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Protest rally demanding freedom for Teddy Afro

Posted on , Updated on by Elias Kifle
Tewodros Kassahun

Friends and fans of Teddy Afro are organizing a protest rally in Washington DC to demand his release from jail.

Teddy (aka Tewodros Kassahun) is languishing in jail on a potentially fabricated charge of hit and run.

Last month, it was found that the primary evidence used against Teddy to charge him with the crime has been tampered with — the date on the original hospital document and the one produced by the prosecutor do not match. But the judge ignored this significant discovery and instead of dismissing the case, ordered Teddy to defend himself.

The protest rally in Washington DC will be held on Friday August 29, 2008, in front of the Ethiopian Embassy, 3506 International Drive NW, starting at 10:00 AM.

Fore more info: 202 341-1854

Prayer for Teddy Afro
(Click enlarge)

19 thoughts on “Protest rally demanding freedom for Teddy Afro”

  2. Lets us also speak up for the other political prisoners who have been launching at weyane jail for so many years in connection of suspect of members of politically affiliated groups. According to the recent report of human rights watch and amenity international these Ethiopians are over 30,000 all over Ethiopia.
    So our slogan is supposed to be:
    1- Free Teddy Afro!!!
    2- Free all political prisoners in Ethiopia!!!
    3- Death to weyane members!!!
    4- Ethiopia will prevail!!!!

  3. DC this is the time to show your strength. Where are all those crazy fans????????????????????????????????????? Everybody has to stand with him not only when it is green but when it is blue as well.

  7. hello everyone!

    This is what i have been expecting for a while and i am lucky being in DC and show my protest against those ….

    pls as we were in DC for soccer last month….and enjoy that moment…come and get together …..who knows?

    God helps beloved Tedi afro and free!

  8. Elias,

    One good thing about you is your persistent and energetic advocacy especially if and when the cause is right. Your other sides are a mixed package depending…..

    Regarding Teddy Afro, most people are aware that he it a national and contemporary Ethiopian artist of his time. We might have short memory, but the months between November 2005 and July 2007 were very provoking and at times sad. It was a time of some political and thus national awareness period specially here in the diaspora.

    A few of Teddy Afro’s artistic music and lyric had contributed in actualizing that awareness in a meaningful way. In a way, it was a good companion to the fourth estate, Press and Media. His arrest is a sad event, however, as most opposition Ethiopian “democratic” parties advocate for justice and keep reminding us “ no one is above the law”, the test on his case might have been challenging. The charge on him dealt with a vulnerable private citizen. Some people could have a reservation about his case. As much as I admire him and like his music, this is the first time I commented on him since his arrest. You know what convinced me?. The CONTRADICTIONS in the case you mentioned. Shakespeare Fessha (Esq.) had some audio analysis, but this is the latest and some times legal explanation might be better grasped better in print.

    People who are serious about his case might have to work closely with the lawyers who have access to him, his court appearances and the case. I believe if the case is convincing- political, civil groups and thousands of ordinary people could rally behind his case, at least abroad. Thousands of people had faith and were probably easier to bring out for demos, until after late 2007.

    How can you like some thing and just abandon it because some body decided his fates? If he did it, well? He is an artist. Who knows how more creative he could be in solitude? If he did not, crime is committed against him and his admirers and that confirms further what this regime is up to. The eve of the millennium, the first musicians who opened the event were foreign musicians. That would have not been the case during the previous governments however unpopular or other wise.

    So, the details of his case need to be in peoples’ awareness for every day that he is locked up. Why is the demo called on short notice? I think it was posted today. The latest popular achievement by Ethiopian athletes had Teddy’s tribute to Kenenisa. That was video( courtesy of Tsehai… that caught the moment in relation Teddy. How about starting Teddy Afro funs club and/or web site.

  9. Are we doing this because we feel there is no justice in the country? I don’t think so. We want him to be free irrespective of what happened that night so we can hear more of his music. That my friends is a reflection of selfishness and says very little about our concern about those who are suffering from the lack of democracy in the country. We must fight for all and not for individuals of our choice.

  11. The Young Brave Hero Of Our Generation !

    Teddy Afro – is a brave young man who cried for his motherland Ethiopia and its suffering people. so we all owe him to stand together and demand his unconditional release from Woyane prison.

    We must understand that he may be physically in confined but is couscous is always free, because he has paid his tribute and scarified for his countrymen. Despite Woyane’s court allegation the only crime Teddy Afro committed is he stood his ground for his country and his people and that is a crime in the eyes of TPLF dynasty.

    Teddy Afro is not the average singer
    -Teddy Afro is a voice for the voiceless Ethiopians
    -Teddy Afro is a symbol of resistance for the new generation
    -Teddy Afro is a true son of Ethiopian

    It is time to stand together as one human family when our identity as Ethiopians is challenge by Woyane!

  12. ለ አቤ እና ለ ኤኖን
    የላችሁት ልክ ይሆን ነበረ ወንጀሉ በግለሰቡ ተፈጽሞ ቢሆን ኖሮ:: የናንተን ያህል ንቃተ-ሕሊና ብዙው ወገን ባይኖረውም አንድ ኢትዮጵያዊ ሌላውን በጉልበት ወይም በሃብት ግነት ሲበድለው ማየት የማንኛውም ዜጋ ፈቃድ አይደለም::
    “ወሬው እንዲሕ ነው ይላሉ:- ሽማግሌውና ሴትየይቱ እንብዛም ናቸው; ሴትየይቱ ለወዳጇ ድግስ ከወጣቱ ተዋውላ አስገባችው ይህንን የሰሙ ሽማግሌ አቅማቸውን ሊያሳዩ ታሪክ አስፈጥረው አሳሰሩት አሉ” ውድ ወገኖቼ እውነቱን ፈጣሪ ያውቃል ይህንን ሃሳብ ግን እንደ አንድ ኢንፎርሜሽን በሃሳብ ማህደራችሁ ውስጥ ያዙት::

  14. We missed you Teddy Afro !! When each day passes without hearing your voice isolated in filthy prison in Ethiopia watched by armed thugs our heart is bleeding but never stopped supporting you. What did our athletes feel when they returned home with victory and missing Teddy’s voice which has been an inspiration for all of them ?Teddy Afro is not the average singer
    -Teddy Afro is a voice for the voiceless Ethiopians
    -Teddy Afro is a symbol of resistance for the new generation
    -Teddy Afro is a true son of Ethiopian

  15. Weyane is busy now. He is giving SHUMET to the thugs. Look how collective General is giving :-

    መንግሥት ለከፍተኛ ወታደራዊ መኮንኖች ከፍተኛ ወታደራዊ ሹመት ሰጠ
    አዲስ አበባ, ነሐሴ 23 ቀን 2000 (አዲስ አበባ) – መንግሥት ለአገሪቱ ከፍተኛ ወታደራዊ መኮንኖች ከፍተኛ ወታደራዊ ሹመት ሰጠ፡፡

    የኢፌዲሪ ጠቅላይ ሚኒስትር ፅህፈት ቤት ዛሬ ለኢትዮጵያ ዜና አገልግሎት በላከው መግለጫ እንዳስታወቀው ሹመቱ የተሰጠው ለሦስት ሌተናል ጄኔራሎች ፣ለአንድ ሜጀር ጄኔራልና ለስምንት ብርጋዴር ጄኔራሎች ነው፡፡

    በሹመቱ መሠረት ሜጀር ጄኔራል ሰዓረ መኮንን ይመር፣ሜጀር ጄኔራል ታደሰ ወረደ ተስፋዬና ሜጀር ጄኔራል ባጫ ደበሌ ቡታ ሌተናል ጄኔራል ሆነው የተሾሙ ሲሆን ብርጋዴር ጄኔራል ገብራት አየለ ሜጀር ጄኔራል ሆነው ተሹመዋል፡፡

    እንዲሁም ኮሎኔል ክንፈ ዳኘው ገብረሥላሴ ፣ኮሎኔል ገብረሚካኤል በየነ ተድላ፣ኮሎኔል አከለ አሳዬ አስፋው፣ኮሎኔል ህንፃ ወልደጊዮርጊስ የውሃንስ፣ኮሎኔል ተክለብርሃን ካህሳይ ብሩሽ፣ ኮሎኔል ጌታቸው ጉዲና ወልባና፣ኮሎኔል ማሾ በየነ ደስታ እና ኮሎኔል ወንድወሰን ተካ አገኘው በብርጋዴር ጄኔራልነት ማዕረግ መሾማቸውን ከጠቅላይ ሚኒስትር ፅህፈት ቤት የወጣው መግለጫ አስታውቋል፡፡

    ሪ 8፡00 ያ 9፡00 ኤ፡9፡30 ጠ፡1፡30 ጥ፡ከ

    —END—

    http://www.ena.gov.et/AmharicNews/2008/Aug/29Aug08/66651.htm

  17. Guys this is not a question of artist or els if not FREEDOM!! No justice in that country, our people are sufering, last week our dictator were asked about TEFF price increase and what he had answerd was this is the right price for teff when 100kilo of teff is 1200 birr.The drought is in the south, why do our dictator must care about the rest of the country when he is from TIGRAI??? The coutry receive billions of dollar from donating countrys then where does all this money goes????? Justice will come sooner for this thug dictators. ICC must start study on ETHIOPIAN DICTATOR, PEOPLE CAN NOT TAKE IT NO MORE!!!!!!

  19. Hi folks,
    I don’t know if my comment can do something I am with you anyways,
    I am praying and I believe he will be free soon. Our prayer will make a difference, and Tedi will be free again and will sing a song about prison life, Yedersebet yakewal. Ethiopian prisons are the worst of all, and when it is related with politics it is …… but sometimes I feel God wants to show him around the prison and hopefully to let him sing about this forgotten people as a trash …., I will keep on praying, one day he will be out and free again. And hopefully, the people who orchestrate this drama will get justice.
    Love, kaka

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