Zenawi’s Personal Vendetta will not Break the Fighting Spirit of Birtukan Mideksa

March 29, 2010
Press Release

Ever since Birtukan Mideksa was re-arrested and sent back to life in prison, the mental and physical health of Ethiopia’s lone female political leader has been deteriorating. According to family sources in Addis Ababa, last Saturday, March 20, 2010, Birtukan informed her visiting mother that she is terribly sick and her condition will quickly deteriorate unless she gets immediate medical attention. Sadly, when she told this somber news to her mother; the prison guard shoved her 76-year-old mother and 5-year-old daughter; the only people allowed to visit her were shoved out of the visiting area and told not to come back again.

The entire nation is sickened by this shocking news because Ethiopians are reminded of the tragic fate of Professor Asrat Woldeyes, the renowned surgeon and celebrated political prisoner, who was denied access to medical help by the brutal Zenawi regime.
Many Ethiopians, who admire Birtukan’s principled stand against tyranny dismiss her re-arrest under false pretenses as a ploy to keep her from participating in the upcoming May “election.”

Meles Zenawi has always been a ruthless tyrant with a long history of punishing his real or perceived enemies and rewarding his cronies. Zenawi’s personal conflict with Judge Mideksa dates back to 2001 when she followed the letter of the law and ordered Seyie Abraha, ex-TPLF official to be freed on bail.

In November 2005, six months after the ill-fated election, Zenawi used the political crisis of the time to avenge Birtukan, and seized the opportunity to send her to jail along with the top leadership of the opposition, Coalition for Unity and Democracy (CUD) party. In July 2007, Birtukan Mideksa was released from Kaliti prison along with 37 opposition leaders through a politically negotiated settlement. A year later, in Decemeber 2008, her life sentence was reinstated when the government revoked her “pardon.”

Last week, Zenawi was asked about Birukan’s health and his incredulous response was “the last I heard, Birtukan’s health is in perfect condition. She may have gained a few kilos, and that may be for lack of exercise, but other than that, I understand she is in perfect health.” This sadistic and chauvinistic response not only defies logic but also begs the question of how a prisoner of conscience, locked up in solitary confinement for six months, and denied medical attention could possibly be in “perfect health”?

Ginbot 7 strongly condemns this cowardly act of a desperate dictator trying to cling to power at any cost and urges the international community of civilzed nations to denounce this barbaric act against a political prisoner in contravention of Article 5 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights that clearly states : No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.

We call on President Obama, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Speaker Pelosi and the Members of Senate Women’s Caucus on Burma, who have repeatedly called for the release of pro-democracy leader, Aung San Sui Kyi of Burma, to pressure the Zenawi regime to release Judge Mideksa so that she can get the urgent medical attention that she needs.

Ginbot7 Movement for Justice, Freedom and Democracy
Tel +44 208 1335670
pr@ginbot7.org