7:15 PM EST
With the conclusion of Wzt. Bertukan’s speech, today’s Kinijit historical public meeting has ended. It would not be an exaggeration to say that it was the most electrifying Ethiopian political event ever in the Washington DC area. Many of the Kinijit supporters who were concerned about the ongoing problems with the party’s chairman have left the meeting reassured about the well-being of Kinijit as a viable party. The Kinijit movement is in the good hands of several leaders…

Kinijit Vice President Bertukan Mideksa and colleagues arriving at the Mariott Hotel, Arlington, Virginia, DC Sept 16. 2007 [Photo: Abraham Takele]

Wz. Lishan Akuma’s court trial continued today until 2 PM in the District of Columbia Court. This morning 7 witnessed testified on behalf of Lishan. One other witness and she will take the witness stand this afternoon when the court resumes at 3:30 PM.

Lishan was arrested in front of the White House on July 12 along with two other Ethiopians while holding a protest rally to denounce the conviction by the Meles regime of Kinijit leaders in Ethiopia.

The protesters accused the Bush Administration of encouraging or giving a blind eye to the Woyanne dictatorship’s political repression against Ethiopians back home.  

Ethiopian Review spoke with Lishan when the court adjourned for a lunch break. She said that the prosecutor produced video and tape records as evidence, but the video doesn’t show when she resisted arrest, which is the main charge she is facing.

The trial will resume at 3:30 PM and is expected to end by 5 PM. Ethiopian Review encourages those of you in Washington DC to go to the court and show solidarity with our brave sister.

Place: District of Columbia Court, Room 212
500 Indiana Ave NW [see map]

Kinijit supporter Lishan Akuma’s trial has been underway in the Washington DC court for the past two days. Yesterday the judge informed her that today could be the final day of the trial and a decision may be handed down.

Lishan was arrested on July 12 while participating in a demonstration in front of the White House to protest the conviction by the Woyanne kangaroo court against leaders of the Coalition for Unity and Democracy Party (Kinijit) in Ethiopia.

The police arrested Lishan accusing her of not obeying police orders. She will appear in court again today at 10 AM for the final day of the trial.

Kinijit-DC Metro chapter official Ato Alemayehu Abebe urges fellow Ethiopians in the DC area to come to the court in a show of solidarity with Lishan.

Place: District of Columbia Court
500 Indiana Ave NW [see map]
Time: 10 AM

Ethiopian millennium: While Meles and his Woyanne thugs danced the night away in a $10 million temporary concert hall, for many of Ethiopia’s children it was just another day of hunger and homelessness. See more photos:BBC

PRESS RELEASE

The Ethiopian Woyanne regime’s war crimes in Ogaden have resulted in thousands of civilians seeking refuge in parts of neighboring Somalia with limited food, medical aid and financial resources over the last four months. These victims of the regimes war crimes have include victims of rape, torture, gunshot wounds and those fleeing burnt villages. These fleeing civilians provide the best testimony of the policy of collective punishment being pursued by the Ethiopian regime in Ogaden.

The plight of these families shows the world that despite the regimes denials, war crimes continue in Ogaden. It is clear that the Ethiopian regimes policy in Ogaden continues to be a campaign of State sponsored terror that largely avoids engagements with ONLF forces and instead focuses on collectively punishing our civilian population.

We call on donor nations to bear pressure on the Ethiopian Woyanne regime to end its brutal campaign against our civilian population and allow international journalists and humanitarian organizations to travel and operate freely in Ogaden. If this regime has nothing to hide in Ogaden there is no reason why it should continue to ban international journalists and reputable humanitarian organizations such as the ICRC from operating and traveling freely in Ogaden.

We further call on the United Nations in particular to come to the immediate aid of our forcefully displaced people seeking refuge in neighboring Somalia. The United Nations bears a particular responsibility to thoroughly investigate war crimes in Ogaden and halt the unfolding of yet another preventable African genocide. To do this, the United Nations must have access to all parts of Ogaden and not be limited to routes approved by the regime as was the case with the recent UN Fact Finding Mission.

Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF)

——————-
See this article for background information