Posted 9th March 2009
A candlelight vigil was held on the anniversary of the International Woman’s Day, March 8th, 2009 starting from 4:00 pm at the Radisson Hotel, located at the southwest Corner I-75 & Campbell Road in Richardson, Texas. The event was attended by both Ethiopians as well as by American advocates of Human Rights from the DFW area. Of particular importance was the attendance by a representative from the Honorable Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson Office, a staffer from the Local Obama Campaign team, a Staff Writer from the Dallas Morning News and Officers and members from the Ethiopian Women Organization in Dallas.
The guests were welcome by Dejene Asaaye, the Chairman of the Andinet-Dallas chapter. In his address, he asked the American and Ethiopian-American guests in the audience to urge their representatives in Texas, the State Department and the White House to demand for the immediate and unconditional release of Birtukan. He also emphasized that Birtukan’s incarceration is a manifestation of systemic repression in Ethiopia. He therefore reminded the audience that our request to our representatives at all level of government should also include urging them to support legislative initiative in the US House of Representatives and the Senate such as HR 2003 and S3457 that deal with Human Rights, Democracy and Accountability in Ethiopia. He gave a reasoned argument showing that such an action by the US is not only good for the Ethiopian people but also is critical for the US’s goal of achieving peace and stability in the Horn of Africa.
Following his address, a 15 minute slide show was presented to the guests. The slide show was focused on the difficult journey Birtukan travelled starting from the May 2005 election, going though the first Kaliti days, her first visit in the US, her reconstitution struggle of UDJ from CUDP, her trip to Europe and back to Kaliti prison again. The slide show was used to tell the pattern of repressive rule of Meles’s regime for the past 18 years through the political life of Birtukan.
The audience also heard words of encouragement from Special Assistant to Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson, Mrs. Janis Brooke and Mrs. Gillian Parrillo of the local Obama campaign team. Finally the Chairwoman and Secretary of Ethiopian Woman Organization Mrs. Etalemahu and Mrs. Mulu respectively addressed the audience with solidarity message to Birtukan and the significance of March 8 to woman all over the world and particularly to women in Ethiopia.
Quite prayer, somber music, candle lights and poetry were pervasive throughout the event.
March 9, 2009
Dallas
Organizers of the event: Andinet-Dallas, Dejen le Democracy, EPRP-D and Human Rights activists from DFW area.
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Birtukan Mideksa is a light in the darkness brought about by the political, social and economic turmoil which zenawi and his stooges orchestrated.
Whereas the ethnicist woyane preach breed hate and division among our communities, Birtukan brings love and harmony,
Whereas the woyane intimidate and harass the people, Birtukan is fighting for the rights of our people to live with out fear and persecution in their own country,
Whereas zenawi’s brutal dictatorship tries to gag our journalists, political activists and human rights defenders, Birtukan fights for freedom and democracy where people are aloowed to speak and write freely, to discuss the affairs of their country openly without fear of being beaten up, jailed or killed by woyane agents.
We need to support fairness and justice for all. There is no fairness, no justice, no peace or prosperity while the ethnicist woyane remain in Menilik’s palace.
We have to choose to be on the side of Birtukan and support what she stands for. The woyane have no concern for you and me; whoever gets in their way, or whoever dares to speak against them is a target. The woyane think like the proverbial donkey which said ”it didn’t care whether the grass grows or not when it dies”
73 days since Birtukan Mideksa has been jailed in a very, very small dark room in isolation. I think the young Judge knows most Ethiopians think about her all the time.
nice post realy this is great we like to touch and see some articles like this ..