June 9 – CUD executive committee member Ato Lidetu Ayalew has been released, after UN Secretary General Kofi Annan placed a phone call to Meles Zenawi today.
Ato Lidetu had been detained in his office for almost 30 hours without food and drink. His relatives and friends who tried to bring him food were chased away by the police who surrounded Lidetu’s office.
Ethiopians worldwide conducted an intense campaign on behalf of Ato Lidetu through out the day, which led to Kofi Annan’s intervention. The intensity of activities was too much for him to ignore the matter.
The Secretary General made the call to Meles as he visited with President Bush today at the White House.
Before talking to Meles, Mr Kofi Annan had called Ato Hailu Shawel, CUD chairman, and discussed Ato Lidetu’s condition, as well as other matters related to the uprising that is underway in Ethiopia.
CUD/UEDF need to create a shadow cabinet
Call a nationwide general strike full text
“The whole hospital was literally packed with injured,” the Reuters journalist said. Ambulances streamed in with new injury victims, most of them with gunshot wounds, as hundreds of relatives wailed and wept in packed wards. Reuters
Joint press release by CUD and UEDF
June 7 – The Meles government said this evening it has revoked the permits of VOA and Deutsche Welle journalists for illegal reporting activities … Xinhua
ETV said if they are found broadcasting any more news they will be jailed.
June 7, 3:28 AM – Federal police stormed Debub University’s main campus in Awassa and savagely beaten up students who had been holding peaceful rally. As the police tried to round up and take away students, they were confronted by parents and other residents of the city. There is a stand-off as this story is being written.
Addis Ababa is calm, but schools are closed. Kotebe is also calm, and the town’s residents managed to rescue the students there.
Riot is reported in Gonder and Awassa
Taxi drivers joined students as protests spread in Ethiopia… – ER, June 8
A high school girl was killed AP
June 6, 4:00 pm – CUD spokesman Lidetu Ayalew has arrived home from office, but his house is surrounded by police. It’s feared that the police are waiting until the middle of the night before arresting him to avoid confrontation with the people in Ato Lidetu’s district.
The National Election said today that it has begun investigating appeals submitted by contesting political parties on 299 constituencies over election irregularities. The Board Chairman Kemal Bedri told journalists that investigation committees, to be formed by representatives of the board, international observers as well as the parties themselves, will start investigating appeals of contesting parties by the end of the week … – Xinhua, June 6
JUNE 2005 – Page 11