPIANS WHO ARE THROWN IN JAIL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  33. Meles was shocked when he learnt that Birtukan is nominated for the prestigeous Sakharov Prize. By urging her to ask for pardon and pleading guilty as charged he is trying to reduce her chance of getting the prize. Prof. Ephrem has become instrumental in this process once again (doing the face-saving task again). Meles also saved his image as it would have been a huge loss of PR internationally if she got the prize while still in jail. I hope members of the EU parliament will understand the heinous crime and the despicable manuevering being made by the tyrant.

  36. When an occupying junta flexes its muscle to subjugate our people, it never seem to learn that with every heinous maneuver to cling to power, our zeal and determination to eradicate it is stored and unleashed for the ultimate liberation.

    Birtukan Mediksa, our leader who has divine providence to liberate our nation from the venomous fang called ‘WOYANNE’. We shall be with her till that moment is upon us.

    Glory to God for this day, and may he herald the emancipation of our people as well.

    Bertu

  39. This is very good news. Meles upon going back from Columbia decided he can’t take it anymore. Viva all Justice loving and seeking people of Ethiopia in the disaspora. Thank you Elias for the good news. Know that this is the fruit of what you do and stand for along with all your supporters.
    Victory to the voiceless. The struggle must continue.

  43. Elias tinishu wusha, ahiya ye ahiya lij. Eskechalik dires tenqeq bel engdih enji ayiqerilihim, balehibet bota. Ahiya! Why do not you free the commenting, why you do …. Rasihin ataminima, ahiya chelem kale endet endemitihon taqaleh ena kezerih endet tileyaleh. Worada, qefafi, bedin,…

  45. Congratulation is in order to all of our Ethiopian brothers and sisters on the release from jail of Ms Birtukan Mideksa. Her illegal imprisonment is over and ya’all deserve to rejoice. But this is not the time for complacency. Keep the struggle till your country is freed from this Woyanne malaise. The struggle continues…

    Your Eritrean Brother.
    Elias, thank you for all the good things you do for the peoples of Eritrea and Ethiopia.

  46. PEOPLE! Meles is manipulating our emotions by arressing one high-profile figure after another and releasing them for political consumption!

    Yesterday it was Teddy Afro and kinijit members and today it is Birtukan. We are need to break out of this vicious cycle/trap.

    I CAN NOT FATHOM WHY WE KEEP FALLING FOR HIS TRAP, AGAIN and AGAIN. HE”S CONTROLLING OUR ENERGY. WE NEED TO WAKE UP AND FOCUS ON REMOVING WOYANE INSTEAD OF SEASONALLY ROMANTICIZING WITH HIGH-PROFILE FIGURES AND GETTING CAUGHT WITH OUR PATNS DOWN WHEN MELES PLAYS THE GAME TO HIS FAVOR.

  47. Where is this No43 calling himself “Hizbawi” come from? He should be locked in a zoo as a rare beast. He can see how the his cannibalistic agazi-tor did to the innocent people of ethiopia. He and his boss, the midget frog-meles, cann’t be Hizbawi as he would have liked us to think but he can be ‘yenetch qit-lash’. can’t you see that you are the odd one out here… a beast amongst human beings. We’ve seen more shameful comments here from you and your likes here, unlike in your family owned walta-misinfo-centre.com. The more we see you and your likes the more we learn about how the rare beasts uses their Qolets to think because they have only sludges stuffed between their ears.
    You could be Meles in a flesh, the criminal kururu Gucha-ras, who once pretended to be “Abebe” in phone call to a live TV debate.

    This rare beasts have no taste and moral.

  48. They say The ironic joke is on Ms. Mideksa for appologizing twice for the same charge. Open your dry-weeping eyes, you rushing fools.Woyane is here to stay for the next five decades. Do you know why? I’m not gonna say the cliche of caring of the people. But a smooth, calculated smart and savvy. Take my advice. If you can’t beat them, join them.

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