When the high court convicted Kinijit leaders of committing outrage against the constitutional order, it received the most unexpected of responses from the convicted. There was no shock. No anger. No sadness. Birhanu Nega, the elected mayor of Addis Ababa, stood up to thank the court. It wasn't a satirical thank you. He was genuine about it.
Since then the prisoners have been telling the real reasons for their amazing reaction to their families and friends. "Kinijit and its ideals have triumphed three times. The first time was the May 8 march in 2005. Then it was the election day. The guilty verdict was the third one. In the first two Ethiopians in the most civilized way showed that their lives were meaningless without freedom and democracy. The day of the conviction was the day EPRDF finally took out the last cloth it wore to hide its true self." Those were the words of Birhanu.
Now in Kaliti, this sense of triumph is uniting the prisoners even more. There is a feeling in all of them that their resolve has been tested in the toughest way possible; and they have shown what it takes to be a genuine political leader in Ethiopia. It is now for other Ethiopians to show what they are made of. "It was supposed to be our trial. We made it their trial," another prisoner said.
A trial it has become for EPRDF. The outpouring of shock from the international community has caught the government off guard; some accusing each other. EZ Post sources reported that the Prime Minister is now looking a way out of the mess. And as EPRDF usually does, the fire extinguishing act has started. At the office bar in Sheraton, EPRDF apologists like Costentinos Berhe are trying to give the best spin to the guilty verdict to unimpressed diplomats. And in other parts of the town, desperate EPRDF spies who didn't anticipate the reaction are trying to spread rumours that there is a split among the convicted leaders. Arbitrary numbers like 6-4, 7-3 splits are being thrown everywhere.
What EPRDF says or does now seems frivolous in the face of the heroism shown by our great leaders.
Monday, June 18, 2007
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19 comments:
(( Speecheless )) but shocked about the conviction, full of anger towards Weyane, and deeply saddned about the rest of us. .... "crying but more committed than ever ..." ::
Some sources say that the convicted are ready even for death penalty. I am proud of them for such commitment. Whatever happens I pray that their sacrifice may not be in vain!
Our leaders have made us proud, now it is our turn to make them proud! comon ppl. it is the most simple thing that is left for us to do, telling the truth (that has been exposed by our heroic leaders) to everyone, and using people power to overthrough the tyrannical Weyane.
The process shows the real nature of eprdf and the commitement of the political prisoners.
Now Prof Mesfin, Dr Yakob, Berehanu Nega, Ato Hailu, Birtukan,Debebe,Muluneh and all the 38, qualified to be named "the ethiopian Mandelas", "Habesha Martin Luther Kings".
Their peaceful struggle and sacrifice is now the fundament, the rock base, on which the democratic ethiopia will grow up.
Amanuel from Germany
These are brave men who can lead Ethiopia. How I wish the crazy idots in Maryland have some sense as well rather than spining their own nonsense stories.
One side of me is proud of them.Yes i have a proved heros who didn't betrayed their people at the verge of death .
For them it was safe to accept the ill treated mediation to secure their release.But with out freedom; without democracy,"NO HALF WAY" .they proved at the end.
min larigachihu Anibesoch!!!!
All Respect to you ,to my leader.
The other side of me overwhelmingly ashamed of myself because i contributed nothing to the struggle while they are suffering all these.
now i swear to God to pay whatever it costs me to secure democracy and freedom.
Fellow ethiopian.
now is the time to act.
let us rise up.
I love my heroic leaders who are paying dearly to libret me and my fellow Ethiopians, but I just would like to see the DC fouls have just half of the comitement and dedication our leaders are showing it Meles's Gullage.
As thier nephew in the North, Isayas Afwerki said recently, the weyanes are suffering from a mental illness due to the shocking defeat they suffered in May 2005. They will do anything under the sky to protect thier power. Kinijit leaders ar heros of our time. The weyanes are desperate and thier time is up.
GEBRU from Awassa:
"It was supposed to be our trial. We made it their trial," yes yes and yes. It was Woyanes trial and they (meles and his gangs)are guilty of murder, rape, steal, what else O a lot more. I know the Ethiopian people (including our brothers and sisters in Tigray) will soon justice prevailing in their beloved country Ethiopia and those who think can fled will not escape with the help of GOD. We will hunt you down where ever you go and it is called justice.
I heared the price of air ticket from America to Ethiopia went from $2400 2 month ago to $1800 this month right after the shamefull trial of Ethiopian leaders in Kality. So far 23000 milinium passengers cancelled their trip to Addis. O Woyane dance with Solomon and may be the Shake what is his name Al something will be your DJ.
Arios. ETHIOPIA WILL PREVAIL!
The verdict was a blessing in disguise. It may have been considered a serious threat by TPLF and their adisors, but it is another hammer for us to use it to hit them on their head.
We are happy that KIL has reason to unite forgoing all petty differences. The recent crack seen in the TPLF camp is another evidence that it is their camp that is under serious and intense pressure, surprisingly it is the TPLF camp that is going 6-to-3 split, where Meles and his financiers are left to ponder what the hell happened!
This verdict has given the majority of the Ethiopian people a wake up call. We shall see how our mellinnium is celebrated. Who is going to celebrate with them? We are preparing a mellinnium celebration in every mejor city throughout North America, Middle East, and Europe.
Please read the recent news just came out. You all knew about the split between Meles and Sibhat in his radio interview. But this news go a little further:
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Sebhat Nega stirs things up in Ethiopia
Indian Ocean Newsletter N° 1216 16/06/2007
The interview of a leader of the governing party broadcast on 28 May by Radio Dimtse, owned by the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF, government), has made significant waves in Addis Ababa.
Sebhat Nega tried in this interview to put himself over as the voice of Ethiopian nationalism. He hence defended a very hard line against the Ethiopian opposition, while nevertheless presenting the TPLF as the spearhead and guarantor of Eritrean independence.
He went as far as to state that the current Ethiopian government was "the sole force able to defend Eritrean independence."
This extreme position came over as the expression of a muffled power struggle at the top of the TPLF, in which Sebhat Nega was positioning himself as an alternative to the present Prime Minister Meles Zenawi.
Accordingly, Sebhat Nega, who holds a post of responsibility in the Endowment Fund for the Rehabilitation of Tigray (Effort), could be the target of an investigation into the financial management of this consortium of companies with links to the government coalition.
Certain Ethiopian MPs have already called for precisely such an investigation. He has therefore mobilised his sister Kidusan Nega, the mayor of Mekele, her husband Tsegaye Berhe the President of the Tigray Regional State, and other members of his family and friends to prepare to fireback against a possible accusation of corruption that could be levelled against him.
Such a tactic had already been used a few years ago against the TPLF dissident Seye Abraha.
The mobilisation of his partisans confirms Sebhat Nega is planning to return to the limelight of the political scene. They have been fuelling the reproaches made against Meles Zenawi for keeping Seye Abraha, "a TPLF hero" in prison and call for him to be freed.
Sebhat Nega has tested the feeling of the Tigrayan Diaspora about him by gaining the support of a former TPLF dissident now living in exile in Ohio (USA), Bisrat Amare, who went back to the TPLF after the general election in July 2005.
There is nothing unexpected about the behavior of this leaders ,and the results of the sham trial.Ethiopians who follow the affiars of their nation 24/7 said it long ago in the following terms:this whole spectatle will come to an end by the unanimous consent,and joint hand verdict of the care takers,interpriters ,and enforcers;by what ever name they chose to call it will pass in the real meaning of this words:punishment with out crime.
Let us find our strength through this seemingly weak postion we find our selves.Most people were deceieved,and this deceipt is self caused.Now we need to come out of our this state,admit the deception,rise up and fight the enemy.The depth of the evil of this leaders has no boundary.We have to say good by to the do nothing and only mere talk attitude. We need to stand in unison with all Ethiopians ,including the Tigrians,to remove this regime.Please... plese .. please spare us our time ,and take us not in to the tried and failed method of begging.We need to stay focused in this one thing: work with all Ethiopians to remove this entity. At this point,know this those who are still pron to go back to the socalled peacful struggle need to be treated as the enemy of the people.the reason we insist this path is simple,we can claim this statments under the guise of anonmity:no one will reasonably expect this claims can be asserted in aninvironment of face to face discussion formats.Charactr counts the most ;we saw it in professor Asrat ,and in this leaders ,now it is every one's duity to display such fortitude.We need to say to the brute rulers,thus far and no more.
God is with the people,just start to walk in unity in this direction,he will see to it that victory will be to the people.
I am cynical on the idea "sibhat Vs meles" stirs ,hells ,dumped any sort of their activity.
this is to let us wait the spontaneous falling of TPLF.
NO NO NO NO.dont be Fool my country men.
TPLF intentionally spread this news .anyway what ever hell is going on the camps of Ethiopian Enemy;that shouldnt bother us.
what should matters us atmost is on how to blaze the spirit of Kinijit more and more.
Ellil bey ethiopia your days are coming soon.
Habtamu
Fellow Ethiopinas, now it's time to take action. Action that should and must be taken as the leaders would have wanted us to take: Put the people and the country above self pitty issues and rise to the occasion. Let's get to action. Start by listing names of individuals who plan(knowingly or by ingnorance) to go and dance with woyane for the new year. And there are lots of actions we can take.
Let's get to action.
shame on us/////i have been questioning myself whether we are people who desvreve such a leader like hailu ,berhanu,bertukan,befkadu,gezachew,muluneh------------.we simple talk talk on makeatoo but no action.guys this is the right time time say enough is enough.get organize and let do shomething infulential.let's librate ourself nor our leadrs as they are alraeady librated of fear,prejudice,selefness------
Optimism, it seems, is all that is left. The tragedy is optimism isn't going to bring down a rooted tyranny. Bolstered by a super power (that shamelessly flaunts its muscles in snuffing democracy while shamelessly declaring itself as a champion of democracy), what chances in heavens do we, the reading class, have in getting this country root out its tyrants? - Zilch!
I am afraid, there are a whole spectrum of feelings one should be feeling at this moment, but optimism isn't one of those.
Fury, if suffused among the nation, not only the appropriate response, but it is empowering.
heroes and heroine in deed. I am proud of yje tenacity demonstrated by CUP leaders. Hpe all will learn from this. this is leadershi in deed.
Mela
Is this coincidence? or history reapeating it self The fallowing is what i was reding as i heard about the guilty vrdict These are the words of mandela while he was in prison and being pushed to abondon his and the peopel cause "...Only freemen can negotiate.prisoners cannot enter in to contracts...I cannot and will notgive any undertaking at a timewhen i and you,the peopel,are not freeYour freedom and mine cannot be separated.I will return
I don't know much about politics but I know Kinijit means a lot to most Ethiopians. It is a strange political party this CUD, honesty and the rule of law, liberty, equality and brotherhood/nationhood. But can that function in Africa? May be it will b/c Ethiopian politicians don't recall the British rule or the French rule of the past all the time.
If the tyrant Meles kills them all today, Hailu, Bertukan, Berhanu, Befekadu, Debebe, Yakob, Mesfin, Muluneh etc. will be engraved in Ethiopia's mind and history as the heroes of freedom for centuries to come. Other alternatives might suffice if those who always said there can't be a peaceful way against TPLF to get freedom are proven right. And those might provide other kind of heroes each of them more famous than Shawel, Mideksa, Nega, Eyoel and all the others combined. CUD will be remembered as the spirit of Ethiopia.
check out this blog:
http://ethiopianbloggers.blogspot.com/
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