The kangaroo court in Ethiopia today sentenced the elected leaders of Ethiopia to life in prison.
Among those who were sentenced were chairman of the Coalition for Unity and Democracy Party (Kinijit) Ato Hailu Shawel, vice-chair Bertukan Mideksa, secretary general Muluneh Eyoel, and mayor of Addis Ababa Dr Berhanu Nega.
Additionally, Aby Gizaw, Andargachew Tsige, Elias Kifle (Ethiopian Review publisher), Mesfin Aman, and Zelalem Kifle — who were charged and convicted in absentia — are sentenced to life in prison.
The following journalists and Kinijit supporters received lower sentences: Mesifn Jebesa, Berhanu Alemayehu, Wudeneh Jedi, Melaku Oncha, to 18 years each. Abyot Wakjira and and Daniel Berihun to 15 years each. Wenackseged Zelleke (the deputy managing editor of Addis Zena) to 3 years. Dawit Fasil (Serkalem Fasil’s brother) to one year and 6 months.
The court ordered journalists Sisay Agena and Serkalem Fassil to pay upto 120,000 birr in penalty and and shut down their publishing firms.
Judge Adil Ahmed, on behalf of the three-judge panel, said that all those who were sentenced to life are banned from participating in Ethiopian politics in any form. Those who received 18-year or less were banned from politics for 5 years.
Last week, the prosecutor had recommended death penalty.
Adil said that the court decided to rule life in prison instead of death because the Kinijit leaders had only attempted the crimes they were charged with. Since they didn’t succeed, Adil said, they do not deserve death.
For some of the opposition leaders who are 70-year old or more and with poor health (including the 72-year-old chairman Ato Hailu Shawel), life in prison is as bad as a death sentence. Considering the terrible condition at the disease-infested Qaliti jail, even the younger and healthier prisoners will not survive for long.
The Woyanne regime media and Meles Zenawi’s backers at the U.S. State Department may try to spin the life in prison sentence as a better out come than death penalty. But those who have witnessed the suffering of Professor Asrat Woldeyes in jail, today’s court ruling is nothing less than condemning the elected leaders of Ethiopia to death.
Judge Adil said: “The accused have committed serious crimes, which caused the death of civilians and security forces and attempted to overthrow the government. The accused have also failed to present to the court mitigating evidences for the charges brought against them.”
While Adil was reading the decison, Dr Berhanu Nega stood up and started to walk out. Adil said Doctor, we are about to finish, come back. Dr Berhanu complied.
As Adil continued reading, Kinijit vice-chair, Bertukan Mideksa, started to flash “V” sign and the other leaders, including family members, followed suit.
The opposition leaders had refused to recognize the court and did not enter a plea, saying the trial was political.
An independent commission appointed by the parliament had concluded that the 2005 post-election violence was carried out by the Meles regime’s security forces against unarmed protestors and innocent civilians.
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72 thoughts on “Court sentenced Ethiopian opposition leaders to life in prison”
What is Next?
What Shall we do to Free our Liders?
I know for shour no millenium With out our Leaders
Hi Dear my Brothers & Sisters (Ethiopians)
I personaly proud of our legally elected leaders for their endurance and standing firm for the truth. What the tyransists were looking for is to see our leaders to plea them kneeling down and licking their shoe! STUPID! If they were really consciousness, they could learn that only love wins a humankind.
I am also proud of our people thinking and moving as if one mind, one soul-our integration. Now we need one thing. We need good leaders, true Ethipians who have fear of God, love of the people and who are skilled enough in uniting this force to action. To free our innocent leaders and ensure sustainable unity, respect among the people, true democracy and the one who works for the good of our country in general. Discuss on that.
Yewogen dem
what a game!! Meles will release the Ethiopian Elected Leaders soon but he is trying to avoide the question of ” election fraud,killings , politically motivated arrests and further political involvement of any of these true leaders…..Any of you going to celebrate ZE SO Called mellinium with Woyane Gangs..shame on you…shall we consider you as ethiopians don’t think so…may be traitors like those who allied themselves with Fascist Italy & facilitate the killings of so many ethiopinas.
Oh what a new-year present of justice!
On the eve of the third Millenium in our Addis!
Against the innocent dead and the detained,
By the cruel preachers of division and hatred!
Oh, where are you the Almighty God,
When your people are so oppressed and subdued,
When your sacred land is so humiliated?
Or is this your final word,
After your offer for peaceful dialogue is abandoned,
By the evils and the crooked?
Are you ordering us to lift the sword,
Against the evils and the crooked,
To bring finally our suffering to an end?
If it is your wish to make the enemy kneel on its heel,
Hallelujah! Be it according to your will!
We shall stand in harmony and unity
And bring about peace and tranquility.
We shall raise our arms together,
For no one shall cry or suffer anymore,
But live in peace and prosper.
let as pray
OUR GOD WILL HELP US
GOD BLESS ETHIOPIA.
Ethiopiawinet has become a sham!!! What a selfish generations of Ethiopian??? CUD leaders thought Ethiopians have the highest moral standard….I am ashamed to have anything to do with Ethiopia….we deserve worst than Woyane for the sacrifies we are willing to input…..shame on us???????????
Dear Ethiopians,
Shame over shame on us !!!
Do we feel as a human being after all?
now days generation, do we created only to eat?
do our eyes,ears and soon closed to sense the sacrifies made 78 years old professor Mesfin, for us, for Ethiopia?
I hate my self, realy to allow bandss and TPLF to ride on our back.
if you feel human, now is the time.
the judge and the knagaro court are they a human being? i doubt in ethiopia we don’t have such kind of people who are stupid and deaf and ignorant. remember your time is coming an end and you will be like the formar prsident of liberia and DRC IF YOU NO HISTORY. DEAR MY ETHIOPIAN PEOPLE LET US STAND FOR TRUTH AND JUSTICE.MELES YOU BETTER RELEASE OUR TRULY LEADERS IF YOU WANT TO STAY IN THIS WORLD. DON’T SPREAD YOUR VIRUSE.MAY GOD WHO IS THE FATHER OF JUSTICE GIVE US PEACE AND JUSTICE TO OUR COUNTRY. MAY ALSO FORGIVE THE SINS OF KANGARO COURT AND MELES.
MAY GOD GIVE STRENGTH AND ENCOURAGEMENT TO OUR LEADERS WHO ARE JUDJED UNFAIRLY.GOD BLEESS ETHIOPIA!
Another Sad day for Ethiopia.
Dear: Ethiopians
I don’t think this is the final word. It’s all a drama staged by the woyanes and designed to portray Meles as a resonable dictator when he ‘pardons’ the elected leaders in a pre selected date sometime before the millineum. The Woyane know that they are despised by the Ethiopian people therefore must resort to such gimmicks to prolong their stay in power.
Comment 53, says
“what a game!! Meles will release the Ethiopian Elected Leaders soon”
Stupid like with their wishful primitive thinking are interrupting the people straggle. We are here to discuss and organize what to do next about a criminal, little, bold and ugly creature (meles and his criminal groups) from Tigry. None of them will do something good to us (the country) but we, the people. How do you know he will release them? Is that because of you; stupid behind a computer, is thinking of about? Work hard and bravely for it.
Stop coming with a misleading idea but concrete ones to facilitate the people struggle against the Satan worshipers and demons (Tigry kings and queens) our beloved country is facing them in very devastating ways.
Human objects,
Dear Woyanne: chairman and members of Devil, a servant and banda of Ethiopian enemies, the vanguard and hidden terrorist members and fictious survivors of the regime; I heard you have passed ” A life in prison sentences against Kinjit leaders and members.” Is that true? It is not dubious, a mere fact.
Because you assured yourself that no western country will back up opposition with arm struggle and also your masked operation is at Somalia, you think you can hang, shoot to death, imprison and do whatever you like to do against Ethiopian population? Don’t worry His Almighty God will create a means to protect these innocent and needy population.
I still doubt wether the world cognize you that you are a simulated speaking object in lieu of an Ethiopian. There has ever been a history on earth who terrorizes his own nation, dimantle its province by ending the nation land locked, and supply part of the territory to neighbouring country to calm the possible opposition resistance.(A recent fact – Land from Gondar province is alotted to Sudan)
Dear chairman of the hidden devil, do you ever anticipate your mortality? Don’t worry your secret adjenda is coming vivid and you will understand by then.
Yes, although your destination is towards the current trouble makers of this world, you are in Somalia immitating that you are fighting the radicals etc. and collect money. But we know you. You can deceive the western leaders with your silly and kidish project,but we who knows your good evil buildings at home during your era can witness agianst you.
After the death of 100,000 people at the boarder conflict, you signed a deal where? At Algers, why you didn’t do it elsewhere? Once again, When you hear that the West is against Esayas administration, you announce war to the buffer zone to calm the circumstances, and get rid of more resistance force aginst you, and you may sign a deal at…, this time a new site.
We know with whom you are working, what you are working, and your orginal commitment before you came to power with your secret ally. Proceed your evils, and you will be discarded as used object and retain black and devil record from century to century.
I don’t know weather to say am ashamed or proud. but i know today is not the day to cry, our tears are long overdue, it was when the beloved leaders got locked up we had to shout for their freedom just like they have for ours, it was when mothers and fathers with their poor children got killed on the streets and bushes of Ethiopia we suposed to fight back, it was when our willingness to fight was dimolished by the so called U.S chapters with their civil fights that we should have said NO…
what shall we we do now???
AT LEAST FOR THE SAKE OF THOSE WHO ARE ENDURING THE HARDEST, LETS UNITE AND UPLIFT THE SPEARIT OF THE ETHIOPIAN PEOPLE THAT COULDN’T IN NO SHAPE OR FORM SHOW THEY EMOTIONS WHILE IN ETHIOPIA…LETS BE THE AMBASSADORS OF THE STRUGLING….
I KNOW ZENAWI WILL SOON RELEASE THE LEADRS AND SAY I FORGAVE THEM EVEN THOUGH THEY WERE FOUND GUILTY…IT WILL NOT SURPRISE ME IF THAT HAPPENS AND WILL NOT SHAKE MY ATTENTION AWAY FROM THE FACTS SO SHALL IT NOT SHAKE YOURS ….
MAY GOD BLESS AND PROTECT THE PEOPLE OF ETHIOPIA
Meles’s speech …I am afraid will, as usual, tented with dictatorial arrogance such as warning the people to respect the rule of law & accept the verdict…if not he will act accordingly.
It will not be “let’s reconcile” speech.
I hope I am wrong!
I don’t understand what the Woyane leaders are doing?It will not be too far for them to replace the place of our leaders.What they need is fighting.FREE OUR LEADER.All Ethiopian people stand for your right and to get rid of these ugly group.SHame on TPLF Members.We shall win.
HEY GUYS, COOL DOWN !!!
CAN SOMEBODY PLEASE EXPLAIN ME, THE POINT OF PREVENTING THE RIGHT TO RUN FOR ELECTION ONCE
THEY ARE SENTENCED FOR LIFE INPRISONMENT. WHAT A CHILDISH GAME
Hi, Anti-USA and Anti- England.
You have to stop anti-USA and England propaganda,
if you don’t, i will cut your head.
It is not a new thing it is expected.Now war on Weyane.we need coordination the KIL and Hebert.the two parties front should be created not more than a week.if you donot do it the poeple of Ethiopia will concder you are died.no more acceptance.
Dear Diasporaians,
Every time something bad happens, you curse, insult the meles regime, you post dispicable things on the internet. If you really want the melese govt to leave, can’t you come up with a better plan for our country, instead of cursing or isulting?????
Shame on you!
Life sentence means life of Meles Zenawi in Ethiopian politices, which is VERY VERY short.
peace!
Elias i thank you for yor true information but i have a great regrate by the diaspora leaders they are fighting each other to be first and to be get femous.it is shame.
Meles Zenawi, are you thinking that you are an Ethiopian’s leader? I ashamed on you. You will go to court in short pariod of time. After that all Ethiopians will get their freedom.